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REPORT: Labor Issue Between Prospect Park's All My Children and IATSE On Certain Episodes?

Photo Credit: David Russell/TOLN

Photo Credit: David Russell/TOLN

The Union that represents the crew of Prospect Park’s All My Children is trying to make it’s case that it’ s members may have been underpayed for working on several episodes of production of the soap, according to a report and an item in The Wrap!

According to The Wrap:  “The issue is between Prospect Park, the production company that gave the sudser a new life on the internet, and the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees – Local 52. Representatives from IATSE are going over the production’s books to see if  All My Children has gone over budget and violated a labor agreement in the process, according to an individual with knowledge of the union’s plans.

The Wrap continued by stating, “When Prospect Park revived the canceled ABC program for the web this year, it hammered out a deal with the union that allowed it to pay members less than the standard day rate as long as it did not spend more than $125,000 per episode. The union believes that on certain episodes, All My Children may have more than doubled that figure.  A spokeswoman for Prospect Park declined to comment on any discussions with IATSE but was adamant that the budget of each episode was well below $100,000.  IATSE-Local 52 did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

If the production is found to have gone over budget, that could trigger tens of thousands of dollars in back pay to union members.   It also may means that Prospect Park will have to shoulder additional costs, such as travel expenses for crew.

Moreover, the union believes that Prospect Park’s decision to broadcast episodes of  All My Children on FX Canada also violates its contractual agreement to only release episodes on the internet during the nine months after they are produced. As with any budget overages, crew members also will be compensated if Prospect Park did indeed run afoul of the contract. The company announced last month that it will no longer air episodes of the show in Canada.”

So soap fans, what do you think of the latest?  We know from reports, that AMC and OLTL are  trying to maintain a certain high level of quality in production within the framework of  their deal and contract for the online soaps with IATSE.

 

 

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The union workers most definitely deserved to be adequately compensated – no argument there. And PP HAS to stay true to what they agreed to with them.
But I also don’t want to see a situation where the union stands on their rights and possibly causes job losses for their members.
BIG picture, people! – both PP AND IATSE.

I agree.

Now I understand why people hate unions . Do they not get by arguing over a tiny amount of money the whole project will be scrapped and there will be NO money ??

There is nothing to hate here. Prospect Park made a legal agreement to stay within a certain budget. The networks are expected to follow rules so is Prospect Park. The only one at fault here would be Prospect Park

I agree. This situation is little like having a roommate who tells you they can’t afford the full share of the rent for the month, so you cover them, but then they come home with a new iPhone- and you think, if they are so poor where did the money for the phone come from? The union gave PP a break on the union wage so they could afford to put on this show- then PP spent more than they said they could afford– the union has every right to cry foul.

AGREED

Unions regularly argue, it is part of their job, to make disputes ..
PP will have to put it with it ..

Not all people hate unions…when i was a kid my father belonged to a union and they helped him save his job and home…otherwise we wouldve ended up on welfare.

Mary SF is point on with her post. Prospect Park said look we cannot afford to pay the normal rate. The union made the deal with them saying ok you cannot afford to pay the normal rate then your production costs should also be at a certain place. PP agreed to that. I just feel really bad for the fans of AMC and OLTL. The revivals have already had issues with the shows being cut from 4 per week to 2 now this, what else wil happen. Hate to see the fans of these shows lose them again due to PP being so inept

As long as my OLTL is on I am happy. Why can’t they leave PP alone. They are the answer to millions of prayers. Now Canada fans are very unhappy. How is that justice? LEAVE OUR SOAPS ALONE.

I’m a life long OLTL fan, though I am enjoying this version of AMC as well, and agree with you. I am so happy to have OLTL back and yes, “they are the answer to millions of prayers.” Everyone should be grateful that the shows are on somewhere. LEAVE OUR SOAPS ALONE.

I agree!

I wonder if Prospect Park was going over budget and that is why they cut the episode count. Regardless this is just another piece of bad news and poor mismanagement by Prospect Park.

Sadly I don’t see the online revivals of these shows lasting that much longer which is sad for its fans

I heard the spending has been $80,000 and $95,000 per episode

I disagree with your last comment… We have to keep a postive outlook and not be negative….

I wouldn’t be burying a life body so fast were I you. If PP didn’t live up to their end of the bargain then the union has every right to go for what is in the contract. A deal IS a deal.
But to go from this to the cancellation of the shows – and to assume that the other stories about bumps in the road is a map to destruction is……overreaction at the very least.
PP has put it out there, unlike ABC which lied to us every which way possible. I respect that and appreciate it after all the bull we were fed for so many years.

Prospect may be upfront in some cases but they are still mismanaging things.

