Inside the Strikes’ Unpredictable Emmy FYC Impact

With glad-handing off the table as striking talent draws a line in the sand, awards strategists must negotiate limited options with perception concerns as the second phase of voting approaches.

By Mikey O'Connell

TV Features Editor

“Would you like to speak with the Emmy-nominated ADR mixer?”

Their work is pivotal, of course, but as Hollywood interviews go, it’s not exactly the sexiest offer. Yet with all the striking actors and many of the striking writers off the playing field this summer, that’s the kind of promotion the platforms and studios are relying on in the approach to the second round of Emmy voting.

This next phase of the TV awards calendar — the final round of Emmy voting begins Aug. 17 — is plagued with uncertainty, and not just because the date of the telecast itself is still very much up in the air. “This is a day-by-day situation unlike we’ve ever seen,” says one top awards strategist, still awaiting marching orders from some corporate clients. “We’re not even clear on if we’ll have participation from below-the-line people because of how other guilds may, in time, choose to stand with the writers and the actors.”

The panels, parties and celebrity-attended activations that have been the bread and butter of FYC seasons past are the most notable victims of the strike. Sure, they’re splashy and expensive. But for good reason. Most in the awards community still say that literal and figurative glad-handing continues to be the most efficient way to reach voters. “When you’re not having screenings and conversations and doing that hand-to-hand work with Academy members, it’s just really limited,” observes one studio publicist.

SAG-AFTRA’s hard line on interviews caught many in the Emmy machine off guard. After a brief call for radio silence in May, the WGA agreed to let members promote work if that promotion was brokered through personal PR or representation and never touched studio hands. There’s been no indication that the actors will adopt a similar strategy.

“It’s a bummer, but you’ve just got to hope the work speaks for itself,” says one talent flack. “The reality is that there’s absolutely nothing to be done for the actors.”

Even with WGA members permitted to promote their work, many are choosing not to — either out of solidarity with the actors or, as another publicist put it, because of apprehensions about optics. The O-word is being invoked at a frequency usually only heard during election years. That’s largely from studio execs and awards leads, streamers and networks who find themselves caught in the middle of the AMPTP-guild standoffs at the least opportune of times. FYC budgets had been locked for some time, and aspects like stunty turnkey events and advertising are moving forward. “As long as it’s nothing flashy,” insists an exec at a streamer who expressed a concern for the vendors that count on the annual economic boost of FYC. “We just have to make sure we’re respectful of the strikes because the optics are just crazy.”

Outdoor advertising is one area where some in awards marketing are particularly anxious. Billboards and bus wraps have become an FYC mainstay, but such placements — though already popping up around Los Angeles — are giving others pause. “I’d advise platforms consider removing their own branding from anything outdoor and making it more about the [nominated] show’s branding,” says one strategist. “Does anyone really want to see these big, congratulatory ads next to picket lines? It’s not a good look.”

Other traditions thus far have stayed the course. Despite the obvious tensions with the creative community across the board, several studios sent out congratulatory gifts to nominees — striking or not. And while no one said as much, this is quite likely in the spirit of an easier transition back to business when both contracts are finally negotiated. HBO and Max chair and CEO Casey Bloys, who spoke with THR on Emmy nominations morning before the actors went on strike, said he still planned to reach out to his creative partners. “I will send emails,” he said. “If people are comfortable responding, I don’t think that qualifies as contact that’s forbidden.”

In polling the awards community, one unexpected question did emerge. The strict strike rules on promotion for SAG-AFTRA, the largest Emmy voting peer group, had more than one strategist asking if some performers will opt out of casting ballots if the strike continues, as it’s expected to, through the second round of voting. “Things are that confusing right now,” says one.

“Oh please,” another balks. “Actors want to see good work recognized, and, more importantly, they know that sophisticated, mature storytelling is so rarely economically viable — particularly in television. If these shows don’t get awards, they don’t get made.”

This story first appeared in the July 26 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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