Excellent article about the casting director unionization effort in today’s LA Times. Excellent!

Nice work, Mary McNamara. Thank you.

…each has assembled the talent for films and television shows without receiving the benefits–health insurance, a pension fund, timely payment, consistent working conditions–secured for virtually every other employee of a film or television show, from the director to the on-set caterer.

…AMPTP President Nick Counter has refused to recognize Teamsters representation of the group; casting directors, he has said, are independent contractors rather than employees…

Teamsters argue that casting directors are no more independent contactors than are costume designers or production designers or cinematographers, all of whom have union contracts.

“The SAG Awards has an ensemble award,” says [Ronnie] Yeskel…”and rarely do you hear an actor or director thank the casting director. But who do you think put those ensembles together? The director? No.”

“I laugh when I read about the ‘amazing cast’ some director has assembled,” adds [April] Webster. “I think, really, when exactly did [the director] do that?”

Awesome coverage.