Managing Partner Michael Wildes and Senior Attorney Caroline Gabela-Monteiro are proud to announce the approval of the O-1 petition filed on behalf of extraordinary influencer/content creator, Zachary Margolin.
Mr. Margolin, a London-born content creator and comedian raised in a Jewish community, spent his childhood summers in Israel—experiences that later influenced his comedic voice. He launched his TikTok account in January 2020, focusing on comedy and quickly gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic with satirical videos about quarantine life. Just four months in, one of his videos went viral with over 2.5 million views, introducing him to a global audience. His breakout moment came in October 2020 with a parody of the iconic John Lewis Christmas advert featuring his grandmother, which struck a heartfelt and humorous chord with viewers and earned major media coverage. By the end of his first year on TikTok, he had reached 100,000 followers and produced a comedy pilot, Improv, which won Best New Comedy at the Lit Laughs International Comedy Festival and Best Short Film at the Funny Life Film Festival. Building on this success, he expanded his Zach Margs brand to Instagram, where his following steadily grew. After a trip to Israel in August 2023, he began centering his content on Jewish and Israeli satire. His viral video Beach Waiter, inspired by an Israeli waiter he met, gained over 1 million views in a day and launched a popular sketch series that surpassed 5 million total views, adding 40,000 new followers. In the wake of the October 7 attacks in Israel, Mr. Margolin shifted his brand entirely toward Jewish and Israeli content, using humor as a means to uplift and connect with Jewish communities amid rising global antisemitism. Since then, he has grown his social media following to over 320,000 ( 201K on Instagram and 199K on Tik Tok) and has collaborated with high-profile influencers, secured partnerships with organizations like Birthright Israel and the Ringle dating app, as well as performed at major events, including the Opening Ceremony of the European Maccabi Youth Games.
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, 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.