Andrew Chason

07/03/19 • 63 min

Andrew Chason is Head of CAA’s Culinary Department, which represents many of the world’s most influential chefs and tastemakers, including Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez, Martha Stewart, Carla Hall, Roy Choi, Christina Tosi, Grant Achatz, Katie Lee, Ted Allen, and Curtis Stone. Additionally, CAA Culinary leverages it’s deep relationships and influence to create and produce buzz-worthy food-forward experiences on behalf of corporate brands, as well as advising brands on how to tap into the power of food culture as a way to engage consumers and drive business results.

A 20-year lifestyle marketing veteran, Chason works across CAA to create culinary-entertainment business opportunities for talent and brand clients in the areas of television, marketing, events, digital media, sponsorship, and corporate hospitality. Prior to joining CAA, Chason co-founded Vector Eats, specializing in managing the careers of high-profile culinary personalities.

Chason graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree from the prestigious Sport Management program at the Isenberg School of Management.

Chason graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree from the prestigious Sport Management program at the Isenberg School of Management.

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Brett Friedman

Brett Friedman, is the co-founder & Managing Partner of Agency 21 Consulting (a21), a Miami and New York based Experiential Marketing firm that specializes in Event Management, Production, Corporate Sponsorship, Strategic Marketing and Brand Consulting. a21’s primary focus is to assist clients, partners, companies and non-profit organizations create and manage dynamic special events, while achieving maximum return on investment for corporate sponsors. Founded in 2006, a21 has developed into the preeminent culinary event management agency in North America, producing 100’s of events in 27 markets. Some of the agencies more marquee clients include: Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Food Network NYC Wine and Food Festival, Cochon555, Americas Test Kitchen, Shake Shack, Gurneys, Dan’s Taste of Summer, Nirvana at Sanctuary and the Palm Beach Food and Wine. With 24 diverse employees located throughout five (5) cities, a21 continues to grow through a client first approach, with a keen methodology towards maximizing profitability.
Prior to establishing a21, Brett was the Vice President of Development for Alonzo Mourning Charities (AMC), a non-profit organization founded by retired Miami Heat All-Star Center, Alonzo Mourning. During Brett’s tenure at AMC and prior to his departure after 4 years, AMC’s flagship event, Zo’s Summer Groove, was widely considered one of the preeminent celebrity charity events in the country.
Brett has also worked with Knight Ridder (KNR), formally the 2nd largest Media Publishing Company in the world and parent company of the Miami Herald, in their Shared Services Division. Brett was the youngest employee in the division, by 13 years and was responsible for managing three (3) sub-divisions: Telecommunications, Office Administration and Circulation with the main task of negotiating multi-million dollar national contracts for all of the 32 KNR subsidiaries. Brett was also the Knight Ridder representative for the Media Consortium, a media buying consortium between Dow Jones, Knight Ridder, The New York Times and Conde Nast.
Brett graduated from the University of Florida in 1998 with a Degree in Business Administration and later went to Nova Southeastern to obtain his Masters Degree in Finance, graduating with honors. While obtaining his Bachelor’s Degree at University of Florida, Brett co-created an online Internet coupon company, CampusQpons.com, with his college roommate at the age of 21. CampusQpons.com later became FunU.com, which was an online college website that was localized to each University throughout the Southeast. The site focused on providing college students pertinent information about their schools and lives by acting as a search engine and provided online coupons and information about the popular bar/dining scene. The site successfully raised three (3) rounds of financing, with several million dollars from various Venture Capital firms, twelve (12) full-time employees and fifty (50) local college representatives at the Company’s height.
Brett is fortunate to call himself a third generation Miamian who is married to Genevieve Lake-Friedman and the proud father of his ten year old son, Jake Friedman.

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Herb Karlitz

Herb Karlitz is the President & Founder of Karlitz & Company. From when he was 5-years old and played the drums and did the twist with ‘50s entertainer Chubby Checker, Herb knew he was destined for a life in entertainment. Little did he know that his passion would later take him to law school (he’s also an entertainment lawyer), after graduating from New York University.
Over the course of the next 14 years, he rose through the ranks of worldwide public relations firm Burson-Marsteller to create and lead its Entertainment & Event Marketing division, where he worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys to Bon Jovi and Stevie Wonder. He estimates he helped conceive and execute thousands of events there, from one of the first rock concerts in Russia to “Hands Across America,” the follow-up to the “USA For Africa” Worldwide Hunger Relief Effort in the mid ‘80s, to the Rat Pack Reunion Tour with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin.
Herb launched Karlitz & Company in 1990 as a full service “lifestyle and entertainment” marketing firm. Herb’s love for food and wine, along with his family’s background in the restaurant business, helped shape his vision that the culinary and wine worlds were just another form of entertainment to offer clients.
Herb’s passion for cooking, which he’s had for as long as he can remember, also influenced how he regarded chefs – similar to musicians or actors – whose job is to entertain and make people happy. Herb likes to say that he was working with “celebrity chefs” back when they were just called “cooks.” Now he shakes his head in amazement and admiration when he sees many of these “cooks” appearing on prime-time television, signing autographs and commanding huge appearance fees.
For nearly 3 decades, Karlitz & Company has established itself as the industry leader and recognized innovator in creating celebrity chef-driven events, programs for corporate partners and sponsors, and festivals, including the New York Wine & Food Festival, Vegas Un’Corked, Flavor! Napa Valley, EAT St. Pete Food & Wine Festival, Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival, “Taste of the World” at The Breeders’ Cup, and for the last four years, Harlem EatUp!, which Herb created with celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. Herb also recently took ten celebrity chefs to Israel as part of an official ”Celebrity Chef Birthright” delegation.
Herb’s creative right-brain thinking and marketing savvy, combined with the entertainment, restaurateur and wine world relationships he has nurtured over the past 30+ years make him a force to be reckoned with – and someone with whom you would want to enjoy a good meal and glass of wine!