Possible ending writers’ strike big news for Georgia
Writers and Hollywood studios reach a tentative agreement in the strike that’s lasted nearly half a year. The labor dispute has cost billions of dollars nationwide. And it’s hurt local businesses that depend on TV shows and films.
ATLANTA – Writers and Hollywood studios reach a tentative agreement in the strike that’s lasted nearly half a year. The labor dispute has cost billions of dollars nationwide and it has hurt local businesses that depend on TV shows and films.
Businesses like Ambient Plus Studio took a big hit. Bookings dropped about 40%. They’re cautiously optimistic they’ll book more TV shows and movies now that the two sides appear to have agreed on a contract.
“That is great news,” said Jason Ivany, who owns Ambient Plus. “It is much more optimistic now.”
Georgia is home to a multi-billion-dollar entertainment industry. Ivany rents out space to film and TV heavy hitters like Netflix and NBC Productions. “We definitely felt the writers’ strike and then the actors’ strike impact business,” Ivany said.
Bookings dried up for months. “We saw all of our film business go away, which would be about 40% of our business,” Ivany said.
He didn’t have to lay off any employees. But he had to cut back their hours and take on special projects that did not require writers or actors at drastically reduced rates. “Reality shows. It’s a Band-Aid. It’s a stop-gap,” Ivany said.
Could the writers’ strike end soon?
After nearly five months, there’s a tentative deal in the writers’ strike. Screenwriters and major Hollywood studios announcing a tentative deal Sunday.
But now he hopes business is turning a corner. “We’ve already seen a couple more phone calls than we expect. We see people go into pre-production phase. It gives us optimism for the actors,” Ivany said.
Ivany is crossing his fingers that the actors’ strike will end soon and films and TV shows start knocking on his doors again.