[3] His older brother, Alec Gores, and his younger brother, Tom Gores, both founders of private equity firms, have been included on the Forbes list as among the wealthiest people in the world. Chef Floyd Cardoz, winner of "Top Chef Masters" Season 3, died at the age of 59 of coronavirus complications on March 25. Casey Wasserman Acquires Paradigm's North American Music Assets, 180 Paradigm staffers were permanently let go, Verve Acquires New Deal, Boutique Agency for TV Directors. MSNBCs Black Viewership Continues to Soar Thanks to On-Air Representation and Reporting, Paramount CFO Sees Advertising Market Recovering by End of Year, Ant-Man 3 Clocks Worst Weekend Box Office Drop in Marvel Studios History, Why Wall Street Is in Love With Movie Theaters | Analysis, Netflix Takes a Full Swing at Sports and Lands on the Green | Charts, How the HBO Max-Discovery+ Combo Could Challenge Netflix and Hulu | Charts, Greys Anatomys Farewell to Ellen Pompeo Ratings on Par With Winter Finale, How Vice, Vox and BuzzFeed Blew the Future of Media, The Streaming Services That Are Priced Right and the Ones That Miss the Mark | Chart. Many observers presume this means a sale of those remaining assets, with APA identified as a likely potential partner because it is focused on literary talent and could benefit from bulking up. Currently, hes on the board of Cox Media Group and was also the chairman and CEO of the Television Academy between 2012 and 2016. [11][12][13][14][15] Gores former executive assistant, referenced in the lawsuit, called the misconduct claims blatant lies.[16] In April 2020, Gores filed a counter lawsuit, denying all allegations of impropriety and characterized the accusations as self-aggrandizing and delusional. The case is headed to arbitration. By 1993, he had forged pacts with other agencies to form Paradigm,[3] which now has clients that include Academy Award-winning actor Adrien Brody, Emmy Award winner Julie Bowen, Emmy and Tony Award winner Fishburne and Antonio Banderas. American rock musician Alan Merrill, best known for co-writing and recording the original version of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," died March 29 of complications from the coronavirus. A merger between whats left of Paradigm and APA is the likely outcome, the top agent said. In September, a half-dozen departed Paradigm agents started their own company, called TBA, taking over prominent touring acts including The War on Drugs, Chvrches and Courtney Barnett. A rep for Gores declined to comment for this story. Paradigm has clung to its . Michael Mau Shun Wang, 75. Discovery Content, iHeartMedia CEO Sees A Certain Rationality Returning to the Podcast Deal Space, Writers Guilds David Young Takes Medical Leave of Absence, Ellen Stutzman Steps in as Chief Negotiator, AMC Theatres Quarterly Loss Increases to $287M, Overall Revenues Fall, Live Events Boost Endeavor, as Ari Emanuel Says Firm Is Well-Positioned Even if Writers Strike, Disney Loses Control of Special District to Florida Gov. A fired talent agent has filed a lawsuit accusing Sam Gores, the CEO of Paradigm Talent Agency, of using corporate funds to pay for prostitutes. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. In an email to employees Thursday night, Paradigm Talent Agency chairman Sam Gores flatly denied a Los Angeles Times report that the company might be purchased by Creative Artists Agency. Financial details were not disclosed. This is one of several important steps that put us in a financial position not only to weather this crisis, but to invest in future growth. Heres how a family of Israeli immigrants became an American business dynasty. After announcing the sale of Paradigms music assets to Wasserman, the agency said it is in active discussions for its talent and literary business, without explaining precisely what that means. Since disingenuously declaring a force majeure and terminating/reducing hundreds of employees based on its financial inability to perform on its contracts, suddenly, Paradigm has found millions of dollars to do everything possible to try and clean up Sams reputation, Freedman said. PARADIGM AGENCY. Paradigm has been hit hard by the coronavirus shutdown, with two-thirds of its revenue coming from music, including the live events and concert tours that have all been postponed or canceled as a result of the virus, including some of the agencys biggest clients such as Billie Eilish and Kenny Chesney. months of film and television productions, concerts, tours, and festivals were cancelled or postponed overnight, every aspect of our business was dramatically impacted. [3] Gores expanding his agency through acquisitions and mergers. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I have forgone my salary for the remainder of 2020, and beyond if necessary. Sam Gores firing more than two hundred of his companys most loyal employees while taking away the full benefit of their health insurance during a world health crisis strains credulity, Bryan Freedman said in a statement Thursday. Like all other agencies industry wide, staff above Coordinator level are working at reduced Today, Tom, who is number 200 on the Forbes 400, is worth an estimated $3.9 billion. And Paradigm is being almost as blunt as Klein, almost. Alvin Ing, star of Broadway's "Flower Drum Song" and "Pacific Overture" died July 31, 2021 after battling COVID-19 for two weeks. Paradigm is not spending millions of dollars to clean up Sams reputation, which has only been tarnished by the falsehoods in Ms. Kleins lawsuit. