Being a Hollywood assistant has always been a tough gig, but the Covid-19 pandemic has only made it tougher on the industry’s thousands of support staffers.
According to the second annual #PayUpHollywood survey, which polled over a thousand support staffers, nearly 80% of respondents reported earning less than $50,000 in 2020, a 14.7% increase from the prior year. And over a third of respondents reported less than $30,000 in income in 2020 — a marked increase from the 11% who made that much in 2019.
Earning less than $53,600 a year in Los Angeles qualifies as being “cost-burdened” by U.S. Department of Housing and Development, which defines it as paying “more than
30 percent of their income for housing” and potentially having “difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing,
transportation, and medical care.”
Notably, about 37.5% of survey takers are financially supported by friends or family to cover living expenses, and over 19% have had to move in with family, friends...
According to the second annual #PayUpHollywood survey, which polled over a thousand support staffers, nearly 80% of respondents reported earning less than $50,000 in 2020, a 14.7% increase from the prior year. And over a third of respondents reported less than $30,000 in income in 2020 — a marked increase from the 11% who made that much in 2019.
Earning less than $53,600 a year in Los Angeles qualifies as being “cost-burdened” by U.S. Department of Housing and Development, which defines it as paying “more than
30 percent of their income for housing” and potentially having “difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing,
transportation, and medical care.”
Notably, about 37.5% of survey takers are financially supported by friends or family to cover living expenses, and over 19% have had to move in with family, friends...
- 2/2/2021
- by Elaine Low
- Variety Film + TV
After a stinging loss in federal court two weeks ago, the WGA has filed its first amended complaint in its ongoing legal battle with the Big 3 talent agencies over packaging fees.
The latest filing reframes many of the guild’s claims that U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte Jr. threw out on April 27, including his ruling that the guild “lacks organizational standing to bring claims for breach of fiduciary duty and constructive fraud on behalf of their members.” In its amended complaint, the guild asks the judge to “declare that packaging fees constitute a breach of the Agencies’ fiduciary duties to their writer-clients,” and that “the Agencies’ packaging fee practices constitute constructive fraud.”
Birotte also had ruled that the guild “lacks Article III standing to bring an Unfair Competition Law (Ucl) cause of action on their own behalf,” but the guild is now urging him to “declare that packaging...
The latest filing reframes many of the guild’s claims that U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte Jr. threw out on April 27, including his ruling that the guild “lacks organizational standing to bring claims for breach of fiduciary duty and constructive fraud on behalf of their members.” In its amended complaint, the guild asks the judge to “declare that packaging fees constitute a breach of the Agencies’ fiduciary duties to their writer-clients,” and that “the Agencies’ packaging fee practices constitute constructive fraud.”
Birotte also had ruled that the guild “lacks Article III standing to bring an Unfair Competition Law (Ucl) cause of action on their own behalf,” but the guild is now urging him to “declare that packaging...
- 5/12/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Heads up, humans! We’re about to spoil the events of Monday’s Roswell, New Mexico. Not caught up? Turn back while you can.
Still terrified of the being growing within her, Isobel made the decision to perform her own abortion on Monday’s Roswell, New Mexico, a risky endeavor that nearly cost the alien her life. As hinted at the end of last week’s episode, Isobel began micro-dosing with Liz’s toxin to terminate the pregnancy, planning to give herself the antidote once she was convinced the process was complete.
More from TVLineThe CW Sets Burden of Truth Season 3, More Summer Premiere DatesRiverdale,...
Still terrified of the being growing within her, Isobel made the decision to perform her own abortion on Monday’s Roswell, New Mexico, a risky endeavor that nearly cost the alien her life. As hinted at the end of last week’s episode, Isobel began micro-dosing with Liz’s toxin to terminate the pregnancy, planning to give herself the antidote once she was convinced the process was complete.
More from TVLineThe CW Sets Burden of Truth Season 3, More Summer Premiere DatesRiverdale,...
