rewrite this title Meryl Hoffman Goes Solo After Curtis Brown Exit; Anita Rani & Zoe Ball Among Talent Sticking With Agent

EXCLUSIVE: Curtis Brown‘s Meryl Hoffman has left the UTA-owned talent agency and is taking big name presenting clients with her.

We hear she recently informed Curtis Brown management of her decision and has now exited, with DJ and TV host Zoe Ball and Countryfile presenter Anita Rani among those sticking with their long-term agent. Curtis Brown confirmed her departure.

In the past few days, a company called Ruby Pie has emerged on social media, noting it represents the likes of Ball, Rani, Morning Live presenter Gethin Jones, Gavin and Stacey actor Larry Lamb and his son George Lamb, and chef Nathaniel Mortley, aka Natty Can Cook. We’ve attempted to confirm that this is the name of Hoffman’s new agency.

Deadline understands several of Hoffman’s clients will be remaining with Curtis Brown. Those we known of include So You Think You Can Dance presenter Cat Deeley and Radio 1 DJ Greg James.

At Curtis Brown, Hoffman was also agent to the likes of BBC current affairs presenter Victoria Derbyshire, Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse and singer Frankie Bridge, who hosted ITV’s game show Cannonball.

Hoffman had joined Curtis Brown in 2018 after her MHM Management was acquired during an acquisitions spree at the London-based company, which represents the likes of Ncuti Gatwa, Robert Pattinson and Stanley Tucci.

The experienced talent agent had begun her career at Banijay’s now-defunct Princess Productions before moving to John Noel Management and then on to joined DawBell PR, where she launched a talent division. She set set up MHM in 2012.

Curtis Brown launched an unscripted division under Martha Atack last year. Hoffman and her clients sat within that unit alongside agents such as Jacquie Drewe, Debi Allen and Tiffany Agbeko. This came two years after UTA acquired Curtis Brown’s parent company, Original Talent, in 2022 for £43.3M ($58.2M).