The Peter Kallinteris Agency has launched the Queer Division, dedicated to LGBTQIA+ talent. PKA represents actors, models, and influencers and was founded in 2019.
In a statement, agency founder Peter Kallinteris said the idea to launch the Queer Division came from his own experience as a gay actor.
“The queer division of PKA was a natural outgrowth of my own personal evolution coming out as a gay man, then from artist to agent,” said Kallinteris. “As the entertainment industry creates space for queer stories on screen, we are excited to represent the full spectrum of humanity and sexuality within the arts—not as one-dimensional caricatures but as people whose emotions run the full gamut of the human experience, like anyone else. We are excited to be at the forefront of this change in the industry.”
PKA is based in Los Angeles and will open a second office in Atlanta this summer. Its talent roster includes television personality Justin Jedlica (also known as the human Ken doll), Steven James Tingus (who was the lead for disability research and policy during the George W. Bush administration), and “The Young and the Restless” cast member Kate Linder.
READ: Steven Canals, Leslye Headland and 5 Other LGBTQ+ Creators on Making It in Hollywood
The talent that will be part of the Queer Division includes drag queens Gaudy Gomorrah and Evora Baden. PKA made the announcement via a video posted on Instagram.
Said actor Ashe Wagner in the video, who had just appeared in a national commercial for Facebook alongside Laverne Cox: “We share a common thread that pulls us together as a family so that we can form a community together and find unity and friendship and partnership in that.”
Kallinteris hopes the Queer Division can be a way to showcase the diversity within the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Throughout the history of cinema, gays and lesbians have been portrayed in stereotypical roles and both are still often played by straight people,” he said, “but within the broader queer culture, there are subcultures, just as within any community. There are nuances within each that will never find its way in a table read. To create an authentic moment, the space has to be made for those who have lived that life every day. These are their stories, and they should have representation on screen. That’s why this division is so important.”
