Josiah Akinyele leaves Innovative Artists for ColorCreative manager role
After 17 years at Innovative Artists, Josiah Akinyele has joined Issa Rae-backed ColorCreative and is bringing a slate of longtime clients.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
Josiah Akinyele is swapping the agency desk for management after 17 years at Innovative Artists, joining ColorCreative as a manager, Deadline reported Tuesday.
Akinyele will report to ColorCreative president Talitha Watkins at the management and production company co-founded by Issa Rae, Deniese Davis and Watkins, according to Deadline.
The move gives ColorCreative another manager with a long agency track record and a client list that already includes actors across television, film and stage. Deadline reported that Akinyele is bringing several clients he represented for years while working as an agent.
His incoming roster includes Perry Mattfeld of Chad Powers and 99ers, Cam Gigandet of Hunting Wives, Kevin Carroll of Window’s Bay, Yetide of American Gods, Julie Ann Emery of Better Call Saul and Preacher, Shane Paul McGhie of The Last Shift, and Michael Hyatt of Snowfall, Deadline reported.
Also listed are Toby Onwumere of Matrix Revolutions and Sense8, Ali Gallo of Forever and Incoming, Bonko Khoza of The Nowhere Man, Connor Duermit of Invisible Woman, Elijah Jones III of Henry V and Crowded Room, and Benjamin Anthony Anderson of Broadway’s Stereophonic. Deadline said Carroll is co-managed with Susanna Griffith.
ColorCreative adds to its management team
ColorCreative was launched with a stated focus on backing inclusive and innovative entertainment, according to Deadline. The company has also promoted Wyatt Allen to manager, with Allen working across film, television, digital creators, touring and intellectual property.
Akinyele’s shift follows a long climb through the traditional agency system. Born in Champaign, Illinois, to Nigerian parents, he grew up in Nigeria before returning to the United States to attend George Washington University, Deadline reported.
Before Innovative Artists, Akinyele held internships with television producer Marty Adelstein and television executive Michael Thorn, according to Deadline. He then joined the Innovative Artists mailroom, moved through the assistant ranks and became an agent in 2012.
Deadline reported that his early agent work included signing actors from drama school programs.
“I am excited for this new chapter in my life,” Akinyele said in a statement reported by Deadline. “I have always admired what Talitha & the crew at ColorCreative has been building, and I’m excited to join in that endeavor.”
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.