There are no stories there have just been many bumps in the road. After a suposed great first week there has been nothing but negative

They cut episodes from 4 to 2 per week. They lost the Canadian TV deal. Now this issue with the union. Things just seem to keep piling up.

People can say I am being negative but there has just been a lot of stuff. That is a sign of mis management. Poor management can only go so far. I hope I am wrong but I just don’t see these revivials lasting long. If that is the case I feel bad for all the fans of these shows to get their shows back only to lose them again so quickly

Please don’t blame PP-Give this new venue a chance!!!

All of these legal troubles with PP are making me nervous. I like the new versions of our shows, it’s just that PP seems to be lacking in professionalism and experience. It is worrying.

ALL the legal problems, what are are you talking about, 1 ..
It is a union dispute.. very common..
PP could very well be in the right.. They said they are and until it is proven different, I suggest to shelf all the pessimistic doom, it is not necessary 🙂

You do know things like this are common with unions lol ..

I doubt that it’s even true. Just because a union says it doesn’t make it so. More likely is the fact that because the shows are doing so well, the unions want to get a bigger piece of the pie, and with this being so new they figure they can get PP over a barrel and bully them into giving them whatever they want.

What i meant about basics is character driven stories with the regular characters they have(how is that boring?) and i suggested cut out musical guests and location shooting to save pp some money!!!

I wonder of this will affect OLTL, if they are going to be looked at I hope not – its a smaller cast so their costs shouldn’t be as much you would think

DITTO!!!!!

The more problems i hear about PP behind the scenes the more i feel they were the wrong people to do the reboots! If this keeps up i have a feeling these reboots might not see a second season unless they work these problems out or some other company takes over but i doubt the latter will happen. I dont watch AMC anymore and i only watch OLTL on occassion but id still hate to see either one cancelled. Both shows should stick to the basics for now, cut out location scenes and temporarily discontinue guest stars like the musical acts and maybe this will help keep costs down. Also id film them as one hour once a week with 52 episodes a year and sell them on dvd?

It’s always nice when non-fans who are non-experts jump in with criticism. This will be settled before you know it.

I agree, it is a learning curve row Prospect Park is doing everything possible to make this work there will be bumps in the road like any new thing. Also you get more content in the 2 episodes than you would if they cut it to the hour format it use to be.

Yeah, armchair quarterbacks for sure. Some people are just negative on every single question. This is all new to everyone and a different company wouldn’t make a bit of difference. Things will get worked out just like they did when soaps went from radio to tv. It takes time.

Who would want to watch a show just doing the basics anyway….boring.

Ive watched the show since the 1980s and have the entire final year on tape and i go on utube to watch vintage episodes ive missed…if that makes me a non fan then you need your head examined…im not entirely criticising the shows im trying to look for possible ways to save them…how do you know how soon this will be settled…you an expert too? Like it or not, i , just like you can express what we like or dislike about our soaps…this is what these message boards are for and a good way for these shows to see what mostly works and what doesnt…i want exactly what you want…i hope…and its for these shows to succeed…i dont claim to be an expert but after watching soaps for nearly 50 years i do know what i like and dislike about them!

Well said. Every time PP has the deceny to be honest with the viewers the crepe hangers come out ready to bury the shows. And then there’s the constant “advice” about how to make it work, or even worse, the ones who give us the “facts” about why it can’t possibly succeed.
And yet, as far as I’ve read, not one of them knows anything about launching a show, much less an online reboot in real time.
Chicken Little and “the Sky is Falling” must be their inspiration.

My little Margie…get off mine first…and grow up while your at!!!

And another thing that went right over your head….

what i meant about sticking to basics is character driven storylines and to cut costs id drop location shootings and musical guest stars for now. more content in two episodes like what?…the fillers? I still feel one episode per week at one hour would work better since pp thinks new fans wont follow everyday.

Get off my lawn….jimh…..grumble grumble….back pedal…

underpaid

Is that $100,000 for everything, including salaries? Doesn’t sound like much.

These are merely the growing pains associated with moving broadcast shows to new media. Don’t panic and keep watching!

I thought today’s episode of AMC was very exciting. The tension builds.

Although I love having OLTL back… there is no tension building on it, sadly.

Something is rotten in Denmark.

It’s the cheese.

I would really like for PP to get some good publicity for a change. There are too many problems and too many changes, all leading to the impression that they’re not doing well or not in control of things the way they should be. That may not be accurate, but with one public relations problem after another, it’s the way things look and that can be just as bad as if it were true.

