Civil Service and Labor Committee Hearing
“It is important to the City of New York to encourage the growth of well-paying, stable jobs in the creative economy. Nonfiction television, an expanding and lucrative industry, is important to this growth. The jobs it provides should meet certain standards that our community values, not the least of which is adherence to the law,” said Councilman Miller.
“What these big companies have figured out is how to squeeze the most out of their employees. These companies contract to make programs on ever-shorter schedules, which means the producers, associate producers, editors, and crews have to work ever-longer hours. These companies don’t pay overtime for these longer hours,” said David Von Taylor, nonfiction television producer for over 25 years. “The current business model of non-fiction television- which depends on squeezing freelancers beyond the limits of the law and their endurance- is not sustainable for me, for my colleagues, or New City.”