News Opinons Politics

Hollywood Faces Carnage as Mass Unemployment Hits Entertainment Industry

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.


California pizza joint allegedly used as meth distribution hub as illegal immigrant charged
Kennedy Center ceiling partially collapses as Trump-led board pushes for 2-year closure
Machete-wielding MS-13 gangster wanted for murder walks free after Biden-appointed judge releases him: DHS
Trump-linked MAGA Inc pours $10M into Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate race against James Talarico
Trump Admin Shows Iran What Real Power Looks Like: Responds to Attack By Annihilating 3 Oil Tankers
EXCLUSIVE: FBI’s fifth Most Wanted Fraudster captured after alleged SNAP scam suspect arrested in India
North Carolina Dem Senate candidate added former Bloods gang member to criminal justice task force: report
‘Insensitive Is Killing Three Children!’ DA Blasts Critics Who Called the Lindsay Clancy Prosecution ‘Insensitive’
ICYMI: El-Sayed Admits to Unhinged Response to Criticism of His Beard – He Violently Smashed a Vodka Bottle
Lindsay Clancy Fangirls Push Child Killer’s GoFundMe Total to Staggering $1.1M Following Mistrial
Taxpayers Footed the Bill for Nearly $500M in Food Stamps at California Fast Food Joints
Clancy Copycat: Mother Accused of Murdering 2-Year-Old Confirmed to Be Obsessed with Lindsay Clancy
Wheel of Fortune Host Fired After Photos Appear to Show Him Scrolling Through Pedo Chatroom
‘Shame!’: Unhinged Lindsay Clancy Fans Screech at DA During Press Conference
Judge allows ‘homewrecker’ lawsuit against former Sen Kyrsten Sinema to move forward

See also  Grand Canyon flash flood leaves 1 dead and several missing or unaccounted for, park service says

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.


California pizza joint allegedly used as meth distribution hub as illegal immigrant charged
Kennedy Center ceiling partially collapses as Trump-led board pushes for 2-year closure
Machete-wielding MS-13 gangster wanted for murder walks free after Biden-appointed judge releases him: DHS
Trump-linked MAGA Inc pours $10M into Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate race against James Talarico
Trump Admin Shows Iran What Real Power Looks Like: Responds to Attack By Annihilating 3 Oil Tankers
EXCLUSIVE: FBI’s fifth Most Wanted Fraudster captured after alleged SNAP scam suspect arrested in India
North Carolina Dem Senate candidate added former Bloods gang member to criminal justice task force: report
‘Insensitive Is Killing Three Children!’ DA Blasts Critics Who Called the Lindsay Clancy Prosecution ‘Insensitive’
ICYMI: El-Sayed Admits to Unhinged Response to Criticism of His Beard – He Violently Smashed a Vodka Bottle
Lindsay Clancy Fangirls Push Child Killer’s GoFundMe Total to Staggering $1.1M Following Mistrial
Taxpayers Footed the Bill for Nearly $500M in Food Stamps at California Fast Food Joints
Clancy Copycat: Mother Accused of Murdering 2-Year-Old Confirmed to Be Obsessed with Lindsay Clancy
Wheel of Fortune Host Fired After Photos Appear to Show Him Scrolling Through Pedo Chatroom
‘Shame!’: Unhinged Lindsay Clancy Fans Screech at DA During Press Conference
Judge allows ‘homewrecker’ lawsuit against former Sen Kyrsten Sinema to move forward

See also  Former president-turned-amateur artist George W. Bush debuting new paintings for 9/11 remembrance

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.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter