After Heated Rivalry's immense success, Hudson Williams signs with Creative Artists Agency, aka the CAA

Hudson Williams has taken a major representation step right as Heated Rivalry keeps climbing. Hudson Williams has signed with Creative Artists Agency, better known as CAA, following the breakout response to the Crave series that is also streaming on HBO Max in key international markets. The deal was first reported as an exclusive by Deadline.

The timing lines up with the show’s momentum. Heated Rivalry is still in its weekly rollout on HBO Max, with new episodes landing every Friday. It also already has a season 2 renewal, with creator Jacob Tierney confirming the next chapter will continue the core romance at the center of the series.

For Hudson Williams, signing with a top-tier agency usually means fewer gaps between “the breakout” and “the next job.” A larger agency can help organize the post-hit rush into a plan, including new auditions, deal conversations, press strategy, and commercial opportunities. It can also coordinate across TV, film, and brand work without treating each lane like a separate career. 

That context matters because Heated Rivalry is not just trending for shock value. The show’s hook is the long-running push and pull between two elite hockey rivals, and the conversation around it has stayed anchored in the leads, their chemistry, and the series’ ability to blend romance with the pressure-cooker reality of being closeted in a high-visibility sport. Hudson Williams is the face of that breakout, and CAA is built to turn that kind of moment into staying power.

Who is Hudson Williams, and why is Heated Rivalry turned him into a breakout lead?

Hudson Williams is a Canadian actor who plays Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry, the on-ice rival whose private relationship with Ilya Rozanov drives the story. The series is adapted from Rachel Reid’s 2019 novel Heated Rivalry, part of her Game Changers book universe, and it follows the pair across multiple years of competition, secrecy, and emotional stakes.

The show’s rise has also put Hudson Williams under a brighter spotlight because the role asks for range beyond romance beats. Shane’s arc is built around control, image, and fear of exposure, which makes the character’s quieter moments as important as the big confrontations. That is one reason the series has generated so much discussion around performance, not only plot.

Before Heated Rivalry, Hudson Williams had already logged screen work, but this is the first project that has positioned him as a central lead in a fast-moving pop culture conversation. His IMDb credits include Tracker and Nobody Dumps My Daughter, among other titles, which is typical of an actor building up to a breakout swing.

The series’ weekly cadence has helped keep that attention compounding. Each new episode drop gives Hudson Williams another week of visibility, more press runway, and more time for the fanbase to grow. With season 2 now locked, the “breakout” label also comes with a clear next step, which is exactly when major agencies tend to move in.

What CAA is, and why signing there is a big deal for a rising TV star

CAA is one of the most influential talent and sports agencies in the industry, operating across film, television, music, sports, brands, and the creator economy. On its own “About Us” page, the agency frames its model as cross-disciplinary representation rather than siloed lanes.

That scale is why the Hudson Williams signing reads as a serious step up. As per CAA.com’s About Us page, accessed December 18, 2025, CAA states, “every client is represented by the whole agency.” That language is basically a mission statement for coordinated dealmaking, which matters most right after a first hit.

The other reason this lands is that Heated Rivalry is already set up for continuity. As per an Entertainment Weekly report dated December 12, 2025, Jacob Tierney confirmed,

“We’re following Shane and Ilya. That’s not gonna be a shock.”

A renewal like that creates a stable platform while Hudson Williams and his team chase what comes next.

CAA’s advantage is not only introductions. It is leverage and packaging, meaning the agency can align the right writers, directors, and producers around a client at the right time. Its television division also emphasises breadth. As per CAA.com’s Television page, accessed December 18, 2025, CAA notes,

“Our clients work across the entire television landscape.”

That matters when Hudson Williams is moving from one defining role into a wider slate. c

Finally, Hudson Williams has been clear that the show’s appeal is not only the attention-grabbing parts. As per the People report dated December 10, 2025, Hudson Williams added,

“There’s s*x that is selling and it’s a very sort of alluring factor,”

while stressing,

“we believe it’s sort of the worth and the merit beyond that.”

That framing fits the bigger picture of why CAA is useful now, because it positions Hudson Williams for roles that build on the craft, not only the hype.

Stay tuned for more updates.