Sam Gores

Sam Gores (born Nazareth, Israel) is the Chairman of Paradigm Talent Agency located in Beverly Hills, California. His clients include Laurence Fishburne and Andy Garcia although his primary day-to-day activities focus on running the agency.

Gores is described by clients as "the most un-agent agent in the business" and was honored by The Black Eyed Peas, also Paradigm clients, with the Peapod Leadership Award, describing him as a "mentor and inspiration in their career." AskMen.com ranked Gores #8 on its list of Top Ten Hollywood Agents.

Sam is the brother of billionaires Tom and Alec Gores and is married to American actress Jensen Buchanan.

Background

Sam Gores was born in Nazareth, Israel and raised alongside two brothers and three sisters. When he was 14, his family sold their worldly possessions to buy eight one-way tickets to the United States, settling in Flint, Michigan. At 16, he became a butcher and by 18, he joined the meat-cutters union and secured a promising future in the grocery business.

However, Gores soon realized his true passion was for the stage so he entered the American Academy of Dramatic Arts after performances in “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Inherit the Wind.” He later studied at the Academy’s West Coast School in Pasadena, California, becoming a member of the institution’s first graduating class. By then he’d realized that his true calling was not as an player on stage but behind the scenes which led him on the path to becoming an agent to creative talent.

Professional Career

Gores’ first agency job lasted two years – remarkable considering that in order to get his foot in the door, the man made a choice to not draw any salary during his entire tenure. Five years and two agencies later, Gores was ready to flex his muscles as an entrepreneur: He opened his first agency, SGA Representation, Inc. Within two years, SGA had distinguished itself as an aggressive, shrewdly managed haven for rising stars.

In 1986 SGA acquired The Jack Fields Agency and changed its name to Gores/Fields. The agency expanded further the following year, bringing ATM & Associates into the fold. By 1991, Gores/Fields had grown into a formidable talent-fostering organization. Much of Paradigm’s success is attributed to Gores’ gathering of a diverse group of exceptional agents whose individual strengths complemented each other, creating potent synergy. Gores next set his sites on a literary division.

During the years 1992 and 1993 he forged pacts with two other agencies to create the powerhouse now known as Paradigm, a full-service talent and literary entity Gores plans to build “the Tiffany of agencies.” Since then, the firm has grown to more than 200 employees. Gores continues to plan for measured growth through the acquisition of new companies that share Paradigm’s core belief in allowing artists to travel their individual creative paths, one step at a time. Gores turned heads in April when Paradigm added the literary agency Genesis to its burgeoning business, significantly boosting Paradigm’s standing in the entertainment community.

In late 2004, at a time when other major agencies were cutting back, Paradigm announced the acquisition of Writers & Artists Agency and further additions of several key executive agents from rival talent agencies, along with the stunning acquisition of Music-industry heavyweight, Monterey Peninsula Artists. A three-decades-old leader in the world of music talent booking, Monterey has won Pollstar Magazine’s Agency of the Year Award 9 times in the past 15 years.

Paradigm Talent Agency

Main Article: Paradigm Talent Agency

Paradigm formed in 1992 after the Gores/Fields Agency merged with STE Representations, Robinson, Weintraub, Gross & Associates, and Shorr, Stille & Associates. The agency's Beverly Hills office is located on the landmark Paul Williams designed MCA Inc. campus built in 1932 where conference rooms honor the legendary entertainment moguls Jules Stein and Lew Wasserman who occupied the space. Paradigm is now a full service agency with offices in New York, Monterey and Nashville representating clients in areas such as motion pictures, television, music, artist marketing, motion picture financing, book publishing, literary rights, theatre, physical production, interactive media, stand-up comedy, commercials, personal appearances and corporate events.

Paradigm's clients include Academy Award winning actors; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Adrien Brody and Chris Cooper. As well as Katherine Heigl, Michael Cera, Gary Oldman, Mariska Hargitay, Mark Harmon, and musical artists including; Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, Toby Keith, Aerosmith, Phish, Will.I.Am, The Dead, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss and Fergie.

Public Advocacy

Sam Gores is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Recording Academy. He also serves on the board of Trustees for The Academy of Dramatic Arts. As Paradigm’s Chairman and Founder, Gores is an active participant in Conservation International. He has likewise worked toward making the world a better place through his involvement in Hand in Hand, which builds schools in Israel for both Jewish and Arabic children, with the goal of promoting understanding and acceptance of all people, regardless of religious heritage.

External Links

Paradigm Homepage [5]