ICM Partners announced on Monday that partner and co-head of the talent department Lorrie Bartlett will join the agency’s board.
“We are very proud and excited to announce that Lorrie Bartlett has been appointed to the board of ICM Partners,” the agency said in a statement. “Lorrie becomes the first African-American appointed to the board of a major Hollywood talent agency. She was also the first African-American department head at a major talent agency when [managing partner Chris Silbermann] appointed her to head of motion picture talent in 2011.”
Bartlett’s appointment makes her the fourth woman on the ICM board, joining Esther Newberg and Jennifer Joel, who were original board members dating to 2012, as well as ICM head of TV production department Janet Carol Norton, who was appointed last year.
Bartlett’s clients include Regina King, who recently won the best supporting actress Golden Globe for “If Beale Street Could Talk;” Michael Keaton, Lucy Liu, Ruth Negga and Laverne Cox.
Bartlett’s appointment comes at a critical time in Hollywood as the conversation around diversity and inclusion of women and people of color continues to intensify. ICM has made a 50/50 by 2020 pledge.
The agency said that close to 50 percent of its departments are run by women and that it is close to having women represent 40 percent of the agents at the company.