Time’s Up Joins Actors’ Equity Call For Scott Rudin To Ditch NDAs; Brother Of Late Rudin Assistant Demands Accountability – Update
UPDATE, with video of David Graham-Caso: Tina Tchen, president and CEO of the Time’s Up Foundation, added her voice today to those calling for producer Scott Rudin to release employees from prior non-disclosure agreements.
“First and foremost, we owe a debt of gratitude to the brave employees who came forward with allegations of workplace bullying and harassment against Scott Rudin. For far too long, this abusive behavior has been a stepping stone to success in Hollywood and on Broadway — but those days are over.
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“No one should have to endure the kind of abhorrent mistreatment that has been reported and live under fear of retaliation. We still don’t know the full extent of what occurred. That’s why Time’s Up demands Scott Rudin release his former staff from any nondisclosure agreements. Doing so is critical to truly creating workplaces where every employee feels safe and respected across all industries.”
Also on Sunday, David Graham-Caso, the deputy chief of staff and communications director for L.A. council member Mike Bonin, posted an excoriating Twitter video addressed to Rudin, who Graham-Caso says was the employer in 2008-09 of his twin brother Kevin Blake Graham-Caso. As Rudin’s assistant, Kevin was at the center of one of the most widely circulated stories of the producer’s alleged bad behavior, in which Rudin angrily ordered the assistant to get out of a car that in some tellings was still moving.
Kevin Blake Graham-Caso died by suicide last year, a result, his twin says, of the anxiety and depression that developed during the eight months he worked for Rudin. In the video, David Graham-Caso calls for accountability, and dismisses Rudin’s announcement to “step back” from Broadway as a public relations stunt:
EARLIER: Actors’ Equity Association is calling on producer Scott Rudin, who “stepped back” from his Broadway productions today in response to allegations of workplace abuse, to release employees from nondisclosure agreements.
The Equity statement was issued shortly after Rudin announced today that he would relinquish “active participation” in his Broadway productions to “others from the Broadway community and in a number of cases, from the roster of participants already in place on those shows.”
“Since news reports emerged about Scott Rudin, we have had many private conversations with our sibling unions and the Broadway League,” said Equity President Kate Shindle and Executive Director Mary McColl. “We have heard from hundreds of members that these allegations are inexcusable, and everyone deserves a safe workplace whether they are a union member or not.
“We salute the courage of those who came forward. We hope that Scott Rudin will also release his staff from any nondisclosure agreements they may have signed as a condition of employment.
“This is an important step in creating truly safe and harassment-free theatrical workplaces on Broadway and beyond. It is not the end of our work to ensure a workplace safe for everyone in the industry as we work toward reopening.”
Earlier this week, Equity, along with SAG-AFTRA and American Federation of Musicians Local 802, issued a joint statement condemning harassment, bullying and toxic environments and pledging “to hold accountable those who violate human and legal norms of fair, respectful and dignified conduct in the workplace.” The statement did not specifically name Rudin.
Some members of Equity have been calling upon the union to place Rudin on the “Do Not Work” list, and have spread word on Instagram of a March on Broadway this Wednesday to protest Rudin as well as social justice issues related to the Broadway industry.
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