Droga5 in the US is under fire from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA for not very short) over allegedly paying non-union rates to union labour.
Which is embarrassing for Droga5, especially as it’s now 49 per cent owned by WME Endeavor, the legendary Hollywood talent agency. The Hollywood connection is, presumably, supposed to be a competitive advantage over other agencies for Droga5.
With over 44000 members (mostly in TV) SAG-AFTRA is not to be messed with. D5 has yet to respond but it’s likely that the current spate of ‘content’ being produced by agencies lies at the heart of the problem. Clients have a voracious appetite for this stuff but expect it to be markedly cheaper than commercials, which causes a problem with the people involved on either side of the camera. Strike action is the last thing agencies need as they battle penny-pinching clients.