- 3/31/2020
- TVLine.com
In the wake of coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is set to have on the financial state of the world, Liz Alper and Deirdre Mangan’s #PayUpHollywood has teamed with Scriptnotes, Junior Hollywood Radio & Television Society and Yea! to launch the Hollywood Support Staff Covid-19 Relief Fund via GoFundMe which will help Los Angeles-based support staff members in entertainment.
It wasn’t long before some of the industry’s most notable showrunners came through including Chernobyl creator Craig Marzin who, along with Scriptnotes’ John August announced that they would match contributions up to $50,000. Marzin started to give updates via Twitter on who contributed. This includes Shonda Rhimes, David Benioff, Damon Lindelof, Greg Berlanti, Mike Schur, Marti Noxon, Julie Plec, Aline Brosh McKenna, Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan.
More from DeadlineAustralia's Palace Cinemas To Shutter Amid Coronavirus; Long-Running Soap 'Neighbours' Takes Production Break'Fleabag' Leads Royal Television Society Winners...
It wasn’t long before some of the industry’s most notable showrunners came through including Chernobyl creator Craig Marzin who, along with Scriptnotes’ John August announced that they would match contributions up to $50,000. Marzin started to give updates via Twitter on who contributed. This includes Shonda Rhimes, David Benioff, Damon Lindelof, Greg Berlanti, Mike Schur, Marti Noxon, Julie Plec, Aline Brosh McKenna, Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan.
More from DeadlineAustralia's Palace Cinemas To Shutter Amid Coronavirus; Long-Running Soap 'Neighbours' Takes Production Break'Fleabag' Leads Royal Television Society Winners...
- 3/18/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
In the wake of dozens of film and television productions abruptly shutting down amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, several organizations and high-profile showrunners — Greg Berlanti, Shonda Rhimes, David Benioff, Julie Plec, Damon Lindelof, Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan — have come together to fund a relief effort for Hollywood’s support staffers, a low-paid group that often goes overlooked. Of the nearly dozen assistants who spoke with Variety in recent days, many expressed fear and uncertainty about their financial future.
The Hollywood Support Staff Covid-19 Relief Fund is the brainchild of PayUpHollywood, Scriptnotes, Junior Hollywood Radio & Television Society and Yea!, and aims to help Los Angeles-based support staff remain financially stable during these weeks that productions have gone dark, doling out stipends in the amount of $450 or $900. The group’s goal is to raise at least $100,000, which would be able to support 111-222 support staffers to “help cover the cost of things like rent,...
The Hollywood Support Staff Covid-19 Relief Fund is the brainchild of PayUpHollywood, Scriptnotes, Junior Hollywood Radio & Television Society and Yea!, and aims to help Los Angeles-based support staff remain financially stable during these weeks that productions have gone dark, doling out stipends in the amount of $450 or $900. The group’s goal is to raise at least $100,000, which would be able to support 111-222 support staffers to “help cover the cost of things like rent,...
- 3/17/2020
- by Elaine Low
- Variety Film + TV
Around one in four assistants said the entertainment industry’s working conditions have prompted them to increasingly use drugs, alcohol and other substances, according to a #PayUpHollywood survey of over 1,500 support staffers shared exclusively with Variety.
Beyond the already significant burdens of long hours, low pay, and sky-rocketing living costs in Los Angeles, the pressures of the job are weighing on the mental health of many at the lowest, most vulnerable rung of the entertainment ladder.
According to the poll — which surveyed assistants at studios, agencies, production and development companies, in-house production and post-production departments — 93% of those who responded reported that their job has led to an increase in anxiety, and 66% said they have been experiencing increased feelings of depression as a result of their work experiences.
Some of the survey’s findings point to gender and racial disparities within the industry. Meanwhile, other statistics point to issues which haven’t been as widely discussed.
