Jorge Camara, President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a not-for-profit California corporation comprised of journalists, which wholly owns the “Golden Globe Awards,” today issued the following statement in response to media and other inquiries:
I am happy to announce that on Saturday morning, December 29, 2007, our attorneys began discussions with the Writers Guild of America to enter into an interim agreement similar to that entered into by the WGA and Worldwide Pants, which permits writers guild members to go back to work writing for “The Late Show with David Letterman.” We feel that the “Late Show with David Letterman” agreement is very reasonable, and hope and expect the WGA will agree to the same terms and ultimately permit the “Golden Globe Awards” to be broadcast as scheduled, without picket lines, on Sunday, January 13.
We are pleased that the WGA has made interim agreements available for independent production companies. The process established by the WGA permits writers to get back to work, grants the WGA the rights it is seeking on behalf of all writers, and allows certain shows to move forward. The “Late Show with David Letterman” and the “Golden Globe Awards” are similar in structure and are administered in the same way. Worldwide Pants produces “The Late Show with David Letterman” for broadcast on behalf of David Letterman, Dick Clark Productions produces the “Golden Globe Awards” for broadcast on behalf of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. CBS does not own “Late Show with David Letterman,” and NBC does not own the “Golden Globe Awards.”
We strongly support the WGA and the efforts they are making on behalf of writers, and applaud the fact that they have agreed to allow certain industry awards shows to move forward with WGA writers and be broadcast. Much like the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Film Independent’s Spirit Awards, we want to enter into an agreement with the WGA that will allow the entertainment industry to celebrate the outstanding work of creative individuals in addition to millions of fans nationwide. It is only fair that we be afforded the same opportunity as these other awards shows.
What’s more, our partners at Dick Clark Productions share in our support of the WGA and their efforts and have agreed to enter into interim agreements for all of their productions, including the “American Music Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” and “The Academy of Country Music Awards,” among others.
An interim agreement with the WGA will also help numerous schools and entertainment industry non-profit organizations receive annual donations from the HFPA. Over the last several years the HFPA has contributed approximately $8 million to organizations including The Film Foundation, Sundance Institute, Film Independent, American Cinematheque and schools including USC, UCLA, and Cal Arts. All of these programs will be severely impacted without the funds made available as a direct result of the Golden Globe Awards broadcast.
