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UPDATE: Chris Highland has joined Paradigm as a talent agent in the New York office beginning today after he exited Gersh’s Big Apple office. At Gersh, he repped Victor Garber, Josh Hamilton, and Monica Raymond among others, but it’s not clear who’ll follow him. Meanwhile, Jim Osborne, formerly of Paradigm, has landed at APA. He took clients Gary Oldman and Michael Clark Duncan with him.
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jim osborne is a class act, congratulations to him and apa!
Of all the things Osborne may be, a “class act” is certainly not one. Interesting that his last two employers are ones that earlier in his career (when he had a real client list) that he was always disparaging as second tier. Is this his last stop before he’s out of the biz altogether?
Chris is a great guy and great agent – congrats
Chris is a star. Paradigm is lucky and has just changed the face of its New York office. Gersh has become dysfunctional and a nightmare to work with.
Bet u Osbourne will bring more than just those to apa. Let the gutting begin
Nah. At the end of the day, who the fuck invited APA? And that ladies and gentlemen, pretty much sums up the talent representation business.
new rule: you can’t be “the mighty oz” at apa.
You snobs always knock APA, as if the business model doesn’t exist for bigger agencies to poach their clients and Agents deemed worthy by the Big “Three”, yet if there was no APA, many of these same people that are major stars or executives would have never had their start. That Agency seems to take kicks from everyone and still survives and thrives just fine, if not stronger than it has been in decades. “NO” I do not work for APA, just speaking the truth.
I have been around a while, worked with everyone from Ovitz to Maloney and Kamen and Limato and the others. I have watch Mr. Osborne, occasionally worked with him, and I know numerous people who have worked closely with him over the years. This guy has “agent” in his dna. If ruffling feathers were the qualifier in today’s Hollywood, well, lots of very well known names come to mind who became and are today tremendous successes. Osborne is a “closer”, a “deal maker, not a deal breaker”, loyal and dedicated to his clients to a fault—and this is a problem for competitive agents. Does anyone ever ask the loyal clients what it is like being represented by him? If we knew the answer to that, and had that description, I think it would shed a lot of light on this strange story. Gary Oldman has had a wonderful career and his partner Doug Urbanski, who can be difficult but is also very smart, especially about what is right for Oldman; it would be interesting to know his take on the whole thing, but apparently, he thinks Osborne must be pretty good at the least. When Osborne left ICM, it was during a very nasty purge of anyone who had been connected with Ed; Ed was in the middle of a nasty lawsuit with the company at the time and emotions ran very high. In this particular strange instance Osborne made comments that probably demanded some kind of behind closed doors reprimand at most. Reading these stories and comments, the good and the bad, one thing that is clear between the lines is that this guy is good and has “something.” It is amazing that perhaps the real story here is not being written or talked about at all. That is the very question of Paradigm itself. This story of this agency has got to be one of the strangest in the history of Hollywood. Think of it for a moment. You could speculate that this company has no plan, no goal, no strategy. Speculation has been around for years that this place does not have to function in the real world and is underwritten with very wealthy relatives as a kind of non-serious vanity shop, as opposed to a non-major but nonetheless serious and well run business like APA. Paradigm no star agent and never has, they have no stars. The closest thing they had to anyone who could make a noise was Osborne. So the question gets raised: who are these people? What kind of company is it? Recently a friend told me that a senior Paradigm agent referred openly to Sam as Fredo, a reference to the not so smart brother from The Godfather. Apparently, this is how senior staff refers to the so called leadership there. All of this begs the question of hubris, because a between the lines theme has been part of this story. The hubris however is not that of Osborne. Think of it, a so called agency, a place devoid of leadership, located in offices possibly unearned by company performance, on outrageous trophy real estate made possible only by wealthy relatives, and with all of that money, and during all of those years, the only one who brought through the door and represented an actual film star of status, who continued to service the one Paradigm client of real pedigree is the guy they shoved out the door? Some strategy. The only potential “signer” they throw out? Some statement. The hubris here seems to be more about a company that appears mismanaged and whose priorities are odd. Something is wrong with the picture over there, and this is why that agency cannot be taken seriously as potential players. All the money in the world and the nicest office cannot compensate or replace the sound, careful, strategic planning that has been observed by the folks who run serious companies like CAA, WME, ICM, and even APA, nor can it compensate for or inspire aggressive individuals with genuine dedication and star potential. Apparently Paradigm would not know a talented agent if they saw one. They lost their star agent. Osborne apparently ruffles feather BECAUSE he just might be very good and my hunch is that even among those he may have crossed are possibly people who would like that very ballsy guy on their team using his particular gifts for their company and APA apparently see a wise move here. My prediction is that Osborne can and will infuse APA with drive and energy in the motion picture talent area. He will, and already has, made them a player and there could be a very interesting long potential future there. APA is well run, well financed, solid and highly profitable. APA has put their focus into areas other agencies were ignoring; now with the addition of Osborne and Oldman, they also have something to put in the Tiffany Windowcase. The last star Paradigm has left may be Katherine Heigl, whose career has been so horrifically guided by her Paradigm lead agent,
Norman Aladjem, that she risks being out of the business altogether unless she makes a change fast. Between Paradigm and Osborne/APA, my money would be on Osborne and APA’s potential any day, as at this point I think the verdict on Paradigm’s potential is already in.