More bad news on behalf of Prospect Park. Over budget, now, this is making more sense why the episodes were cut per week. I have a feeling there’s more going on behind the scenes, that we’re not aware of. It doesn’t appear that this reboot will be successful. Too much have gone wrong for us to believe this will succeed. I’m grateful the shows are back, but when you hear news like this, you can’t feel optimistic about the future. Hope things improve with the management at Prospect Park, otherwise, we can see another cancellation in the works, and more workers unemployed. This is a huge labor issue and the management of the finances needs to be handled more efficiently.

Wow. A little overreaction, much?
So every time you get a cold do you make an appointment with a funeral parlor?

LMAO

What’s going here? This a responsibility and NOT a toy Prospect Park!
I was just getting used to having OLTL back.

I’ve noticed on OLTL Jessica is not even mentioned… What’s up with that? All these problems will be resolved. And everything will ce on the right track…I am going to have
a positive thoughts!!!!!!!!!!! I refuse to think gloom & doom!

As a long-time (really long-time) fan of ALL MY CHILDREN I was really very happy that the shows would come back. I have watched religiously but have not been overly thrilled with the on-line episodes thus far – was hoping the new writers could breathe some life into the scripts – this reboot project has been heavy laden with problems unfortunately. Now, there are problems with the union, I don’t know, it doesn’t sound terribly encouraging.

I really just want the shows to stay on please please please

I am not a fan of unions but they rule the entertainment industry. Prospect park cut production in half, meaning employees could be seeing half paychecks. June taping was canceled probably due to money problems. Cannot imagine these shows will last the year. Scripted drama is incredibly expensive and these shows are not on TV.

They went on Hiatus 10 days early OMG the sky is falling isn’t it Chicken Little???

It is unions, they are always in a dispute..
With network tv, and movies, the unions are in disputes, we just head about PP’s, but it in common for unions..
I’m sure all will be fine.. PP most likely abides by the agreements, they said they did, so until proven other wise they have..

Now will start all the PANIC imagination stories– from doomgloom fans..

This is yet another signal that Prospect Park is in way over their heads and these reboots won’t last.

Well, how could the shows succeed when they didn’t put you at the helm?

I couldn’t agree more, Nick. I think from the beginning Prospect Park knew they were getting themselves in too deep (hence, why the original reboot did not occur) and now more problems keep coming out day after day.

Here we go again. PP should know better seeing that they produce Royal Pains for USA network. Ultimately the fault lies with ABC/D for canceling AMC & OLTL in the first place!

I am very happy for people who have their soaps “back”, but this is one out of many conflicts that have come out regarding Prospect Park and I find it disturbing. Without these union members, you would NOT have your shows so for people complaining that these workers should “leave Prospect Park alone”, think about how you would react if you were not being paid properly for a service. I hope that these workers can get what is owed to them. If this is one of the things that shuts down production, it is not the workers’ faults, it is Prospect Park’s for not knowing how to properly run a production.

If PP is in the wrong then it needs to be made right. A deal is a deal, and without the unions there would be no reboot to begin with.
BUT I don’t think it’s right to assume that PP is in the wrong until that is proved. And it’s certainly not right to assume that they don’t know “how to properly run a production” based on fragmentary information.

Well, considering it is Prospect Park who are not adequetly meeting their contractual needs with these union workers, I would say there is no question as to if they are in the wrong or not.

So funny Boes how the audit is not even done yet BUT PP is not meeting their contractual needs BLAH BLAH BLAH! OMG!!!!

I think PP made bad business decisions on many levels. The first was pushing for a production deadline by the company that financed the venture. Second, was having AMC and OLTL share the same stage, forcing the workers to more than likely work on getting things finished in time for OLTL or AMC whoever went to production first to take over their filming while the other gets time off.

I have to agree with most of you. You can’t blame the workers for wanting their fair share from PP, who has no idea what they’re doing. That’s why Pepperman’s recent article made me laugh. Pepperman and PP have no idea what they are doing, organization wise. When management in any medium doesn’t know how to run a business, it falls on the workers to compensate. And those workers get the short end of the stick.

I hope the union protects their workers and teaches PP a thing or two!

