Departing CAA TV Lit Agent Jacquie Katz Explains Why She Is Leaving The Biz To Become A Therapist & Urges Those Mulling Change To “Be Brave”

Two weeks ago, Deadline revealed that New York-based TV Lit agent Jacquie Katz would be leaving CAA after more than 15 years, including a stint as Co-Head of TV Lit, to pursue a master’s degree in social work from New York University and become a therapist.

The story of someone successful like Katz making a monumental career and life change resonated with people and has been read 18,000 times.

Katz too has been flooded by messages asking her about her decision. At the time of the announcement, she did a Facebook post. In it, she listed her “career highlights ranging from being honored on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, to being involved in some of the most formative TV shows of the last decade, to having Coolio rap for me in a conference room.” She also spoke about “helping a client or colleague work through a challenging moment, or being there for someone who needs guidance, who needs an advocate, who needs a friend” as the part of her job she loved the most, leading to her taking on “a new career path where I can help more people, and help people in more wide ranging ways.”

Katz ended her post with this: “If you want something in your life to change, you need to be the one to change it. Be inspired. Be brave. It’s never too late to follow your dreams.”

Two weeks later, she expanded on her thoughts in her farewell email to her colleagues and friends. Describing it as “a holiday reading that isn’t in script form,” Katz answers questions about her decision to leave CAA — and the business (and whether the state of the industry and the ongoing contraction had a part in it).

Making it clear that she is “in no way trying to push anyone to leave this industry,” Katz still urges those who have been contemplating a life change to take the leap, offering a simple test whether they should do that inspired by an episode of Frasier.

Here is her farewell note:

A Goodbye Note in Three Parts

Part I – The Facts

In case you missed it, I am leaving the industry! 

Starting next month I will be attending NYU to pursue my master’s in social work. Assuming I actually remember how to be a student and can get through the program unscathed, I will be graduating in May of 2027, and then getting my license to be a therapist. While I very much intend to use the degree for noble causes and clientele, I also want a portion of my business to be focused on seeing Hollywood people who want a therapist who Gets It. No one should have to spend 25 minutes of a 50-minute therapy session explaining WHAT a notes call is before being able to complain about said notes call. 

After 16 years of this career, and after making this major decision to leave, I have a lot of thoughts. Thoughts that range from how to make the most of your time in any job, to how to know when it’s time for a life shift.

If I can impart one thing, let it be this – send the email you have been meaning to send. Tell the people in your life what they mean to you. Reach out to that person you’ve always wanted to meet, or collaborate with, or represent. The most meaningful conversations I’ve had in the past two weeks have consisted of all these things. People using the moment to make contact with me in ways they’d never felt comfortable doing previously. Me telling clients and colleagues how much they mean to me, and vice versa. We shouldn’t wait for someone to be on their way out, in any capacity, before we open up to them about how they’ve impacted our lives.  

And on that note – thank you to every client who allowed me the opportunity to help bring their art and their visions to life. Thank you to every person who ever trusted my taste and read something I sent their way. Thank you to every boss who took a chance on me, and every assistant who dealt with how type-A I am. Thank you to CAA for supporting my dreams from the age of 22 onward, including the moment where I said that this was the new path I wanted to go down, and still every moment since then. I have loved every* minute of this career, and am greatly looking forward to the next chapter. 

*well.. most minutes. Many minutes. A bunch of minutes. 

Part II – The FAQs

After many hundreds of phone calls, texts, and email exchanges in the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a few questions coming up very regularly. So I figured I’d give my answers here for anyone who might have the same curiosities. 

Part III – The TED Talk

Years ago I came up with the title of what would be my TED Talk, should anyone ever come to me and be like, the world needs a TED Talk from Jacquie Katz. That scenario has yet to materialize, but feel free to continue reading if you want a bit more proselytizing from me. 

And I want to be very clear about something – I am in no way trying to push anyone to leave this industry, or any industry, or blow up their lives in any way. But even with just the couple hundred people I’ve spoken to in the past few weeks, so many expressed interest in knowing how I knew it was time to leave. And the same thing happened a few years back when I made another major life change, more on that below. Personally I think if you are asking these questions, you already know what you want to do, and you just need someone to set that example, and tell you it’s going to be okay. 

