Entertainment Guilds: A Framework for Navigating The Industry

This survey course examines the entertainment industry through the framework created by collective bargaining agreements with industry unions and guilds. Because the entertainment industry is heavily unionized, it provides an ideal backdrop to study the intersection of advocacy, negotiation, and creative rights critical to lawyers, talent, crew, and studios in the industry. This course will focus on the agreements with high profile guilds and unions representing performers, directors, writers, and crew members.

Although this class is especially relevant to those interested in entertainment law, it will be informative about the dynamics and relationship between unions and companies in any industry. The intent of the course is to provide students with working knowledge of key provisions in the Entertainment Guild Agreements, while highlighting arbitration decisions and unique practices in the industry relating to talent deals, residuals, production logistics, and creative rights. There will also be focus on the changing landscape of the industry due to evolving distribution models and the impact of COVID-19 on day-to-day production activities.