The boss of talent agency Paradigm has confirmed that a significant number the company's employees who had previously been temporarily laid off as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will now not return to the business. Reports suggest that that means 180 of the agency's 600 staff are being made redundant.
All talent and booking agencies have faced unprecedented challenges since COVID-19 caused the shutdown of live entertainment, with the immediate impact on staff dependent to an extent on what government support was available in each country.
Paradigm was particularly quick to temporarily lay off a significant number of its US employees at the start of shutdown, with top man Sam Gores coming under fire for the way in which those layoffs were handled.
With plenty of uncertainty remaining as to when the live entertainment sector will start to return to normal, Gores wrote in a new memo to staff yesterday: "With disappointment and sadness, today we have informed the temporarily laid-off employees whom we have not been able to reinstate that they will be transitioned to permanent layoff".
"As you know", he went on, "over the last six months, we have brought back as many of our temporarily laid off colleagues as we could; unfortunately, the profound effects of the coronavirus have continued to severely impact every aspect of our industry and our world for longer than we had even imagined six months ago. Consequently, we have had to examine every aspect of our business and make this difficult decision".
The memo subsequently concluded: "I recognise that you and your former colleagues have carried a heavy burden this year, and I am grateful for all of your contributions. We all hope that someday soon, the live and filmed entertainment industry will safely and wholly return".