Beyond the already significant burdens of long hours, low pay, and sky-rocketing living costs in Los Angeles, the pressures of the job are weighing on the mental health of many at the lowest, most vulnerable rung of the entertainment ladder.
According to the poll — which surveyed assistants at studios, agencies, production and development companies, in-house production and post-production departments — 93% of those who responded reported that their job has led to an increase in anxiety, and 66% said they have been experiencing increased feelings of depression as a result of their work experiences.
Some of the survey’s findings point to gender and racial disparities within the industry. Meanwhile, other statistics point to issues which haven’t been as widely discussed.
- 12/3/2019
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
It’s no secret that many assistants in Hollywood bear heavy workloads for low pay. But the entertainment industry’s labor practices when it comes to those workers have now become the subject of intense social-media scrutiny.
TV writer and WGA board member Liz Alper shone a light on the issue Monday with the creation of the Twitter hashtag #PayUpHollywood, sharing truths about what it’s like to be an assistant in the biz and asking others to do the same. As of Monday afternoon, #PayUpHollywood was trending in the United States and had racked up more than 3,700 tweets to date.
“I thought someone needs to stir sh-t up first and I decided well, I might as well do it,” Alper tells Variety. “I’ve received so many stories and they were all just going to be sheets in the wind, but now you can see the magnitude of what...
TV writer and WGA board member Liz Alper shone a light on the issue Monday with the creation of the Twitter hashtag #PayUpHollywood, sharing truths about what it’s like to be an assistant in the biz and asking others to do the same. As of Monday afternoon, #PayUpHollywood was trending in the United States and had racked up more than 3,700 tweets to date.
“I thought someone needs to stir sh-t up first and I decided well, I might as well do it,” Alper tells Variety. “I’ve received so many stories and they were all just going to be sheets in the wind, but now you can see the magnitude of what...
- 10/15/2019
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
Two weeks after The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Crazy Rich Asians's Adele Lim had left the franchise amid a sizable pay disparity with her co-screenwriter, scribes are taking to social media to reveal their own experiences with the pay gap.
Deirdre Mangan was the first to use the hashtag #NotWorthLess to share her story. "Much respect to Adele Lim for walking away from Cra. That's a heartbreaking decision to make," she wrote Tuesday afternoon. "The rampant pay inequality in the entertainment industry is archaic. Writers who are not able-bodied white men are #NotWorthLess."
Mangan wrote that for ...
Deirdre Mangan was the first to use the hashtag #NotWorthLess to share her story. "Much respect to Adele Lim for walking away from Cra. That's a heartbreaking decision to make," she wrote Tuesday afternoon. "The rampant pay inequality in the entertainment industry is archaic. Writers who are not able-bodied white men are #NotWorthLess."
Mangan wrote that for ...
- 9/18/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Two weeks after The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Crazy Rich Asians's Adele Lim had left the franchise amid a sizable pay disparity with her co-screenwriter, scribes are taking to social media to reveal their own experiences with the pay gap.
Deirdre Mangan was the first to use the hashtag #NotWorthLess to share her story. "Much respect to Adele Lim for walking away from Cra. That's a heartbreaking decision to make," she wrote Tuesday afternoon. "The rampant pay inequality in the entertainment industry is archaic. Writers who are not able-bodied white men are #NotWorthLess."
Mangan wrote that for ...
Deirdre Mangan was the first to use the hashtag #NotWorthLess to share her story. "Much respect to Adele Lim for walking away from Cra. That's a heartbreaking decision to make," she wrote Tuesday afternoon. "The rampant pay inequality in the entertainment industry is archaic. Writers who are not able-bodied white men are #NotWorthLess."
Mangan wrote that for ...
- 9/18/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Writers Guild of America has withdrawn its state court suit against Wme, CAA, UTA and ICM Partners alleging packaging fees are illegal and re-filed suit in federal court.
The WGA also responded to antitrust claims brought against the guild by the three agencies. Those agency suits alleged that the WGA abused its power in April by telling members to fire their agents if those agents had not signed the new Code of Conduct.
