The Producers Guild Announces Groundbreaking Initiative To Fund Health Insurance For Producers at the PGA Awards, Blumhouse, Legendary, MACRO and Berlanti Productions On Board
LOS ANGELES, CA — This evening, at the 35th Annual Producers Guild Awards, the Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced a landmark initiative aimed at ensuring health insurance benefits for every qualified producer working full-time in the film and television industry.
“Producers, unlike unionized creative professionals in the industry, lack guaranteed health insurance benefits. No one should go without these essential benefits. Producing is challenging enough without the added anxiety of wondering how you are going to obtain health coverage for you and your family,” said Producers Guild of America Presidents, Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line.
The Guild is asking that all production companies (including studios and streamers) provide health benefits for qualified producers with credits recognized by the PGA who are working full-time on their eligible projects by: (1) making contributions through the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plan for eligible producers on qualifying productions and (2) for all other producers who can’t access benefits through an existing industry plan or union contract, including a direct payment line item in their production budgets for producers to purchase their own health insurance.
Blumhouse, Legendary, MACRO and Berlanti Productions are the first to sign on to this important initiative, having pledged to include in its production budgets health insurance contributions in support of eligible producers through the MPI’s Health Plan and, for full-time producers ineligible for insurance through MPI or a union agreement, a direct contribution to producers so that they may purchase health insurance on the open market.
“The Producers Guild Healthcare Initiative is an opportunity for our industry to rally behind producers and pave the way for future generations,” said Allain and De Line. “We applaud Blumhouse, Legendary, Berlanti Productions and MACRO for taking this groundbreaking first step, and encourage all production companies across the industry to join us in this essential movement.”
“Producers are the only group of creative professionals without a union on set, so we have to look out for each other. Taking care of our own is good business, good for families and good for our industry, and I’m proud to be part of the group leading this initiative,” said Jason Blum, Blumhouse CEO & Founder.
This cause, which was started by PGA member, Harvey Wilson, and gained momentum as a prime PGA priority under the guidance of past PGA Presidents Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher, will help to close the health benefits gap that so many producers face.
PGA has suggested that production companies offering a production budget line item contribution commit to budgeting at least $3.33/hour/producer for eligible full-time producers to be used towards the purchase of a health insurance plan.