Annet McCroskey, CEO of Artistic Endeavors, Dies at 51

Annet McCroskey, a talent manager, producer and CEO at Artistic Endeavors, died Friday in Los Angeles after being hospitalized in early June with “a sudden and devastating medical emergency,” her family announced. She was 51.

“Annet spent her life pouring her endless energy into others — as a storyteller, nurturing talent, building dreams and offering quiet strength to everyone around her,” they wrote. “She leaves behind a legacy of love, generosity and unshakable faith in people’s potential.”

McCroskey received the Heller Award for manager of the year in 2013 and served from 2013-15 as president of the Talent Managers Association, where she was a longtime board member.

A producer on films including Locating Silver Lake (2018), starring Josh Peck, Finn Wittrock, Audrey Peebles and Zelda Williams, she also partnered with Rise Flix to create a platform for the next generation of independent filmmakers. She has several films with clients in development.

Born on Sept. 26, 1973, McCroskey grew up in Germany and moved to California in the early 1990s, when she attended college and co-founded a cultural Kumeyaay children’s summer program on the Viejas Indian Reservation.

While attending the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Los Angeles, she became the assistant director of a “Young Peoples Program,” where her passion for developing new talent began.

She started in production at Neverland Films and later helped her husband start a clothing company. After becoming a mom, she taught acting at The Young Actors Studio and The Studio for Young Actors, and in 2004, she began managing child actors under the name Little Stars Management. The company became Artistic Endeavors in late 2007.

During her two-decade career, McCroskey held leadership and advisory roles with organizations including the Entertainment Community Fund’s Looking Ahead Program for young performers at SAG, the Sundance Institute, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Film Independent, Women in Film (in Los Angeles and New York) and the Hollywood Radio & TV Society.

Survivors include her husband, Aaron; her sons, Angelo and Aidan; and her Arabian horse, Luna. A celebration of life is set for July 24 in Los Angeles.