Dr. David Smith Quoted in the L.A. Times

Dr. David Smith was recently quoted in a Los Angeles Times article, "Hollywood writers consider firing their agents en masse," commenting on the Writers Guild of America’s dispute with talent agencies. The WGA has concerns about the long-standing practice of packaging fees and the newer trend of major talent agencies, including Endeavor, CAA and UTA, moving into TV and film production businesses. Writers’ concerns have grown so acute that the Writers Guild of America has taken the unprecedented step of asking its thousands of members to fire their agents if they don’t agree to a new code of conduct that would effectively end these practices. The level of acrimony has risen in recent weeks as the WGA has stepped up the rhetoric and some industry observers think the heated rhetoric coming from the writers could be a negotiating tactic. Dr. Smith says “they're trying to signal a strong position—they're not going to budge. But if you overplay your hand, your bluff can be called.”