Managing Partner Michael Wildes and Talent Team Leader Caroline Gabela-Monteiro at Wildes & Weinberg are proud to announce the approval of the O-1 petition filed on behalf of DJ Tony Starr.
DJ Tony Starr, born Anton Zhivaev, is a Siberia‑born, New York–based DJ, selector, and music curator known for his deep musical sensibility and genre‑blending approach. With more than 17 years of experience behind the decks, Tony has developed a signature style that merges deep house, leftfield disco, and electronic music into atmospheric, narrative‑driven sets that captivate both dance floors and intimate listening audiences.
Originally from Siberia, Tony first established himself as a fixture in Moscow’s electronic music scene, performing at respected clubs and festivals across the city. He later co‑founded GRADIENT Radio, a Moscow‑based platform that champions forward‑thinking electronic sounds and emerging artists. Since relocating to New York City in 2022, Tony has continued to expand his artistic footprint. He has performed at venues such as The Lot Radio and Newtown Radio, where he co‑hosts the program Midnight Express, sharing eclectic selections that reflect his global perspective and deep musical knowledge.
In addition to his performance career, Tony serves as a mentor at Superior Elevation DJ School in Brooklyn, where he guides aspiring DJs in developing their craft, technical skills, and musical identity. His commitment to community and education underscores his broader mission to “bridge cultures through sound,” a theme that resonates throughout his work.
Whether spinning vinyl classics, exploring experimental textures, or crafting emotional electronic journeys, Tony brings a rare combination of technical mastery, deep musical storytelling, and cultural fluency to every performance. His work continues to evolve as he contributes to the New York underground scene and nurtures the next generation of selectors.
Wildes & Weinberg was founded in 1960 by Senior Partner, Leon Wildes. He was best known for his successful representation of former Beatle John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono as they fought the Nixon Administration during a five year bitterly contested Deportation Proceeding. Nearly three quarters of a century later, the firm continues to concentrate its practice in all aspects of U.S. immigration and nationality law, servicing the immigration requirements of prominent American and International firms, banks, industrial, financial, and manufacturing concerns, as well as law firms in connection with the personnel needs of their foreign national employees.
In addition, the firm has a distinguished clientele and has done substantial immigration work for performing artists, directors, writers, models, actors/actresses, athletes, fine artists, art dealers, curators, and literary agents. Most notable was Leon Wildes’ successful representation of former Beatle John Lennon and his artist wife, Yoko Ono in their deportation proceedings, the basis of which has inspired legislation, and has been portrayed in films, plays, and literary works worldwide. Some of the firm’s other distinguished clients include scholar Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (z”l), as well as soccer icon Pele and Karim Benzema, Master Chef Jean-Georges, musicians Sinead O’ Connor and Boy George, as well as First Lady Melania Trump and her family.
Michael Wildes, the firm’s Managing Partner, is also currently serving his fifth term as Mayor of Englewood, New Jersey, is the author of Safe Haven in America: Battles to Open the Golden Door (which draws on over a quarter of a century of his practice in the immigration field), is an Adjunct Professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, and serves as Counsel to Lincoln Center and several international/corporate law firms.
Despite difficulties currently being encountered in dealing with U.S. immigration authorities, the firm has maintained an extraordinary track record for success in its cases. The firm’s litigation group has expanded its efforts in filing Mandamus Actions and other Actions in Federal Courts throughout the nation.
In addition, Wildes & Weinberg’s multilingual staff is spread throughout its offices in New York City, Englewood, New Jersey, Miami, Florida, and by appointment only in Los Angeles, California and Tel Aviv, Israel, and are known for their experience and special expertise in processing each foreign national’s case with nothing less than the highest level of professionalism.
For more information on our firm please visit www.wildeslaw.com or contact Michael Wildes at michael@wildeslaw.com.