Marisa Garcia and Ben Shimmel have been promoted to agent positions at WME, Variety has learned.
Both Garcia and Shimmel are veterans of the talent agency’s comedy division and will continue to work for the department in their new roles, supporting the agency’s comedy roster, which includes several of the industry’s top talents, such as Amy Schumer, Hasan Minhaj and Jerrod Carmichael, who are all honorees at this year’s prestigious Just for Laugh’s Montreal comedy festival. Other WME clients include Kevin Hart, John Mulaney, Bill Burr and 2022 Variety Comics to Watch honoree Moses Storm.
In her new role, Garcia will focus on live touring for the agency’s comedy and digital entertainment roster. Garcia initially joined WME as an assistant in 2019, and was promoted to a coordinator for the comedy department in 2021 as a member of the agency’s trainee program. Before joining the agency, Garcia worked in NBC’s Page Prgram in 2017, and received her degree from Loyola Marymount University. She will be based in New York.
Shimmel will specialize in signing new talent — with a focus on finding comedians from diverse backgrounds, helping them develop their voice on stage — and booking clubs, theaters, colleges, casinos and other stand-up venues. Shimmel joined WME as an assistant in the comedy touring department, and was promoted to a coordinator in 2020, where he began to book colleges and clubs. Prior to joining the agency, Schimmel worked as a production assistant at Just for Laugh’s Chicago festival, and graduated from the College of Charleston. He will be based in Beverly Hills, Calif.