“Over the years the major agencies have repeatedly broken federal antitrust law by conspiring to fix the price of packaging fees,” said WGA West president David A. Goodman. “Their current campaign to preserve the packaging fee model by strong-arming smaller agencies also violates the law. We are simply asking the court to stop these agencies from illegally enriching themselves at the expense of writers.”
The federal counter-claim charges that the agencies’ packaging fee model violates their...
The WGA also responded to antitrust claims brought against the guild by the three agencies. Those agency suits alleged that the WGA abused its power in April by telling members to fire their agents if those agents had not signed the new Code of Conduct.
“Over the years the major agencies have repeatedly broken federal antitrust law by conspiring to fix the price of packaging fees,” said WGA West president David A. Goodman. “Their current campaign to preserve the packaging fee model by strong-arming smaller agencies also violates the law. We are simply asking the court to stop these agencies from illegally enriching themselves at the expense of writers.”
The federal counter-claim charges that the agencies’ packaging fee model violates their...
- 8/19/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
CAA is challenging the Writers Guild of America’s standing to bring forth a lawsuit against the talent agency, arguing that under California law, the WGA can’t pursue what it says is unfair competition as a collective bargaining organization on behalf of its union members.
“The WGA does not allege that it has a fiduciary relationship with CAA. Instead, the WGA asserts a breach of fiduciary duty claim on behalf of the individual plaintiffs and all unnamed members of the WGA who have ever been represented by CAA. The law prohibits such a claim,” CAA said in a memo filed on Thursday, alongside an amended complaint. “The WGA lacks standing to bring a cause of action for breach of fiduciary duty or constructive fraud on behalf of its 15,000 member-writers based on alleged violations by agents in connection with unknown thousands of unique transactions over a multi-decade period.”
The WGA...
“The WGA does not allege that it has a fiduciary relationship with CAA. Instead, the WGA asserts a breach of fiduciary duty claim on behalf of the individual plaintiffs and all unnamed members of the WGA who have ever been represented by CAA. The law prohibits such a claim,” CAA said in a memo filed on Thursday, alongside an amended complaint. “The WGA lacks standing to bring a cause of action for breach of fiduciary duty or constructive fraud on behalf of its 15,000 member-writers based on alleged violations by agents in connection with unknown thousands of unique transactions over a multi-decade period.”
The WGA...
- 6/13/2019
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elaine W. Mandel has replaced Craig D. Karlan to handle the Writers Guild of America’s lawsuit against Hollywood’s four major talent agencies.
Mandel was appointed Wednesday. She is the third judge assigned to the case, which was filed April 17 by the WGA against CAA, Wme, UTA and ICM Partners over the issue of agencies accepting packaging fees from studios, which the guild alleges violates the agencies’ fiduciary duty to clients. Mandel was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2009 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The WGA, using its only preemptory challenge, removed Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marc Gross on May 3 after Gross refused to voluntarily recuse himself from the case. Karlan replaced Gross on May 6 and recused himself after both sides requested that he do so on grounds that he has been a writer and engaged in discussions with a CAA employee about projects.
Mandel was appointed Wednesday. She is the third judge assigned to the case, which was filed April 17 by the WGA against CAA, Wme, UTA and ICM Partners over the issue of agencies accepting packaging fees from studios, which the guild alleges violates the agencies’ fiduciary duty to clients. Mandel was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2009 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The WGA, using its only preemptory challenge, removed Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marc Gross on May 3 after Gross refused to voluntarily recuse himself from the case. Karlan replaced Gross on May 6 and recused himself after both sides requested that he do so on grounds that he has been a writer and engaged in discussions with a CAA employee about projects.
- 5/23/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America has bulked up its lawsuit with additional fraud allegations against Hollywood’s four biggest talent agencies.
