CEO & PARTNER | Theatre, Film, TV & Literary
Aaron Sanko is a Performing Arts Executive and Consultant with a diverse background in artistic and non-artistic ventures. He is currently CEO, Partner, and head of the Theatre, Film, TV, & Literary areas of UIA Talent Agency representing a diverse roster of artists including singers, actors, directors, conductors, choreographers, and composers. His diverse background in the entertainment industry and corporate sectors make him an invaluable advisor and strategist to his clients. He takes a hands-on, holistic approach to the development of artistic careers, tailoring his guidance to the individual needs of each client.
Mr. Sanko first joined UIA in 2014, and upon his appointment as Managing Director in 2019, spearheaded the company’s evolution to a full-service talent agency to allow UIA to cultivate cross-genre opportunities for his clients, as well as taking on theatrical authors to shape the voice of the industry in the future.
Prior to his current appointment, Sanko founded Cruxory Group in New York City, which provides management consulting and executive production services to performing arts producing and service entities.
As General Partner and Music Supervisor for Mind the Art Entertainment in New York, Mr. Sanko helmed award-winning productions of Whiskey Pants, The Mayor of Williamsburg (Off Broadway) and Fatty Fatty No Friends (Best of Fest, NYMF 2018). In 2018, Cruxory served as Executive Producer for the national headlining musical at St. Lou Fringe before Mr. Sanko served as Music Director for The Wiz in Monrovia, Liberia (the first musical presented in the country’s history) in the summer of 2018 in collaboration with Broadway Artists Connection and Matsiko World Orphans Choir.
Mr. Sanko served as the CEO of Sanko Ventures recently represented on Broadway by the Tony-award nominated Deaf West Theatre revival of Spring Awakening, and in Los Angeles with Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along at The Wallis Annenberg Theatre in Beverly Hills. Sanko’s résumé also includes leadership roles at corporations including Best Buy and Starbucks, serving in human resources, operations, and new market development capacities. Earlier in his career, Mr. Sanko was performer and educator.
Mr. Sanko takes pride in service to the community, and regularly contributes to the efforts of nonprofit organizations with social, educational, or developmental missions, recently leading a new initiative to create an organizational strategy for leveraging the young professional demographic of donors and leaders as a Founding Executive Committee Member of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ NextGen Advocates.
Mr. Sanko graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy before studying Voice Performance and Music Education at the Eastman School of Music. Additionally, he earned a degree in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University, and is a proud alumnus of the intensive programs at The Broadway League’s Commercial Theatre Institute.
