I’ve confirmed that Joel Wright and his New Media department have disappeared from Paradigm. Wright took another job up, and the agent working with him, Mitch Kapler, is going to reality with Steve Wohl. Another Paradigm exodus is 10-year veteran Jim Hess who created the Personal Appearances department. I’m told he became disenchanted and defected to Jonathan Baruch’s Rain Management Group a week ago. I’ve also confirmed that the agency is exiting recently acquired Lori Sale, the head of brand advertising, and putting in her place her 2nd in charge Randy Smith as the new department head. Yet it wasn’t that long ago Paradigm trumpeted to me Sale’s hire from ICM.

And that’s not all. Paradigm owner Sam Gores has hired his investor/brother Alec’s beancounting consultant. I’m told that, for the past month or so, he has been conducting an internal audit of the agency. (One source says, “Getting advice from a world class entrepreneur like Alec Gores regarding intricately organizing a business that has grown to this size is not a bad thing.” Another says it’s ”to help answer the simple question, ‘Why is Paradigm losing money each and every month?’ “)

I hear the only department making a profit is music. Paradigm just bought another music agency this week to become No. 2 in Christian music. But even rival agencies say Paradigm is doing well with TV pilot pickups and promising shows.

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