Brett Hansen Joins Paradigm Talent Agency as Senior Content Agent

Following the announcement of huge cuts to the BBC World Service, with many staff being asked to relocate overseas, journalists have said plans to move the Vietnamese service to Thailand will pose dangers to press freedom. 

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer If it’s possible to pull off solemn conversations about the stakes for women around the world and also have a fantastic party that toasts their remarkable achievements, Variety did just that on Wednesday in Beverly Hills. In a sprawling takeover of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, heavy-hitting executives, producers, writers, talent and glitterati convened to celebrate the annual event and magazine feature. Cover stars Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay, activist icon Malala Yousafzai, and actor Elizabeth Olsen were all in attendance to speak on behalf of causes important to each – as well as a path forward to equity in a time of unrest for women and other marginalized communities in the U.S.. 

EXCLUSIVE: Ready Or Not and Scream 6 actress Samara Weaving is attached to star in action-horror movie Azrael, which is being eyed by producers as a franchise.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Columbia Pictures and local developer Amazon Falls have confirmed that their Aquaverse theme park will open in Pattaya, Thailand on Oct 12, 2022. The development is the Sony Group’s first theme and water park and was delayed for roughly a year by the COVID-19 pandemic. With Thai authorities having already dismantled most of their pandemic-era measures and poised to soon drop COVID from its list of notifiable diseases (expected to happen on Oct. 1) multiple large entertainment projects are now rushing to open. Carnival Magic opened in Phuket earlier this week, while another, Bangkok World, is expected to open adjacent to the Siam Amazing Park on the outskirts of the Thai capital on Nov. 25, 2022.

Love Island star Katie Salmon has split from her fiancé just six months after giving birth to their daughter Thaiga. The 26 year old media personality has deleted all traces of Harry from her social media, including one of the gender reveal for their daughter, and instead, she recently posted a very cryptic note as she said she's not going to 'settle for less than she deserves' anymore. Katie, who starred on the 2016 series of Love Island took to her Instagram stories to share the note which read: "Everything has changed for me since having my little girl.

that dropped bombshell allegations of a “physical” affair with Adam Levine?Texas native Sumner Stroh, 23, shook the entertainment world on Monday after posting a video of alleged screenshots from the Maroon 5 heartthrob, 43. Levine, who is married to and has two kids with currently pregnant Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo, 34, allegedly indicated that he wanted to name his soon-to-be born child Sumner.“Ok serious question,” Levine allegedly wrote in an Instagram message on June 1.

Not letting him have the last word!!

EXCLUSIVE: South Korean filmmaker Kim Hongsun has signed with WME following the launch of latest project Project Wolf Hunting in Toronto.

Spoon‘s Britt Daniel joined Interpol on stage this week – watch them perform ‘Next Exit’ together below.The two bands are currently on a co-headlining coast-to-coast North American tour, dubbed ‘Lights, Camera, Factions’, which ends this weekend (September 17-18) with two shows at the Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Oregon.On Wednesday (September 14), they played a gig in Paso Robles, California, and during Interpol’s set they were joined by Daniels to perform ‘Next Exit’, from Interpol’s 2004 album ‘Antics’.“Been great getting to tour with them over the last few weeks,” Interpol wrote on Instagram when sharing a snippet of the performance.Check out the collaboration below.A post shared by Interpol (@interpol)The NYC indie outfit returned with their seventh and most recent studio album, ‘The Other Side Of Make Believe’, on July 15.In a four-star review, NME wrote: “Far from a total reinvention, but all adds up to a confident, rewarding and subtly adventurous new chapter for Interpol – or, as [frontman Paul] Banks sings himself on the peak of ‘Toni’, “Still in shape, my methods refined“.After their ‘Lights, Camera, Factions’ tour with Spoon wraps up this weekend, the band will play a string of South American dates supporting Arctic Monkeys, as well as some festival slots.Interpol also recently marked the 20th anniversary of their debut album ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ by sharing its companion project, ‘The Black EP’, on streaming platforms.‘The Black EP’ features the studio version of the single ‘Say Hello To The Angels’, a demo of ‘NYC’ and four other songs from the ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ era that were recorded live for a Radio France session in 2002, including the non-album bonus track ‘Specialist’.

