The talent agency APA has made additional furloughs and pay cuts in response to the coronavirus pandemic just three months after making similar cuts, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap.
Jim Gosnell, the agency’s president and CEO, held a Zoom conference call with partners on Tuesday and shared a memo detailing the cuts following the call.
No details as to the number of furloughed employees or the extent of the salary cuts have been disclosed, however, board members are expected to receive the biggest reduction in salary. Furloughed employees will retain elected health benefits through the remainder of the summer.
“We had hoped the salary reductions and other adjustments we had implemented in March would be sufficient to address the unprecedented shutdown of our industry due to the coronavirus pandemic. But after much agonizing and anguish, in addition to the recent spikes across the country and delays to planned re-openings, we now must take additional steps to ensure our future,” Gosnell said in part in the memo shared to staff.
APA has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Atlanta, Toronto and London. In March, TheWrap reported that the salary cuts would not affect anyone making below $100,000.
Read the latest memo sent to staff, as obtained by TheWrap below:
Dear Colleagues,
First of all, please know that all of you have been top of my mind in my thoughts and in my heart 24/7 as we continue to navigate the devastating impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the entertainment industry and our world. I have so much pride in our APA family, our colleagues and our clients, and I truly believe in each of you and everything you do.
Like so many companies across the globe, this is truly the most difficult period in our 58-year history. We had hoped the salary reductions and other adjustments we had implemented in March would be sufficient to address the unprecedented shutdown of our industry due to the coronavirus pandemic. But after much agonizing and anguish, in addition to the recent spikes across the country and delays to planned re-openings, we now must take additional steps to ensure our future.
To achieve this, we will be making further adjustments to our workforce that includes furloughs and salary reductions, with APA board members experiencing the biggest decreases. All furloughed employees will retain their elected health benefits and other resources through the summer, after which time we will revisit these adjustments. Your department heads or supervisor will reach out to you directly with further details. You will continue to have APA resources for any questions and may reach out to them or me at any time.
I am genuinely sorry for all our colleagues being affected, but we must take these extraordinarily difficult steps to protect and preserve as many positions as possible during these unprecedented times. We are hopeful that today’s additional measures will be short-lived, remain cautiously optimistic that things will start to improve as soon as possible with opportunities for all to return to APA, on the other side of this pandemic, tackling our new normal stronger and more innovative than ever.
Until then, stay positive, stay well, and let’s support each other so we can all get through this together.
Sincerely,
Jim
Deadline first reported the news of the salary cuts and furloughs.