The Writers Guild of America rejected what WGA West president David A. Goodman called an “outrageous” proposal from the Association of Talent Agents to settle a months-long dispute over agency packaging fees.
In a video posted late Wednesday on the guild’s website, Goodman said that the guild will initiate negotiations with the top nine agencies — WME, CAA, UTA, ICM Partners, Paradigm, Gersh, APA, Rothman Brecher and Kaplan Stahler — to seek a settlement to a standoff that has seen more than 7,000 guild members fire their agents.
While the guild did not immediately reject the concept of revenue sharing proposed by the ATA, Goodman said that WGA negotiators decided to take the option off the table and said the ATA’s June 7 proposal took a step “backwards” in its position on agency-owned production companies.