Latest news with #AFTRA
Perth Now
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Hannah Montana's Jason Earles reveals how Disney gave him the 'worst contract ever': 'I got f*****'
Jason Earles "got f*****" by his Disney Channel contract. The 48-year-old actor found fame when he was cast as Miley Cyrus' older brother on the hit sitcom 'Hannah Montana' in the late 2000s and while he earned "good" money at the time, the technicalities of his contract meant that he didn't make as much as he necessarily should have done through royalties. Speaking on the 'Night School' podcast, he said: "This is the reality of the situation. They are really good-paying jobs. Before being on 'Hannah', I was an extra, a stand-in and a substitute teacher, and being on 'Hannah' paid significantly more than those jobs. That being said, when 'Hannah' was on, the contract was before SAG and AFTRA merged, so it was an AFTRA basic cable agreement. "So, because of that, that is like the worst television contract that you can be under. "One of the ways you make your money is through residuals. So if they air the episode a bunch of times, you make money on the back side. "For 'Hannah', because it was that agreement, whatever they pay you above scale, they can credit back in your residuals. "Let's for easy numbers, say that scale as a series regular is $5,000 an episode. And then, because you're whatever, you sign your deal and they pay you $10,000 an episode. "So what happens is, they pay you $10,000, they air the episode, and the first $5,000 of residuals you should have gotten, they keep because they paid you upscale. "The double whammy was, at the time, usually a reuse, is that they aired it once, and it counts as one. "The after agreement said that if the episode was aired at noon, there was a full 24 hours to air as many times as they wanted, and it counted as one use. So I got f*****. "You're getting double d*****." Despite this, Jason is still "grateful" for the progression that the series gave him in his career and while he doesn't have the "generational wealth" that he feels he deserves after being a part of the billion-dollar franchise, he is "doing better" than others. He said: "All that being said, we did 101 episodes, we did a feature film, that show led to 'Kickin It', which was another 88 episodes. So on volume alone, and I'm a frugal guy, I saved money, and I'm doing fine. "I live in an apartment instead of a house, I feel like I should have generational wealth based on the 'Hannah' success. I don't. "But "I'm doing better than a lot of people, I'm doing better than my parents. So in some ways, I could be bitter or I could be grateful. "And I choose to be grateful. "I hope that I have more opportunities to make up the difference now that the contracts are better."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gregory Hessinger to Replace Carol Lombardini at AMPTP
For the first time in 15 years, the powerful but discreet organization that negotiates union contracts on behalf of Hollywood's major studios and streamers has named a new leader. Gregory Hessinger has been selected to helm the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers as former president Carol Lombardini steps into an advisory position. The change marks a post-strikes shakeup for the Sherman Oaks-based organization, which was formed in 1982 out of the merger of two previously separate employer groups in an attempt to present a more unified front and reduce the likelihood of industry work stoppages. More from The Hollywood Reporter Major Hollywood Crew Union Takes Over In Oklahoma After "Financial Malpractice" Claims Video Game Union Organizers' New Tactic for Workers: Don't Unionize, Technically What Really Happened on the Set of 'Anora'? Hessinger, who will be based in Los Angeles, starts on April 14. The attorney is a well-known figure in the entertainment labor world, having worked on both sides of the bargaining table in industry negotiations. Since 2016, Hessinger has represented employers as a partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, a firm that has deep ties to the entertainment industry and the AMPTP in particular. Prior to that, he worked in private practice as a partner at employment and labor specialist firm Curley, Hessinger & Johnsrud, which has since merged with Duane Morris. Hessinger got his start in entertainment at Westinghouse Broadcasting Company and CBS, where he became director of labor relations. He later was appointed the national executive director for the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) in 2000, before it merged with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). In 2005, SAG named Hessinger its CEO and national executive director, though that appointment didn't last long — amid internal political battles and debate about whether or not to merge SAG and AFTRA (a move Hessinger supported), the national board fired Hessinger after only six months on the job. SAG and AFTRA later merged in 2012. Hessinger obtained his law degree from St. John's University School of Law in New York and an undergraduate degree from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania. 'Greg has been on both sides of the table and knows entertainment inside and out, and is the right leader for our industry at this moment,' a spokesperson for the AMPTP board of directors said in a statement on Tuesday. 'He understands the priorities and values of those who make production possible, and has an extensive track record of bringing parties together to find common ground. We conducted an exhaustive search process and have the utmost confidence that his experience and deep relationships will be invaluable to the work of leading the AMPTP.' Hessinger will take over the organization and oversee the roughly 60 collective bargaining agreements it helps negotiate at a time of breakneck change in the industry, as a contraction in the business is squeezing workers and major companies are exploring the creative (and cost-cutting) possibilities offered by AI. In his new role, he will doubtless be dealing with the aftereffects of the 2023 double strike of writers and actors, which thrust the often-secretive AMPTP into the spotlight. His appointment will also see him attempt to find consensus among the leaders and negotiators of various AMPTP member companies, which compete against one another and don't always see eye to eye. In a statement, Hessinger said he was 'deeply honored' to lead the AMPTP at a 'pivotal' moment in the business. 