Jay Sures

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Jay Sures is an American entertainment executive and talent agent who serves as vice chairman of United Talent Agency (UTA). Born on November 2, 1966, in Canada and raised in Los Angeles, he is of Jewish descent. He attended UCLA, where he later taught as an assistant visiting professor for the School of Theater, Film and Television.

Sures began his career at UTA when the agency was founded in 1991, starting in the mailroom and helping co-founder Peter Benedek. He became a talent agent as UTA grew, was named partner in 1998, joined the board in 2003, and held managing director responsibilities starting in 2010. In 2017, he and David Kramer became co-presidents, and in September 2022 Sures was named vice chairman. He co-founded the UTA Foundation, the agency’s nonprofit arm, and leads the agency’s news, broadcast and television divisions as well as the Greater Talent Network speakers division. He also took charge of UTA’s news and broadcast efforts after the 2014 acquisition of N.S. Bienstock.

Sures has represented many prominent journalists, anchors and creators, including Fareed Zakaria, David Muir, Anderson Cooper, Norah O’Donnell, Jake Tapper, Chuck Todd, Ryan Seacrest and Jen Psaki. He played a key role in contract negotiations between UTA and the Writers Guild of America, where disputes over packaging led to a 2019 standoff and a lawsuit, ultimately resulting in UTA becoming the first major agency to reach a deal with the WGA.

Beyond entertainment, Sures has expanded his leadership into public affairs and science. Since 2023 he has served as chairman of the board for Triad National Security, which runs the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and he chairs the UC Regents committee that oversees the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He has been a member of the UC Board of Regents since 2019 (reappointed in 2020 for a 12-year term).

In October 2023, as a UC regent, he publicly addressed a request from the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Council to retract a statement condemning the Hamas attack on Israel. In November 2023, the UC Regents approved a $7 million package for emergency mental health services and programs to address antisemitism and Islamophobia and to train faculty and staff. In 2025, a pro-Palestinian demonstration took place outside his house, with the UCLA Police reporting vandalism. In October 2025, he was recognized by the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles for his commitment to the Jewish community amid rising antisemitism.

Sures is a long-time Democratic political activist. He hosted a 2016 fundraiser for Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton’s running mate, and has previously supported Joe Biden and Gavin Newsom. He has served on the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s board since 2008. He was appointed to the UC Regents in January 2019 by Governor Jerry Brown and was reappointed in 2020 by Governor Gavin Newsom. In 2019, he, along with Rande Gerber, Cindy Crawford, Michael Meldman and Jeff Shell, helped purchase the iconic Nate ’n Al deli to keep it open after three generations of family ownership. Sures is married to Linda Nyvltova and they have three children.