David A. Unger

In 2017, Unger founded Artist International Group which focuses on identifying and nurturing talent, developing IP and sourcing diversified media and entertainment opportunities, all with a global insight. The company represents actors, writers, directors, musicians and models and specializes in media finance, brand advisory and international business development. AIG has offices in Los Angeles, New York and London and joint ventures in the UK, France, Korea, Hong Kong, Mexico, Spain and Brazil.[4][3][5]

Unger represents several Academy Award, Golden Globe, Grammy and BAFTA winning clients and leading international artists including Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh,[6][7] Jonathan Rhys Meyers,[8] Mickey Rourke,[9] Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu,[10] Tom Welling,[11] Til Schweiger,[12] Gong Li,[13] Leehom Wang, Sasha Luss,[14] Anil Kapoor,[15] Mallika Sherawat,[16] Darko Peric,[17] Kev Adams,[18] Christopher Lambert, Patrick Bruel,[11] Elsa Zylberstein,[11] Rossy de Palma,[19] Lee Min-ho,[20] Rafael Cebrian,[21] Siwon Choi,[2] Hanee Lee,[22] Nastassja Kinski,[23] Raline Shah,[24] and Natalia Vodianova[25] as well as directors Vadim Perelman,[26] Ludovic Bernard,[27] Michael Haussman,[28] Samuel Bayer, Andrew Douglas, Henrik Hansen, Francesco Carrozzini,[2] Umut Aral,[29] Antony Hoffman,[30] Alexei Sidorov[31] and Tony Kaye.[32]

Unger began his career at Propaganda Films,[33] a division of PolyGram, where he nurtured the careers of directors David Fincher, Michael Bay, Antoine Fuqua, and Mark Romanek among others. He developed award-winning commercial projects for Coca-Cola, Levi's and Nike as well as music videos for artists such as Madonna, The Rolling Stones and U2.

At the age of 27 Unger was chosen for The Hollywood Reporter's Annual "Next Gen" special issue,[34] which lists "the city's best and brightest individuals – 35 men and women, age 35 and under, poised to become the entertainment industry's future leaders." He was recognized by Fade In magazine as one of their "Top 100 People in Hollywood You Need to Know."[13]

Unger was a vice-president and talent agent at International Creative Management for 15 years.[35] At ICM, he represented actors, directors and writers as well as advised the agency's branding and film financing groups.[36][37] In October 2012, ICM became ICM Partners and in January 2013. Unger became the first ICM agent to join former ICM Chairman Jeff Berg at Berg's newly-founded agency, Resolution. Unger served as talent and literary agent at Resolution and he was a member of Resolution's Media Finance Group for two years.[38]

In February 2015 Unger, as Co-Chief Executive Officer and Partner, formed Three Six Zero Entertainment,[39] a full service management company that represented actors, directors and writers in the film, television, and digital industries.[40] The company offered branding and financial services to clients[41] and operated in partnership with Jay-Z's Roc Nation.[42][43]

Unger is known for representing international talent, often successfully transforming local language stars into global stars.[44] Unger steered the career of Michelle Yeoh in winning dozens of Best Actor awards for her performance in 2022’s Everthing Everywhere All At Once including the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and the Academy Award Oscar. He is credited with resurrecting the career of Mickey Rourke,[45][46][47][48] who thanked Unger in his Best Actor-winning speeches[49] for his role in The Wrestler at the BAFTA Awards[50] and the Golden Globe Awards.[51]

Unger regularly attends and is often asked to lecture at the major international motion picture and television festivals and markets such as the Moscow Business Square at the Moscow International Film Festival,[25] Asian Film Summit at the Toronto International Film Festival,[36][52] and Busan International Film Festival[22]

Unger is an executive producer of the films Wetlands, Habit, Ambush and Edge of the World, both starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers; Mother Tongue, starring Josie Ho; Promises, directed by Amanda Sthers, as well as the documentaries Sheroes, Bonnie, and Josie Ho & The Hong Kong Sound. He has also been involved in such award-winning film and television projects as Crazy Rich Asians, Slumdog Millionaire, Training Day, The Wrestler, Sin City, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Star Trek: Discovery.[4]

Unger is an advisor to the immersive theme park company KidZania and to the education technology company MasterClass. He is a member of the Board of Advisors of Big Life Foundation which contributes to efforts in protecting wildlife habitats in East Africa.[53]

Unger was born in London and raised in London, Madrid, Paris, and Los Angeles.[49] He is a graduate of Boston University[34] and has lectured at Harvard Business School, UCLA Anderson School of Management and USC School of Cinematic Arts. He speaks English, Spanish, Italian, and French; he holds US and European passports.[13]

Unger comes from a long line of successful entertainment industry executives. His father, Anthony B. Unger, produced numerous motion pictures including the highly acclaimed[54][55] Don't Look Now, starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. His grandfather, Oliver A. Unger, was an award-winning film producer, distributor and exhibitor. His uncle, Stephen A. Unger, is a leading executive recruiter for the entertainment and media industries.

• David Unger at IMDb
• David Unger interview at BNET Video