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This sort of practice is just seriously unacceptable. In a industry like this one, often times there's already not enough credit given to stagehands and other components that work together to create the entire experience of the show. And yeah, the check was only worth around $250, but it's a matter of principle! Like one of the stagehands said, "I think the show grossed $8.6 million. So the fact that my $250 check still hasn’t been paid whole is pretty terrible." I'm sure the Rolling Stones didn't have to wait around to get paid (and wouldn't have tolerated bounced checks), so why should stagehands? I get that the Rolling Stones are incredibly talented and famous, but without the work that the stagehands also put in, there would be no show. There's certainly no shortage of money here considering the tour grossed over $100 million so the fact that this happened (and is still going on after 2 MONTHS) is absolutely baffling to me. Get it together, Big Whitey Productions.
This kind of behavior is one of the issues that annoys me most about the entertainment industry. We as a society put so much emphasis on the front men of the operation, the actors, the singers, etc. What people don't think about are all the people behind the scenes making the events a possibility. People also fail to realize that when they pirate movies, not that I am claiming that I am innocent of this, the revenue that the production companies lose would not only go towards paying other actors in the future but also all the designers, producers, and even the lowly PA's. Without all these team members the entertainment that the general public loves so much would not be possible. I think it's a shame that these employees have not been paid. To some people $250 is just a drop in the bucket but often members of the entertainment industry depend on that money to help make up the last bit of next month's rent.
I know what is like to not get paid for work that I have done. I work in theater – that’s the life. That being said, I have been put in the position of not being paid and having to rely on what little scraps of money I have to get by. I can’t imagine what the stagehands are going through. For many of them, I would imagine that doing this type of union work is their primary source of income. Now that it has been almost two months, I’d be bouncing off the walls talking to people every day to get paid. I know that mistakes happen and paperwork can get confused and lost. But on a scale such as that – an entire crew not getting paid, it seems to me there’s something hinky going on. I’ve had to wait to get paid because whoever was supposed to sign the checks wasn’t in, but with the availability of direct deposit these days, I just don’t know how this happens. I think that in addition to getting paid, with a bonus for the inconvenience, the company should provide the workers with a stipend to get by until the checks can be reissued. What do you think the company should do in this position? What would you do?
Stagehands are some of the most underappreciated people in the entertainment industry, and this incident clearly shows that. The fact that the production company grossed nearly $9 million on that show alone and still didn't pay their stagehands is disgusting. Of course there is always the possibility that this was a simple mistake, but it doesn't seem likely. I'm actually surprised that their union didn't intervene faster on such a widespread issue. Some people might say that's it isn't a big deal because it was "only $250", but that kind of money can make you or break you. In order to have a successful concert a lot of people must be involved, and without any of them it could fail. Hopefully this production company will learn from their mistakes and realize how important the role of a stagehand is. Who knows what would happen if no one was willing to work for them?
4 comments:
This sort of practice is just seriously unacceptable. In a industry like this one, often times there's already not enough credit given to stagehands and other components that work together to create the entire experience of the show. And yeah, the check was only worth around $250, but it's a matter of principle! Like one of the stagehands said, "I think the show grossed $8.6 million. So the fact that my $250 check still hasn’t been paid whole is pretty terrible." I'm sure the Rolling Stones didn't have to wait around to get paid (and wouldn't have tolerated bounced checks), so why should stagehands? I get that the Rolling Stones are incredibly talented and famous, but without the work that the stagehands also put in, there would be no show. There's certainly no shortage of money here considering the tour grossed over $100 million so the fact that this happened (and is still going on after 2 MONTHS) is absolutely baffling to me. Get it together, Big Whitey Productions.
This kind of behavior is one of the issues that annoys me most about the entertainment industry. We as a society put so much emphasis on the front men of the operation, the actors, the singers, etc. What people don't think about are all the people behind the scenes making the events a possibility. People also fail to realize that when they pirate movies, not that I am claiming that I am innocent of this, the revenue that the production companies lose would not only go towards paying other actors in the future but also all the designers, producers, and even the lowly PA's. Without all these team members the entertainment that the general public loves so much would not be possible. I think it's a shame that these employees have not been paid. To some people $250 is just a drop in the bucket but often members of the entertainment industry depend on that money to help make up the last bit of next month's rent.
I know what is like to not get paid for work that I have done. I work in theater – that’s the life. That being said, I have been put in the position of not being paid and having to rely on what little scraps of money I have to get by. I can’t imagine what the stagehands are going through. For many of them, I would imagine that doing this type of union work is their primary source of income. Now that it has been almost two months, I’d be bouncing off the walls talking to people every day to get paid. I know that mistakes happen and paperwork can get confused and lost. But on a scale such as that – an entire crew not getting paid, it seems to me there’s something hinky going on. I’ve had to wait to get paid because whoever was supposed to sign the checks wasn’t in, but with the availability of direct deposit these days, I just don’t know how this happens. I think that in addition to getting paid, with a bonus for the inconvenience, the company should provide the workers with a stipend to get by until the checks can be reissued. What do you think the company should do in this position? What would you do?
Stagehands are some of the most underappreciated people in the entertainment industry, and this incident clearly shows that. The fact that the production company grossed nearly $9 million on that show alone and still didn't pay their stagehands is disgusting. Of course there is always the possibility that this was a simple mistake, but it doesn't seem likely. I'm actually surprised that their union didn't intervene faster on such a widespread issue. Some people might say that's it isn't a big deal because it was "only $250", but that kind of money can make you or break you. In order to have a successful concert a lot of people must be involved, and without any of them it could fail. Hopefully this production company will learn from their mistakes and realize how important the role of a stagehand is. Who knows what would happen if no one was willing to work for them?
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