EXCLUSIVE: Following his stunning ouster from Verve, the agency he co-founded in 2010, where he’d most recently served as CEO, veteran agent Bill Weinstein looks to have found his next destination, as multiple sources tell Deadline that he’s in talks to join Paradigm.
Paradigm declined comment, and Weinstein couldn’t be reached, but we’ll update this story with his statement if and when it comes in.
As we were first to report, it had previously been speculated that Weinstein would be setting up his own shop named Novo, and bring the Verve trio of Devon Schiff, Matthew Doyle and Jake Dillman with him following their own departures from the agency. Whether any or all of them will be joining him at Paradigm isn’t yet clear.
We also hear that Weinstein’s own deal isn’t yet done. But he’s expected to bring with him a strong client list that will only bolster Paradigm, in a moment marked by a general upswing for the agency. The door to him joining was opened when he settled his lawsuit against Verve co-founders Bryan Besser and Adam Levine, which had been intended to secure his reinstatement to the agency. The specifics of their deal are unknown, though Glaser Weil’s Julie Gerchik, attorney for Besser and Levine, said in a statement obtained by Deadline, “The parties have amicably resolved their dispute, and have reached a confidential settlement in principle.”
News of Weinstein’s exit from Verve, after deliberation by agency leadership, came in mid-February. In his breach-of-contract lawsuit filed in LA Superior Court, he would later assert that he was kicked out of the agency “without any notice, reason, cause or an opportunity to cure.”
Attorney Gerchick stated in response that “the allegations in Mr. Weinstein’s complaint are false,” adding, “this is clearly an attempt by Mr. Weinstein to cover up the conduct that led to his termination for cause.”
In reporting from Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva, several people who’ve worked at Verve over the past decade or had dealings with the agency pointed to Weinstein’s management style and the culture of fear he allegedly fostered as the grounds for his termination.
In response to the allegations, Weinstein provided a statement, which read in part: “I work with drive and passion to lift my clients to reach their greatest potential. I deeply value my employees and the personal and professional relationships we share. I lead with fairness and patience and a dogged focus toward progress and the future.”
Weinstein had only been named CEO of Verve last year. Sources close to the agency said no replacement will be named, with the responsibilities of the role now to be shared by the founders and managing partners.
More to come.
