Los Angeles-based United Talent Agency is reportedly locking in roughly 101,000 square feet at the Empire State Building, scooping up the 32nd through 35th floors to centralize its New York operations. The plan would fold its filmed entertainment, creators, news, publishing, theater, music, speakers, sports and brand advisory teams into one Midtown address, bumping UTA’s Manhattan footprint from about 81,000 square feet. If completed, the deal would park one of Hollywood’s largest agencies in the landmark tower that landlords have been pitching to media and tech firms.
According to the New York Post, the lease covers 100,948 square feet and would place UTA on the 32nd through 35th floors of the building. The Post reports that UTA was represented by a JLL team led by Mitchell Konsker, Benjamin Bass and Harrison Potter, while Empire State Realty Trust was advised by its in-house leasing staff alongside a Newmark team on the landlord side. The outlet also pegged the asking rent for the block in the mid-$90s per square foot.
ESRT’s Leasing Momentum And Midtown Demand
ESRT’s 1Q 2026 report shows the Empire State Building at about 96.1% leased at the end of the first quarter, a signal that large, well-finished blocks are still drawing tenants. Company leadership has said it has invested more than $1 billion into modernization, sustainability and amenities to keep its properties competitive, a strategy detailed in a Leaders Magazine interview with CEO Anthony Malkin.
Big Blocks Still On The Market
The Post also notes that ESRT is still marketing sizable contiguous blocks elsewhere in its Manhattan portfolio. That includes roughly 60,000 square feet on the ninth and 10th floors at 501 Seventh Avenue and about 80,000 square feet on the fifth and sixth floors at One Grand Central Place, giving tenants options if they want different floor plates. Those alternatives help explain how landlords can land marquee tenants in the Empire State Building while still offering substantial space across Midtown.
Why It Matters For New York’s Office Scene
For UTA, consolidating into a single, high-profile Manhattan address would streamline client meetings, production logistics and cross-department collaboration, while signaling that creative companies are still willing to pay for premium Midtown space. United Talent Agency is one of the industry’s largest firms and represents major film and music talent, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal, making its reported tenancy a visible endorsement of top-tier New York office product.
Timing for the move and the buildout schedule have not been disclosed, and the deal is still described as pending. Market watchers will be keeping an eye on whether rival agencies follow. For now, the reported lease, if it closes, serves as another data point in Midtown’s recovery story: high-quality, ready-to-move-in blocks remain catnip for large, culture-facing tenants.
