Production companies get tough with agencies
At a meeting of the Australasian Union of Television Commercials Production Companies (AUTCPC) held in Sydney on the weekendall Australian and New Zealand television commercial productioncompanies have agreed to be represented under the auspices of theAUTCPC.
All TVC production companies, along with Directors and Producers, arebeing made to comply under the authority and mandates of AUTCPC and itsassociate Unions.
All production companies must comply with tough new mandates and allagencies, and consequently their clients, failing to comply will face scrutiny from the brotherhood of unions associated with AUTCPC.
Apart from many new and revised mandatories covering issues such asworkplace safety, compliance and insurance, here are some key points agreed by all attending the meeting (leaked to the CB Blog)that will affect agencies and their clients:
47 Comments
You’re fucking kidding. The last clause about lunches cannot be right. I’ve got a big one on today with an NZ outfit. When does this law come in? Stuff this union crap, If production companies want my business, they’ve got to play the game.
there’s some seriously good ideas in this.
This is long overdue!
A
Fair
Direction
I’m a producer and i hope this is for real. Is there a website for more information?
Sounds like good news for New Zealand production companies…these new rules are going to screw the Australian TV production industry as to be competitive Agencies will now have to look offshore. Typical bloody unions. They don’t understand our business at all….
Yeah $25k fines to agencies for not rewarding a charity job… long overdue!
Where do i join AUTCPCATUP
3 x 60′ treatments a week.
That’s a sweet 24k for photocopying some pictures out of a book from Ariel.
Sweet. Good on em.
No wonder they’re all driving around in discos while i’m on the bus chief.
See you on the blacklist. I love a fuckin lunch me.
Productions companies are finally getting the picture that they cannot be screwed anymore. Well done guys. To the agencies, well you mugs are now up shit creek as knw one is going to do your work for you for nothing… Ha Ha…. This is great news……. ha ha ha ha…….. I am almost falling off my chair…..
Dreams can come true…. why not.
i think this is good all the way around. When times are tough for clients, things still aren’t free.
I also think the “ha, ha, ha” comment above was written by an absolute wanker.
I agree production companies need to protect themselves, but this isn’t going to be something they have to sell to clients, agencies will.
What this will mean is that those shitty production companies with weak directors, will get less work as agencies are forced to be more selective, again, I think that’s a good thing all the way around.
Nice one guys. You nailed em. A union in advertising…priceless.
This is bullshit. I’ve checked with two NZ production companies that do all our charity jobs and small client work and they assure me this union has no jurisdiction in New Zealand. They’ve never been contacted by AUTCPC or any other body. Which is a relief as I’m of to lunch today with one of them!
11.01am…. So I was in a strategy meeting with the AUTCPC till 10:30pm in my imagination? No.
Are they kidding? To reimburse production companies for lunches we would be out of pocket by thousands of dollars a year. At our agency we get at least three a week (not cheapies either). The bill for the team and agency producer is usually over $100 per head, so that’s $300 per person per week. Over a year, you do the maths! (leave you to work that out, I’m just a – very pissed off – art director).
Does this apply to interstate visits? I’m a CD in Perth and do regular trips to Sydney for post production (but sometimes for the full production if we get the budget). Sure there’s a few big lunches and night time entertainment but isn’t that the normal part of the business? Anyway, if this is the case, I’ll seriously be looking even further west to South Africa or north to Asia where production companies are even more accommodating, especially in this current economic crisis. They’ll literally do anything for a shoot.
Yes, surely we should get exemptions for Brisbane as well. Without the generosity of the Sydney or Melbourne industry there would be no real benefit to shoot there. I think I’ll stick wit the locals, none of whom have signed with this union – or that’s what out agency producer assures me. By the way, she is very upset about this situation as she has built up great relationships with Sydney/Melb TVC companies over many years and is always looked after like a queen.
I agree with 8.13.
Jeez’like man, this is great fucking news! Pull in over to this side of the pond and we’ll really look after you, lekker bru. Durb’s, Joey’s Capetown and Trips to Sun City, the Kruger is just up the road, all the boom you can smoke on a lekker safari all thrown in. And all the skirt – or borwors – you can handle – any shade of our rainbow nation!
Go Bokkie!!
Hunrey Van der Merwe
Executive Producer
Less Boks Productions
Hoedspruit
RSA
ha ha all you guys commenting are funny
“‘ll seriously be looking even further west to South Africa or north to Asia where production companies are even more accommodating, especially in this current economic crisis. They’ll literally do anything for a shoot.”
We already are accommodating! What more do you want from us? Blow jobs???