I love how some of you are calling crap on the unions. Unions are here for a reason. If Bangladesh had a union, maybe 1000 people wouldn’t be dead right now in that building collapse making clothing for you. Of course, I’m not saying PP is using such horrendous conditions, but they are responsible for what they have signed to get these shows going again. Also, if your knocking unions, you also knocking actors such as Jill Larson who worked on the original negotiations to get these shows on the internet. All actors belong to the actors union…so your knocking them down too? Same thing for writers, directors, stage hands, etc. I think PP’s eyes have opened up REAL BIG over how much these soaps actually cost to produce. In the last few years, both AMC & OLTL (along with GH) have worked within their budget by ABC…granted it still got them cancelled. PP seems to have gone over budget. Some of you aren’t fans of the large cast GH has but both AMC & OLTL seem to have large casts as well. I just don’t see the revenue coming into PP that would come in on broadcast TV or paid cable. I would love for both shows to be financially solvent in every way and have every success in the world. I’m not being a doomsayer here but what if I were? Some of you need to face the truth that PP seems to be overcome with what is required for these shows. They had quite some time to pre-plan all of this before the shows started production. The unions wouldn’t have signed on (as neither the actors, writers, etc) if all wasn’t okey dokey. To demonize the unions is rather shortsighted since if there were no unions, you wouldn’t even have actors who would want to do this at all. Granted, all is not perfect on the union side either but I find PP at fault here.

Not everyone is demonizing the unions. PP made a contract and it has to be honored. Anti-union sentiment is mostly a bunch of b.s. IMO.
But it is apparent that the PP naysayers can’t let a thing pass by – no matter how little information they actually have – to have both shows and PP dead and buried.
There are so many pronouncements by so many doomsday types who know no more than anyone else but pontificate as if they do. The pleasure they seem to get isn’t all that mystifying, either. There’s always somebody who can’t bear not to appear to know all the worst news, made up or not.
PP is letting it all hang out, which is something ABC never did. For some that’s a breath of fresh air – for others, it’s an easy target for lazy thinking.

BRAVO BOES!!!!!!

I wish PP would let us know the truth if the ratings have picked up since cutting back to 2 episodes a week for AMC and OLTL. I hope PP is being fair to the actors and behind-the-scene workers. I don’t want to see either soap dropped due to mismanagement or lack of viewers watching. PP- what is the status on ratings?

this happens everyday people.give it a rest! The are Back Be Happy. People who are bashing PP need to wake up!! they were not born yesterday. this nothing new for them

OMG THANK YOU THOMAS! SOMEONE ON THIS BOARD WITH A WORKING BRAIN!!! YAY!!!

your welcome I just know how it works

Canada can watch these shows on the internet just like we have to. I think USA or FX or Soapnet is a good idea for everyone. So for now I have my laptop & HDMI & my TV-what next? Thanks to PP for bringing our favorite shows back -GREAT SHOWS-LOVIN’ AMC & OLTL -Amazed to see our favorite actors again & missing some actors because ABC moved them to California and CANCELED them to put on stupid shows(Revolution,Chew). I hope my laptop will last a long time-it’s on for more hours now but for my favorite shows it’s worth it. PLEASE settle this dispute-I LOVE GH , too-SAVE OUR SOAPS!!!

Canadians have to purchase the episodes through iTunes. You want that for US as well?

while i am in agreement with keeping a contract on all parts, i think the issue here is going to be the Union. PP has tried to start something new with AMC & OLTL being available to us, their loyal viewers. I would have to say 99% of the time things look great on paper while sometimes it just doesn’t work right. i don’t want to see the crew of these 2 shows harmed in any way, nor do i want to see amc & oltl go away because the union will not bend and just make demands. in this economy the union can play hell on everyone involved if the maintain a stiff back without any bend in it. that is going to harm everyone involved with production of these shows…bottom line everyone loses including us the viewers……..the union has to bend here and step back

on the other side PP is not maintaining their part in airing the 2 soaps on hulu. originally it was a new show mon thru thurs for both shows…not it appears that amc is mon & wed and oltl is tues & thurs…..however there was no new show for oltl on tues….so PP may be having other issues along with the union stuff….
i joined hulu+ just for the soaps & now find my viewing of them to be not what was promised. do i continue on with my payment so i can continue to watch the shows or do i cancel my hulu+ & just watch whatever on hulu

More bad PR for PP. Wonder what news is next?

I hope they work it out. I am sure Prospect Park, if they went over budget, it was likely unintentional. I am loving the AMC reboot, and I want it to last!

After reading all of these comments I have to say Do you ppl really think that the transition from Radio to TV was some Ultra Smooth process? It wasn’t give it time everything will work out! Quit with the word Mismanage OMG really!!!

All My Children

51st Daytime Emmys: Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa Receive Talk Show Host Nominations

On Thursday, nominations were announced in the Outstanding Talk Show category for the upcoming 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards. 

Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo, All My Children) coming off his first-year as co-host of ‘Live” with real-life wife, Kelly Ripa scored his first Talk Show Host nomination along with Ripa who has been nominated previous times.

Joining Mark and Kelly in the race are: Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell, Sheryl Underwood, The Talk and
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall.

