Celebrity Name: Mustafa Speaks
New Companies: Untitled (Management) + Innovative Artists (Literary)
Primary Agents: Steve Muller, Josiah Akinyele, Babette Perry, Jill Witterschein, Zack Kaplan (Innovative Artists)
Primary Manager: Evan Hainey (Untitled)
Department: Talent (All Areas) + Literary
Territory: United States
- Actor and producer Mustafa Speaks has expanded his representation with Innovative Artists Entertainment, which now reps both him and his production banner Blue Meridian Studios on the literary side, in addition to continuing to represent him on the talent side.
- Speaks and Blue Meridian Studios have also signed with Untitled for management in all areas.
- Speaks is currently starring alongside Billy Bob Thornton in Paramount+’s Landman from Taylor Sheridan, playing lead oil crewman Theodore “Boss” Ramone, with the show heading into its third season.
Landman star Mustafa Speaks and his production company Blue Meridian Studios have signed with Untitled for management in all areas. At the same time, Innovative Artists Entertainment has expanded its representation of Speaks to now include both him and Blue Meridian Studios on the literary side.
Speaks is best known for his role as “Boss” on Paramount+’s Landman, as well as “Coach Kenny” on The CW’s All American, and “Messiah” in Netflix’s hit limited series Seven Seconds.
With Landman already greenlit for Season 3, Speaks is one of Taylor Sheridan’s most recognizable recurring faces on television right now.
The signing signals a clear pivot toward Speaks building out his producing ambitions alongside his on-screen career. In a statement, he said he has “always believed powerful storytelling comes from lived experience,” adding that he is “excited to build projects that are cinematic, meaningful, and capable of connecting with audiences around the world.”
This is part of a broader streak for Innovative Artists, which has been rapidly growing its roster. Just weeks ago, Craig Conover signed with Innovative Artists for all-areas representation, and the agency has also recently brought in Denise Richards and Vivica A. Fox.
The agency’s literary expansion with Blue Meridian Studios shows it is now actively competing for production talent too, not just in front-of-camera signings.
Takeaways
Mustafa Speaks isn’t just picking up a new manager, he’s restructuring his entire career infrastructure. Signing both himself and his production company in the same move tells you exactly where his ambitions lie: he wants to own the stories, not just appear in them.
The fact that Innovative Artists is now repping Blue Meridian Studios on the literary side is the real signal here. Agencies don’t take on production banners unless they believe there’s genuine development pipeline to sell. For a Taylor Sheridan drama veteran with name recognition on one of Paramount+’s biggest shows, the timing couldn’t be better.
The signing also fits neatly into Innovative Artists’ recent momentum. Between Vivica A. Fox, Denise Richards, and Craig Conover, the agency has been stacking high-profile names at a notable pace. Adding a legitimate multi-hyphenate like Speaks deepens the roster considerably.
Does signing a production company alongside the talent signal that Innovative Artists is evolving beyond traditional talent representation into a full-service content play? Are talent-run banners like Blue Meridian Studios becoming the new normal for TV stars?
