Doug Kesten

Doug is a native and ardent New Yorker. Upon his graduation from Columbia University in 1978 with a B.A. in English, his first job was as Editor of Celebrity Bulletin, the daily industry newsletter of Celebrity Service’s NY Office. His love of theater was fostered at an early age, courtesy of his dad’s job as CPA for Jujamcyn Theaters, as well as having a childhood friend/classmate being a Tony-nominated actor. This devotion to theater became more fervent and prompted a move in late 1979 to the boutique talent agency Jacobson-Wilder, which focused primarily on commercials. Within six years Doug’s work ethic put him on a trajectory from receptionist to assistant to Partner. In the fall of 1990 Jacobson-Wilder-Kesten joined forces with SEM&M, another notable NYC commercial talent agency at the time. That association was not destined to be a lasting one as the then-nascent bicoastal Paradigm Agency hired him away in May 1994 to build their commercial department. After almost 26 years leading that division, in April 2020, Doug and three fellow Paradigm agents joined KMR, where he looks forward to writing another exciting chapter with a highly respected company of outstanding new colleagues.