Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Spyros A. Skouras got his start in the entertainment industry in 1979, when he took a “summer job" in the mail room at the boutique talent agency, Herb Tobias & Associates. He found the business “thrilling” and it quickly became his passion. He was very fortunate to work in a supportive environment with a great group of people and he couldn’t wait to get to the office for fear of “missing something”...

 

Skouras began studying at UCLA in the fall of 1979, but because his “summer job” had gone so well, he continued working at the agency.  In July 1982, when he helped one of the agency’s clients obtain a “series regular” role on a successful television show, he was promoted as a talent agent. 

 

For the next year and a half he spent a great deal of time in the phone booth at UCLA's “North Campus”, several times coming under scrutiny for possibly being involved with "illegal activities" (haha, it’s true) One professor gave Skouras a failing grade on a test when he explained that he was going to miss the test due to being “at the Cannes Film Festival” for the premiere of a clients film Somehow, in 1984, Skouras managed to graduate from UCLA with a BA in English Literature. 

 

By that time he was even more passionate about the business, and his career as an agent for actors, directors and cinematographers was well under way. 

When Herb Tobias suddenly passed away in 1987, Skouras purchased the agency and started his own company, Tobias-Skouras & Associates. The agency was an immediate success representing actors such as Johnny Depp, directors such as Lasse Hallstrom and cinematographers such as Robert Richardson. 

In his first year of being in business on his own, five of Skouras’ clients were nominated for Academy Awards. That was the start of a trend, which has continued through out Skouras’ career. Every year since, one or more of his clients have been nominated for, or have won the Academy Award...

 

In 1990 Skouras joined forces with literary agent, Geoffrey Sanford to form Sanford-Skouras-Gross and Associates. 

In 1994 Skouras formed a new company, The Skouras Agency, one of the first agencies to focus exclusively on the representation of “below the line” talent. 

 

For the last 19 years he and his team have focused on providing the highest quality representation for an exceptional group of cinematographers, production designers, film editors and line producers.