ATLANTA — Film production employees worked for weeks on a movie shot in metro Atlanta, but they are now asking for help after they said they were never paid.
In some cases, the workers said they’re owed thousands of dollars.
“Nobody’s going to get their paycheck is what we’re all worried about,” said a film industry employee who didn’t want their identity revealed -- fearing speaking to 11Alive would block him from future work.
But he said 75 to 100 employees working on the movie "Destiny" have not received their final checks for the production that ended almost a month ago.
“A lot of people are all owed multiple thousands of dollars for hard labor,” added the worker, who told 11Alive the unpaid group includes cameramen, grips, caterers, makeup artists and people who helped with lighting and transportation.
He said they were originally promised their checks would arrive before Christmas. The deadline then changed to before the New Year, but as of Friday, they still hadn't been paid.
“The problem is that no one has been in touch with us -- telling us what’s going on from this production company,” the worker said.
The state and city film commissions recommended reaching out to the unions for further clarification on the situation.
11Alive reached out to both International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 479 and Local 600 unions. They both confirmed they were aware of the issue, but wouldn’t provide any information beyond that.
After several more calls, an employee at the production company alleged the payroll company is refusing to release the funds.
We also received a statement from their legal team at Walker & Associates reads in part:
“Our clients value each and every one of the employees and all employees not connected to the union process have been paid"."
The statement went on to say they prefunded the payroll weeks ago for union employees and the payroll company is waiting on paperwork approval which was slowed in recent weeks.
This is a response the workers said isn’t adequate after they went through the holidays without being paid.
“I’m owed at least $5,000 plus and that’s similar for a lot of people, it’s one of the most important checks of the year," he said. "It’s Christmas presents for kids or all the bills after buying those gifts."
The worker we talked to advised others who are new to the industry to be on alert and research who is in charge of production prior to taking a gig.
Below is the full statement from Destiny LCC's through their legal team at Walker & Associates:
“Our clients value each and every one of the employees and have been as frustrated as they have been through this process. First, we want to note all employees not connected to the Union process have been paid.
For those with the union, our client pre-funded payroll through a significant monetary deposit weeks ago; consequently, the holdup is not with the production itself, but with the payroll company and we have proof of such background.
The payroll company has been asked to run payroll multiple times, but they are waiting on paperwork approval from third-party Union-related organizations. This process has been slower than normal due to the holidays and staffers at these organizations being out of the office, which is common and nothing intentional. We are staying on top of this situation to ensure that everyone receives what they are due. And again, we feel horrible that there have been these technical delays for some of the folks who worked on this great production."