WME Signs WGA Franchise Agreement, Giving Guild Historic Win

Labor News, Industry News

Reprinted from Deadline Hollywood by David Robb on February 5, 2021.

The WGA has won its historic campaign to reshape the talent agency business, signing WME – the last agency holdout – to its franchise agreement [Friday]. All the major agencies now have signed the agreement, which will return them to a 10% commissioning business model not seen in decades.

The sides also agreed [Friday] to drop their antitrust lawsuits against each other “in consideration of a negotiated settlement executed by them.”

“WME and the WGA have agreed to a new franchise deal that addresses writers’ core concerns while recognizing the unique aspects of our business,” Endeavor CEO Ariel Emanuel said in a statement. “Writers have been a part of this agency since our inception, and they will continue to be a part of the lifeblood of WME. We look forward to once again serving as their advocates during this unprecedented time in our industry.” …

Deadline Hollywood 2/5

About Jeffrey Burman 861 Articles
Jeff Burman served on the Guild’s Board of Directors from 1992 to 2019. He is now retired. He can be reached at jeffrey.s.burman.57@gmail.com.