Buchwald Signs WGA Franchise Agreement; Second ATA Agency to Break Ranks This Week

The Writers Guild of America announced Thursday that Buchwald has joined Pantheon and Kaplan Stahler as the third member of the Association of Talent Agents to sign on to their new franchise agreement, becoming the second agency this week to break ranks with the ATA as its battle with the guild over packaging fees continues. For months, the WGA’s members have been working without representation, leaving their agencies after authorizing the guild to enforce a new Code of Conduct that requires agencies to eliminate packaging fees — fees paid by a studio to agencies to gather talent for a project...