WGA makes deals with Intermedia, Film Dept

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- The striking Writers Guild of America said it has reached interim agreements with The Film Department and Intermedia.

"Companies like Intermedia and The Film Department recognize the importance of signing a deal that compensates writers fairly for the work they do," Patric M. Verrone, president of WGA West, and Michael Winship, president of WGA East said in a joint statement. "In turn, we've designed an agreement for the entertainment industry that takes into account the economic realities that it faces."

"We are pleased that we were able to conclude successful negotiations with the WGA so that we can move forward with our production slate across all media, while being able to provide fair and equitable compensation to the writers now and into the future," Intermedia President Linda Benjamin said. "In light of this agreement, we will shortly be announcing our updated film and television slate."

Intermedia Film is an independent media enterprise with affiliates in London and Los Angeles, organized under the Munich-based parent company IM Internationalmedia AG.

The Film Department is an independent movie finance, production and international sales company, which plans to finance and produce six films a year with budgets between $10 million and $35 million per project.