Paradigm Agency Cuts 30 Staff Positions, Mostly in Music
Click here to read the full article.
Paradigm has made a significant cut to its staff, laying off about 30 agents and support staff or 4% of its employees, Variety has confirmed.
Sources said most of the layoffs were in the music area at the agency and took place Friday.. Paradigm, which had about 700 employees prior to the layoffs, had no comment.
More from Variety
The layoffs came seven months after Paradigm founder & CEO Sam Gores announced that he was calling off talks about a potential merger between Paradigm and UTA.
Variety reported exclusively on Jan. 15 that Paradigm had promoted longtime agents Scott Henderson, Scott Metzger, Andrew Ruf and recently hired chief marketing officer Lori Feldman to managing partners. Gores remains CEO while Greg Bestick remains president and Marty Diamond continues to head up Paradigm’s music division.
Paradigm’s executive moves have been in the works for months now. They are meant to streamline Paradigm administrative operations, with younger Paradigm agents also being given the chance to step up into larger admin roles in addition to their other duties.
Sources also said that the layoffs are not due to Paradigm’s ongoing standoff with the Writers Guild of America. The agency has held out against signing a deal with the Writers Guild of America, which told its members on April 13 to fire their agents if the agents had not agreed to the WGA’s ban on packaging fees and affiliate production ownership.
Gersh announced Friday that it had signed an agreement with the WGA, joining mid-level agencies Abrams, Buchwald, Kaplan Sthaler, Rothman Brecher and Verve in being allowed to work for WGA members. CAA, UTA and WME have sued the WGA on antitrust grounds.
The news about the layoffs was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
