Long-time agent and talent manager Robyn Friedman has launched Toronto-based full-service talent and management agency Compass Artist Management (CAM) with her brother Danny Friedman and Jane Cai.

Through the new venture, Robyn (pictured upper right), who has over 35 years of working with performers and previously co-founded Artist Management Inc. (AMI), takes on the role of co-founder, principal agent and manager, while Danny – an 11-time SOCAN Awards winner and former CanWest production executive – serves as co-founder, president, artist and manager. The siblings previously co-managed clients together at AMI and Fountainhead Talent Inc. (FTI), following Danny’s transition into the artist management space.

Rounding out CAM’s executive team is Cai (left), co-founder and VP of operations; agent/manager Noreen Murphy, who is responsible for CAM’s voice performance division; and accounting manager Stephanie Zavitz. Together, the team has a combined 90 years of experience in the entertainment industry, according to a press release.

“We chose to name the company Compass Artist Management because, at this point in our collective careers, we have the hard-earned experience to know what direction our clients should be going in,” said co-founder Danny Friedman (lower right) in a statement. “We have incredibly talented performers on our roster, and look forward to working together to guide their career goals.”

Friedman also told Playback Daily that the team decided to launch the agency now because they had the opportunity to think about how they wanted their business to move forward as partners with one roster, noting that it was time to branch out in a new direction. “The decision to go out on our own has been brewing, but we didn’t pull the trigger until the pandemic hit. We have had ample time to set up and reposition ourselves; we have already started booking, and we are really excited,” he said.

Currently, the agency’s roster include talent such as Shay Mitchell (Pretty Little Liars), Christopher Russell (Jack Ryan), Charlene Amoia (How I Met Your Mother), Hallea Jones (Locke & Key), Jarrod MacLean (Designated Survivor), Kevin Hanchard (Hudson & Rex), Laara Sadiq (Family Law), Robyn Alomar (Utopia Falls) and Maia Bastidas (In The Dark). As well, Makambe Simamba (Giant), Samantha Walkes (Book of Mormon) and Simon Gagnon (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) are among the stage actors represented by the company.

Co-founder Robyn Friedman also told Playback Daily that at this time the agency’s clients are not having in room auditions and that self-tape requests have picked up exponentially.