The WGA amended its suit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court with the claim that CAA, Wme, UTA and ICM partners have engaged “constructive fraud” by allegedly placing their own interests ahead of their clients and by concealing facts about how packaging works.
The amended complaint alleges “failure of a fiduciary to disclose a material fact to his principal that might affect the fiduciary’s motives or the principal’s decision constitutes constructive fraud, regardless of whether the fiduciary acted with fraudulent intent.”
The amended complaint also alleged that agencies are operating in a conflicted position because their interests in negotiating packaging fees for themselves are at odds with the interests of writer clients.
The Association of Talent Agents, which serves as the negotiating arm for the agencies, brushed off the amended complaint.
The WGA amended its suit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court with the claim that CAA, Wme, UTA and ICM partners have engaged “constructive fraud” by allegedly placing their own interests ahead of their clients and by concealing facts about how packaging works.
The amended complaint alleges “failure of a fiduciary to disclose a material fact to his principal that might affect the fiduciary’s motives or the principal’s decision constitutes constructive fraud, regardless of whether the fiduciary acted with fraudulent intent.”
The amended complaint also alleged that agencies are operating in a conflicted position because their interests in negotiating packaging fees for themselves are at odds with the interests of writer clients.
The Association of Talent Agents, which serves as the negotiating arm for the agencies, brushed off the amended complaint.
- 5/21/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig D. Karlan has been assigned to handle the Writers Guild of America’s lawsuit against Hollywood’s four major talent agencies.
Karlan was appointed Monday. The WGA, using its only preemptory challenge, removed Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marc Gross on May 3 after Gross refused to voluntarily recuse himself from the case.
The WGA’s lawsuit against Wme Entertainment, CAA, UTA and ICM Partners was filed April 17. The guild is seeking to block the agencies from accepting packaging fees from studios, which the guild alleges violates the agencies’ fiduciary duty to clients.
Monday’s filing said that a case management conference is scheduled for Oct. 21. The suit was filed April 17 by the WGA and eight individual writers, including David Simon, creator of “The Wire,” “The Deuce” and “Homicide: Life on the Streets.” Other plaintiffs are Meredith Stiehm, Barbara Hall, Patti Carr, Ashley Gable, Deric Hughes,...
Karlan was appointed Monday. The WGA, using its only preemptory challenge, removed Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marc Gross on May 3 after Gross refused to voluntarily recuse himself from the case.
The WGA’s lawsuit against Wme Entertainment, CAA, UTA and ICM Partners was filed April 17. The guild is seeking to block the agencies from accepting packaging fees from studios, which the guild alleges violates the agencies’ fiduciary duty to clients.
Monday’s filing said that a case management conference is scheduled for Oct. 21. The suit was filed April 17 by the WGA and eight individual writers, including David Simon, creator of “The Wire,” “The Deuce” and “Homicide: Life on the Streets.” Other plaintiffs are Meredith Stiehm, Barbara Hall, Patti Carr, Ashley Gable, Deric Hughes,...
- 5/7/2019
- by Dave McNary and Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America has removed the judge assigned to its lawsuit against Hollywood’s four major talent agencies, using its only preemptory challenge.
The WGA had asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marc Gross to voluntarily recuse himself from the case earlier this week but Gross refused, leading to the guild using its right to remove him on Friday.
Gross, who serves in the Santa Monica Superior Courthouse, had been assigned to handle the WGA’s lawsuit against Wme Entertainment, CAA, UTA and ICM Partners. The guild is seeking to block the agencies from accepting packaging fees from studios, which the guild alleges violates the agencies’ fiduciary duty to clients.
Gross is married to Susan Gross, who most recently was a consultant at Media Strategies International. Prior to that, she worked for three years as an executive vice president at FremantleMedia North America. Her resume also includes stints at Endeavor Talent Agency,...
The WGA had asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marc Gross to voluntarily recuse himself from the case earlier this week but Gross refused, leading to the guild using its right to remove him on Friday.
