Paradigm MMA Staff
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AUDIE ATTAR
President
President of Paradigm Sports Management, LLC founded the firm in 2009 after nine years of industry success. Sports have been a huge part of Audie’s life for the past 20 years; he was a high school football All-American, All-State and league MVP for Claremont High School (CA). Audie was awarded a full athletic scholarship to UCLA where he was a member of the 1999 Pac-10 Championship and Rose Bowl team. He spent his senior season at Idaho State University where he helped lead the team to their first Big Sky Championship in over 20 years.
Audie developed a tremendous amount of expertise in both sports and business while playing football and earning his B.S. from UCLA. Audie also went on to earn his MBA from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business & Management, while simultaneously earning a Masters Certificate in dispute resolution from Pepperdine Law School’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. Audie's unique perspective as a former blue chip athlete allows him to provide effective management that increases a player’s value and shapes the direction of each clients athletic and post athletic career.
Audie has been a featured speaker at several events including the Hammer Museum and high school educational seminars. He has also been featured in the LA Times, NY Times and several other publications. Audie currently resides in Orange County, CA and volunteers his time to mentor under privileged youth find direction and purpose with a passionate approach to life.
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MISHAL ABUL
Partner
Bio Coming Soon
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MATT APTAKER
Director of Sponsorships and Endorsements
Before joining the Paradigm family, Matthew spent years working in sales for the fitness and technology industries. It wasn't until Matthew discovered Muay Thai and MMA while in his later years of college that he decided this was the industry for him. After an amateur record of 2-0, Matthew decided he would be better off utilizing his education and work experience. Matthew gained two and a half years experience in the field as a legal intern for MMAagents while attending law school at Whittier.
Matthew has received his B.A. in Criminology, Law & Society from UC Irvine, and he earned a J.D. from Whittier Law School with specialized emphasizes on Intellectual Property and Business Law. Recently, Matthew passed the California Bar Exam.
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NICK WALTON
General Council and Director of Fighter Compliance
Nick is a licensed attorney who graduated from Whittier Law School. He is a member of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society and has earned a Certificate in Intellectual Property. Nick has also earned the Dean’s Merit Scholarship.
Nick is a lifelong fan and practitioner of martial arts and is very excited to have this opportunity at Paradigm MMA Management. Although he has studied martial arts since he was a child, he redirected his attention from karate to jiu-jitsu after watching the Ultimate Fighting Championship. After several years of serious training, he decided to test his skills in the cage. Nick went 2-0 before he was sidelined by an injury. Now that Nick can no longer compete in MMA, he considers working with fighters at Paradigm MMA Management to be the next best thing.
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RYAN BUESCHER
Director of Public Relations and Media
Ryan has been part of the Paradigm team since the company was founded in 2009. He received his bachelor degree from The University of Miami in May of 2008, where he majored in Sports Administration and Business Law. Upon graduating from The U, Ryan moved back to Denver, where he was born and raised, and began his graduate studies at The University of Colorado. In May 2011 he received his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from CU, with two emphases: Sports and Entertainment Management and Entrepreneurship. During his time at Miami, Ryan had internships with two major football firms and provided assistance in contract negotiations for both 1st round picks and veteran renegotiations. In fact, in 2007 Ryan interned for the same agency where Audie Attar served as Director of West Coast Operations. Then while at CU, he spent two years with Harrow Sports, a large sporting goods company focused in lacrosse, hockey and squash. Ryan served as assistant director of sales and manager of custom apparel in his two years at Harrow Sports.
Ryan’s passion for sports began at a very young age, with his focus initially in basketball. However, he has always been an all round sports junkie, a person who has a serious passion and love for sports. Upon finishing high school in Denver, Ryan realized that his career calling was in player representation. He credits his father, Tom Buescher, who is a prominent labor law attorney in Denver representing unions and employees for the past 35 years, for sparking this interest. After high school Ryan passed up opportunities to play basketball at some Division II and Division III programs, and instead enrolled at Miami to begin his education to become an agent.
For Paradigm Football Management Ryan works as an associate agent, and is planning to get certified by the NFLPA in the summer of 2012. He focuses his efforts on public relations, marketing, contact analysis, draft analysis, player scouting, market analysis and other critical tasks to open new revenue streams for clients. In addition, Ryan’s analytical ability provides the firm with much of its data and research for all types of negotiations, including: player contracts, marketing/sponsorship/endorsement deals, and merger and acquisitions to name a few.
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SAIA MAKAKAUFAKI
Associate and Client Relations/Support
Saia attended UCLA where he played football with Audie Attar from 1998-2003. He was a history major and a member of the PISA Club (Pacific Islander Association). He joined the PSM team in August of 2011. Saia’s primary role is to find new marketing partnerships and help the clients fulfill their potential, in all avenues. He is also actively involved in the recruitment of new football and MMA clients.
Saia came to Paradigm from Lifted Research Group (L-R-G), where he served as Director of Sports Marketing from 2003-10. Saia was responsible for various sports campaigns during his time at L-R-G, as well as product placement for athletes. He worked on campaigns with Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings and Trevor Ariza, then with the Los Angeles Lakers. He held strong relationships with CC Sebathia, Maurice Jones Drew and Mark Sanchez through L-R-G.
At Paradigm Saia facilitates player appearances, manages their PR, and partners with foundation sponsors. He is always looking to build relationships with companies to help PSM clients succeed and strengthen their market value.
Saia was born in Glendale and raised in Laguna Hills, CA. He resides in Laguna Beach with his wife Lauren. Saia is a member of the OCFOA (Orange County Football Association). In his spare time he likes to play golf, and workout at the boxing gym.
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ELON MANSON
Accounts Manager
Elon Manson comes to Paradigm Sports Management with a diverse academic and professional background. He earned his bachelors degree in communications and business from the University of Arizona. Upon graduating, Elon excelled in sales and later in accounting. Elon is now earning his juris doctorate, with a certificate in intellectual property law, from Whittier Law School.
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