Blue Rhine Industries wins Sphere Abu Dhabi LED contract

AV Magazine: UAE-based pro AV and digital signage specialist Blue Rhine Industries (BRI) has been awarded the contract to install the LED screens that make up Sphere Abu Dhabi’s immense Exosphere. This AV integration project is the company’s largest scope to date in its 20-year history.

Broadway Musicians Union Local 802 Ratifies New Three-Year Contract

www.broadwayworld.com: AFM Local 802, the union representing Broadway musicians, has ratified a new three-year Broadway contract with a strong majority “yes” vote. The agreement is retroactive to September 1, 2025, and will remain in effect through August 27, 2028.

IATSE Area Standards Agreement: Tentative Deal Reached

The Hollywood Reporter: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and studios have agreed to a new tentative three-year Theatrical and Television Motion Picture Area Standards Agreement deal following the Oct. 16 tentative agreement reached for workers covered under the union’s Basic Agreement that averted a major strike.

Time's Up Urges SAG-AFTRA Members to Vote Against Contract

Variety: Time’s Up is urging SAG-AFTRA members to oppose the proposed successor deal on its master contract, provoking an accusation by the union of unwarranted interference.

Balloting on the deal, reached last month between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, concludes Wednesday at 5 p.m. PDT.

SAG Balloting Initiative Wages Battle Over Contract Ratification

Variety: The performers union, which reps 160,000 members, rolled out a video Thursday of President Gabrielle Carteris urging a “Yes” vote on the new deal and posted the referendum booklet on line with ballots due back July 22. The booklet includes a 500-word opposition section urging a “No” vote and endorsed by national board members Ed Asner, Jennifer Beals, Neve Campbell, Diane Ladd, Matthew Modine, Esai Morales, Patricia Richardson, Rob Schneider and Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

Church Sound Files: Sound System Contract & Proposal Myths

ProSoundWeb: Having gone through the proposal process for a new sound system, and having a job that deals with contracts and proposals, I thought I’d address a couple of the myths of proposals.

Ever heard the myth that says, “if the proposal is higher than your budget, look elsewhere.” Not true! A proposal is a list of products and services that a firm has determined is required to fulfill the needs of the request set before them.

IATSE Contract Ratification Popular Vote Shows New Contract Is Not So Popular

Deadline: Ratification of IATSE’s new film and TV contract was approved last week in a landslide under the union’s electoral college-style voting system, but it was a real squeaker in terms of the popular vote – the closest in the union’s history. And while the popular vote carries no weight under the union’s rules, the closeness of the vote might offer some consolation to opponents of the pact, while serving notice to management’s AMPTP that the unpopularity of the pact could foreshadow tougher sledding ahead when the parties return to the bargaining table in three years.

West Coast IATSE Members Ratify Three-Year Contract

Variety: West Coast members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees have ratified a three-year successor deal to their master contract.

IATSE announced the ratification of the contract, which includes a 3% hike in annual wage minimums and covers 43,000 members, on Wednesday. The new deal is retroactive to July 31.

West Coast IATSE Talks Resume as Contract Expiration Looms

Variety: The West Coast members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — Hollywood’s key below-the-line union — are returning to the bargaining table on Tuesday, only a week prior to the current contract’s expiration.

The “Necessary Evil” Of Paperwork: Rider & Stage Plot Clarity Can Really Pay Off

ProSoundWeb: Before handling tour and production management for bands, I worked in various venues as a sound tech. I got really sick of crews coming in, looking at the stage plot and input list we had for them, and saying, “Oh, the agent sent you the wrong one!”

So, in other words, they didn’t have five minutes in the last month to call up and make sure that we had the right one.

Paul Feig Adds Inclusion Rider in Feigco Entertainment Productions

Variety: Director-producer Paul Feig has adapted the inclusion rider as part of all the feature film and television productions at his Feigco Entertainment.

Claire Foy Paid Less Than Matt Smith Netflix "The Crown"

The Mary Sue: Variety released information that reveals that Netflix’s The Crown paid Doctor Who actor Matt Smith more than Claire Foy, who plays the titular representation of The Crown, Elizabeth II.

IATSE Negotiations Underway For New Film And TV Contract

Deadline: Negotiations are underway for a new IATSE film and TV contract. The current pact expires July 31, but a strike is considered unlikely: In its 125-year history, the IATSE has never launched an industrywide walkout.

Advancing The Show

ProSoundWeb: Being organized and prepared ahead of the gig is a huge key for the independent audio practitioner, a.k.a., Lone Audio Ranger.

As I write this article, I’m smack dab in the middle of a multi-day, mixed programming event – a live outdoor cooking show with lots of wireless, video playback, record feeds, musicians, and emcees. This event is impeccably organized with everyone on the same page, and for the most part, happy. I chalk it up as a success.

What Is An Inclusion Rider? Explaining Frances McDormand’s Oscars Speech

www.fastcompany.com: During her acceptance speech for Best Actress at last night’s Oscars, Frances McDormand dropped two words that left most people scratching their heads: inclusion rider.