The Hollywood Commission has launched a new online tool and resource center to combat misconduct on film and TV productions, giving people more options on how and when to report harassment and other workplace abuse.
The service, called MyConnext, will provide entertainment workers with information about policies and procedures regarding workplace harassment, as well as a confidential system to report incidents. It will also feature an “Ombuds Office” to answer questions about what options users have to report workplace abuse.
Users can report abuse with their name, or anonymously and can choose to “hold for match,” meaning that the system will not share the report with their company or union until another complaint is received regarding the same person in question.
MyConnext, which will launch as an independent nonprofit corporation with its own management committee, is the Hollywood Commission’s direct response to concerns raised by more than 10,000 industry workers in their 2019-20 survey, and confirmed more recently by the 2022-23 survey.
In the first survey, 95% of workers asked for resources to help them understand reporting; 94% asked for a helpline or hotline; and 93% asked for technology to create a timestamped record. In its 2022-23 survey, 90% of respondents asked for technology to create a timestamped record, and 92% said resources to better understand reporting would be helpful.
The DGA, WGA, and The Kennedy/Marshall Company have all agreed to participate in MyConnext, with workers on all U.S.-based Netflix productions and select Amazon productions also able to access the system. IATSE is also expected to join MyConnext later this year, while SAG-AFTRA members can access their union’s interally developed Safe Place reporting platform through MyConnext.
“Workers must believe they will be heard and safe to raise concerns about inappropriate workplace conduct. MyConnext is the online tool they have been asking for,” said Anita Hill, chair and president of the Hollywood Commission. “It empowers workers who have experienced or witnessed harassment, discrimination, bullying or abuse by providing them with the resources they need, and reporting options for those who choose to come forward. And it does it in an environment that preserves and protects the rights of all parties with the dignity and sensitivity you would expect of a truly objective, fact-based user experience.”
