Some past events
Recent members’ meetings
Two Business Meetings were held in 2023, on March 1st and October 18th. They discussed recent developments in Recorded Media and Live Performance, within Equity and British Equity Collecting Society (BECS), future CPMA activities, applications for membership, and our website. Minutes are in the confidential Members’ Area/Archive section.
The Annual General Meeting (also on March 1st 2023) approved the Accounts for 2022. The Officers and Management Committee for 2023 can be found on the Contact Us page. AGM minutes and Accounts were sent to member-agencies. See the confidential Members’ Area/Archive section.
A Contracts Meetings for all members was held in June 2022 and members were sent a recording. Another was held with a member-agency in October 2023, and an advice session about setting up a co-op agency was given to the London College of Music’s acting course.
Some Other Past Events
- British Equity Collecting Society In 2020, we held a meeting for our members with BECS’ new CEO, Tayyiba Nasser. Some performers still have not joined BECS – they could be missing out on money BECS collects for them.
- Inter Co-op Forum Our most recent Forum discussed Agenting Skills, Diversity and Agency Rules.
- Contracts & Equity Agreements: We’ve held several sessions with Equity to discuss Union Agreements and contracts. In 2019, our agencies discussed problems that arise with fees, questionable clauses and frequent unlawful non-payment of Holiday Pay, in both union and non-union contracts.
- Legal Issues Equity’s Legal Officer, Martin Kenny, discussed contracts, regulations about entertainment agencies, copyright and money owed by employers.
- Low Pay / No Pay work Equity’s former Organizer for Low Pay / No Pay work brought us up to date with Equity’s significant progress in this area
- Advice Seminar We held a free advice session at Spotlight for those interested in joining a co-op agency.
- Casting Directors Seminars We’ve held many Seminars with Casting Directors for our members, to help them become better agents. Panellists have included Francesca Greene, Debbie O’Brien, Jeremy Zimmerman (plus assistants), Gillian Hawser, Suzy Korel, Sharon Levinson, Janet Hampson, Sophie Marshall, Gennie Radcliffe, Michael Syers, Kate Day, Hannah Miller, Helena Palmer, Jill Trevellick, Laura Windows, John Cannon, Anne McNulty, John Manning, Sooki McShane, Toby Whale, Sarah Hughes, Carolyn McLeod, Derek Barnes, Carl Proctor, Joyce Nettles, Kelly Hendry, Victor Jenkins, Lou Clouter, Alastair Coomer, Tree Petts, Annie Rowe, Ros Hubbard, Jane Deitch, Jane Frisby, Danielle Tarento, Aisha Walters, Manuel Puro, Nadine Rennie, Neil Rutherford, Matt Selby, Belinda Norcliffe, Michael Cox, Richard Evans, Ginny Schiller, Andrea Clark, Emily Jones, Suzanne Smith, Heather Basten, Hannah Ashby-Ward, Grace Hudson and David Grindrod. The Seminars have been chaired by Christine Payne, Equity’s former General Secretary, and Ian Manborde, Equity’s Equalities Organizer.
CPMA Tenth Birthday celebration on June 21st 2012
The CPMA celebrated its 10th birthday at the Concert Artiste’s Association in Covent Garden, London.
Thirteen CPMA member-agencies were represented. Guests included the late Martin Brown (then Equity Assistant General Secretary), and BBC Casting Director Derek Barnes. Martin said Equity welcomed the creation of the CPMA. Reasons included the CPMA’s Code of Conduct and the professionalism of co-op agencies. Nearly all actors in co-op agencies are Equity members, and Equity membership is actively promoted. The CPMA has a constructive relationship with Equity and is frequently consulted about industry developments.
Corinna Marlowe, then CPMA Chair, read a message from our founder and first Secretary, Kim Gillespie, formerly of The Central Line:
“Given the many failed attempts at working together prior to the setting up of the CPMA, it is testimony to the role the association plays in raising professional standards and the high status it enjoys in the industry as a whole, that it has now been in existence for 10 years. We set up the association to counter the perception (and sometimes the reality) of flaky working practices. This is not an ultimate goal, but a continuing mission, one that demands all the professional development events that the association can organise, and the robust intervention and representation at industrial forums. I know the association will be around to celebrate many more anniversaries – it has to be, I’m coming back at some point! Nice website, by the way Cheers, Kim.”
She also paid tribute to the second Secretary, Robin Middleton; third Secretary, Janet Behan; and Treasurer at the time, Denise Kennedy. She said the organisation had been through some bad times, with only a few rather mature activists, but that recently new people had come forward, including some splendidly dynamic young women who had helped a great deal, for example, with the website and this event.
She thanked all committee members, especially Nim Johnson and Helen Kennedy for their work on the first website, the Perfect Party planners – Rosalie Jorda, Patsy Blower, Mariesa Clarke and Sara Bahadori (who found our then-webmaster, Darren Berry), and all who had given their time to come to business meetings.