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. But the blood was in the water after the initial layoffs. A fired talent agent has filed a lawsuit accusing Sam Gores, the CEO of Paradigm Talent Agency, of using corporate funds to pay for prostitutes. His company has been acquiring agencies, many of them in the music industry" by Claire Hoffman, Forbes: The World's Billionaires - Tom Gores, Palestinian Surprise: "TALENT AND LITERARY AGENT SAM GORES", "Board of Trustees | The American Academy of Dramatic Arts", "Coronavirus unemployment: Paradigm staff say they were misled - Los Angeles Times", "Paradigm Revolt: CEO Sam Gores Backs Down After Music Agents Object to 50% Pay Cut", "Paradigm Agent's Lawsuit May Be First of Many Coronavirus Breach of Contract Claims", "Paradigm Hit With Blistering $2M Breach Of Contract Suit By Debbee Klein; Sam Gores' Agency Says "False, Frivolous & Scurrilous" Update", "Company funds used for prostitutes, alleges ex-partner at Paradigm Talent Agency", "Former agent's allegations of company funds paying for prostitutes 'pure fabrication,' talent agency says", "Paradigm's Sam Gores Accused of Using Corporate Funds for Prostitutes", "Debbee Klein and Paradigm Agree to Settle Dispute in Arbitration", "Paradigm Responds To Debbee Klein's Suit: Sam Gores' Ex-Asst Calls Prostitutes Claims "Blatant Lies"; Agency Seeks Arbitration For Case", Americada: "Gores, King and White Join Academys Board", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sam_Gores&oldid=1128888634, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 December 2022, at 13:58. She accused Paradigm CEO Sam Gores of using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to get rid of agents that he believed were overpaid. He wrote on social media of his diagnosis on April 6, but he did not recover. The $71 Billion Deal Is Weighing Bob Iger Down, CNN This Morning Is the Networks Lowest-Rated Morning Show in a Decade, 80 for Brady Marks a New Wave of Experiments With Movie Ticket Prices. Ovitz became the face of talent agents, and he is credited with helping to carve out a larger, more competitive role for the genteel agents of that time. Along with chatter of a class action being launched, now ex-motion picture lit agent Adam Kanter has also retained Freedman + Taitelman, Ive learned with a clear eye to bringing his own action against Gores and Paradigm. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish Arab Education in Israel, "Sam Gores, Chairman/CEO of Paradigm Talent Agency, on Leading Versus Bossing", Los Angeles Times: "Quietly Building a Talent Force - Sam Gores, chairman of Paradigm, shuns the spotlight. LOGIN, SPACs Have Already Topped 2020s Record Year, With $89 Billion Raised, Billie Eilish, Janelle Manae and Chris Martin of Coldplay (Photos: Getty Images), A merger between whats left of Paradigm and APA is the likely outcome, one top agent tells TheWrap. Unfortunately for Mr. Gores and what remains of his Paradigm agency, he forgot that Paradigm had recently entered into a binding oral employment contract with Ms. Klein, under which she could only be terminated for good cause, the Freedman + Taitleman LLP attorneys charge in the 14-page filing for their well-connected client. [17], In January 2017, music agencies AM Only and The Windish Agency formally became known as Paradigm Talent Agency, after partnerships since 2012 and 2015, respectively. She was 89. See Gores full announcement letter below. Valour! [6] They settled near Flint, Michigan. Also Read: Verve Acquires New Deal, Boutique Agency for TV Directors. Rapper Fred the Godson died after contracting coronavirus, a representative confirmed to Complex. Sergio Rossi, the Italian shoe designer, died at age 84 after being hospitalized with the virus, the brand confirmed in an Instagram post Friday. Tom, the youngest brother, started his career working for Alec at The Gores Group. That really rounded out our business."[14]. Our intention is to support you as a member of the Paradigm family. Paradigm talent agency has secured a new investment from Crescent Drive Media, a company owned by the brother of agency chief Sam Gores, and has recruited industry veteran Bruce Rosenblum as an investment adviser. [19], On 18 April 2019, Paradigm named Marty Diamond as its new Head of Global Music. In addition, she accused Gores of lying about the reasons for the failure of a merger with UTA. See Gores full announcement letter below. Following that he was president at Legendary Television and Digital Media between June 2013 through May 2016, and he was then president of Business Operations for Disney and ABC for a year between September 2016 and June 2017. The vital and significant actions we took, though necessary for the health of the company, were hard and painful. EXCLUSIVE: UPDATE, 11:48 AM:It took almost half a day, but Paradigm Talent Agency has finally responded to the more than $2 million lawsuit that Debbee Klein launched like a cruise missile late last night at the Sam Gores-run company for being unceremoniously axed last month after over two decades in the trenches. After several years at The Gage Group, Gores left to open his own agency, SGA Representation,[1][3] and began to expand his business over time by acquiring other agencies. Grammy-winning country music singer Joe Diffie died March 29 due to complications from the coronavirus. In 2018 the agency moved to the 82,000-square-foot Wilshire LaPeer building on Wilshire Blvd, where ICM was once headquartered. He was 69. Sadly, his father died of cancer shortly after the deal closed. After school, he worked without salary as an agent at The Gage Group, Inc., founded by Martin Gage, for almost two years while selling shoes on the side to support himself. Also Read: Do Hollywood Writers Still Need Agents After WGA's Packaging Fee Victory? In 1987 Alec started The Gores Group, which its website describes as having a single vision to buy, fix, and sell