Producers Guild Partners with Hollywood Commission on Harassment Training Expansion

The Producers Guild of America has collaborated with the Hollywood Commission to broaden access to anti-harassment training for independent productions. The partnership integrates the Commission’s online prevention courses into the guild’s member resources. These modules address workplace misconduct, bystander intervention, and reporting protocols. Independent filmmakers now receive complimentary enrollment through guild affiliation.

The Hollywood Commission, founded in 2017 by Anita Hill and Kathleen McCormick, develops tools to combat abuse and discrimination in entertainment. Its training programs reached over 100,000 industry workers since launch. The initiative stems from Time’s Up movement responses to widespread allegations. Recent updates incorporate evolving legal standards and psychological research on power dynamics.

Producers Guild president Stephanie Allain emphasized the move supports lower-budget projects lacking studio mandates. “Independent producers often operate without dedicated HR departments,” she noted. The guild represents over 8,000 members across film, television, and new media. Membership requires completion of existing safety courses for certain credits.

The expanded access targets productions under $15 million budgets, common in festival circuits and streaming originals. Training covers sexual harassment, bullying, and retaliation prevention. Participants complete interactive scenarios based on real anonymized cases. Certificates track compliance for insurance and union requirements.

This collaboration follows industry surveys revealing persistent concerns in non-union settings. A 2024 Hollywood Commission report found 41 percent of below-the-line workers experienced unwanted advances. Independent crews reported higher incidents due to informal hierarchies. The partnership aims to standardize protocols across all production scales.

Guild members access the courses via dedicated portal links. Non-members in qualifying projects receive sponsored slots upon verification. The programs run 45 to 90 minutes with multilingual options. Completion rates exceeded 95 percent in prior studio implementations.

Entertainment unions including IATSE and SAG-AFTRA endorsed similar trainings in recent contracts. California law mandates harassment prevention for employers with five or more staff. Federal guidelines encourage proactive education to mitigate liability. The Commission’s materials align with EEOC recommendations.

This initiative reflects ongoing efforts to reform workplace culture post-#MeToo revelations. Major studios implemented mandatory sessions starting 2018. Independent sector adoption lagged due to resource constraints. The guild-commission tie addresses this gap directly.

Producers now incorporate training into pre-production checklists. Feedback mechanisms allow anonymous reporting of ongoing issues. The Hollywood Commission maintains a confidential helpline processing thousands of inquiries annually. Data informs annual progress reports shared industry-wide.

The partnership launches immediately for active guild projects. Expansion plans include live virtual sessions for remote crews. Organizers track participation metrics to assess impact over time. This step advances equitable safety standards across Hollywood’s diverse production landscape.