Hollywood is seeing a wave of staff reductions from the corporate suites to the theme park turnstiles as entertainment giants including the Walt Disney Co. and Endeavor implement layoffs and furloughs in response to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
Just how bad is the carnage? In Los Angeles County alone, 14,000 entertainment-related workers saw their jobs evaporate in less than two months, according to a new report from tech news outlet dot.LA. Meanwhile, Tinseltown could see even more bloodshed in the second quarter, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Endeavor — the largest Hollywood talent agency, as well as a studio — recently said that it will lay off or furlough up to a third of its staff. Disney has furloughed more than 100,000 employees worldwide, mostly in the company’s parks division.
Hollywood has been hit on multiple fronts, including the closure of cinemas and the suspension of live sports, which is usually a cash cow for broadcasters. The L.A. office of Fox Sports Productions saw 3,595 people temporarily laid off at the end of April, according to dot.LA.
Dramatic video captures floodwaters bursting through glass doors of college students’ home
Trump appears to debut darker hair, sparking online buzz
Breaking: Deadly Amazon Cargo Plane Crash at Miami Airport Leaves 5 Dead
Amy Acton campaign says armed individual lunged at Ohio governor candidate, injuring multiple people
Hasan Piker brushes off Dems who see him as a liability, names his ’28 choice
Stray bullet from nearby lounge fight kills Frito-Lay worker inside Sam’s Club
After ‘Lake America,’ Trump suggests a new name for the state of New Mexico
Amazon cargo plane overruns Miami airport runway, striking ‘multiple’ vehicles and catching fire
Trump admin’s mail-in ballot fight lands back at Supreme Court
Hikers stranded on Mount Shasta after relying on AI to plan trip, sheriff says
Sanders pushes ‘death penalty’ for crucial US industry that could give advantage to foreign adversaries
Mamdani under fire after symbolic 9/11 pen goes to former al Qaeda defense lawyer
Tragedy Shuts Down Christian Music Festival: Pastor Killed By High Winds and Collapsing Sign
While the Media Panics Over AI, Prisons Use It to Stop Rapes, Fights, and $200M Headcounts
X Caught a 200K-Account Chinese Bot Farm Pushing Panic Over AI Data Centers
Some of the biggest job losses have come from the production sector, which consists of below-the-line crew members who typically toil year round on crowded movie and TV sets. Hollywood’s trade unions have seen their members idle without work as soundstages around the country remain empty.
Breitbart News reported last week that Hollywood studios are currently working on ways to make sets safe when production ultimately resumes. While no major studio has yet to announce a timetable, one source told Breitbart that U.S. production may resume in June at the earliest.
But L.A. County’s decision to prolong its stay-at-home order for an additional three months is only creating more uncertainty.
Tyler Perry recently announced that his Atlanta studio will resume limited production in July. Countries including New Zealand, Poland, the Czech Republic have also announced that shooting can resume.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that individual studios are remaining vague about potential future layoffs. But some executives have spoken about coronavirus-related cost savings.
Dramatic video captures floodwaters bursting through glass doors of college students’ home
Trump appears to debut darker hair, sparking online buzz
Breaking: Deadly Amazon Cargo Plane Crash at Miami Airport Leaves 5 Dead
Amy Acton campaign says armed individual lunged at Ohio governor candidate, injuring multiple people
Hasan Piker brushes off Dems who see him as a liability, names his ’28 choice
Stray bullet from nearby lounge fight kills Frito-Lay worker inside Sam’s Club
After ‘Lake America,’ Trump suggests a new name for the state of New Mexico
Amazon cargo plane overruns Miami airport runway, striking ‘multiple’ vehicles and catching fire
Trump admin’s mail-in ballot fight lands back at Supreme Court
Hikers stranded on Mount Shasta after relying on AI to plan trip, sheriff says
Sanders pushes ‘death penalty’ for crucial US industry that could give advantage to foreign adversaries
Mamdani under fire after symbolic 9/11 pen goes to former al Qaeda defense lawyer
Tragedy Shuts Down Christian Music Festival: Pastor Killed By High Winds and Collapsing Sign
While the Media Panics Over AI, Prisons Use It to Stop Rapes, Fights, and $200M Headcounts
X Caught a 200K-Account Chinese Bot Farm Pushing Panic Over AI Data Centers
ViacomCBS has indicated that it will take more cost-cutting steps in addition to the ones already realized from the re-merger of Viacom and CBS.
Chief financial officer Christina Spade said the company was “taking additional cost-cutting actions and implementing initiatives to reduce discretionary expenses” amid the pandemic. “We are learning from this crisis and finding ways that we can operate more efficiently,” she said during a recent earnings call.
Meanwhile, Disney has begun the gradual process of re-opening its theme parks and resorts. Disney Springs in Orlando is set to partially re-open on May 20, though the adjacent Walt Disney World remains closed. Shanghai Disney Resort recently opened again with visitors required to take special precautions, including social distancing and masks.
Story cited here.