This is called price fixing and I’m pretty sure it’s illegal.
pretty sure this is april fools day related
Three words. April Fools Day.
Come to Asia instead!! Were’ only five hours away and we’ll love you long time properly – I will personally take you to Pattaya, lots of bars you like with treat you good jobs….
Big Kong Productions
Bangkok
Well done. Best April fools post ever. Very funny and nicely irreverent but at the same time quite pertinent?
I’ve just seen a Sth African prod co who we will never be meeting… yah yah 11.50am
OMG you really are quite an amazingly stupid bunch of suckers.
happy april fools bandits…
For more information or to register with The Australasian Union of Commercials Production Companies go to http://www.autcpc.com/
Ela re malaka..! Take a break from ‘don’t do this don’t do that land’ and come to Greece instead, we show you real Greek hospitality the Greek style way! We do all support the productions, also we invented them twenty thousand years ago! Forget the Skippies stupid laws they are all crazy…come to Ellas!
Demitri Kostandinolopulous
Ellas Acropoly Now Productions
Plaka
Athens
12 months ago I would have laughed hysterically at this … my sense of humour has plummetted with the DOW.
Thanks Lynchy for highlighting our dire situation though humour – production companys need any attention we can get right now.
isss no laughing materrrr. wod you rally neet is sarm Russian infllluence. Fuk thees rools, regulashuns. Inn Moscow weve the speshall technik for influence payments of igency 2nd fiftee percent eenvoices witheen 14 daesss.
We no take thee igency out for the lurnch. we eet them!. Eet the fuckking igency soot. Fucking eet him alives. Paments hearr beforre i feenesh eat the fooot.
Fucks the’m.
Igor Kalishnikopf
Baancher Kantz
Vyisda zomany ‘Orses Arzes’
MockBa. 10967
Can’t wait to start working anywhere this union isn’t.
NZ, Asia,South Africa just got the well deserved boost they needed.
And that in house facility agencies have been busting to establish ever since Plush nailed the excesses of Production Companies just got the green light.
Love a union, love a rally, love a blockage. Would love to see a KFC shoot on the news with angry demonstrating producers kickin the shit out the police. ….Bring back the 70’s.
Hah, you got me for a sec there. Happy April Fools.
Roger, you are a fucking funny bastard.
Love, MA
Well done Cranbrook. Not only the April Fool link, but Catcher in the Rye in 30 secs is the simplest, best use of the internet for a prod company I’ve ever seen.
how is this going to be enforsed?
wow. thanx you guys I’m blown away by the hundreds of phone calls and emails from ep’s, producers and directors saying they would join a union of tvc prod co.’s. if there was one. the response has been simply staggering. many have been asking me how we go about setting up the AUTCPC . personally I’m way to busy to do this, its the last few weeks of the fishing season and with the duck shooting about to start im flat out on the pond, but hears a thought what about getting somebody like Rob Spencer on board…..
Way back when guys like Fred Schepsi were kids, commercials that went to air in Australia were required to have (from memory) a 90% Australian content. It is why the Australian film industry was re-established. Bring it back.
Hey Dr Bob,
Doesn’t an agency owned production company amount to the agency taking a double ended commission?
I believe that’s unethical, if not illegal in some states as well.
Good April Fools! Loved it. But then, re reading the ‘schedule’, there are a few points in there that would actually be very fair. (No, not the lunches bit). (although….)
It made me a bit sad.
Happy April 1
Good spotting 12:42. It’s is illegal throughout Australia and in January it became a criminal act and monitored by the ACCC. Visit:-
http://www.treasury.gov.au/contentitem.asp?ContentID=1330&NavId=037
I have laughed hysterically through this very clever April Fools Joke. Thanks Rog. Actually, it’s hard not to be disappointed though, by the standard of local agency originality. Both in terms of it’s creativity and sense of humour…. and integrity. It’s Easter. In a moment, let’s pray…. that the good lord puts a bit of spine into the over-indulged brats, who form the bulk of this absurdly self-absorbed industry
Wholly shit if pay roll tax does not get you – the ACCC will. Think i’ll go work in a surf shop.
No doubt the industry is facing drastic changes in light of the current economic crisis but I expect it will be the opposite of this cute little joke.
Unfortunately, when Production Companies cry poor, most Clients simply don’t buy it.
One fix for this would be a move towards financial transparency, as Agencies have with Clients. If, for example, we worked with the Cost Plus system on appropriate jobs, some of the trust that has gone between Production Companies and Clients would be restored. Plus all parties would get better educated with regards to the real cost of production today.
xoxo