How Membership Dues at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers Are Spent

Most people are aware of the “writers” strike in Hollywood but it’s important to know that this strike represents thousands and thousands of different types of employees who work in the film industry and are represented by numerous unions and trade associations.  One of those organizations is the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – a trade association (a 501 c 6) representing more than 350 motion picture and television producers (including companies)  –

responsible for negotiating virtually all industry-wide guild and union contracts, including those with American Federation of Musicians (AFM); Directors Guild of America (DGA); International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE); International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); Laborers Local 724; Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA); Teamsters, Local #399; and Writers Guild of America (WGA) among others.  The AMPTP, the entertainment industry’s official collective bargaining representative, negotiates 58 industry-wide collective bargaining agreements on behalf of hundreds of motion picture and television producers.

AMPTP has 11 independent voting members (board members) of its governing body (Board) although 12 are listed on the Form 990 which appears to be due to timing differences. 7 of the 12 board members are male while 5 of the 12 are female.

In 2022, AMPTP reported total revenue of $12 million, most of which came from membership dues ($11 million) which means annual dues were about $30,000 annually if there are 350 members. Expenses totaled $12 million which can be categorized as follows:

• $8 million (67% of revenue): Compensation
• $2 million (17% of revenue):  Office-Related Expenses
• $1 million (8% of revenue):  Fees for Services (primarily legal)
• $1 million (8% of revenue):  Other Expenses (primarily training program and receipt monitoring)

Using the above information, every $100 was spent as follows:

$100:  Revenue

-$ 67:  Compensation

-$ 17:  Office-Related Expenses

-$  8:  Fees for Services

-$ 8:  Other Expenses

 $  0:  Remaining Revenue

As illustrated above, most revenue (84%) is spent on compensation and office related expenses.  20 employees received $8 million in compensation with the most highly compensated employee reported to be “EE No 1001” which appears to be Carol Lombardini, President (who has held the post since 2009) whose compensation was $3,180,277 in 2022. In other words, 26% of membership dues are used to compensate the President of the organization.

At year-end, the organization had nearly $31 million in net assets.

So, to answer the question of where membership dues are spent, the answer is that most membership dues are spent on compensating the 20 employees (and specifically, the President of the organization) and paying the office expenses for the organization.

To read the IRS Form 990 (2021 for the year ending March 31, 2022), click here.