Billionaire François-Henri Pinault in Talks to Purchase CAA at Sun Valley Conference

An annual July gathering of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful figures in media, finance, technology and politics is buzzing over talk that François-Henri Pinault — French billionaire owner of luxury brands Gucci, Bottega Veneta and the vineyards at Chateau Latour in Bordeaux — is looking to add Hollywood talent agency CAA to his holdings, sources tell Billboard.

CAA managing director/co-chairman Bryan Lourd is at the Allen & Company media finance conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, this week with Pinault, whose family is the majority shareholder in the luxury brand holding company Kering SA. The two men are exploring a deal for Pinault to purchase a controlling interest in the talent agency, which is valued at a reported $7 billion. News of the potential deal was first reported by Bloomberg.

Launched by five former William Morris agents in 1975, CAA is today one of the biggest talent agencies in Hollywood, with a client roster that includes music acts such as Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and Fleetwood Mac and actors including Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, as well as other A-list clients across multiple fields including comedy and literature. Sources say that adding CAA to Pinault’s holdings could potentially unlock untapped value from its portfolio of brands, which also includes Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent and Groupe Artémis brands like Puma, auction house Christie’s and the Stade Rennais F.C. Ligue 1 soccer team.

Like its rivals at French holding company LVMH, Kering SA “has investments in many high-end businesses and CAA is a high-end luxury biz in many ways,” one source familiar with the ongoing discussions tells Billboard.

CAA is currently owned by asset manager TPG, which first acquired a 35% stake in the agency in 2010 and increased its share to 53% in 2014 at a valuation of $1.1 billion. In 2021, CAA completed its acquisition of smaller rival ICM.

News of a possible deal comes one day after members of the Screen Actors Guild voted to go on strike, ushering in a new era of uncertainty for Hollywood as it tries to adjust to the new business realities of streaming media.