DLT Entertainment and Christian Knowles Join Forces To Transform CKP into Blue Book Management
New agency will manage leading names in comedy for TV, Film, Digital, Branding, Radio, and Live Even
LONDON 5th July 2019: DLT Entertainment, the award-winning production and distribution company, has joined forces with comedy promoter and manager Christian Knowles to launch Blue Book Artist Management agency, effective immediately. The agency will represent such writer/performers as Micky Flanagan, Mark Watson, Hal Cruttenden and Zoe Lyons as well as exciting new comics such as Darren Harriott, Helen Bauer and Stephen Buchanan. Blue Book will manage performers and writers in TV, Film, Digital, Branding, Radio, and Live Events.
Blue Book Artist Management will be run by Knowles, taking up the role of Managing Director. DLT will own a significant stake in the new company, with DLT Entertainment President Donald Taffner, Jr. sitting on the board alongside Knowles. Blue Book Artist Management will operate from DLT Entertainment’s London office.
Knowles previously founded CKP (Christian Knowles Productions) in 2001 to specialise in development of comic talent for TV, radio and live events, which was acquired by The ROAR Group (now known as the InterTalent Rights Group) three years ago.
The launch of Blue Book Artist Management represents a new chapter for Knowles who said “After three exciting years at InterTalent we have left to set up a new agency with all our fantastic clients and team. We’re incredibly excited to be part of Donald Taffner’s award winning DLT Entertainment Group, working alongside all the other companies from Acting and Literary agencies to TV production companies in the UK and US. And for anyone wondering Blue Book’s name was inspired by Max Miller, whose jokes still make me laugh – a lot!.”
Christian added “I’m going to miss everyone at InterTalent I am incredibly grateful for our time together; we will stay in touch.”
Blue Book Artist Management marks DLT Entertainment’s continued expansion into talent representation within film, TV, publishing and comedy and compliments its existing firm The Galton Agency as well its recently announced investment in two other leading agencies: The Soho Agency and Milburn Browning Associates. In 2018 Geoff Atkinson’s Vera Productions came into the fold.
Joining Christian are agents Helena Bumpus and Jen Littlewood, along with head of Live Jack De’Ath, Live Assistant Ben Gladwin, Edinburgh Festival Coordinator Ally Wilson, book keeper Jo-Anne Greer and Agency production co-ordinator Hollie Cooper
In addition, Blue Book will continue to operate The Boat Show Comedy Club and The Guinea Pig Comedy Club at The Tattershall Castle in London. They have run comedy there since 2000 hosted sets from comedians including Micky Flanagan, Jack Whitehall, James Corden, Sarah Millican, Eddie Izzard, Romesh Ranganathan, Sarah Pascoe, Michael McIntyre, Stewart Lee, Sarah Silverman, James Acaster, and Zoe Lyons. Next year they will be celebrating their 20th birthday at the Boat.
Donald Taffner Jr., President of DLT Entertainment, said; “Christian is one of the most prolific comedy agents in the UK, with a reputation that precedes him and an incredible roster of clients. His continually innovative and dynamic vision for promoting comedic talent is unparalleled, and we’re delighted to launch Blue Book Artist Management with him.
He continued; “This new agency launch represents a significant, albeit natural, next step for DLT as we further expand our roster of talent management. With the addition of some of the UK’s most high-profile comedy stars to our roster we look forward to fostering collaborative relationships across the business and beyond to create exciting opportunities for the client, for the agency, and for DLT.”
DLT Entertainment’s Shaftsbury Theatre where Motown, The Musical just completed its successful three+ years run, will come into play in this venture. The Illusionists, featuring the talents of seven of the most incredible Illusionists on earth will run for a strictly limited season this Summer, and it recently announced the launch of the new musical & Julietwith performances beginning at the Theatre in November 2019.
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Further information:
Natasha Roberts, on behalf of DLT Entertainment: natasha.roberts@premiercomms.com | +44 200 7292 5094
Charlie Wainwright, on behalf of DLT: charlie.wainwright@premiercomms.com | +44 020 7292 7372
NOTES TO EDITORS
About DLT Entertainment:
With headquarters in London and New York, DLT Entertainment Ltd. is engaged in every aspect of television distribution and production around the world, as well as stage production in the US and in the UK where it owns London’s Shaftesbury Theatre.
Founded in 1963 as a distribution company by Don Taffner Sr., the company added television production to its portfolio in 1977. It has enjoyed terrific success in its fifty-six year history with legendary hits on both sides of the Atlantic including the multiple award-winning and BBC Trust praised sitcom My Family, As Time Goes By, Three’s Company, Too Close For Comfort and Meet My Folks. In addition, DLT has built a reputation as a leading distribution company with classics such as The Benny Hill Show, The World at War, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood, The Russ Abbot Show, Michel LeGrand and Friends, and Dara O’Briain’s Go 8 Bit.
In 2018 DLT expanded its own production activities in the United Kingdom through the acquisition of Vera Productions whose past productions include Getting On, Million Pound Jewellers, Bremner, Bird, and Fortune, and numerous Dispatches such as President Trump’s Dirty Secrets and Politicians for Hire: Cashing in on Brexit.
DLT is also a significant player in the artist management business with key investments in The Soho Agency, Milburn Browning Associates, and The Galton Agency.
The Shaftesbury Theatre in London, where Motown, The Musical just completed its successful three+ years run, The Illusionists, featuring the talents of seven of the most incredible Illusionists on earth will run for a strictly limited season this Summer, and new musical & Juliet with performances beginning at the Theatre in November 2019 is owned by DLT.
About Christian Knowlest
Christian got his big break in comedy producing So You Think You're Funny for Channel 4 from 2000-2002. Finalists included Russell Brand, Jason Manford, Nina Conti, Mark Watson, Rhod Gilbert, Justin Moorhouse, Alan Carr, John Bishop, and Greg Davies. He has only gone on to represent a number of these comedians.
Alongside producing So You Think You're Funny, he set up The Boat Show which has been running at the Tattershall Castle for 18 years. In 2001 he set up CKP (Christian Knowles Productions) and has produced various award winning and nominated Edinburgh shows. In 2007 he took Micky Flanagan up to the Edinburgh Festival as a promoter and the following year he started to represent him as an agent.
The business has grown and he is delighted to represent an incredibly talented roster and work with a fantastic team all of whom have passed their cycling proficiency tests with flying colours.
Christian has also co-produced a number of TV and live shows including DeTour De France for Sky One, and Mickey Flanagan’s An’ Another Fing Tour, which made the comic the biggest selling touring artist of 2016.
In July 2019, Christian Knowles launched new talent agency Blue Book Artist Management with DLT Entertainment: www.BlueBookArtistsManagement.com