Latest in ATA

The Association of Talent Agents, which has been locked in an 11-month battle with the Writers Guild, has shut down its offices and its staff will be working from home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. "These are uncertain and unprecedented times, as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the health and safety of…

The WGA said Friday that "over the past few months, the guild has provided guidance on over a hundred individual deals to members who have found themselves without their normal advisors due to the agency campaign." In its latest membership update on its 10½-month battle with the major talent agencies, the guild reporte…

Oral arguments were heard today in federal court on the Big 3 talent agencies' motion to dismiss the WGA's antitrust suit against them. If U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte Jr. denies the motion, the case would be headed for trial in March 2021 after a lengthy and costly discovery process, in which the sides…

UPDATED with WGA and ATA statements and more details: Another full-service agency and Association of Talent Agents member, APA, has reached a deal with the WGA. The agency, which immediately will resume its representation of writers, also said it will bring the Television and Motion Picture Literary businesses…

UPDATED with details, full text of agreement: A major development in the standoff between the WGA and the agencies: Gersh has become the first major full-service talent agency to sign a franchise agreement with the WGA. It will immediately resume representation of writers. The agreement comes after months of…

Rita Vennari has been elected president of the Association of Talent Agents, which has been locked in a battle with the Writers Guild for the past nine months. Vennari, who is president of the Sutton Barth Vennari talent agency, had been the ATA's 2nd vice president. She is the first female president of the ATA…

EXCLUSIVE, updated with statements from David Simon and WGA East, 3:45 PM: Writer-producer David Simon, the outspoken critic of TV packaging who in April joined the WGA's anti-packaging lawsuit against Hollywood's Big Four talent agencies, has dismissed his individual claims against CAA, in which he'd accused his…

The day after a fifth ATA-member agency broke ranks and signed the WGA's new franchise agreement, the Association of Talent Agents issued a statement calling on the guild to lift its ban and let writers return to their agencies that have not signed the guild's newly modified franchise agreement. "Writers who agree…

The Abrams Artists Agency has signed the WGA's Code of Conduct, making it the third mid-tier agency to break ranks with the Association of Talent Agents and sign the code since the guild ordered all of its members seven months ago to fire their agents who refused to sign it. The code bans packaging fees after one year…

UPDATED with Goodman and Nagy reaction: David A. Goodman has been re-elected president of the WGA West, defeating opposition candidate Phyllis Nagy in a landslide. His re-election, in a record turnout, is a solid endorsement of the guild's five-month-long agency campaign, which was the main issue in the race. It could…

Phyllis Nagy, who ran as the opposition candidate in the WGA West election against incumbent David A Goodman, on Monday congratulated her opponent after their sometimes bitter campaign that served as a referendum of the guild’s five-month-long agency campaign. Goodman received 4,395 votes (77.3%) to Nagy's 1,292…

Oscar-winning screenwriter Tom Schulman is urging writers to remain united in the WGA's five-month-long agency campaign or risk losing the guild's bargaining power in next year's negotiations for a new film and TV contract. To prevail on both fronts, he said Wednesday in an email blast to the guild's members, they…