Paradigm has hired Rob Zifarelli and has tasked him with running its new Toronto office. Zifarelli will be joined by Adam Countryman and André Guérette and will be bringing a number of the artists they currently represent to Paradigm.
The move comes just two weeks after UTA announced it was shuttering its Toronto office, where Zifarelli served as senior vice president. Prior to a merger in 2015, the office had been part of The Agency Group.
For Paradigm, the creation of a Toronto office is part of a continued global expansion -- in 2014, Paradigm acquired a stake in Coda Agency and earlier this year, Paradigm announced a joint partnership with Europe's X-Ray Touring and the investment firm Yucaipa.
Zifarelli has worked in music for more than 20 years and won Agent Of The Year at the inaugural Live Music Industry Awards during last year's Canadian Music Week. Zifarelli represents a number of artists for different territories around the world and is involved in the careers of City and Colour, Feist, Phantogram, Vance Joy, Broken Social Scene, Boy & Bear, Dashboard Confessional, Christine and the Queens, Tash Sultana, Alexisonfire, Bahamas, Dan Mangan, James Vincent McMorrow, Meg Mac, Stars and Xavier Rudd.
Countryman has more than a decade of experience in the concert business and was influential in the careers of artists such as Hey Rosetta!, Half Moon Run and Andy Shauf.
Guérette has been recognized as a leading agent in French Canada for more than 10 years with a focus on simultaneously building careers for his artists domestically and internationally. His roster includes many of Quebec's biggest artists, including Patrick Watson, Matt Holubowski, Alex Nevsky, Bobby Bazini, Christine and the Queens, The Barr Brothers, Martha Wainwrightand Marie-Pierre Arthur.
In a press release, Paradigm music executive Tom Windish said, "Canada is an important source of creative talent for our agency. Rob, André and Adam are highly respected as seasoned and cutting edge agents. We're excited to have their expertise on our side as we continue to strengthen our worldwide network of agents and offerings to our clients."
Zifarelli added, "We're honored to launch Paradigm's first Canadian office, and excited to be a part of this great agent team we've long admired."
