Matt’s note: As this page gets a lot of hits from people searching Google for “Danny Sussman”, I thought I would expand on this post (particularly since it’s quite vague). Aside from being a manager for top talent, Danny teaches at USC and UCLA and also teaches some classes specifically geared at actors in L.A. He helped me find my acting coach Lesly Kahn who I learned a lot from and she in turn introduced me to my current NYC acting coach Joan Rosenfels (I love her). Danny always had great advice and great stories. To this day I constantly remind myself that “nothing is the be-all and end-all,” an important thing to know in this business and one which Danny repeated on several occasions. If you’re looking to study with Danny because you want him to manage you, it’s probably not going to happen. He’s been in the business for years and he works with A-listers who probably aren’t taking group classes anymore. But don’t let that stop you. Danny was a huge advocate, an inspiration, and added to my life and my career in a very positive way. — August 28, 2009
Matt Falber is absorbing all that he can about the entertainment industry from one of the most passionate talent reps in the business. Danny Sussman, former William Morris agent and current manager at Brillstein-Grey, impressed the importance of understanding the inner-workings of the entertainment industry in a seminar he recently gave. “Danny has so many helpful things to share,” says Falber. “I appreciate his advice and am excited about my future as a performer here in LA.”
Sussman was raised in New York for most of his childhood, and attended Ithaca College as a History and Journalism major. After graduating from college, he worked as a journalist for Financial Wire Services during the years of 1985-1987 at Shearson Lehman Brothers. During his tenure there, Sussman covered OPEC, the United States Defense Industry and the Pennzoil vs. Texaco litigation in 1987.
In August of 1988, Sussman ventured out to Los Angeles to join the William Morris Agency as a member of its training program. He swiftly moved through the ranks and served as a talent agent there for ten years. Sussman’s client roster included such actors as Steve Buscemi, Jeff Goldblum, Scott Glenn, Chloe Sevigny and Lili Taylor. At Morris, he also helped to cast and finance several independent features, including Buscemi’s Trees Lounge and Stanely Tucci’s films Big Night and The Impostors. Sussman left William Morris in 1998 to join Brillstein-Grey Management, where he has been working as a talent manager with clients such as Noah Wyle, Jimmy Smits, Chloe Sevigny, John Ritter, Tara Reid, John Stamos, Michael Madsen and Robert Sean Leonard since that time.
