The Association of Talent Agents (ATA) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. Through collabor ...

representing talent agencies in the United States entertainment industry. ATA agencies represent the vast majority of artists working in the field, including actors, directors, writers, and other artists in film, stage, television, radio, commercial, literary work, and other entertainment enterprises.

History

Established in 1937, ATA is a

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

-based nonprofit trade association of over 100 talent agencies located primarily in the New York and

areas. Today, over 100 agencies that serve the various branches of the entertainment industry are members of the Association of Talent Agents. Originally known as the Artists' Managers Guild, the ATA was founded in the aftermath of '' National Labor Relations Board v Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation'', a US labor law case in which the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

upheld the

National Labor Relations Act of 1935 The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act, is a foundational statute of United States labor law that guarantees the right of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining, a ...

. This landmark piece of

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

legislation, also known as the Wagner Act, guaranteed the right of private sector employees to unionize and bargain collectively, thus leading to the establishment of many of the unions and guilds that represent professionals working in the entertainment industry such as the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...

, and

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...

. In 2020 ATA closed its physical offices and currently operates out of a PO Box in Santa Monica (3019 Ocean Park Blvd, #344 Santa Monica, CA 90405) due to financial constraints.

External links

About ATA
{{Authority control Organizations established in 1937 American talent agents 1937 establishments in the United States Trade associations based in the United States