AMPTP Hires New Crisis PR Firm as Strikes Go On - Lemmy.world
Standby for a wave of PR masquerading as news. From the article, retrieved
2023-08-26: As talks with the Writers Guild of America stall, the studio trade
association has retained D.C.-based firm The Levinson Group to pursue a fresh
messaging strategy. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has
hired a prominent Washington, D.C.-based crisis management firm to assist its
messaging effort as the double actors and writers strike grinds on with no end
in sight. The studios’ trade association has been under an unprecedented
national spotlight in its four-decade history as the work stoppages lead to
severe ripple-effect economic consequences. The organization as well as the PR
company, The Levinson Group, declined to comment. It’s led by namesake Molly
Levinson, a former political director at CNN and CBS turned strategic adviser
for corporate clients with reputational and risk concerns. She’s also known for
her work on behalf of the restaurant Comet Ping Pong, countering “Pizzagate,” as
well as the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team in its campaign for pay equity.
The AMPTP’s addition of The Levinson Group augments its existing pair of
retained media consultants, both of whom have spent their careers in Hollywood:
Chris Day, previously UTA’s longtime communications head, and Scott Rowe, who
spent decades in messaging for Warner Bros. The AMPTP has a history of reaching
beyond the entertainment industry to the political world for assistance in the
midst of a strike emergency. During the 2007-08 WGA stoppage, the association
brought on Chris Lehane and Mark Fabiani, the Democratic Party operatives, who
had also previously done work for the Screen Actors Guild in 2002 during its
impasse with the Association of Talent Agents. The studios aren’t alone in
enlisting new PR reinforcements for the current standoff: SAG-AFTRA has hired
Precision Strategies, led by Stephanie Cutter, who served as deputy campaign
manager for Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential run. Since the Writers Guild first
walked in early May when it didn’t come to an agreement on a new labor contract,
the AMPTP, its company members and especially their CEOs have found themselves
villainized. The situation has worsened for management as workers have made
their case on social media while the AMPTP has chosen to remain silent — except,
of course, for step-in-it moments like Disney chief Bob Iger’s Sun Valley
commentary, which provoked its own backlash. The Levinson Group’s hiring in
recent days follows consideration of several firms. It has yet to finalize its
action plan, which will follow the apparent breakdown of the recently renewed
talks between the AMPTP and the WGA. The union condemned the association’s
messaging decision to publicly release, on Aug. 22, the studios’ counteroffer,
considering it to be an end-run around its negotiating committee.