Jimmy o! did you get a season lift ticket for the slopes before writing that?
I like APA – I do business with them and can only say great things. They among “2nd tier” agencies really get features and show an active interest in their clients. Paradigm is nowhere – they pretend to be big (spending on it with their HQ e.g.) but in the end, what DO THEY DO? They’re hardly ever mentioned in the great buzz of Hwood.
What is Paradigm thinking? Chris Highland is incompetent and should still be an assistant. Gersh has lost a lot of good people recently, but Highland ain’t one of them.
Nice try Gersh who FOUGHT to keep him. With Bill Butler gone the NY office is going to be just as much of a disaster as LA. Gersh is going down.
Whether he is incompetent or not, the bigger question is how many people are left in the NY office. Since last year, haven’t 4 or 5 agents left the NY office in the past year? Isn’t that like 20% of the office… Very odd
Chris Highland is a great agent he’s the one who discovered & made Rooney Mara a star. Gersh made a huge mistake losing Mara & an even bigger mistake losing Highland. this is a game changer for Paradigm in Gotham.
Anyone think it’s downhill for Gersh since Bill Butler exited? Nice work Paradigm.
it’s been downhill since buzzetti left. bill butler was asleep at the wheel
Highland has a great eye and really knows how to develop young talent. He put Rooney Mara on the map and has a great crop of young talent about to break.
I’ve know Chris for a long time, since his assistant days — and always found him classy and smart, with great instincts and a helpful attitude. he’s a nice guy who deserves all the best. Congrats Chris!
Congrats to Chris Highland. A winner through and through and a CLASS ACT unlike the bumbling 7 talent agents they have remaining in the NY office.
Highland is a great guy and a talented young agent. Real positive dude too. He believed in Rooney Mara when one no one else at Gersh NY did
Good for Chris Highland, he is a great agent who is both incredibly hardworking AND someone who clients actually want to talk to.
Obviously Paradigm saw potential here, Highland was the real brains behind Rooney Mara, who left ineffectual Gersh LA. Is Gersh going down since Bill Butler’s departure. Chalk up a big point to Paradigm!
Let us not forget that when a young actress made her rounds in town, EVERY agency passed on her EXCEPT for APA. They saw talent.
That client… ANNA KENDRICK
APA’s genuinely good to their clients unlike most outlets.
Roy Hobbs: I coulda been better. I coulda broke every record in the book.
Iris Gaines: And then?
Roy Hobbs: And then? And then when I walked down the street people would’ve looked and they would’ve said there goes Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was in this game.
and,
Ed Hobbs: You’ve got a gift Roy… but it’s not enough – you’ve got to develop yourself. If you rely too much on your own gift… then… you’ll fail.
Anyone who thinks Chris Highland or Bill Butler had anything to do with GershNY is a complete idiot. That place is a one woman shop, namelly Rhonda Price. Everyone else is irrelevant.
A 1 woman shop? Shes the 1 woman holding back sam Rockwell from breaking out
Congrats Chris!!!!! That is GREAT news. Chris and Bill, and select few, have always been class acts. Unfortunately, a degenerate bunch remain at Gersh; making for a “lemon” agency.
That rant by “Control” is out of control. As was Jim Osborne. May he get the help he needs and have a great run at APA. It’s a good opportunity for him to be his best self. But all the hating on Paradigm is not warranted. It’s a great shop, and a good home for a lot of very talented artists and agents who rep them.
i like dealing with chris. good guy, hard working. gersh ny overall? excellent agents/agency. paradigm? apa? both are equipped to do the job. depends on the client and the point agent. dont know osborne. sounds like the kind of guy you could love or hate depending on your style. glad he got a job.
paradigm is ridiculous. they woo successful agents from big agencies with money, promises and a supposed ‘we are in it to win it attitude.” When the agents get there, they realize in ten minutes that it is a joke. if you look at the history, no icm or wme agents last there. ever wonder why? good for jim osbourne, he’ll shake it up at APA and if they allow him to do what he can do, they will quickly rise to the top of the heap.