No red carpet will spread out before the Alex Theatre in Glendale this month as it has in years past at Oscar time. The carpet, the photographers, the catered dinner are all integral parts of the annual gala fundraiser sponsored by the theater and the Set Decorators Society of America for its members to watch the Oscar broadcast on a big screen. This year is different because of the ongoing Hollywood writers strike that has crippled scripted television production throughout the region. With set decorators out of work and facing dwindling finances, it didn’t seem appropriate to go ahead with the event and ask people lacking a steady income to celebrate the entertainment industry, said Elissa Glickman, marketing director for the Alex. The decision to cancel the Oscar-watching gala was made prior to the cancellation of the annual Golden Globes broadcast, another result of the strike. “When they did that, we [the event committee] looked at each other and said ‘We made the right choice,'” Glickman said. Whether the Academy Awards broadcast takes place as scheduled on Feb. 24 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood remains up in the air. That in turn causes nervousness in the Valley and anywhere there are business owners relying on the Oscars event to bring in work caterers, florists, limo companies, party supply companies, clothing and jewelry stores. While the fundraiser didn’t bring in a large amount of money for the theater, the event was a great branding opportunity for the historic venue, Glickman said. The entertainment industry’s biggest night means millions to the regional economy. If cancellation of the Golden Globes meant a loss of an estimated $80 million, imagine the damage if the same happens to the Oscars. Advertising Age did just that and came up with $4 million spent on post-Oscar parties; $26.5 million for limos, security personnel and gifts for the nominees; and $100 million in publicity for the stores providing clothing and jewelry for the stars. That’s not to mention the millions in advertising not going to ABC, the network broadcasting the show. ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co., one of the media companies striking writers have picketed since starting their walkout Nov. 5. Cancellation of the Golden Globes was estimated to have cost NBC Universal between $10 million and $15 million in lost ad revenue. Taking a Hit L.A. Party Rents in Van Nuys provides the red carpets, sub-flooring and canopies for some of the lower-tier awards shows. For the Oscars, it gets called upon to provide set-ups for some after-parties. Even with the Oscars just a month away, it was still early to be notified by clients, said vice president Kevin Dwyer. Due to the strike, Dwyer added, he was not anticipating a lot of work coming the firm’s way. The company took a “massive” financial hit with the cancellation of the Golden Globes. With no stars passing by flocks of photographers, an L.A. Party Rents red carpet was not necessary. The company was more fortunate with the Grammy Awards and the Screen Actors Guild award going ahead as planned. “January is a notoriously slow month but the awards shows keep us alive,” Dwyer said. Although not involved with the Academy Awards, the creative team at mDots in Universal City dodged a bullet when the Guild said it would not picket this year’s Grammy Awards at the Staples Center. mDots created the on-air graphics to be seen during the broadcast Feb. 11 and projected on screens at the venue. As for the Golden Globes, even though the show was significantly scaled back, mDots delivered a full graphics package, said creative director Marty Wall. Not having the graphics shown on television means that potential clients could not see what the company is capable of doing, Wall said. The strike has dried up much of the work at Sandy Rose Floral Designs in North Hollywood. Owner Corri Levelle kept busy in late January working on a design for the elaborate floral displays for the Oscar green room sponsored by Architectural Digest. The academy has to proceed as though the show will go on as scheduled because it is easier to cancel at the last minute than to pull the broadcast together in the last minute, Levelle said. “Every little job helps but not nearly enough to make our overhead, that’s for sure,” Levelle said.
