IATSE Secures Union Deal for 'Beast Games' Season 3 After Non-Union Production Start

Beast Industry Studios, the production company founded by YouTuber Jimmy “Mr. Beast” Donaldson, has agreed to a deal with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) to maintain the third season of its Prime Video reality competition series “Beast Games” as a union production. The agreement comes after production initially began with non-union crew workers.

Season 2 of “Beast Games,” filmed last year in North Carolina, was produced with crew members unionized under IATSE. However, production for the current season started with non-union workers, prompting an organizing drive by IATSE and its local branches in the state.

The contract will cover more than 500 crew workers for “Beast Games” and will extend to future seasons of the show. Beast Industry Studios has also agreed to provide union-mandated back pay and benefits for pre-production work already completed.

IATSE Statement on the Unionization Effort

“Organizing season three of ‘Beast Games’ boiled down to IATSE solidarity in this difficult production environment,” said Michael F. Miller, Jr., IATSE VP and director of its Motion Picture Television Production Department, in a statement. “As employment in our industry continues to face challenges from predatory employers looking to take advantage of the industry contraction, our members and their Local leaders are showing that they have the strength to stand together to maintain standards in the face of repeated attacks on their livelihoods by greedy employers.”

TheWrap has reached out to representatives for Mr. Beast for comment but has not yet received a response.