Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers

Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
AbbreviationAMPTP
Founded1924; 100 years ago (1924)
TypeTrade association
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Location
  • United States
Members
President
Carol Lombardini
AffiliationsMPA
Websitewww.amptp.org
Formerly called
Association of Motion Picture Producers

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP)[a] is a trade association based in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, that represents over 350 American television and film production companies in collective bargaining negotiations with entertainment industry trade unions that include, among others, SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America West and East, the American Federation of Musicians, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.[2]

Overview

As the entertainment industry's official collective bargaining representative,[3] the AMPTP, like the Motion Picture Association (MPA), is a key trade association for major film and television producers in the United States. The AMPTP currently negotiates 80 industry-wide collective bargaining agreements on behalf of over 350 motion picture and television producers. AMPTP member companies include the major motion picture studios (including Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros.), the principal broadcast television networks (including ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC), streaming services like Netflix, Apple TV+,[4] and Amazon,[4][5] certain cable television networks, and other independent film and television production companies.[citation needed]

History

The AMPTP was founded in 1924 as the Association of Motion Picture Producers (AMPP).[1] It merged with the Alliance of Television Film Producers (ATFP) in 1964[b] and was renamed the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers.[7] In 1966, it also merged with the Society of Independent Producers (formed in 1964).[8] In September 1975, Universal quit the Association during craft negotiations and United Artists and Walt Disney Productions also notified the Association of their intention to withdraw the following month.[9] Paramount and Universal formed a new organization, the Alliance. In 1982, the Alliance and the AMPTP merged to form the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.[7][10]

Since its formation, the AMPTP has only had two presidents, beginning with Nick Counter from 1982 until 2009.[11] With Counter's retirement in March 2009, Carol Lombardini took over on an interim basis until becoming permanent president seven months later in October.[12][13]

Jarryd Gonzales served as AMPTP's spokesperson from 2015 to 2023.[14][15]

The AMPTP was an affiliate of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Jack Valenti, former top White House aide to Lyndon Johnson, started his long tenure as MPAA president in 1966.[16][9]

Other key 20th-century film industry executives who helped shape producer associations were Joseph Schenck,[17] Lew Wasserman,[18] Sid Sheinberg,[9] Y. Frank Freeman[19] and Richard Jencks.[20]

In October 2023, it was announced that over 2300 film and TV producers signed a petition to drop the word "Producers" from the AMPTP acronym (so that it would be AMPT), saying it was "left over from a long-gone era." They claimed that the alliance no longer reflected the interests of working producers, but rather the interests of studio CEOs.[21][22]

Post Production Guild

In 2022, post-production workers in New York City, represented by Communications Workers of America (CWA) under the name The Post Production Guild, signed union cards and asked AMPTP for voluntary union recognition. AMPTP declined to voluntarily recognize the union, saying they support "a secret ballot election process by which a union can become certified as the collective bargaining representative of employees". The CWA referred to AMPTP as "anti-union", alleging the workers are "supervisors" and ineligible for representation by the National Labor Relations Board. The group filed for a union election on March 8, 2022.[23]

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ Formerly the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers.[1]
  2. ^ Founded in 1951.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) Records". Margaret Herrick Library. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  2. ^ "AMPTP". www.amptp.org. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  3. ^ Hess, John P. (September 3, 2012). "A Guide to Hollywood Unions". FilmmakerIQ.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Tran, Diep (October 20, 2021). "What We Know So Far About the IATSE + AMPTP Deal". Backstage. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Sakoui, Anousha (July 30, 2021). "Netflix joins Hollywood studio producers' alliance". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  6. ^ Bognar, Desi K. (1999). International Dictionary of Broadcasting and Film. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1136054014. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2018.[page needed]
  7. ^ a b Katz, Ephraim; Nolen, Ronald Dean (2013). The Film Encyclopedia (7th ed.). Harper Collins. p. 31. ISBN 978-0062277114. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  8. ^ "Society of Independent Producers Expected to Go for AMPTP Absorbtion". Variety. November 2, 1966. p. 3.
  9. ^ a b c "AMPTP At Moment Of Truth". Daily Variety. October 10, 1975. p. 1.
  10. ^ "ALLIANCE OF MOTION PICTURE AND TELEVISION PRODUCERS". Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  11. ^ "Nick Counter dies at 69; former chief negotiator for major studios". Los Angeles Times (Obituary). November 7, 2009. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  12. ^ Lang, Brent (November 6, 2009). "Obit: Former AMPTP President Nick Counter Chief negotiator of multiple labor disputes, Counter remembered as a consensus builder". TheWrap. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  13. ^ "Carol Lombardini Named AMPTP President Had been acting president since Nick Counter retired in April". TheWrap. October 15, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  14. ^ Robb, David (May 6, 2015). "AMPTP Taps Former California GOP Strategist As New Spokesman". Deadline. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  15. ^ Serjeant, Jill (November 15, 2021). "Hollywood crew members narrowly approve contract with TV and film producers". Reuters. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  16. ^ Suplee, Curt (July 8, 1981). "The Movie Mystique: Moguls to Munchies". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  17. ^ "70 Years of Milestones". Directors Guild of America. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  18. ^ Natale, Richard (March 15, 1993). "Lew Wasserman at 80". Variety. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  19. ^ "Y. Frank Freeman Dies at 78; Retired Paramount Executive". The New York Times. February 7, 1969. p. 37. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  20. ^ Liberatore, Paul (July 11, 2014). "Retired CBS president Richard Jencks of Mill Valley dies at 93". Marin Independent Journal. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  21. ^ Grobar, Matt (October 10, 2023). "2,000+ Top Producers Sign Petition To Drop Second "P" From AMPTP, Part Of Larger Push To Address Inequities; Cathy Schulman, Jason Blum, Dede Gardner, Todd Garner Among Signees". Deadline. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  22. ^ "Producers Union Asks AMPTP to Drop 'P' From Its Name: 'Left Over From a Long-Gone Era'". The Wrap. October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  23. ^ Kilkenny, Katie (March 8, 2022). "N.Y. Postproduction Workers File to Unionize Over AMPTP's Voluntary Recognition Objection". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.