Writers Guild Expected to Release List of About 40 Signatory Agencies

They would replace over 150 agencies currently signed to the agency agreement that expires Saturday night.

The Writers Guild of America is expected to release a list of about 40 talent agencies that have signed on to the guild’s new “Code of Conduct,” according to a private email sent Friday from a senior guild executive and obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

The email did not provide any additional details such as the sizes of the agencies or whether any were members of the Association of Talent Agents. Earlier press reports had put the number of new signatories at about two dozen, including one ATA member.

There are currently over 150 signatories to the existing, 43-year-old agreement between the WGA and the ATA, which terminates at midnight Saturday night. THR has reached out to the WGA West and the ATA for comment.

At that point, the existing agreement will be replaced by a WGA-imposed “Code of Conduct” barring packaging fees and affiliate production unless the two sides reach an agreement before then.

With no meetings scheduled and just one day to go, that’s unlikely, and as the code is unacceptable to all large and most or all medium-sized agencies, thousands of writers may be ordered as early as Sunday or Monday to fire their agents or risk being disciplined for violation of a WGA rule prohibiting members from having unsigned agents represent them. What happens next is anyone’s guess.

Separately, the ATA on Friday evening sent its member agencies a letter and FAQ, and has set a meeting Wednesday morning for member agencies.

For more on this subject, visit THR's labor page.