The Hollywood Reporter is set to release its highly anticipated 2026 Power Business Managers list this Wednesday, providing an exhaustive look at the financial strategists who serve as the backbone of the entertainment industry. This annual roster highlights the individuals tasked with navigating the increasingly complex financial ecosystems of Hollywood, from managing high-net-worth portfolios to overseeing the intricate business operations of global talent agencies and production houses. In conjunction with the list’s release, the publication will host an invitation-only breakfast at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Beverly Hills on October 21, an event that has become a staple for industry networking and discourse on the shifting economic landscape of media and entertainment.
Honoring Excellence: The Business Manager Icon Award
Central to this year’s festivities is the presentation of the Business Manager Icon award to Michael Ullman, the CEO and founder of Platinum Financial Management Inc. Ullman, whose career spans more than 35 years, has cemented his reputation as a trusted advisor to some of the world’s most recognizable entertainers. The award will be presented by legendary boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard, a long-standing client and personal friend of Ullman.
Ullman’s trajectory began in 2003 when he established Platinum Financial Management Inc. as an independent entity with a mission to merge high-level fiscal expertise with a boutique, personalized approach to client services. Over the past two decades, he has scaled the firm to a team of 35 professionals who manage the wealth and business interests of a distinguished client list, including Jennifer Aniston, Miles Teller, Brooke Shields, Julie Bowen, Chrissy Metz, and Linda Cardellini. His selection as this year’s Icon underscores a professional legacy built on the pillars of discretion, rigorous financial acumen, and the cultivation of multi-decade relationships within the high-stakes environment of A-list talent management.
Keynote Insights and Industry Discourse
The October 21 event will feature high-level intellectual programming designed to address the challenges facing the modern entertainment sector. A cornerstone of the morning will be a keynote Q&A session with United Talent Agency (UTA) CEO David Kramer, moderated by The Hollywood Reporter editor-in-chief Maer Roshan.
Kramer, who has been instrumental in shaping UTA’s global strategic growth, brings a wealth of experience in navigating the consolidation and diversification of talent agencies. As the overseer of the firm’s global business and former president, his insights are expected to touch upon the shifting economics of talent representation in an era of rapid technological disruption.
Following the keynote, the event will transition into a fireside chat featuring Lisa Callif, a founding partner at the boutique law firm Donaldson Callif Perez. In conversation with The Hollywood Reporter business and legal writer Winston Cho, Callif will discuss the intricacies of development, production, and clearance—an increasingly vital area of expertise as global streaming platforms and major studios demand more stringent compliance and intellectual property protection. Callif, co-author of the seminal guide Clearance & Copyright, is a key architect in negotiating distribution deals for high-profile clients, including the documentary divisions of Artists Equity and production houses associated with figures like Richard Linklater and the Safdie Brothers.
The Role of Financial Stewards in a Volatile Market
The relevance of the Power Business Managers list has grown significantly in recent years as the entertainment industry faces a period of structural realignment. With the rise of artificial intelligence, the maturation of the streaming model, and a volatile advertising market, the role of the business manager has evolved from simple bookkeeping to high-level strategic advisory.
Financial strategists are currently tasked with managing the long-tail revenue streams of their clients while simultaneously mitigating risks associated with industry-wide strikes and production delays. According to recent industry reports, business management firms in the entertainment sector have seen a 15% increase in demand for forensic accounting and legacy protection services as legacy media conglomerates restructure their debt and content output. The professional guidance of individuals like those named on the Power Business Managers list provides creative talent with the necessary fiscal stability to navigate these fluctuations.
Historical Context and Institutional Support
The Power Business Managers event has long been supported by industry stalwarts who recognize the critical importance of financial literacy in the arts. City National Bank, which has served the entertainment, music, and sports industries for over seven decades, returns this year as the presenting sponsor.
JaHan Wang, head of Entertainment & Sports Banking at City National Bank, emphasized the symbiotic relationship between creative risk-taking and sound financial management. "Great business managers give creative talent the freedom to take risks and focus on their work," Wang noted. "City National Bank is honored to return as the presenting sponsor of the Power Business Managers event, recognizing the people who keep the business of entertainment running."
Venable LLP also joins the event as a sponsor, bringing a legal perspective to the proceedings. The firm’s Los Angeles office has been a fixture in the media landscape for over two decades, focusing on the intersection of corporate tax transactions, private wealth planning, and intellectual property litigation. By bridging the gap between legal compliance and business growth, firms like Venable serve as an essential partner to the business managers who attend the event.
A Look Back: Building a Legacy
The tradition of honoring icons within this sphere reflects a broader trend of acknowledging the "unsung heroes" of Hollywood. Last year’s event at CUT Beverly Hills set a high bar, featuring a keynote conversation with Linda Lichter, founding partner of Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora, & Clark, which addressed the looming concerns of AI integration in talent contracts. Additionally, actress Uzo Aduba honored Anna DerParseghian, managing partner at PTD Business Management, with the Business Manager Icon award, signaling the industry’s continued commitment to celebrating those who manage the economic prosperity of its biggest stars.
Implications for the Future
The 2026 iteration of this list arrives at a pivotal moment. The entertainment industry is moving away from the "growth at all costs" era of streaming expansion toward a period of disciplined capital allocation. For business managers, this means an increased focus on cost-efficiency, tax optimization, and the diversification of investment portfolios for clients whose primary income streams are becoming increasingly unpredictable.
As the industry pivots toward new monetization models—including ad-supported tiers and global co-productions—the expertise required to navigate these waters has become increasingly specialized. The participants of the upcoming event represent the vanguard of this shift, possessing the technical knowledge to translate complex regulatory and financial changes into actionable plans for their clients.
The unveiling of the list in the October 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter will serve as a definitive guide for industry professionals seeking to understand who is currently steering the financial ship. For the honorees, the recognition serves as both a validation of their past contributions and a mark of their influence in a sector that shows no signs of slowing down its cycle of transformation. As the event convenes at Spago, the focus remains clear: the business of Hollywood is as much about the ledger as it is about the lens, and the professionals who balance both are more influential than ever.