Gross, who serves in the Santa Monica Superior Courthouse, had been assigned to handle the WGA’s lawsuit against Wme Entertainment, CAA, UTA and ICM Partners. The guild is seeking to block the agencies from accepting packaging fees from studios, which the guild alleges violates the agencies’ fiduciary duty to clients.
Gross is married to Susan Gross, who most recently was a consultant at Media Strategies International. Prior to that, she worked for three years as an executive vice president at FremantleMedia North America. Her resume also includes stints at Endeavor Talent Agency,...
- 5/3/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Dealmaking in the creative community is in a state of limbo as the traditionally close alliance among writers, agents, managers and lawyers has ruptured amid a highly volatile climate.
Since the Writers Guild of America filed suit against Hollywood’s four largest agencies — Wme, CAA, UTA and ICM Partners — on April 17 in Los Angeles Superior Court, the steady stream of termination letters flowing from writers to their agents has cast a dark cloud over the industry. Writers are essential to job creation in the TV and film businesses. Nothing gets done in scripted entertainment without a script.
Meanwhile, lawyers and managers are scrambling to sort out what they can — and can’t — do on behalf of their writer clients in the absence of agents. The Ata maintains that the guild is overreaching its authority as the collective bargaining agent for writers.
The WGA, meanwhile, has sought to expressly empower talent...
Since the Writers Guild of America filed suit against Hollywood’s four largest agencies — Wme, CAA, UTA and ICM Partners — on April 17 in Los Angeles Superior Court, the steady stream of termination letters flowing from writers to their agents has cast a dark cloud over the industry. Writers are essential to job creation in the TV and film businesses. Nothing gets done in scripted entertainment without a script.
Meanwhile, lawyers and managers are scrambling to sort out what they can — and can’t — do on behalf of their writer clients in the absence of agents. The Ata maintains that the guild is overreaching its authority as the collective bargaining agent for writers.
The WGA, meanwhile, has sought to expressly empower talent...
- 4/23/2019
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
The Association of Talent Agents responded to the Writers Guild of America’s newly filed lawsuit against the top four talent agencies in Hollywood on Wednesday, warning that the guild was sending the entertainment industry on a “predetermined path to chaos” and declared it was proof that the guild never had “any intention to negotiate.”
The WGA, on Wednesday morning, filed a civil lawsuit against the top four talent agencies in Hollywood, including UTA, CAA, Wme and ICM Partners. The lawsuit says that packaging fees violate California fiduciary law by “severing the relationship between writers’ compensation and what the agency receives in fees.”
“This development is ironic given that the Guild itself has agreed to the legitimacy of packaging for more than 43 years,” said Ata Executive Director Karen Stuart in a statement Wednesday. “Even more ironic is the fact that the statute the WGA is suing under prevents abuses of...
The WGA, on Wednesday morning, filed a civil lawsuit against the top four talent agencies in Hollywood, including UTA, CAA, Wme and ICM Partners. The lawsuit says that packaging fees violate California fiduciary law by “severing the relationship between writers’ compensation and what the agency receives in fees.”
“This development is ironic given that the Guild itself has agreed to the legitimacy of packaging for more than 43 years,” said Ata Executive Director Karen Stuart in a statement Wednesday. “Even more ironic is the fact that the statute the WGA is suing under prevents abuses of...
- 4/18/2019
- by Trey Williams and Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
As the battle rages on between the Writers Guild of America and Hollywood’s biggest agencies, a new lawsuit could give writers another legal leg to stand on. Today, the WGA filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking to establish that talent agency packaging fees are illegal under both California and federal law.
The plaintiffs are the Writers Guild of America West and East, along with writers and WGA members Patti Carr (“Reign”), Ashley Gable (“The Mentalist”), Barbara Hall (“Madam Secretary”), Deric Hughes (“Arrow”), Chip Johannessen (“Homeland”), Deirdre Mangan (“The Crossing”), David Simon (“The Wire”), and Meredith Stiehm (“Cold Case”). The defendants are the “big four” Hollywood talent agencies, including William Morris Endeavor (Wme), Creative Artists Agency (CAA), United Talent Agency (UTA), and ICM Partners (ICM).
