Talent Agencies Propose New Revenue-Sharing Deal in First

On the primary day of resumed talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Association of Talent Agents, ATA proposed a brand new revenue-sharing deal, and WGA requested the total contract language so as to “formulate the appropriate response,” in line with an electronic mail the guild despatched to members Friday.

“This morning the Negotiating Committee received proposals from the ATA. Although there was cause for concern, including a revenue sharing proposal that instead of 1% is now 2%, the presentation was wide ranging and complex,” the e-mail learn, signed by all members of the WGA’s negotiating committee. “We have asked for contract language on their proposals in order to formulate the appropriate response. As we’ve stated, whatever solution we find, it will have to address conflicts of interest and realign agency incentives with those of their writer clients.”

In opening remarks, a duplicate of which was offered to TheWrap, CAA co-chairman Bryan Lourd advised guild representatives that “The ATA has never been more unified and determined to get this right with the membership of your Guild. Today, we hope to turn the page.” Lourd characterised ATA’s place Friday as “negotiating against ourselves,” and mentioned businesses are doing so “knowingly and willingly in order to answer our clients’/your members’ request that we move our groups into alignment.”

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ATA didn’t instantly reply to a request for additional remark from TheWrap.

The newest spherical of talks comes eight weeks after the general deal between WGA and ATA expired as a result of the 2 events had been unable to return to settlement over the apply of packaging — the place an company collects charges from a studio or community for bundling expertise it represents and presenting that multi-pronged venture to the studio or community.

Packaging has turn out to be a significant supply of earnings for prime Hollywood businesses, successfully making them producers on a film or TV present. But WGA considers it’s a battle of curiosity and a violation of brokers’ fiduciary obligation to their purchasers. In an effort to carry an finish to the apply, earlier this yr WGA launched a tricky new code of conduct that forbids expertise brokers who signify writers from participating in packaging. The code went into impact April 13, after the general deal expired.

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The proposal on Friday is the second revenue-sharing deal ATA has supplied to writers. In early April, simply earlier than the code of conduct went into impact, ATA supplied to share a portion of earnings from package deal offers with writers. WGA known as that supply “unacceptable.“