CAA hires Becky Van Dercook to advise makers and journalists

As the lines between traditional journalists and digital influencers begin to blur, CAA hopes it can guide journalists moving into both areas.

The major talent agency, which represents George Stephanopoulos and Mary Bruce as well as Punchbowl, recently hired Becky Van Dercook, a former CBS News producer who most recently helped manage communications and media for rising political influencer Jack Schlossberg, who is also the only grandchild of President John Kennedy. Van Dercook now works as an agent in CAA’s TV news department, but her expertise allows clients to try a broader range of media options.

Van Dercook is charged with helping established clients broaden their profiles online, while identifying opportunities outside of traditional media through newsletters, podcasts, live events and social media content. She will also be on the lookout for influencers, man-on-the-street reporters and news personalities who are adept at short-form content.

“Becky delivers a masterclass in social media guidance to our news clients and to our creator clients across the agency, finding creative ways to build, grow and monetize their brands,” said Rachel Adler, CAA’s head of news, during a recent interview.

She adds: “We are very much mission-driven: here to future-proof our clients’ careers and develop new models for how to develop and distribute the work they do.”

CAA is taking steps on a path that many must tread. As the economics of streaming take away from traditional media operations, the economics of news have become more challenging. That has prompted a broad phalanx of popular names to launch a new series of digital outposts. Don Lemon, Megyn Kelly, Chuck Todd, Joy Reid and Tucker Carlson are among the familiar faces who have started looking for new video podcasts. WME, another major Hollywood talent agency, has helped Oliver Darcy, a former media reporter at CNN, debut his own newsletter, “Status,” Jennifer Rubin, formerly of the Washington Post, to launch a new outlet called The Contrarian; and Jim Acosta, the former CNN anchor, to move to Substack.

One reason for the growing digital exodus? Money.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau, an industry trade association, predicts in a new report released Thursday that ad spending invested in creator-driven media will reach $37 billion by 2025, up 26% from last year, and about four times faster than the overall media industry. About 48% of advertisers surveyed by the group believe creators are a must buy, behind social media and paid search advertising.

Van Dercook is already working to guide CAA clients. She assisted Alex Wagner, who contributes to both Crooked Media and MSNBC, in launching a TikTok profile and meeting influential creators. Van Dercook “acted as a spiritual guide for my social media strategy,” Wagner says. “Becky is uniquely talented: she learned her trade as a television producer and has seamlessly adapted to the new media landscape. This means she understands traditional, institutional media, but is at the crossroads of change – she is an important resource to help us all navigate this moment of major disruption in the news industry.”

She also helped ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, who says Van Dercook “was very helpful in finding emerging media opportunities and using my social platforms to promote my new book and bring my reporting to new audiences.” He adds: “Smartly, CAA has decided this is a space worth investing in.”

Van Dercook says she has learned by doing. “I spent the better part of a year working for Jack Schlossberg on the 2024 campaign. Working closely with a talented creator and building his company from the ground up taught me how to be successful on social media and how to be agile and adapt when things aren’t working,” she says. “This is a moment of change in news, and it represents a great opportunity for CAA to meet consumers wherever they are: online, listening to podcasts and reading newsletters.”

Van Dercook graduated from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs with a master’s degree in public policy and received her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Middlebury College. While at CBS News, she helped produce political coverage within the news division and helped manage coverage of the 2020 election, President Biden’s inauguration and the insurrection at the Capitol.

The new hire, Adler says, means that “we have a journalist who can talk to our customers not only as an agent, but also as a production partner.”