Jack Tantleff has been upped to head of the theatrical literary department at Paradigm.
Tantleff, who has been at Paradigm since 2008, leads a team of four that includes veteran agent William Craver as well as Jonathan Mills and Mark Armstrong. He’ll also continue to work alongside Sarah Fargo, head of the agency’s New York talent department.
Promotion comes as Paradigm has beefed up its theatrical lit operations in recent months. Armstrong, a former editor at Playscripts, came aboard in November, while Mills, who began with the agency as Craver’s assistant in 2007, stepped up to become an agent in January.
“What we’re doing with Mark and Jonathan, which is new here at Paradigm, is working to attract newer, younger writers,” Tantleff said.
Paradigm’s roster of legit writers and directors includes creatives on tap for upcoming Broadway outings including scribes David Henry Hwang (“Chinglish”) and David Auburn (“The Columnist”), director-choreographer Jeff Calhoun (“Bonnie and Clyde”) and helmers Eric Schaeffer (“Follies”) and Francesca Zambello (“Rebecca”). Also in the fold are Alfred Uhry, David Esbjornson, Glenn Slater and book-writing duo Ron Cowen and Dan Lipman of current West End tuner “Betty Blue Eyes.”
Theatrical lit department works out of Paradigm’s Gotham office, which has grown from 32 to 40 agents in the last year. According to Paradigm chairman Sam Gores, the expansion reflects the agency’s bullish attitude toward Gotham’s entertainment biz both in theater and beyond.
“There’s all sorts of business in New York,” he said. “It’s not an afterthought. We’re very committed to continuing to grow aggressively there, in a first-rate way.”