The lawsuit comes as thousands of Hollywood writers and members of the WGA are firing talent agencies and agents that refuse to...
The plaintiffs are the Writers Guild of America West and East, along with writers and WGA members Patti Carr (“Reign”), Ashley Gable (“The Mentalist”), Barbara Hall (“Madam Secretary”), Deric Hughes (“Arrow”), Chip Johannessen (“Homeland”), Deirdre Mangan (“The Crossing”), David Simon (“The Wire”), and Meredith Stiehm (“Cold Case”). The defendants are the “big four” Hollywood talent agencies, including William Morris Endeavor (Wme), Creative Artists Agency (CAA), United Talent Agency (UTA), and ICM Partners (ICM).
The lawsuit comes as thousands of Hollywood writers and members of the WGA are firing talent agencies and agents that refuse to...
- 4/17/2019
- by Kate Erbland and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Updated with more info and full lawsuit: The WGA has filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against the four major packaging agencies, accusing them of violating state and federal laws with respect to the fiduciary duties to their writer-clients.
Tony Segall, the general counsel for the Writers Guild of America, West, said during a press conference at Wgaw headquarters in Los Angeles on Wednesday said the suit against CAA, Wme, ICM Partners and UTA makes two claims: that packaging fees violate state fiduciary duty laws, and that those fees violate federal unfair competition laws.
Specifically, the suit cites the anti-kickback provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act. Under that law, representatives of an employee can’t receive money from an employer, Segall said.
“Packaging fees have caused tremendous financial harm to the guilds and their members including the individual plaintiffs,” read the 25-page suit (read it here).
The plaintiffs...
Tony Segall, the general counsel for the Writers Guild of America, West, said during a press conference at Wgaw headquarters in Los Angeles on Wednesday said the suit against CAA, Wme, ICM Partners and UTA makes two claims: that packaging fees violate state fiduciary duty laws, and that those fees violate federal unfair competition laws.
Specifically, the suit cites the anti-kickback provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act. Under that law, representatives of an employee can’t receive money from an employer, Segall said.
“Packaging fees have caused tremendous financial harm to the guilds and their members including the individual plaintiffs,” read the 25-page suit (read it here).
The plaintiffs...
- 4/17/2019
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America on Wednesday filed a civil lawsuit against Hollywood’s top four talent agencies, escalating its dispute over packaging fees.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the guild said it was filing a lawsuit that alleges that packaging fees — collected when bundling talent and bringing them as a package to a studio or network for film or TV projects — are illegal under California and federal law.
The lawsuit claims that packaging fees violate California fiduciary law by “severing the relationship between writers’ compensation and what the agency receives in fees.”
Also Read: Talent Agents Plan Fight Against WGA, Lay Out Standard of Representation for Agents
Lawyers for the WGA also argued during the press conference on Wednesday that packaging fees violate the Taft-Hartley Act, which says that any representative of an employee cannot receive money from the employer.
“All of the writer plaintiffs have been hurt financially by packaging deals.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the guild said it was filing a lawsuit that alleges that packaging fees — collected when bundling talent and bringing them as a package to a studio or network for film or TV projects — are illegal under California and federal law.
The lawsuit claims that packaging fees violate California fiduciary law by “severing the relationship between writers’ compensation and what the agency receives in fees.”
Also Read: Talent Agents Plan Fight Against WGA, Lay Out Standard of Representation for Agents
Lawyers for the WGA also argued during the press conference on Wednesday that packaging fees violate the Taft-Hartley Act, which says that any representative of an employee cannot receive money from the employer.
“All of the writer plaintiffs have been hurt financially by packaging deals.
- 4/17/2019
- by Trey Williams and Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
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