Podcast Studio Parcast Unionizes With WGA East
Employees at Los Angeles-based podcast studio Parcast voted to join the Writers Guild of America, East Sept. 2, making Parcast the third Spotify-owned podcast outfit to unionize.
Parcast was founded in 2016 in Woodland Hills by Cutler Media owner Max Cutler and is now based in Downtown Los Angeles. Spotify purchased the company for roughly $103 million in March 2019, according to funding tracker PitchBook Data Inc. Spotify now owns three subsidiary studios that are represented by WGA East, including Gimlet Media and Bill Simmons’ The Ringer.
In a tweet Wednesday morning the Parcast Union said, “Excited to stand with our sister networks @RingerUnion (and) @GimletUnion. Thanks for forging the path in the podcasting space of digital media.”
Writers Guild of America, East executive director Lowell Peterson said in a statement the organization is “thrilled” to have Parcast join the Guild.
“Podcasting has grown enormously and the people who work in this medium deserve workplace protections and a voice on the job. By joining with the WGAE and bargaining collectively, these talented people will join a growing community of creative professionals dedicated to improving their rights on the job and in their work.”
The Parcast staff listed several reasons for unionizing in a letter posted to the Parcast Union’s newly created Twitter account — among them, renegotiation of contracts with Spotify and “reasonable” workloads and overtime.
Parcast’s lineup of original shows are typically in the true crime genre — it owns several hosted by true-crime standout Ashley Flowers, including “Supernatural” and the recently released “Very Presidential With Ashley Flowers,” which examines little-known facts of historical presidencies.
Read Parcast’s full “Why We’re Organizing” letter below.
Proud to announce the formation of our union with the @WGAEast. We love making podcasts and are confident that our union will help ensure a sustainable, equitable future in our fast-changing industry. pic.twitter.com/sQ0X4XH3Ju
— Parcast Union (@ParcastUnion) September 2, 2020
Welcome to the union family @ParcastUnion! Exciting to see the growing movement of Podcasters. https://t.co/9aTLVGYf8F
— Slate Union (@SlateUnion) September 2, 2020
*Related stories from TheWrap:*
Pete Buttigieg Launches New Podcast With iHeartMedia
Joe Rogan Podcast Episodes With Alex Jones, Chris D'Elia Missing From Spotify
Inside Spotify's Exclusive Podcast Deal With 'League of Legends' Creator Riot Games
