Snapshot:

• SAG/AFTRA franchised, 2015

• Agents: 2+

• Clients: 200+

• Areas of representation: Legit (Film, TV, Theater, Musical), On-Camera commercial, Print, Literary, Above-the-

  Line, and Social Talent.

• Markets of Coverage: NYC, LA, ATL, and Europe.

• Exclusivity: We are a Sign Only Agency for Legit (TV, Film, Theater) & Freelance for Print and Commerical.

Who We Are: 

A highly sought out and unique group of talented, trained, hardworking, curious and badass artists from NYC. A motley crew of creatives carefully selected by U-Shin, Marie, Chase, and Liz who have spent time in the business, know their ever-evolving part in it and know how to hustle. 

What is UGA: 

An innovative, talent-centered agency, breaking new ground and building a solid foundation for successful careers. In a synergistic approach grounded in the principles of community and transparency, U-Shin and his team provide unprecedented tools and deeply personal support to maximize client performance and growth. UGA represents hand selected Theatrical (Film, TV, Stage), Commercial (On-Camera/Print), Literary, and Above-the-Line talent in foreign and domestic markets. We are licensed, bonded, SAG/AFTRA franchised and located in New York City. 

How We Work:

UGA was founded on the idea that the client comes first. We built the company on two separate foundations, Community & Transparency.

Community is built by achieving the goal of having everyone in the agency know each other on a first name basis. It was very simple when the agency started off a year and a half ago with 8 clients, and today with 150 it’s still manageable, but it will be a happy challenge when we reach our goal of 2,000. We provide signed clients with non required free audition centric group activities. These interactive resources not only allow practice, but they also standardize UGA audition expectations, as well as build a network of supportive peers.

An example of an activity at UGA is Audition Buddies. Audition Buddies is a simulated audition. 24 hours prior to the workshop, participates are given a set of side along with the 12 point UGA Audition Sides Expectation Guidelines. On the day of the workshop, the office will be setup like a casting house. The group will be broken up into two separate teams, men and women. All the men will have the same set of audition sides, similarly all the women have their own set of sides. The men will first act as the casting team, in which all members will rotate, playing the casting director, reader, producer, etc. Mean while the women will play the role of actors coming for the audition. Then when all the auditions are done, the two teams switch. When both teams have finished auditioning, the both teams will get together to review tapes. 

During the review process, each actor will have the choice to receive feedback or not. It also gives the actor to see how others with their sides solved acting problems that were limited to their own experiences. It also give the opportunity for actors to glimpse the audition process from the point of view of the casting director. 

Another community building activity is Picture Day, where all clients are welcome to come in to the office, which is set up like a headshot studio, bring booze, and mingle while getting free headshots done by a professional headshot photographer. These shots can be seen on the cover of our website.

Our second foundation, Transparency is built by, takes the mystery out of how the Agency is working for you. Every 8-10 weeks, our clients receive a UGA Submission Report, listing every role for which they’ve been submitted. The submission report is used as an analytical tool that derives a “submission to audition” ratio. If the client’s audition ratio is between 5% to 38% then the actor is doing fine. If the ratio is below 5%, then that’s in indicator that a change needs to be made in their image gallery and video bank in their Breakdown account.

The submission report also gives our clients how we are submitting them, ie. co-star, guest-star, recurring, series reg, series lead. If the client notices that we are not submitting them above a certain level, then they are free to ask why. If a inquiries are made, we generally send that client a set of sides and they are free to audition to a higher level of submission category. If the client sends us a tape that does not meet the level in which they are auditioning for, we will generally provide them with notes. These notes typically look like the following: no moment before dropping in the scene, not working moment to moment, single noted,…Clients can request sides to bump up two weeks later with a note of they have been doing to change their audition skill set. In the case of the client providing us with a kickass tape, then end of conversation and we are off to the races.

That’s UGA in a nutshell. 

Team Leaders:

U-Shin Kim, agent and founder, originally from Portland, Oregon, cultivated his skills with a dual degree in Marketing and Theater Arts from Oregon State University, proudly supporting the Beavers.

Upon his transition to New York, U-Shin further honed his acting talents at The Esper Studio under the expert guidance of Suzanne Esper. As his journey progressed from acting to production and development across various media platforms, U-Shin's creative brilliance shone through, especially with his TV series "Hooking Up," which found success on Al Gore's Current TV.

Renowned for his remarkable ability to identify talent, U-Shin has earned acclaim for propelling unknown individuals into the spotlight. His impactful mentorship has elevated numerous actors, including notable names such as T.J. Atoms from Hulu's "Wu Tang," Tara Ranni form ABC's "Grownish," and Lenny Thomas from BET+’s "Ruthless." Notably, U-Shin has facilitated the debut network credits for over 163 actors and continues to expand this impressive tally.

Guided by his fervent passion for nurturing talent and championing creativity, U-Shin ventured into talent representation, founding his SAG AFTRA-affiliated agency, UGA Talent, in 2015. With a selective roster of 200 clients, UGA sets itself apart with its community-focused and transparent approach. The agency's specialization lies in NYC network television.

UGA's recent accomplishments are commendable, with its clients gracing screens in acclaimed series such as “FBI”, “FBI International”, "Gypsy," "The Blacklist," "Master of None," "Blue Bloods," "Power," "The Affair," and many more.

Chiara Licciardello, actress and producer turned agent, Chiara's approach with her clients at UGA is simple: "I would like to be the agent I would have loved to have", putting at service of her clients her 20 years of experience on both sides of the room, background in marketing and genuine human understanding of how hard the showbiz can be for committed performers, in order to reach new goals, together, every day (plus, she likes to call herself the "rock'n'roll agent", so when you get the hand horn emoji you know you're on the right track!).

A proud born and raised Sicilian, after moving to New York in 2016 she joined the UCT UNESCO, non profit foundation focused on using the arts as a tool of integration,participating as artist and guest speaker to several events and panels hosted at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, always pursuing a path of social change through the arts.

When her path crossed U-Shin Kim's, head and founder of UGA Talent, their shared genuine enthusiasm for actors, respect for the craft and passion for storytelling, led her to join the Legit department of UGA, NY based, bicoastal agency now expanding to the European market as well.

Thanks to an empowering, tailored approach to her clients' needs and strengths and a constant focus on cultivating relationships with industry professionals with the idea that all the players on the field share the same goal of finding the perfect actor for the perfect role, her clients have booked roles in major TV shows (Billions, Bull, FBI, Law and Order and many more) as well as Film and Theater Plays and Musicals, while building together a diverse, strong and growing community.