May 14 2024 37 mins
We are facing a crisis in the producing community. Regular listeners of the show are well aware of this fact because I talk about it incessantly. The challenges that make the producing career path unsustainable are now undeniable...and they were only exacerbated by a global pandemic, two back to back strikes, a market contraction, and the technological advancements and disruption of AI.
Producers Heather Rae, whose latest film, "Fancy Dance", starring Lily Gladstone, drops on Apple in June, and past podcast guest Joy Gorman Wettels, who is behind amazing shows like "13 Reasons Why" and "Unprisoned" starring Kerry Washington, stop by to explain why they, along with other prolific career producers who make up about 90% of Hollywood's biggest independent, studio, and streamer producers at the top of their game, have come together to work towards change for us all.
The group is called the Producers United and it's a grassroots collective of 86 career producers who are committed to fight for issues that impact sustainability for the next generation.
There are many worthy issues, but the two main ones are: 1) Basic rights, which means payment for services rendered while they are being rendered and 2) Healthcare contributions during prep, production and post periods.
At the end of the day, it really comes down to education. It's imperative to educate the industry on what the producer does and how our jobs are inherently different from the important contributions of our multi-hyphenate partners. Actors, writers, directors, financiers, these individuals bring so much value to the process, howevr, unlike career producers, their revenue stream is not soley tied to projects.
The wellbeing of our entire industry depends on producers not only surviving, but thriving. Together, we can continue to support artist and be a part of the magic that is storytelling.
Head over to producersunited.com for more info.
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