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.
Republican NeverTrumpers Tried Throwing a Conference and the Results Were Less Than Stellar
Sustained war with Iran could drain US missile stockpiles, test escalation control
From hostage crisis to assassination plots: Iran’s near half-century war on Americans
Frozen Yogurt Store Near Spokane Gets Death Threats Over Touching Tribute to Charlie Kirk
Mamdani’s response to Trump’s Iran strike sparks conservative backlash: ‘Rooting for the ayatollah’
Iran vows ‘decisive’ self-defense at UN after Trump kills supreme leader in Operation Epic Fury
Concerns rise over DHS shutdown in shadow of Iran strikes: ‘Now would be a good time’ to end it
Jeb Bush commends former rival Trump’s Iran operation: ‘This is their time to take their country back’
Man confesses to killing 7-year-old while on the lam after DNA links him to 30-year cold case: authorities
Obama official who backed Iran deal sparks online outrage with reaction to Trump’s strike: ‘Sit this one out’
Bill Clinton’s credibility threatened by decades of scandals amid grilling over Epstein ties
Trump says Khamenei is dead: ‘The single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country’
Monitoring the situation: White House releases photos of Trump, Rubio and team being briefed on Iran operation
Iran Supreme Leader Targeted, Believed Killed, in Sweeping US-Israeli Strikes
Trump orders strikes on Iran; experts say he can bypass Congress (for now)
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.
Republican NeverTrumpers Tried Throwing a Conference and the Results Were Less Than Stellar
Sustained war with Iran could drain US missile stockpiles, test escalation control
From hostage crisis to assassination plots: Iran’s near half-century war on Americans
Frozen Yogurt Store Near Spokane Gets Death Threats Over Touching Tribute to Charlie Kirk
Mamdani’s response to Trump’s Iran strike sparks conservative backlash: ‘Rooting for the ayatollah’
Iran vows ‘decisive’ self-defense at UN after Trump kills supreme leader in Operation Epic Fury
Concerns rise over DHS shutdown in shadow of Iran strikes: ‘Now would be a good time’ to end it
Jeb Bush commends former rival Trump’s Iran operation: ‘This is their time to take their country back’
Man confesses to killing 7-year-old while on the lam after DNA links him to 30-year cold case: authorities
Obama official who backed Iran deal sparks online outrage with reaction to Trump’s strike: ‘Sit this one out’
Bill Clinton’s credibility threatened by decades of scandals amid grilling over Epstein ties
Trump says Khamenei is dead: ‘The single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country’
Monitoring the situation: White House releases photos of Trump, Rubio and team being briefed on Iran operation
Iran Supreme Leader Targeted, Believed Killed, in Sweeping US-Israeli Strikes
Trump orders strikes on Iran; experts say he can bypass Congress (for now)
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.
