Anna DerParseghian was 15 when she started as a filing clerk at a business management firm. It was supposed to be a part-time job, chosen by her high school career office. At the time, the plan was to become a doctor and “save the world,” she says. But when she turned 20, her mentor sent her to a firm in Westwood that was looking for an account manager. “The rest is history,” DerParseghian says. “I’ve been here for 26 years.”
Her rise at PTD Business Management was fast. In 2010, she was named a partner and, five years later, a managing partner. Since 2020, she’s signed heavy-hitters across music, film and TV, and is spearheading the firm’s stepping into the sports world.
Ask A-listers, and there’s a good chance someone in their circle knows of the boutique white-glove firm. PTD gets all its clients by word of mouth. If there’s a dollar sign in front of it, expect DerParseghian and PTD to be involved. Car registrations. Investments. Dynastic trusts. Home construction. The firm, on a top-floor suite in Sherman Oaks overlooking the San Fernando Valley, handles it all. With every client, DerParseghian starts with a thoughtful conversation, leading to a “well-balanced portfolio — there is no cookie-cutter approach to building generational wealth,” she says. “It’s personal for each and every client.”
In 2024, dynastic trusts were the buzzy vehicle for passing down wealth. And today?
Everything has to be based on your client’s current needs as well as future family goals. There are many vehicles we deploy: retirement accounts, real estate investments, life insurance policies, estate planning and an overall investment strategy that has equity exposure, with a bit of private equity funds at trusted venture capital investment groups.
How interested are clients in AI?
They’re very interested, but it’s still the wild, wild West. The big conversation is how to protect and preserve name, likeness, voice, etc., relative to AI. We are having conversations with attorneys, navigating through all of that.
Assuming the stock-market AI bubble is real, how do you hedge against it popping?
We never recommend clients having all of their eggs in one basket. The goal is a well-balanced portfolio that includes not only AI and tech exposure, but tangible real estate exposure to emerging markets, tax-free notes and bonds, commodities, etc. This is important. It helps not to stock pick, to invest in AI ETFs that also helps with the hedging process.
How willing are clients to change their lifestyle to grow generational wealth?
The answer is different for clients making seven figures and those making nine figures. The standard of living when we were growing up is not the current norm. Now more than ever, clients are concerned about their kids’ future. Is there sufficient funding in the 529 plans? Will their kids have enough money for down payment on their first home? It’s a high priority for all clients with kids to make sure they set up a foundation to alleviate some of the financial pressures that they will face while they build their own lives.
A client is spending too much. How do you broach that subject?
I handle it in a very straightforward way; my clients know I don’t sugarcoat anything. My favorite exercise is simple: I ask them to ask themselves whether they need or want the item they’re about to purchase. More often than not, the Apple Pay is not triggered.
What concerns are surfacing among your clientele?
The economic climate in general — specifically in our industry, considering the amount of shows that are getting picked up and the lack of live ticket sales — is forcing teams to rethink marketing strategies, budgets, locations, where the most tax incentives lie. On the personal side, if you buy a home and it needs renovations, construction costs are at an all-time high because of tariffs on lumber coming in from Canada, and because of the fires in L.A., you naturally have the impact of supply and demand. It’s a lot of inflated costs. So in these uncertain times, it’s forcing everybody, especially business managers alongside their clients, to stretch every dollar and make sure every dollar is spent wisely.
This story appeared in the Oct. 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.