IATSE Logo - H 2012
It looks like there’s no escape from an IATSE picket line for The Great Escape, a new TNT reality show about ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges. The feet hit the street Saturday morning, with a strike declared just hours after IATSE labeled the show’s producer, Profiles Entertainment, an unfair employer for allegedly obstructing the union’s organizing efforts.
The IATSE statement did not describe what the producers had done, and the company could not immediately be reached. IATSE represents TV and motion picture crew members.
The Great Escape,TNT’s first unscripted-competition series, is from the same producers as The Amazing Race, Bertram Van Munster and Elise Doganieri. The shows are produced through separate subsidiaries.
Other producers of The Great Escape include Imagine TV, Fox TV Studios, and creators Justin Hochberg and Charlie Ebersol, and the host is NFL on-air personality Rich Eisen. The first episode airs June 24.
STORY: TNT Orders Reality Series From ‘The Amazing Race’ Team
Although the union statements list the various individuals and entities, the unfair declaration and strike are specified only against Profiles Entertainment. According to IATSE, the picket line is at Placerita Power Plant, current location of the show, and will be in place all day Saturday.
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Email: jhandel@att.net
Twitter: @jhandel
