CAA hires Emily Rasekh; USA TODAY Studio IX launches women’s sports event series
Both developments extend media businesses into broader platforms: CAA is adding podcast and digital-media expertise, while Studio IX is packaging women’s sports, culture and live events for sponsors and distribution. Watch for the new agreements and licensing deals that follow Rasekh’s appointment, and for audience or revenue results from Studio IX’s announced slate.
Creator-media business
Emily Rasekh has joined Creative Artists Agency’s creators division after seven years leading global podcast strategy and operations at Sony Music Entertainment. At CAA, she will advise clients across film, television, news and other fields on podcast and digital-media strategy.
Rasekh brings experience negotiating talent agreements, licensing deals and multi-show partnerships, as well as launching Sony’s true-crime network and subscription franchise, The Binge. Her move follows CAA’s June launch with Integrated Media Company of Compound Creative Holdings, a $250 million holding company targeting creator-led media businesses. Together, the developments point to CAA expanding beyond talent representation toward a broader creator-media platform. New agreements, licensing arrangements or multi-show partnerships will indicate how that strategy develops.
Women’s sports media and events
USA TODAY Studio IX, Osprey Collective and SEICon have launched Studio IX Collective, a year-round live-event and content series centered on women’s sports, media and culture. The package combines live conversations, original content, podcasts, fashion, music, interactive programming, STEM labs and community engagement around major sports and cultural moments.
The announced 2026–2027 slate is scheduled to begin with Her Arena in Las Vegas on December 6, followed by programming connected to the WNBA Draft, the Women’s World Cup and SEICon’s annual conference. Sponsors can support the full series or individual events, with additional distribution through USA TODAY Network content, social media and video. The launch broadens Studio IX’s proposition from editorial coverage into a recurring, sponsorship-supported event and content product, although the announcement says dates, locations, programming and participants may change and will be confirmed separately. No audience or revenue results have been reported yet.