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.
Internet Demands Probe After Mitch McConnell’s Wife Reportedly Revealed to Have CCP Ties
Kentucky Ostrich Farm Offers Alternative for People Allergic to Red Meat After Tick Bites: ‘Similar to Steak’
Beauty school moms caught in accreditation crossfire as Trump admin weighs consequential decision
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announces distribution of more than 7 million free eggs statewide
Amy Acton cried on the job, once found ‘curled up’ on floor before COVID meeting during tenure as Ohio health official: Staffers
RNC leaves convention seat empty for Charlie Kirk one year after assassination
Lindsay Clancy juror who backed the defense also publicly cheered Karen Read’s acquittal
Florida woman accused of DUI crashes SUV into parked car, then makes bizarre plea to police caught on camera
White House stays quiet as UK leads 11 other countries with sanctions on Israeli ‘settler terrorists’
Trump Signs Orders to Block Certain Canadian Products from Being Sold in the U.S.
Anthropic Researchers Say AI Could ‘Kill All Humans’ Within Next Decade
Emergency slide sparks questions on Trump’s new Air Force One before president reveals why
‘Alien harboring’ accusations fly as DC-area county spends taxpayer funds to blunt ICE
Report: Jimmy Kimmel’s Current Season Will Be His Last at ABC
Merz accuses AfD of ‘ethnic cleansing’ agenda, postpones call with Trump after president praises party
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.
Internet Demands Probe After Mitch McConnell’s Wife Reportedly Revealed to Have CCP Ties
Kentucky Ostrich Farm Offers Alternative for People Allergic to Red Meat After Tick Bites: ‘Similar to Steak’
Beauty school moms caught in accreditation crossfire as Trump admin weighs consequential decision
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announces distribution of more than 7 million free eggs statewide
Amy Acton cried on the job, once found ‘curled up’ on floor before COVID meeting during tenure as Ohio health official: Staffers
RNC leaves convention seat empty for Charlie Kirk one year after assassination
Lindsay Clancy juror who backed the defense also publicly cheered Karen Read’s acquittal
Florida woman accused of DUI crashes SUV into parked car, then makes bizarre plea to police caught on camera
White House stays quiet as UK leads 11 other countries with sanctions on Israeli ‘settler terrorists’
Trump Signs Orders to Block Certain Canadian Products from Being Sold in the U.S.
Anthropic Researchers Say AI Could ‘Kill All Humans’ Within Next Decade
Emergency slide sparks questions on Trump’s new Air Force One before president reveals why
‘Alien harboring’ accusations fly as DC-area county spends taxpayer funds to blunt ICE
Report: Jimmy Kimmel’s Current Season Will Be His Last at ABC
Merz accuses AfD of ‘ethnic cleansing’ agenda, postpones call with Trump after president praises party
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.
