Each year Forbes ranks the world based on a variety of categories including CEO’s who deserve to be recognized for becoming leaders in their industries and organizations before the age 50. The list currently includes Elon Musk (Tesla), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Daniel Ek (Spotify), Anjali Sud (Vimeo), Kevin Systrom (Instagram), Shou Zi Chew (TikTok), Lynsi Snyder (In-N-Out Burger) and Jack Dorsey (Twitter) among others. Slots are allocated based on the amount of human and financial resources that they have sway over, as well as their influence in the industries they work in. One of our selections this year to our CEO’s 50 under 50 list is Craig Rogalski (48), CEO and Founder of CK Talent Management an International Talent Management Agency.
Craig Rogalski, is the Founder and the current Managing Talent Manager of CK Talent Management. He’s been called “The Most Illusive Agent in Hollywood” (US Magazine) and “The Manager Hollywood’s Elite Secretly Seek Out” (London Daily Post). In 2020 he was named by major publications to be one of the Hottest Talent Managers to be represented by, in the top 10 of Hollywood’s most powerful talent managers and one of the US’s and UK’s most well-known talent managers.
Rogalski is the founder of one of the top talent management agencies in the world. His straight forward and honest approach to the industry has garnered him close connections to some of the Titans of the various industries he represents talent in. These close connection include Richard Plepler (CEO/HBO), Craig Kallman (CEO/Atlantic Records), Roger Goodell (Commissioner/NFL), Adam Silver (Commissioner/NBA), George Killebrew (Commissioner/MLR), Lora Kennedy (VP/Warner Brothers Studios), Caroline McCarley (VP/Travel Channel), Amy Brit (Sr VP/Showtime), Martin Blencowe (CEO/Cameo), Suzanna Morrow (Director/Facebook) and Yolanda Urbanski (Vice President/NBA).
He also has close connections in politics and has been linked to the Director of National Intelligence Susan Gordon, Vice President Al Gore, US Attorney General Janet Reno, CIA Director John Brennan, Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda, US Army Assistant Surgeon General Norvell Coots, Secretary of the Army Eric Fannig, President American Bankers Association Governor Frank Keating and several members of the Saudi Royal family.
Rogalski is a member of several prestigious organizations as well. He is a member of the invite only Renaissance Weekend, whose members include several US Supreme Court Justices, former US Presidents, US Secretary of States, Prime Ministers and Nobel Prize Winners. He is a member of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, where he spearheaded the election of the first Female Prosecutor in the courts history.
He is a long time member of the US State Departments Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) where he is a member of the Media, Entertainment and Sports Committee and one of the founding members of the Latin American Regional Council. His other memberships include The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), United Nations of the United States and the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences. Rogalski is also a member of two major political alumni associations including the Whitehouse Alumni Association and the DACOR Foundation in Washington DC. Along with the NCAA’s Compliance Director he co-authored the NCAA’s compliance manual. In 2010 he was nominated by William Slate president of the American Arbitration Association to President Obama’s trustee of the billion dollar BP Oil Spill Trust, Ken Feinberg to serve as a panel member. Rogalski is currently a consultant for the largest advisory firm in the world Guidepoint, where he advises his industry’s stakeholders on a variety of topics effecting their respective industry.
Rogalski was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Craig has been independent since childhood. His mom built her own, very successful landscaping business, and his dad worked at the local steel mill. He went to high school at Sweet Home, Sr. High School where he says: “My vision of the world was shaped by my teachers.” Encouraged by his family, he attended Erie Community College, instead of heading directly to a four year school, he excelled in his studies there and graduated with two Associates Degrees in two years. He then attended SUNY at Buffalo. He excelled at his course work so much there that the school approved him to take graduate courses while enrolled in their undergraduate program.
After graduation from SUNY at Buffalo, he went on to attend Law School at Penn. State. Rogalski then went on to clerk for Chief Judge, Sam Maislin a powerful judicial figure in New York. Rogalski credits Judge Maislin with molding him and developing his ethical backbone, particularly in law and justice. Maislin took a shine to Craig, he excelled so much in his clerkship that the Judge submitted one of the opinions he wrote for him to the state court reporters to be published.
