Top Agencies Lead New Coalition To Push For U.S. Indie Production

A group of talent agencies and producers have joined forces to create to the American Entertainment Alliance dedicated to promoting U.S. independent production. The new coalition will push for legislation requiring major studios and streamers to allocate half of their original content budgets to indie production. Founding members include CAA, WME, UTA, Anonymous Content, Blumhouse, CAA, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment, Jeff Sagansky, Legendary Entertainment, MRC, Peter Chernin’s North Road, Producers United, Propagate Content and Ziffren Brittenham. The AEI is focused on strengthening competition, expanding opportunities for indie producers and creators, and supporting film and TV production in the U.S., addressing a fundamental restructuring of the entertainment business. Studio consolidation and streaming have dramatically narrowed the market for independent content, disrupting the economics of film and TV, said UTA on Instagram today, noting it’s “proud to be a member of the American Entertainment Alliance” The AEA will advocate for “modern creative ownership rules that reflect today’s streaming marketplace” and support policies that make the U.S. more competitive as a production destination. Watch on Deadline The number of original television series has fallen dramatically in recent years from what in hindsight has been dubbed ”peak TV” and consolidation in the industry has deeply rattled the industry, none more than the $110-billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery that closed last week. The giant company now called Skydance Media made some commitments to the indie film space in a settlement with a group of Attorneys General who had sued to block the merger. They include a promise that four films a year from the combined studios’ slate will be independent, defined in this case as based on an original screenplay or co-produced by Paramount. Paramount must also establish a $25 million Independent Film Fund ($5 million per year for five years) specifically designated to acquire and fund indie films. Likewise, the idea behind the new Alliance is that forcing Hollywood’s biggest players to source a big chunk of content from outside would reenergize the market. “As film and television increasingly consolidate, we need a regulatory framework that puts creators first, protects industry workers and preserves competition,” said UTA Vice Chair Jay Sures. The Alliance was first reported in the New York Times. The group’s push in Washington, D.C. would follow key legislation introduced last month providing the first ever federal tax credit for U.S. production, which could be layered on top of state incentives. It’s not clear if or how or it will move ahead but a group of bipartisan legislators sponsoring the measure is hoping to pass it by January, likely attached to a spending bill later this fall.