businesses. The Gores Group acquired more than 100 companies in the years that followedspanning industries including technology, telecommunications, business services, industrial, health care, and consumer productsresulting in an exceptionally lucrative string of partnerships. We have seen Ms. Kleins complaint and it is littered with false, frivolous and scurrilous allegations, which, fortunately for her, are protected by the First Amendment, otherwise she would be facing a defamation suit, announced Paradigms outside counsel Dale Kinsella late this morning after Deadline broke the news of the long time agents scathing and sometimes salacious breach of oral contract complaint in the early hours of the morning. I dont think well ever make a deal with people who lack integrity or are not revered by the community in general, or who have a trail of bad history behind them. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. The move is a financial step to aid Paradigm in weathering the coronavirus crisis but also to invest in future growth, Gores letter reads. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. Andrew Jack, a dialect coach who most recently was hired to work with Robert Pattinson on the new Batman movie, died March 31 of complications from coronavirus, TMZ reports. Kleins often abusive and brazen treatment of agents she considered a threat was well-known at Paradigm, and one of the many reasons that the company hesitated in accepting her ever growing demands during her latest contract negotiations.. Tom Gores, chairman and CEO of investment firm Platinum Equity and owner of the Detroit Pistons, has a net worth estimated at $4.65 billion, per Bloomberg's Billionaires Index as of June 4.. She was 74. Paradigm is the first major talent agency engaged in television packaging to sign a new franchise agreement with the WGA. [1] As of 2014, Paradigm represents roughly 1,000 bands and artists,[1] including Ed Sheeran, Fun., Janelle Mone and Jason Mraz;[1] and has grown to eight offices Beverly Hills, Manhattan, Monterey, Nashville, Brooklyn, Austin, Hollywood, and London and more than 300 employees. A third fund debuted in 2011, aptly called Gores Capital Partners III. Our desire is to help Charley Pride, one of the first Black performers to break through in the country music scene, died of complications from COVID-19 on Dec. 12, just weeks after his final performance at the CMA Awards show back in November. Though Gores himself isn't actually named as a defendant in Klein's initial complaint, the Paradigm repeatedly with tales of unrewarded loyalty, the claims of "his sexual dalliances with. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. Broadway star Nick Cordero passed away on July 5 due to complications from coronavirus. That reporter was from Forbes. I like to move fast, and I like to work hard. We are disrupting generational poverty, Gores Fredston told the audience at a gala fund-raiser last year. In response, Paradigm produced a sworn declaration from Gores former executive assistant, who remains unnamed, asserting that the prostitution claims are a fabrication. [6], In 2004, Paradigm acquired the literary firm Genesis and the Writers & Artists Agency. He was 52. The Gores have also retained Bruce Rosenblum, a former Warner Bros. executive in the studios TV group, as an advisor on the agencys growth. All the agencies had to make that tough call based on recurring revenues and what you had coming in And you always have to keep those options on the table the longer the pandemic drags on. He has funded scholarships in the city for underprivileged kids, is on the board of trustees for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and previously served on the board of directors at both St. Josephs Hospital and UCLA Medical Center. Sam did send an email to a few of his counterparts at other agencies saying he had heard they were trying to hire his agents and that was not cool. While all agencies have struggled during the pandemic, Paradigm has taken a greater hit due to its outsize reliance on the music business, which made up two-thirds of its revenue and featured top talents including Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish, Janelle Monae and others. In the approximately 18 years I worked with Sam at Paradigm, he never once asked me to procure a prostitute for him or anyone else, the former assistant said in the declaration. If you have any questions regarding the structure that has been put in place to support agents and their team members who have been temporarily laid off, please contact your office leader or department head. While many have recovered, some have died from complications of the illness. Patricia Bosworth, a stage and screen actress turned journalist who penned celebrity biographies, died April 2 from complications of the coronavirus. THR has reached out to Paradigm for comment on the lawsuit. Built from Indiana limestone and granite accented with stainless steel, it features a granite reflecting pool and three water sculptures by artist Eric Orr. Paradigms attorneys also denied Kleins allegation about the $500,000, saying such a small amount would have made no difference to the agencys lenders. He was 34. Also Read: Paradigm President Greg Bestick to Retire From Talent Agency. In 2012, Paradigm expanded into the burgeoning electronic dance music business by forming a joint venture partnership with AM Only,[15] a leading Electronic Dance Music agency whose client list includes genre superstars David Guetta, Skrillex and Tisto. The move is a financial step to aid Paradigm in weathering the coronavirus crisis but also to invest in future growth, Gores letter reads. 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