He was then admitted to the MBA program at Canisus College where one of his professors a former Assistant US Attorney General, Eugene O’Conner ranked him among the top 10 of student he has ever taught. He worked for the Southeast Regional Director of FINRA the organization that regulates the NASDAQ, while there he created the Southeast regions office compliance policies and wrote the final decisions on tribunal appeals. He was also a policy Advisor to former US Attorney General Janet Reno. He has several legal certifications from the United States Institute of Peace, United States Department of Agriculture, Federal Housing Administration, National Center for Dispute Resolution and the American Arbitration Association. He has held dispute resolution certifications with the Supreme Courts of Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland and the countries of Australia, UK and Russia.
In 2010 he was awarded the US State Departments OSAC coin by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and in 2011 was awarded the Walter Reed Commanders Coin by the base Commander of Walter Reed for his work on behalf of his work with the DOD and the US Troops. This was due to his work with the DOD JAG division to establish the DOD’s first foreclosure dispute resolution program and for teaching the JAG officers how to mediate foreclosures for the troops. This was the same year he was appointed to a multi-state task force on uniform rules for dispute resolution relating to foreclosures whose members included the Directors of each states foreclosure dispute resolutions programs. He also worked with the Florida House Majority Leader Adam Hasner on legislation to re-write the state foreclosure laws in order to protect his fellow Floridians during the foreclosure crisis.
After he left Buffalo, he moved to Palm Beach, Florida, where he met his husband, Ken, in 2005. “Ken is one of the most ethical people I have ever met” Rogalski said about his husband during a recent interview. They’ve been together for over 16 years and legally married 8 years ago in their joint hometown of Buffalo, NY, the ceremony was presided over by Oprah Winfrey friend and frequent show guest Judge Lisa Bloch Rodwin. The ceremony was attended by many of Craig’s childhood friends and family. After his tenure as State Representative of the Entertainment and Amusement industry Craig decided to start his own talent management agency he decided to pay homage to his husband, by calling the agency CK Talent (C – Craig and K – Ken). The Agency is built on a foundation of ethical, transparent, responsible guidance and management for truly gifted talent.
Craig is passionate about representation of his talent and has repeatedly said publicly: “I will burn down my agency before I let a client be taken advantage of!” – Craig Rogalski (Sophia News)
CK Talent is ranked among the top 5 agencies in worldwide talent management by Barron’s and the Wall Street Journal. CK Talent along with the other top 5 international talent management agencies, controls 90% of talent representation within the global marketplace. CK Talent clients span the globe including throughout Europe, Australia, Asia, Russia and Africa. Rogalski recently made headlines in the London Daily Post by signing his most recent client, Lady Rudderforth a senior member of the UK Royal Family. Lady Rudderforth is the Aunt of Princess Diana and Great Aunt of Princes Harry and William.
In addition to being the Managing Talent Manager, he is the Division Director of the Theatrical Division at the agency. His Talent have been in film and television productions including: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Last Jedi , The Force Awakens, Unbroken, Lady Bird, Rush, Transformers, Suburbicon, Dreamhorse, MOM (CBS), RITA (Netflix), The Resident (FOX), The Bachelorette (ABC), Below Deck (Bravo), Bachelor in Paradise (ABC), to name a few. He has negotiated deals with well-known brands including Bentley, Maserati, Lamborghini, Armani, Abercrombie and Fitch and Porsche Designs. Last year he negotiated a deal with the billion dollar company Showpass to have his talent be the launch partners for their new online venue platform.
“I want to challenge our clients and staff to be better versions of themselves and strive to be the best they can be wherever their respective career takes them.” – Craig Rogalski
There’s no doubt to us that Rogalski’s energy, experience, dedication to his staff, clients and their careers secures him a place on our CEO’s 50 under 50 list.