EXCLUSIVE: After four years at Verve, veteran unscripted television agent Bill Thompson has joined Vital Artists Agency, reuniting with former colleague Phil Irven.

K.J. Yossman Film and TV studio Fifth Season (previously Endeavor Content) has appointed Ben Irving to the position of creative director for U.K. television. He will join in November. His remit will be to build on Fifth Season’s reputation for distributing series such as “Killing Eve” and “The Night Manager” and producing “Severance.” Irving will lead the production and development teams in the U.K. and work on U.K.-based developments as well as working with the U.K.’s creative community on new global series. Irving joins from the BBC, where he oversaw all primetime drama as the acting director of drama. Before then he worked as BBC Drama’s head of production and a commissioning editor. Among the projects he has executive produced are “His Dark Materials,” “Doctor Who,” “Happy Valley” and “Sherwood.” Prior to joining the BBC Ben worked at Heyday Films as VP of development and production. He has also worked at Warner Bros Pictures and Qwerty Films over the course of his career.

BreAnna Bell The television industry has been laser-focused on the transition to streaming in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that the linear side is being ignored or neglected. That was the message Thursday from Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, the unit that oversees all TV and film distribution and monetization within the Disney empire. Daniel was a keynote speaker at Variety‘s Entertainment & Technology Summit at 1 Hotel in West Hollywood. “We’ve always had the focus internally about the variety of platforms that we have in [Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution], or the variety of experience touchpoints that we have across the Walt Disney Company with consumers –– that is no less of a priority now than it ever has been. And we tie these organizations together in a way that, again, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts,” he said.

Brandon Sklenar (The Offer, Westworld) has joined the cast of the Paramount+ series 1923, the Yellowstone prequel spinoff from Taylor Sheridan. He will portray Spencer Dutton, Jacob Dutton’s (Harrison Ford) nephew, and John Dutton Sr.’s (James Badge Dale) brother, who has witnessed the horrors of World War I.

Netflix has started rounding out the cast for its Lindsay Lohan-led romantic comedy Irish Wish, with Ed Speleers (Outlander), Alexander Vlahos (Sanditon), Ayesha Curry (A Black Lady Sketch Show), Elizabeth Tan (Emily in Paris) and Jane Seymour (The Kominsky Method) signing on for roles.

Brett Hansen, who has spent 22 years at UTA, is moving to Paradigm Talent Agency.

Paradigm Entertainment, the owner of Paradigm Talent Agency, has acquired BEST, an affiliate of Blue Equity, under which BEST’s Napoli Management Group, Two Twelve Management & Marketing, and 3 Kings Entertainment business lines will become part of newly formed Paradigm Media Entertainment, the company announced on Wednesday.The new company will service the news broadcast and culinary talent representation business.  Paradigm Media Entertainment is majority owned by Paradigm Entertainment.Paradigm Talent Agency and Paradigm Media Entertainment will provide their clients access to the entertainment, publishing, brand partnership, and news media services of each business.The “Paradigm Media Entertainment” entertainment, broadcasting, and marketing businesses will be headed by Napoli Management Group’s Mendes J.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Paradigm is turning to local TV and lifestyle stars to help rebuild the agency that has been reshaped by the changing entertainment economy and the wallop of the pandemic. Paradigm Entertainment has acquired three talent agencies from private equity firm Blue Equity to form Paradigm Media Entertainment, which will now be home to Napoli Management Group, 3 Kings Entertainment and Two Twelve Management and Marketing. Napoli Management and 3 Kings both have wide rosters of local TV anchors, reporters, weathercasters and other talent working in markets large and small around the country. Two Twelve focuses on representing chefs and other culinary, hospitality and lifestyle stars.