Jay Sures


Jay Sures is an American entertainment industry executive and talent agent, currently serving as co-president of United Talent Agency.

Early life and education

Born in 1966 to a Jewish family in Canada, Sures was raised in Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he has also served as an assistant visiting professor for the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Career

Sures' career with United Talent Agency began with the agency's establishment in 1991, working in the mailroom and assisting co-founder Peter Benedek. He became a talent agent when UTA first formed, and was promoted to partner in 1998. Sures joined the board of directors in 2003. He and David Kramer held managing director roles starting in 2010, and both became co-presidents in September 2017. Sures is also a co-founder of the UTA Foundation, the agency's non-profit organization.
Sures leads the agency's news, broadcast and television divisions, as well as the acquired Greater Talent Network speakers division. He began managing UTA's news and broadcast division after leading the agency's 2014 acquisition of N.S. Bienstock.
Sures was appointed to the Television Academy's Executive Committee in 2014, and inducted into Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2016. In June 2017, Sures and Kramer, along with UTA's chief executive officer, Jeremy Zimmer, ranked number 33 on The Hollywood Reporter list of the 100 "most powerful people in entertainment".
In 2018's Mediaite annual rankings of top players in the news business, Sures was the sole agent recognized.
Throughout his career, Sures has represented Glenn Beck, Henry Bromell, Don Lemon, Steve Levitan, Chuck Lorre, Norah O'Donnell, Darren Star, Jake Tapper, Chuck Todd, Elizabeth Vargas, and Larry Wilmore, among others.
Beginning in 2016, Sures has hosted an annual party in Washington, DC the night before the White House Correspondents Dinner that blends the worlds of politics, entertainment and media.

Personal life

Sures has been married twice and has three children.
Sures is a political activist and a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party. In 2016, he hosted a fundraiser for Senator Tim Kaine, then Hillary Clinton's selection for vice president in the U.S. presidential election. Earlier in the race, he had supported Joe Biden. He pledged his support for Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom in California's 2018 gubernatorial race.
Sures joined the Entertainment Industry Foundation's board of directors in 2008. In 2014, he was honored at Chrysalis' annual Butterfly Ball, which recognizes entertainment professionals for their "creative excellence and philanthropic endeavors". Sures was appointed to the Regents of the University of California in January 2019 by former Governor Jerry Brown. He was reappointed for a 12-year term by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020.
In January 2019 it was announced that Sures, along with Rande Gerber and his spouse Cindy Crawford, Mike Meldman, and Jeff Shell would purchase the iconic Hollywood deli, Nate ‘n Al, to keep its doors open after three generations of family ownership.