EXCLUSIVE: UK talent agent Andrew Roach has set up a new shop and taken A Different Man star Adam Pearson with him.
Roach has exited Maya Jama’s agency Insanity to set up DEIversity Talent Management, which will focus mainly on representing deaf, disabled and neurodivergent (DDN) talent.
Based in the South of England, DEIVersity opens with A Different Man and Under the Skin star Pearson, Britain’s Got Talent winner Lee Ridley aka the Lost Voice Guy and Great British Bake Off contestant Briony May Williams. Roach has been working with Pearson for many years.
Roach said he will mainly but not exclusively represent DDN stars. He plans on hiring more staff and, having been diagnosed with ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, wants to put the spotlight on agents and talent managers who have underlying health conditions.
Roach used to run his own firm before joining Insanity two years ago. A member of BAFTA’s Disability Advisory Group, he was one of the agents Deadline spoke with for our 2024 deep dive into the talent managers paving the way for the next generation of disabled talent.
“I am looking forward to continuing my work representing diverse talent, with a particular focus on DDN people, as well as being an advocate within the industry for inclusion and accessibility,” said Roach.
“I also want to raise awareness and encourage more people from diverse backgrounds to consider a career as an agent or talent manager as we need more representation and diversity in these roles. My lived experience of having an underlying health condition and being an agent demonstrates that it is possible to have a career in the industry if reasonable adjustments are made and there is a flexible approach to how people work.”
