Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1516015
SPRING 2024 37 friend. The partners figured they would put in a few of weeks of work, earn a couple thousand dollars, and do their friend a solid in the process. That's when their newly hired lawyers encouraged them to ask for additional things that Amick dismissed as "insane and outrageous." Where they envisioned asking for $1,000 per week, the attorneys suggested asking for $5,000 with a guaranteed seven weeks and optional five-week extension, instead of the two that Amick and Mekler expected. They were also advised to ask for a production bonus and box office bonus—items that hadn't occurred to them. "I was afraid we were going to lose this job, insult the studio, and ruin our friendship with the director," recalls Amick. "I almost negotiated against myself and told [our lawyers] to ask for less, but they basically said, 'Let's see what happens.'" What happened was a happy ending. The studio agreed to nearly all their requests. "That was a wonderful experience that also helped me value my work so much more," Amick says. Not that a studio will routinely give you more just because you ask for it. You'll need to have persuasive reasons and be able to plead your case convincingly. "An artist needs to be able to advocate for why they should be paid a higher rate such as quotes, skills, experience, other competitive offers—and understand the risk and cost benefit of walking away," says Bradford Bricken, Partner/ Manager at Cartel Entertainment, a management and production company. "Sometimes these budgets are set, and producers can't bend on the rate. That's when it's important to try and be flexible and see if there are other creative ways to find solutions that are not monetary." These solutions could range from specialized equipment, a more favorable credit, or schedule flexibility to getting a number of guaranteed weeks or loosened exclusivity to work outside of the studio. But remember, whatever you ultimately negotiate, get it in writing. FINE TUNE THE FINE PRINT Having established a track record, including writing and executive producing on Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, TAG member Bill Wolkoff was brought in to co-develop a web comic into an animated series for a major studio. Knowing that writers in animation often get treated "like a box of Kleenex," Wolkoff says he would only sign on if his title included Executive Producer and Showrunner. When his reps took the demands to the studio, the studio finally agreed to make him an EP, but the role of Showrunner was not clearly laid out in the contract, a circumstance that would come back to bite him. "It's rare for writers to be kept on through delivery of the animatics, but as a Showrunner, that's what it should be. There's still work to be done after that, and that was what felt realistic to me," Wolkoff says. Even though he was doing the work of a Showrunner, the studio moved up his end date and refused to honor his pay-or-play option, essentially firing him a year before the end of his contract and squeezing additional work out of him at a pay rate that he had not agreed upon. Other issues to be aware of are exclusivity clauses or language that is so broad that it unfairly restricts your creativity or your ability to work on other projects. If you're on an adult show, does that mean you can't also do some work on a kids show on the side or vice-versa? "Let's say you're working on a show that's about toasters, and [the studio says] you can't work on anything that's even remotely kitchen-related for the next three years after this deal is done. That's just too broad," says Matthew Ellis, a Manager at Cartel Entertainment. "There are things that are going to be overcomplicated that may or may not actually be enforceable and that would really hinder your ability to get work in the future." The person who mentions the number first loses. Let them be the first to come up with a number, and then do your research to see whether that's a fair offer. —Lori Shreve Blake SPRING 2024 37