Hollywood Commission Launches On Set Harassment & Abuse Prevention Tools For Independent Productions

The Anita Hill-led Hollywood Commission has launched a new suite of resources aimed at fostering workplace safety for independent film productions.

As part of the organization’s Respect on Set initiative, the online tools were developed in close collaboration with INDIE, an IATSE sexual harassment prevention committee for low-budget producers that was established last year and is led by Jeanette Volturno, Monica Levinson, and Bart Rosenblatt.

The resources are designed to be a turnkey toolkit for independent producers including sample codes of conduct, customizable policy templates, pre-production audit and implementation checklists, communication tools, training resources and practical guidance for fulfilling the responsibilities of IATSE‘s Low Budget Agreement (LBA) (which covers films with budgets under $15M).

Under In IATSE’s current LBA, employers must establish multiple avenues to report harassment or abusive conduct, which does not include any complaints made to the union itself. The latest addition to the Hollywood Commission’s online resource hub is another step toward establishing consistent practices to address harassment and abuse on set.

“This is the resource independent producers have been asking for. Like everyone in our industry, producers are committed to safe, effective, and creative sets – places where everyone can do their best work to tell the stories that entertain the world. Through our multi-year collaboration with the Hollywood Commission and IATSE, these tools help make that possible,” INDIE’s Jeanette Volturno, Monica Levinson and Bart Rosenblatt said in a joint statement.

Added IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb: “The efforts to provide safe and healthy workplaces free of abuse, sexual assault and harassment depend on our continued vigilance. The Respect on Set resource provides a powerful new tool to further advance that goal.”

The Hollywood Commission in October 2017. Hill serves as chair and president alongside board members Cindy Holland, Alan Jenkins, Kathleen Kennedy, John Landgraf, and Nina Shaw. The organization works in partnership with 26 companies, unions and guilds, academies, and talent agencies to end harassment, discrimination, bullying, and abuse in the entertainment industry.

Of Tuesday’s news, Hill said in a statement: “Independent and low-budget productions have often lacked the resources to provide their workers with the protections they deserve. This new toolkit makes it easier than ever to fulfill those obligations. Respect on Set—from pre to post—is the tool that producers have been asking for: their checklist of what to do, when to do it, and how to get it done.”