Photo: CBS

As previously reported, The Talk is coming to its end when its upcoming 15th and final season ends in December of 2024.

The 51st annual Daytime Emmys are slated to be broadcast and stream live on CBS and Paramount+ on Friday night, June 7th

Look for the full list of nominations to drop on Friday morning at 12 noon ET/9 am PT.

So, are you rooting for Kelly and Mark to win their first Talk Show host award together? Comment below.

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All My Children

Mark Consuelos Celebrates One-Year Anniversary as Co-Host of ‘Live’ Alongside Kelly Ripa

Today, April 17th marks a full-year since Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo, All My Children) took over the co-hosting duties of ‘Live” alongside his wife, and longtime co-host, Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley, All My Children).

Consuelos replaced Ryan Seacrest who are six seasons decided to be back on the west coast full-time. For Consuelos, now having the opportunity to work off of Ripa as co-hosts has been something of adjustment for him, but viewers have been eating it up.

Live with Kelly and Mark has remained the No. 1 entertainment talk show on television over the past year, growing 3% in average total viewers to 2.23M per episode.  It is also the most-watched daytime talk show in the last year in key demos of women 18-49 and women 25-54. All of this, since the real-life marrieds teamed-up.

Photo: ABC

Speaking with Deadline, Kelly Ripa shared why the two are gelling on-screen, “I do think that there is something very possibly relatable about our relationship. We have disagreements like a normal couple, and we’re not afraid to let them unfold on the air and in front of America, and I think people find a lot of themselves in that.”

Mark weighed in how he has progressed as a host, and what he could improve at, sharing, “I’d like to get better at my interviewing skills. I’d like to get better at reading a teleprompter…I think I’m getting better at throwing to commercial. The other day in the middle of the show as we go to commercial, my sign off was ‘See you guys around.’ I mean, the show wasn’t over. The most obvious thing to say would be, ‘We’ll be back right after this.’ But I just said, ‘See you around.’ So we went to commercial and one of the producers (goes) ‘What was that?’ I don’t know… So for the next few sign offs, as a joke, I’d say ‘See you around.’ We got a kick out of it.”

Photo: ABC

Meanwhile, Kelly has given huge props to Mark, “I find Mark utterly compelling, really interesting, super funny, and he’s bold in a way like nobody else. He says what’s on his mind. If he’s thinking it, he says it.  I’ve done this a long time and oftentimes people will adjust their natural personalities to pander to what they think the audience wants to hear, and Mark will tell people what he thinks, and he doesn’t care if it’s not a popular opinion. It gives him an edginess that I think is really missing in the landscape today. Everybody’s so afraid to say anything, and Mark is unafraid to say exactly what he’s thinking.”

In a statement, Debra O’Connell, President News Group and Networks, Disney Entertainment shared, We could not be more thrilled with how Mark has seamlessly joined the show family as permanent co-host. His undeniable charisma and his and Kelly’s natural chemistry are evident as they deliver the laughs and smiles to our viewers each morning. We are incredibly proud of how Live has continued to evolve and that the audience is responding so enthusiastically.”

So, do you think Mark Consuelos is the best co-host his wife Kelly Ripa has ever had on ‘Live’? How would you say he is doing as co-host after one full year on the job? Comment below.

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All My Children

Susan Lucci Joins the Cast of Jonah Hill’s Movie ‘Outcome’

Look who will be part of the ensemble cast in motion picture and film star Jonah Hill’s new film project! That’s right, none other than Susan Lucci (ex-Erica, All My Children).

According to Deadline, the daytime television icon joins other notables including Laverne Cox and David Spade who have been added to the cast of Outcome. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Matt Bomer (ex-Ben, Guiding Light) and Cameron Diaz.

In Outcome, which is written by, and will be directed by Hill, the dark comedy centers around Reef (played by Reeves), a damaged Hollywood star who must dive into the dark depths of his past to confront his demons and make amends after he is extorted with a mysterious video clip from his past.

Photo: JPI

Soap fans know that following her iconic run as All My Children’s Erica Kane, Susan went on to be featured in Lifetime’s Devious Maids in the role of Genevieve Delatour.  Since her Pine Valley days ended (when AMC was canceled in 2012), Susan has appeared in numerous shows and made numerous appearances.  n December of 2023, Lucci was awarded the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Photo: JPI

Outcome will debut on Apple and is an Apple Studios production. The film marks the latest collaboration for Hill and Apple Original Films, who are also developing a Grateful Dead biopic with Martin Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions, to be directed by Scorsese, with Hill starring in it and as one of the producers of the project, as well.

So, intrigued to see what kind of role Susan plays in Jonah Hill’s new film ‘Outcome’? Comment below.

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