How badly does Hollywood need Paris? How badly does Paris need Hollywood? After living in Los Angeles for the past three years, and finally getting a teeny bit of clarity into a business I find to be fairly impenetrable, I’d say Big Luxury has more leverage than ever over entertainment. Sure, a television show or movie can still make you a star. But advertising campaigns make stars generationally rich—and developing one’s own brand can make them fuck-you money. 

But how much have things really changed? I called up Todd Shemarya—founder of a commercial talent agency, Shemarya Artists, that represents celebrities in endorsement deals, equity partnerships, licensed products, and a lot more—for an opinion. Shemarya has been doing this since the 1990s, working with some of the most famous people in the world long before they were so famous. His current client list includes, but is not limited to: Brad Pitt, Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Cara Delevingne, Zayn Malik, Bradley Cooper, Charlie Hunnam, and Elizabeth Olsen…