Media & Entertainment Law

AMJ: If I?m Elected, David White is Out

By Jonathan Handel, Esq.

In a campaign video, Membership First?s candidate for SAG president, Anne-Marie Johnson says that one her first proposals as new president would be to recommend to the national board that ?a search committee be seated . . . immediately? to replace SAG interim National Executive Director David White. Ousted NED Doug Allen would "probably" not come back.

That?s the same David White under whose administration (and chief negotiator John McGuire) multiple SAG collective bargaining agreements were finally signed, including the two largest: the TV/theatrical contract, which Membership First stalemated for a year, and the commercials contract, which was delayed by that stalemate. In contrast, Membership First, under the Doug Allen administration, closed no deals at all.

Johnson justifies her position by asserting White has made clear he was solely the interim NED, but that seems misleading: so far as I?m aware, White never said he didn?t want the job on a permanent basis. So far as I?m aware, White has never taken a public position on this one way or the other.

So if AMJ wants White out, would Doug Allen be coming back? Johnson says she has ?no idea.? After praising Allen, she goes on the speculate that he?s doing other things and would ?probably not be available for the job.?

The video is about 9 minutes long; the discussion of the NED begins about 3 minutes into it and continues for several minutes.

Full post as published by Digital Media Law on September 18, 2009 (boomark / email).