Writers Guild vs. talent agencies

John Wells endorses Phyllis Nagy in a blow to the incumbent leadership of the writers union that has led a battle against talent agencies.

The Writers Guild of America West on Monday dismissed its lawsuit against several talent agencies. The pullback comes as the union faces internal divisions on how it should conduct negotiations with the talent agencies.

Endeavor Content is part of the larger company’s aggressive and controversial strategy to expand beyond traditional deal-making into owning content.

WGA election fight: Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, Ryan Murphy and 300 others back dissident candidates in escalation of guild conflict over negotiations with agencies.

Talent agency ICM Partners on Friday asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges that the longstanding agency practice of packaging talent for projects is illegal.

CAA has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Writers Guild of America, becoming the third Hollywood talent agency to take the union to court over the bitter dispute that has pitted TV and movie writers against their agents since April.

After being slapped this week with lawsuits from two of Hollywood’s biggest talent agencies, the Writers Guild of America fired back on Friday, sending a cease and desist letter in which the guild accuses agencies of engaging in anti-competitive behavior.

United Talent Agency has become the second major Hollywood talent agency to sue the Writers Guild of America, claiming in a suit filed Thursday that the guild has violated antitrust laws by organizing a group boycott.

The dispute between Hollywood writers and their agents has gotten uglier with WME filing a lawsuit against the Writers Guild of America, alleging that the guild has committed antitrust violations and is abusing its power as a union.

In an ominous development for TV and movie production, the Writers Guild of America has rejected the latest offer from talent agencies in their ongoing dispute that has pitted Hollywood writers against their agents.

The lawsuit brought by the Writers Guild of America against Hollywood’s biggest talent agencies has changed judges for a third time, potentially adding further delay to a dispute that has left the TV industry in a state of uncertainty.

Talent agencies have come out swinging against Hollywood writers, accusing their guild of bad-faith negotiation as talks between the two sides appear to be headed for another stalemate.

It’s a judicial dilemma that could only happen in Los Angeles.

Endeavor, the Hollywood talent agency and media behemoth, is officially going public, confirming months of speculation that the company that represents many of Hollywood’s top stars and that owns high-profile properties such as the UFC was planning to file for an initial public offering.

In a sign of a possible detente in a bitter conflict, the Writers Guild of America has agreed to resume talks with talent agencies following a stalemate that has lasted more than a month.

I am a proud member of the Writers Guild of America, but lately I feel about my union like I feel about the Lakers: I like the players, and hope our best days are ahead of us, but I’m beginning to have serious doubts about management.

You’re fired!

The battleground between Hollywood’s writers and the agents who represent them shifted to the courtroom as the Writers Guild of America sued the four main Hollywood talent agencies over a long-standing practice the union says is harming its members.

Hollywood is keeping a nervous eye on the widening feud between the Writers Guild of America and the major talent agencies as the two sides are expected to negotiate down to the wire on a deal that would prevent writers from taking the extraordinary step of firing their agents.

The divide between Hollywood writers and their agents deepened on Sunday when members of the Writers Guild of America voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new code of conduct that would curb the use of packaging fees and other unpopular industry practices.

The fight between Hollywood writers and talent agencies took a new turn on Friday when the Writers Guild of America blasted plans by the industry’s largest agency for an initial public offering.

As Hollywood writers continue waging their fight against talent agencies, with little progress to show after several negotiating sessions, one boutique agency is declaring its neutrality from the four major agencies that dominate the entertainment industry.

Creative Artists Agency is being sued by a writer who claims that the Hollywood talent agency stole his TV show idea by giving the project to a higher-profile writer client in a move that would be more lucrative for the agency.

Ratcheting up the pressure in its fight with Hollywood talent agencies, the Writers Guild of America has released a statement of support from hundreds of its members who are saying that they intend to vote in favor this week of a new code of conduct that would limit agency practices, including the packaging of productions.

Negotiations between Hollywood writers and their talent agents have stalled again as the two sides broke off talks Thursday with little to show for their efforts.

As an experienced TV writer, Evan Wright was passionate about his idea for a dramatic miniseries based on the founding of motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson.

When the talent agency formerly known as WME-IMG rebranded itself late last year as Endeavor, it was more than just a simple name change.