September 8, 1999
Los Angeles, September 8, 1999 – Vice President Albert Gore met late Tuesday afternoon with entertainment industry leaders for a substantive discussion of the problem of runaway production at a meeting hosted by the Directors Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild. The meeting, which took place at Directors Guild headquarters in Los Angeles, was led by SAG President Richard Masur and DGA Secretary-Treasurer Gilbert Cates, and continues the efforts of SAG and the DGA to develop legislative and other strategies that will combat runaway production.
"The DGA is pleased to have had the opportunity to discuss the problem of runaway production with Vice President Gore," Cates said. "Runaway production is one of the paramount concerns of the Guild, and it was gratifying to see the Vice President’s interest in the substance of the issue."
Masur said, "On behalf of the more than 96,000 members of Screen Actors Guild nationwide, I would like to thank Vice President Gore for listening to our concerns about the growing economic impact of U.S. runaway film and television production. This is an issue that is affecting not just our members, but thousands of workers across the country."
A full list of attendees follows this release.
"I’d like to thank Vice President Gore for his willingness to respond to our concerns about runaway production," DGA National Executive Director Jay D. Roth said. "Today’s meeting demonstrates that there is a rapidly-growing, broad-based coalition of the entire film and television community - from labor organizations, to producers, to vendors, to political leaders - who view runaway production as a serious threat to America’s entertainment industry. It is clear that this is an issue about American workers and industry losing opportunities because of unfair practices by foreign governments, and the DGA remains committed to returning these opportunities to this country. We’re hopeful that the Vice President’s interest will help convince others in Washington that runaway production is an issue that needs to be addressed on the federal level."
SAG National Executive Director Ken Orsatti hoped that the meeting with the nation’s Vice President was "indicative of the recognition that U.S. runaway production is a national problem that requires timely action. We were very pleased to have the opportunity to bring the Vice President together with representatives of both entertainment industry workers and the countless small businesses which depend on a vital, local production industry for their survival. We hope that this is the beginning of a national dialogue about protecting one of America’s most valuable industries – film and television production."
In June, the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America released a report showing that the total economic impact of U.S. runaway film and television production was $10.3 billion in 1998, up more than fivefold since the beginning of the decade. Economic runaway is defined as U.S.-developed feature films, movies for television, TV shows or series that are filmed in another country for economic reasons.
The report, conducted by the prestigious international consulting firm, Monitor Company, also estimated that U.S. runaway production has cost U.S. entertainment industry workers more than 60,000 full-time equivalent positions in the last three years alone. The report also confirms that the multiplied dollar impact shows $3 billion in goods and services lost in support industries - such as the hotel, real estate, medical, restaurant, and retail trade industries - and a $1.9 billion loss in payroll, income and sales tax to local, state and federal governments.
ATTENDEES AT U.S. FILM AND TELEVISION RUNAWAY PRODUCTION ROUNDTABLE WITH VICE PRESIDENT ALBERT GORE
- Adler, Warren, Associate National Executive Director, Directors Guild of America
- Aredas, Joe, IATSE, International Representative
- Barclay, Paris, Director/Co-Executive Producer, Steven Bochco Productions
- Becerra, Xavier, Member of Congress
- Berman, Howard, Member of Congress
- Bishop, Mel, Executive Producer, Hearst Productions
- Blum, Alex, Producer, Headquarters
- Bower, Tom, National Board Member, Screen Actors Guild
- Brubaker, Jim, Producer, Shady Acres
- Cates, Gil, Secretary-Treasurer, Directors Guild of America
- Chassman, Leonard, Hollywood Executive Director, Screen Actors Guild
- Chin, Stephen, Partner, Shanghai’d Films
- Clairmont, Denny, President, Clairmont Camera
- Clare, Ed, Production Equipment Rental Association
- Cluff, Cody, President, EIDC (Entertainment Industry Development Corporation)
- David, Herman, President, Santa Clarita Studios
- DeLorenzo, Mike, CEO/President, Cinemobile
- Doty, Dennis, Producer, Cates/Doty Productions
- Grant, Glenda, President, Hearst Entertainment Productions
- Hassanein, Salah, CEO/President, TODD-AO Studios
- Heyward, Andy, President, DIC Entertainment
- Hill, Leonard, Executive Producer, Leonard Hill Films
- Horwitz, Lewis, President, Lewis Horowitz Organizations
- Kramer, Eileen, Pacific Region Director, ITS (Assoc. of Imaging Technology and Sound)
- Marks, Eddie, President, Western Costumes
- Marshall, Meryl, Chairman/CEO, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
- Masur, Richard, President, Screen Actors Guild
- Michelson, Steve, COO, Michelson’s Food Service
- Obst, Lynda, Producer, Lynda Obst Productions
- Rheinstein, Fred, CEO, The Post Group
- Roth, Jay D., National Executive Director, DGA
- Scherma, Frank, Radical Media
- Segall, Stu, President, Stu Segall Productions
- Shadyac, Tom, Director, Shady Acres
- Silverman, Leon, CEO, Laser-Pacific Media
- Stabler, Steve, CEO, Destination Films Distribution Co.
- Unger, Bryan, Associate Western Executive Director, Directors Guild of America
- Wilson, Jim, Partner, TIG Productions
- Yablans, Frank, President, Northstar Entertainment
- Yoel, Mary, Sr. Vice President of Entertainment Division, City National Bank
- York, Catherine, Director, Government Relations, Screen Actors Guild