The Hollywood Actors' Guild was talking about striking.
With the boss barely holding on, they dared to ask for raises. It was like forcing the studio to shut before its time.
William White was a Hollywood mogul and wouldn't agree to those terms. If they wanted to strike, let them. Let's see how long they could keep it up.
Profit sharing in box office matters was no fresh idea. Famous directors and actors had it. It wasn't William White's invention.
White Films didn't spread profits equally. Eddie Murphy's cut was far higher than others who didn't hit it big.
Those who scoffed at him originally were silenced. White Films' artist contracts set the pay for sequels based on box office performance.
CAA was in a bind. Their usual tricks didn't work. If they kept pushing, they'd be marginalized.
Johnny English and Home Alone 2 didn't need CAA actors.
White Studios was pretty overbearing. Currently, CAA was a newbie, far from its future status. A ban didn't bother William White.
Package service was CAA's core business model. They heavily relied on it and weren't about to give it up. It seemed like a win-win: studios saved hassle, needing no casting directors and directly entrusting CAA. Big-name actors earned higher wages, significantly boosting their negotiating power.
...
Street-level protests were rallying around strikes, and big-name stars had no choice but to follow, unless they wanted to be completely ostracized by Hollywood.
White Films got caught in the crossfire through no fault of their own. Of course, there must have been forces pushing the agenda, and the biggest suspect was definitely CAA.
It was a real pity because they overlooked an important factor: William White was petty and quite young.
If they had negotiated amicably, he might not have held it against them. But now, the masks were off, and everyone was at odds.
The feud between White Films and CAA had only spread within a small circle, but now it was different. The Police Academy 2 planned to begin filming this year, and it publicly announced that it would not use any artists under the CAA.
No matter what kind of conflicts the two companies had, the artists were clearly vexed. Luckily, the choice was in their hands. No matter how powerful a talent agency might be, their main goal was still to serve.
"Support income for low and middle-level actors. We don't want package deals. For instance, if I only need one duck, I don't need two chickens thrown in, no matter how cheap it is."
...
White Films' statement was like a hornet's nest, hitting a nerve with actors who advocated for protecting the income of lower and middle-tier actors. The actors' guild had to publicly support it; otherwise, they'd look dumb.
"Who's the genius that decided to provoke William White? We're just a small company!"
CAA had been having a great time recently, with more and more artists under its wing. Once it expanded to a certain size, they could naturally negotiate with White Films.
And now? Their plan to isolate White Films had backfired, and they had dug a pit for themselves.
The actors' guild was also displeased. Suddenly there was no target to aim at, and causing trouble for CAA seemed pointless -- they weren't the ones paying, just a bunch of bloodsuckers.
Hollywood wasn't controlled by just one agency, and some were quick to kick CAA while they were down, since they'd been annoyed with them lately.
CAA had to shoulder the blame solidly. This wasn't White Films making baseless claims; they had detailed data to back it up.
This so-called data was simply a means of bullying. They didn't have top-tier actors, so they could afford to do this. If you hired Sylvester Stallone or Harrison Ford, this data would be impossible.
The crux of the issue was that the rabble was just a group of nobodies, and there were a lot of them. White Films' approach was naturally welcomed. Not only was there a minimum income guarantee, but if the box office did well, there were bonuses. With nothing else to complain about, any further dissatisfaction was baseless.
...
Dealing with all the headaches, William White began assembling a think tank and planned to establish a crisis management team.
In simple terms, crisis management was about polishing his public image to maintain his grand appearance.
The think tank would be even simpler; they were there to fill in the gaps for him. A lone ranger couldn't possibly stand up to these crafty old foxes.
*****
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