Gerry Turner, the 72-year-old retiree who gained fame and won hearts as ABC’s The Golden Bachelor, has signed with Gersh for representation.
Turner became a hot commodity after Golden Bachelor thanks to his humble beginnings, good looks and widower status, all factors that made the recent series ABC’s strongest 35-day audience average for any unscripted show in the last five years.
The show portrayed him as an entrepreneur in the restaurant business who wrote for various trade publications and served as a speaker for a distributor in later years. After retiring in 2007, he returned to school to earn certification as a mediator, subsequently conducting mediations for small claims courts, divorces, civil rights and workplace conflict resolutions.
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A The Hollywood Reporter piece published in late November called into question some of the narrative presented by the show, with one woman coming forward to detail a nearly three-year relationship she had with Turner after his wife’s death. This ran contrary to the narrative that he was looking for love for the first time since he became a widower. The story also noted he hadn’t owned a restaurant since 1985.
While it’s not clear what plans Gersh has for Turner, his career plus the show have shown him capable of going down the paths of publishing, speaking engagements, and of course, more TV appearances.
Gersh is trying to bolster its signings thanks for a new global expansion play. In recent weeks, it has acquired the alternative and digital departments of boutique agency A3 and also signed Cineflix Productions as a new client.
Turner is also repped by attorney Joseph Weiner of Miloknay Weiner.