'I've spent my entire career working to create and sustain opportunity in entertainment and media, and I look forward to partnering with our Member Companies and union leaders to ensure the hard-working individuals who drive our industry forward can continue to create inspiring content for audiences around the world,' he said. Lombardini, who officially announced her retirement in the fall of 2024, has been with the AMPTP since its inception in 1982. As president since 2009, she presided over a largely peaceful period for the organization that was broken by 2023's strikes. In a statement, Lombardini said the role had been an 'honor.' She added, 'I have no doubt that Greg is the perfect leader to continue to unite our industry and promote opportunity for those who bring entertainment to life.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jane Fonda Got a Standing Ovation for Her Powerful SAG Awards Speech
Jane Fonda accepted a lifetime-achievement honor at the SAG Awards on Sunday, February 23, and nothing—not even some technical difficulties—could stand in the way of her electric speech. Fonda, in a blush-colored embroidered Armani Privé gown, received a standing ovation despite an interruption: As she spoke to a room filled with her fellow actors, a prerecorded woman's voice boomed over the sound system, cutting her off. Fonda played it perfectly, though, deadpanning to the crowd, 'I conjure voices,' and raising two fists. Jane Fonda, being Jane Fonda, used her time on stage to express her gratitude for the SAG and AFTRA unions, which she segued into a rousing call to action. 'This is really important right now when workers' power is being attacked, and community is being weakened," she said. "What we create is empathy. Our job is to understand another human being so profoundly that we can touch their souls.' 'A whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening, what is coming our way,' the 87-year-old continued. 'And even if they're of a different political persuasion, we need to call upon our empathy and not judge, but listen from our hearts and welcome them into our tent, because we are going to need a big tent to resist successfully what's coming at us.' Actors, she continued, are uniquely qualified to bring empathy to the table given the depths they go to to understand some of their more reprehensible characters. 'You may hate the behavior of your character, you have to understand and empathize with the traumatized person you're playing. Thinking Sebastian Stan in The Apprentice," she added, referring to Stan's portrayal of a young Donald Trump. This reference was the closest she got to calling out the Trump administration specifically. 'Make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke. And by the way, woke just means you give a damn about other people," she continued, to thunderous applause. She concluded her speech by thanking her peers for the award, which she called her 'encouragement.' SAG Awards 2025 Demi Moore Just Reinvented the Leather Dress at the SAG Awards 2025 Always an icon Julia Louis-Dreyfus presented the award to Fonda, delivering an ode to her 65-year career that includes not just her incredible body of work on film, but her activism, even nodding to her 1970 mug shot, which started 'a beauty revolution.' At the time of her arrest, Fonda was touring North America for a series of anti-Vietnam War speaking engagements. In an essay about the arrest, Fonda wrote that police confiscated her vitamins as she crossed the border from Canada into Cleveland, and she was charged with drug smuggling. 'I told them what they were but they said they were getting orders from the White House–that would be the Nixon White House,' she writes. Ironically, she adds, her arrest made her speaking engagements all the more popular among college students. One thing's for sure: Jane Fonda knows how to give a speech. Originally Appeared on Glamour
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zoe Saldaña Accepts Best Supporting Actress at the SAG Awards: ‘This Is My Community'
Emilia Pérez standout Zoe Saldaña continued a decisive awards-season streak tonight with a Best Supporting Actress win at the SAG Awards. During her acceptance speech, she thanked SAG-AFTRA for 'protecting her' and called on her fellow actors to tell stories that 'live within the spectrum of artistic freedom.' Only days ago, Saldaña took home a BAFTA for her performance as Rita, a Mexico City lawyer who helps arrange a secret gender-confirmation surgery for a cartel boss, in Jacques Audiard's polarizing French film. Now, having won a Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award, BAFTA, and SAG Award for the film, Saldaña is posed as the frontrunner for her category at the upcoming Academy Awards next weekend. After the BAFTAs, Saldaña told journalists that she was 'dedicating all of these awards and the film Emilia Pérez to my nephew, Eli. He is the reason—they are the reason—I signed up to do this film in the first place. So as the proud aunt of a trans life, I will always stand with my community of trans people.' Read her SAG Awards acceptance speech below. 'To be in this room is a true honor. This is my community. This is my circus. Thank you to SAG and AFTRA. Thank you to my fellow was an honor to watch your performances this year. I was deeply moved. I got my first SAG card in 1998, and I didn't even know what SAG was, and I am grateful that my mother and my father and my sisters looked it up and helped me educate myself on what it means to be a part of a union that protects me so that I can make a living out of this crazy, crazy industry...I think it's so important for us actors to financially educate ourselves...I am proud to be a part of a union that allows me to be who I am, and I've never been questioned about where I come from or judged by how I speak or what my pronouns are. I believe that everybody has the right to be who they are, and Emilia Pérez is about truth and it is about love, and I think that us as actors—now more than ever before—we really have to tell stories that are beautiful and thought-provoking and live within the spectrum of artistic freedom. Thank you so much. I'm so honored.' You Might Also Like The 15 Best Organic And Clean Shampoos For Any And All Hair Types 100 Gifts That Are $50 Or Under (And Look Way More Expensive Than They Actually Are)
