Hollywood Agencies Try To Soothe Post-Election Staff Anxiety With Memos, Meetings & Comfort Food
Wednesday was a difficult day in Hollywood as people in an industry that predominantly backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, working in a state that Harris carried by 20%, had to come to grips with the idea of another four years under President Donald Trump.
There was virtually no conversation in Hollywood today that did not start with people sharing their emotions after Trump’s sweeping victory.
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The hardship was not lost on some employers, mostly the Hollywood talent agencies. The major media companies largely refrained from internal communication about the elections. (Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon founder/ Executive Chairman and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos were rare top executives of companies with major media holdings to come out and publicly congratulate Trump this morning.)
Meanwhile, multiple agencies have acknowledged the emotional toll the outcome from the election has had on their employees.
WME had addressed a lot of that in division meetings on Monday, with division leaders continuing to talk to staff individually on an in-formal basis.
UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer and the Verve leadership sent out internal memos Wednesday, copies of which were obtained by Deadline.
“Last night’s result was a very tough outcome for many, who feel angry, scared, and disenfranchised,” Zimmer wrote. “While recognizing that a lot of others feel very differently, as the results reflect, discussions about understanding the ‘other’ side are for another time.”
He went on to ask for compassion. “Today, our challenge is to be there for each other, support those among us who feel particularly vulnerable, and as always do our best for our family, friends, and clients,” he said, adding, “Let’s give comfort and support where it’s needed and continue to aspire for a country that can include more, support more, and solve for the struggles of all Americans.”
The email from the Verve leadership also acknowledged that “elections are stressful.”
“However you feel today is okay; keep doing your best, and remember: We are creatives,” they wrote. “Whether we are agents, aspiring writers, budding producers, or hopeful development executives, we share a passion and belief in storytelling. To pursue a creative life demands optimism in the future: creativity is a steady march toward understanding the world around us, and without belief in what’s to come, there’s nowhere to march.”
They later added, “Regardless of how you feel about the results of today’s election, you will always have hope and your community around you,” ending the memo with, “Stay strong, stay together, stay hopeful.”
For some pick-me-up to make the post-election day less stressful, Verve offered its staffers free donuts in the morning and pizza in the afternoon.
Dominic Patten contributed to this report.
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