Michael Foster (agent)
Michael Foster | |
---|---|
Born | Michael Adam Foster March 1958 United Kingdom |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Talent agent |
Years active | 1982–2013 |
Website | labourforthecommongood |
Michael Adam Foster (born March 1958)[1] is a British former talent agent and politician. He was Chris Evans' agent and has run several talent agencies. He was a Labour donor and Parliamentary candidate, but he left the party after a series of disputes with leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Early life
Foster is Jewish;
Foster studied
Career
Foster became an agent in 1982.
In 2013, Foster sold his stakes in his companies The Rights House and PFD[21] when he decided to stop being an agent.[22] He also previously had a stake in production company Carnival Films.[23]
Charity
In September 2012, Foster founded a charity, Creative Access, with Josie Dobrin to help ethnic minorities into internships,[21] working with recruitment companies SEO London and New Deal of the Mind.[24] It was initially funded by Foster and other private donors included Richard Desmond. The first intern worked on the film Kick Ass 2.[24] It placed over 700 interns, but lost its government funding in December 2016.Creative Access continues successfully as a social enterprise.[25] Foster also does work for the Wish Centre, a self-harm and violence charity for young people in Harrow and Merton.[5]
Politics
Foster joined the Labour Party in 1974[21][5] and from 2010 to 2015 donated over £400,000 to the party.[4]
He was selected in January 2014 to be the Labour candidate for Camborne and Redruth at the 2015 general election,[21] on a platform of creating jobs in Cornwall.[26] He donated over £100,000 to his local party during the campaign. His election agent was Jude Robinson.[27] He was endorsed by his celebrity clients Hugh Grant,[28] Ross Kemp,[27] and Alan Davies.[29] After being selected, Foster tossed his phone across a table during the filming of Sunday Politics, hitting Conservative MP Sheryll Murray in the wrist; he apologised and said it was not deliberate.[30][31] His Mebyon Kernow opponent Loveday Jenkin accused Foster of threatening her at a hustings, which he said was untrue.[32] Foster increased the Labour vote, but the Conservative candidate won the seat by 7000 votes.[22]
After
Personal life
Foster moved to Cornwall in around 2005[21] and lived in a second home in Porth Navas.[32] He has four daughters.[7]
Haaretz reported "He is known for his fiery temper and angry outbursts."[23] He has said when he was an agent he broke his finger by tapping on a table to make a point, and saw a psychiatrist, Steve Peters, to help with his temper.[27]
References
- ^ "Michael Adam Foster". Companies House. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ a b Julian, Hana Levi (10 April 2016). "Jewish Labour Donor: 'Not One Pound to Central Party'". The Jewish Press. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ a b c "Walter Foster: Champion of Anglo-Austrian friendship". The Independent. 1 January 2010. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
- ^ a b c Dysch, Marcus (1 October 2015). "Labour donor explains why he heckled Jeremy Corbyn at Israel event". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ a b c Hill, Dave (15 May 2017). "On the knocker with Michael Foster, the ex-Labour donor who says he'll beat Jeremy Corbyn in his own backyard". onlondon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Michael Foster". Bloomberg. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c Deans, Jason (13 August 1999). "Carlton signs Foster to boost production". Broadcast. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ a b "99: Michael Foster". The Guardian. 7 July 2003. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ a b c Deans, Jason (29 May 2001). "Foster and Latimer join forces to found talent agency". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ Wood, David (26 March 1999). "Model silence". Broadcast. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ Milmo, Dan; Deans, Jason (22 February 2001). "Foster quits Carlton". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ a b "68: Michael Foster". The Guardian. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Return of the Ginger man". The Guardian. 25 August 2002. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ a b Tryhorn, Chris (11 February 2008). "Talent agent Foster exits All3Media". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ Walker, Tim (19 May 2010). "Literary agents Caroline Michel and Michael Foster marry businesses". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ Morris, Brian (18 May 2010). "Matthew Freud takes over literary agency". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ "Showbusiness merger for top literary agency". London Evening Standard. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ Adler, Tim (20 May 2010). "Freud Talent Agency Starts Wooing Agents". Deadline. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ Plunkett, John (2013). "Michael Foster sells controlling stake in the Rights House media agency". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Wiseman, Andreas (14 January 2015). "Michael Foster readies MP battle". Screen Daily. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ a b Collins, Jem (12 September 2016). "What Labour donor Michael Foster's LinkedIn profile would look like". inews. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Zur, Yakir (27 August 2016). "The Jewish Millionaire Trying to Oust Labour's Jeremy Corbyn". Haaretz. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ a b Plunkett, John (2012). "Celebrity agent seeks government cash to support ethnic minorities". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ Khomami, Nadia (14 December 2016). "Charity helping ethnic minority interns loses government funding". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- Falmouth Packet. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ a b c Lusher, Adam (30 April 2015). "General Election 2015: Can top showbiz agent turned Labour candidate Michael Foster keep his cool on the campaign trail?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Hugh Grant gives the naked truth about Labour candidate". Media Monkey Blog. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Comedian Alan Davies speaks out in support of Camborne and Redruth election candidate". This is the West Country. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "MP shaken after being hit by mobile phone during filming of politics show in Plymouth". Plymouth Herald. 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Mobile phone tossed at MP in BBC television studio". BBC News. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ a b "Labour candidate denies using four letter hustings insult". Falmouth Packet. 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Labour leadership: Corbyn ballot challenge rejected". BBC News. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ Sands, Mark (11 September 2016). "Labour donor Michael Foster has been suspended from the party for likening Corbyn backers to stormtroopers". City A.M. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Suspended Labour donor Michael Foster 'victim of purge'". BBC News. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Labour donor pledges to stand against Corbyn in general election". The Guardian. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ Roberts, Rachel (30 April 2017). "Major Labour donor threatens to stand against Jeremy Corbyn in general election unless he quits as leader". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Michael Foster's Islington 'doorstep challenge'". The Jewish Chronicle. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ Foster, Michael (May 2017). "Labour for the Common Good". Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Islington North". BBC News.
- ^ "Opinion – Michael Foster: Why I was wrong on Corbyn". Jewish News. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
External links
- Articles about Foster in The Guardian