I wish I’d had more examples of that each time I was making these major decisions.

So let this mass email serve as that permission for anyone who needs it. That promise that you should trust your gut when you know it’s time for something new. From one person who has made life changes to however many others may be craving it.

The Negative Power of Momentum 

That title emerged from my brain about five years ago when I made my first major life shift that surprised people. At that time, I ended a stable relationship of nearly seven years, sold my house in LA, and moved to NYC. My current career change is of course now the second major life shift I’ve made that’s surprised people. 

Here’s the thing about voluntary major life changes – they surprise others. They don’t surprise you. Because while everything about your life looks great to those viewing you from the outside, you know that things don’t feel right on the inside. And I believe that those are the hardest changes to make. 

These are moments when things are going well on paper. And not even just on paper, they’re going well in actuality. You’re in a solid relationship with a good person who treats you well and whose values align with yours. You’re in a career that is working, at a stable company that respects you and treats you well. Your life is following that invisible checklist we all use to mark our own progress, and to judge the progress of others. You’re not miserable. You’re not in a bad spot. But you’re also not as happy as you think you could be. 

Where are the TV shows and movies that show us THESE characters? The ones who kind of do Have it All, but the All is not fulfilling to them anymore, and they aren’t quite sure if leaving this version of things will actually make them more happy, or if it’s a risk not worth taking. 

A wise woman (hi mom) once said to me that just because something doesn’t last forever doesn’t mean it wasn’t great while it lasted. 

Admitting that you’re no longer happy with a major portion of your life doesn’t mean that you screwed up by getting yourself into this relationship, this job, this house, this city. It simply means that you have grown as a person, and it may be time for your surroundings to change along with you so they fit appropriately in the aftermath of this growth spurt. 

At 17 we pick a college, based on what we think we want our major to be, based on what we think we want our career to be. At 17. Think about the other decisions you made at 17. Is that the brain you want deciding how you will spend 40-60 hours per week for the rest of your life? Similar thought process for life partners and other choices made in your early 20s. Or at any age that no longer feels like the You that you are now. 

Sometimes we pick correctly, and that’s awesome. Sometimes we realize we are no longer the same person with the same motivations and happiness triggers and needs. And then the question becomes – will you do anything about that. 

Momentum can be a scary thing. Sometimes it takes you where you need to go. Sometimes it moves with such velocity that you’re not sure how to stick out your toe and slow it down. 

I read something in a book many years ago (if anyone else has read this and remembers the book it came from, please tell me?!) that talked about the theory of how to clean out your closet. Most people say the idea is to turn the hangars backwards and see which clothes you wear and turn forward facing again over the course of a year, and then get rid of anything that you’re not wearing annually. But what this particular book posited instead is that the actual best way to clean out your closet is to look at each individual item and ask yourself “what would I pay for this today.” Strip away the value of what it meant to you in the past. Plain and simple, if you saw this in a store today, would you spend your money on it.

Don’t let baggage or emotional attachments keep you stuck with a person, in a place, or at a job that you’re not meant to be with anymore. Even if you’re good at it. Even if it’s comfortable. Even if it makes sense on paper. The only thing that should be relevant is – would I pick this again TODAY. Being the person I am now. In the circumstances in which I find myself now. 

I’ll end with this. One of my favorite episodes of television of all time is the Season 1 finale of Frasier. In that episode, Frasier and his brother Niles have coffee, and Niles asks Frasier “are you happy”, and then the entire episode is spent answering the question. I won’t spoil the ending. 

I try to ask this of myself and of my loved ones regularly. Happiness is more than saying “I’m great!” when a work call begins with “How are you?” Happiness is more than knowing you’ve hit your milestones and your goalposts. That you found a partner who seems like a pretty good match for you. That you’ve sold a show. That you’ve made a power list. That you’ve got everything you thought you ever wanted. 

Your life and your happiness is within your control. Be your own CEO. Your own showrunner. Your own EVP. Make the choices that most behoove you. You don’t need anyone else’s approval. 

Believe in yourself. Be brave. 

And let me know if you want to talk further about anything. Either hourly, or as a friend.