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.
DOJ opens new pathway to restore federal gun rights for certain barred individuals
US military bases are ‘ill-equipped’ to stop drone swarms, top commander reveals after Rubio’s UAP warning
Ibram Kendi Says Black Academic Who Plagiarized Work, Fabricated Life Story to Get Cambridge Position Was ‘Lynched’ By Media Because It Told the Truth
WJ Straw Poll: Rubio Widens His Lead in This Week’s Survey, But Can He Hold It?
Trump blames ‘VANDALS’ for damaging National Mall grass after World War II Memorial graffiti
Tupac Shakur murder trial kicks off as Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis faces jury nearly three decades after shooting
Texas Man Kills Alleged Intruder in Shootout – Police Say Suspect Had a Protective Order Filed Against Him
Cops Address Foul Play Questions After Actress Hayden Panettiere Found Dead at Age 36
US awards Raytheon $22.9B Tomahawk deal as Trump dismisses weapons stockpile concerns
Actress Hayden Panettiere dies suddenly at age 36 and more top headlines
CEO says doing business in state ‘sucks’ as company heads to Texas amid California exodus
Far-left politicians still using ActBlue as 88-year-old disputes donating nearly $150,000 to fundraising giant
As Pelosi’s exit nears, San Francisco Democratic candidates fight over what comes next
Russell Fry endorses ex-rival Darline Graham after failing to advance to special GOP US Senate primary runoff
Homeland Security investigated Minnesota labor unions as part of ‘terrorist financing’ probe in anti-ICE antifa case: Court documents
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.
DOJ opens new pathway to restore federal gun rights for certain barred individuals
US military bases are ‘ill-equipped’ to stop drone swarms, top commander reveals after Rubio’s UAP warning
Ibram Kendi Says Black Academic Who Plagiarized Work, Fabricated Life Story to Get Cambridge Position Was ‘Lynched’ By Media Because It Told the Truth
WJ Straw Poll: Rubio Widens His Lead in This Week’s Survey, But Can He Hold It?
Trump blames ‘VANDALS’ for damaging National Mall grass after World War II Memorial graffiti
Tupac Shakur murder trial kicks off as Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis faces jury nearly three decades after shooting
Texas Man Kills Alleged Intruder in Shootout – Police Say Suspect Had a Protective Order Filed Against Him
Cops Address Foul Play Questions After Actress Hayden Panettiere Found Dead at Age 36
US awards Raytheon $22.9B Tomahawk deal as Trump dismisses weapons stockpile concerns
Actress Hayden Panettiere dies suddenly at age 36 and more top headlines
CEO says doing business in state ‘sucks’ as company heads to Texas amid California exodus
Far-left politicians still using ActBlue as 88-year-old disputes donating nearly $150,000 to fundraising giant
As Pelosi’s exit nears, San Francisco Democratic candidates fight over what comes next
Russell Fry endorses ex-rival Darline Graham after failing to advance to special GOP US Senate primary runoff
Homeland Security investigated Minnesota labor unions as part of ‘terrorist financing’ probe in anti-ICE antifa case: Court documents
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.
