Why UTA’s Zach Iser & Caroline Yim Boost the Agency’s R&B/Hip-Hop Booking Power: ‘It’s Our Job to See the Vision & Build the Plan’

With four of its executives recognized on Billboard’s 2025 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list, UTA further boosted its booking power in the genre with the hiring this past spring of Caroline Yim and Zach Iser.

Los Angeles-based Yim and Miami-based Iser bring a deep roster of stars and years of experience to UTA, having previously worked at ICM, CAA and most recently as co-heads of hip-hop/R&B at WME, where they spent the last four years.

UTA CEO David Kramer, in a statement that followed the April announcement of Yim and Iser’s move, said: “We’ve long admired the way Zach and Caroline discover, nurture and build the careers of artists. We’re thrilled to welcome them to UTA and have our clients benefit from their command of the hip-hop and R&B arena. We will continue to invest in music and remain focused on providing our artists with the absolute best pathway to thrive.”

Over the course of their careers, Yim and Iser have signed some of the genre’s most powerful stars, including Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Future. The executive duo also credits their success to deep and long-term relationships with a host of clients — Nicki Minaj, Anderson .Paak, Doechii, Rick Ross, Ella Mai, GIVĒON, Ink, Jhené Aiko, Steve Lacy, Syd and Swae Lee among them — as well as the artists’ managers.

The end goal: to serve as mentors and strategists in building careers in a sustainable way. Under the pair’s guidance, many of their clients have graduated from 500-capacity clubs to arenas and stadiums.

“One thing we’ve learned over many years working with artists is, that like all relationships, true success comes from hard work, trust and being present,” explains Iser. “It’s great to celebrate the wins together, but it’s how you resolve the myriad unexpected challenges that proves your commitment.”

Offering one example, Yim says that after “working with Jhené Aiko for over a decade, we have a DNA-level understanding of her world and her audience. Although she hadn’t been out on a major headlining tour in years, we knew her fans were there. They’ve been on the entire journey with her.

“We’re proud to have built our roster into a tight-knit community, and the [arena] package we put together for Jhené — Jessie Reyez, Shenseea and Tink — was amazing,” Yim continues. “The Magic Hour Tour was a massive success and really positioned Jhené as the superstar she is.” According to Billboard Boxscore, Aiko’s 35-show tour grossed $47 million and claimed No. 7 on its tally of the top 25 concert treks over the past year.

Iser echoes that view, offering another example. “GIVĒON’s upcoming Dear Beloved, [The] Tour of large theaters and ballrooms is strategically designed to highlight both the intimate nature of his performance and the sweeping, cinematic live sound of his new music,” he says. “The tour finale at Madison Square Garden will be a milestone for GIVĒON and a launchpad for amazing things to come.”

In addition to Aiko, Yim and Iser client Minaj scored last year’s fourth largest rap trek with her Pink Friday 2 World Tour. The rapper grossed $109 million across 70 shows, per Boxscore. And Doechii — who won her first Grammy in February for best rap album — expanded on her breakthrough success with summer performances at Glastonbury in England, Denmark’s Roskilde Festival, Lollapalooza in Chicago and the Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium. She’s next set to tour North America from October forward as part of her Live From the Swamp Tour of large-capacity (5,000 to 8,000 seat) theaters and ballrooms.

Of navigating the current live climate, Yim says, “To be successful in this landscape, you need to have the intuition and confidence to really lean into the artistry and trust the artist’s instincts. The artist is in charge, and they’ll point the audience in the direction they want to go. It’s our job to see the vision and build the plan around it — but above all else, to listen.”

Iser has been previously recognized on Billboard’s 40 Under 40 and R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players lists. Yim has been honored on Billboard’s Women in Music and R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players lists. The four UTA executives recognized on Billboard’s 2025 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list are Mike G, partner/agent; Rob Gibbs, partner/co-head of Atlanta/head of Atlanta music; and agents Jon Briks and Chris Jordan.

A version of this story appears in the Aug. 30, 2025, issue of Billboard.