Paradigm Hires Babacar Diene of Voltage Pictures as Content Agent

Dua Lipa has parted ways with her management team and she reportedly has hired her father Dukagijn to be her new interim manager.

Paul Thomas Anderson, the director of the Oscar-nominated movie Licorice Pizza, is finally responding to the backlash the film received for scenes in which an actor uses a fake Asian accent.

EXCLUSIVE: Jax Media is planting a flag in Atlanta.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDisney Junior exec Joe D’Ambrosia has been hired as executive vice president and general manager of Sony Pictures Television’s Silvergate Media. D’Ambrosia will be taking over for Silvergate founder Waheed Alli, who is stepping down from his post as CEO this summer.In his new role at the Sony-owned children’s programming producer, D’Ambrosia will serve as Silvergate’s creative and strategic business leader, overseeing day-to-day operations of the company.

Nearly 50 years after the original was released, Netflix is ready for a whole new generation to discover “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” with a new sequel arriving today. And on this episode of The Playlist Podcast, filmmaker David Blue Garcia joins to talk about the latest entry in the history of ‘Chainsaw’ films.

Next month, Marvel Studios debuts their latest superhero series “Moon Knight,” a darker, more twisted tale about an anti-hero with a multiple personality disorder starring Oscar Isaac. And in a major vote of confidence, happy with what they brought to the project, it looks like Marvel will elevate the “Moon Knight” directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead for their next series.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. Television Group grows its publicity team with the hiring of former  Disney Television Studios executive Yong Kim, who will serve as Vice President, Worldwide Television Publicity.

Kanye West is clearly having a hard time right now, but we can imagine how Kim Kardashian is probably having a harder time!

Universal Content Productions, a division of Unversal Studio Group, is expanding its executive leadership team, with the hire of Rebecca Franko and Kenny Tsai as SVPs, Current Programming.

EXCLUSIVE: Actor and producer Karrie Martin Lachney signed with Paradigm for representation in all areas.

No Spide-Man? No Peace! At least according to director Kevin Smith, who has xpressed his vehement displeasure about the Oscar snub of Spider-Man: No Way Home from the Best Picture Oscar nominees.

Cate Blanchett’s Dirty Films and Scarlett Pictures are partnering to co-produce The New Boy with Blanchett attached to star and Warwick Thornton writing and directing. Deborah Mailman and Wayne Blair join Blanchett in the ensemble, which is set to begin filming in October of this year in South Australia. Roadshow Films will be distributing for Australia and New Zealand, CAA Media Finance and UTA will be handling sales for North America, and The Veterans is on board to manage sales for the remainder of the globe. Blanchett, Andrew Upton and Georgie Pym will be producing for Dirty Films; and Kath Shelper will produce for Scarlett Pictures.

A new approach. While reflecting on her dating life since her split from Randall Emmett, Lala Kent noted that she has learned her lesson when it comes to meeting someone new.

EXCLUSIVE: Actress and filmmaker Romola Garai, whose directorial debut Amulet played at Sundance 2020, is working on a raft of projects including a re-team with Amulet producer Matthew James Wilkinson (Yesterday).

Beginning with our review coverage all the way back to the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, through Cannes in July, Venice and Telluride in the late summer, and finally to late-breaking holiday-season releases that qualified just under the gun for Oscar eligibility, Deadline has been on the front lines of opinion for this year’s eventual 10 nominees for Oscar Best Picture.

Paradigm on Thursday said it has hired Babacar Diene, the veteran film financing, sales and production executive who had been a VP at Voltage Pictures. He will become a Content Agent at Paradigm, which also said today it has promoted four staffers to agents.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe Motion Picture Association announced Thursday it has hired Kathy Bañuelos to lead its lobbying efforts at state and local governments.Bañuelos comes to the trade organization from NBCUniversal, where she was vice president of government affairs. She will take over for Vans Stevenson, who has overseen state government lobbying for the MPA since 1995.In that period, Stevenson led the organization’s efforts in state capitols across the country to establish and expand tax incentives for film and TV production.

Selome Hailu Paradigm Talent Agency announced that Babacar Diene has been hired as a content agent. Additionally, Sam Benfey, Josh Cohen, Natalie Handelsman and Wilson Rubinoff have been promoted to agent.Diene is a longtime film financing, sales and production executive joining Paradigm from his previous position as vice president of acquisitions and development at Voltage Pictures.