The Junkyard — a talent firm that manages Aussie comedians such as Lewis Garnham and Andrew Hamilton — has reportedly gone into administration, leaving a bunch of talent without representation and allegedly a handful without pay.
Earlier this week, Australia’s comedy community were rocked with devastating news after it was reported that a bunch of comics were allegedly left without representation and pay after The Junkyard reportedly went into insolvency.
According to ABC News, The Junkyard director Craig Ivanoff reportedly told some of his clients on November 28 that the firm was “insolvent and closing down”, as a result of poor financial management.
It’s not known exactly when this alleged meeting between Ivanoff and his clients happened but on December 2, The Junkyard and Ivanoff’s production company, West Street Sports, appointed liquidator Andrew Spring from Jirsch Sutherland Insolvency Solutions to wind up both businesses, reports the ABC.
In response to the West Street Sports news, and its Fresh Blood project Going Under, Screen Australia says that it’s aware of its current circumstances and is currently working with the people who are involved to determine its next steps.
“Screen Australia is aware that West Street Sports is under external administration. We are in discussions with the affected parties to determine the next steps, in accordance with our internal processes,” a spokesperson told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
Per the publication, both The Junkyard and West Street Sports have stopped business and the liquidator will notify creditors within 10 business days.
At the time of writing, Ivanoff nor The Junkyard has not released a public statement regarding The Junkyard’s financial stance nor the allegations regarding missing pay.
What happened to The Junkyard?
This week, Australian comedians who were previously represented by The Junkyard took to social media with a slew of allegations, with some claiming they’d been ghosted by their management or they had not received payment for their recent gigs.
Lewis Garnham took to his Instagram with a video statement, sharing his perspective on what happened between him and his former management.
“I’m not going to get the money from ticket sales for so many shows that I did this year. The whole of Edinburgh Fringe, Melbourne Fringe, another week of shows, and yeah, it’s brutal,” he alleged in his video.
“Everyone in the comedy community getting around anyone that’s been fucked over and, you know, just being so supportive and reaching out so many people that work in this industry, and comedians and other people have just really rallied.
“And I’ve felt so supported by the whole community. So big shout out to everyone in the Australian comedy scene, except for one person. Everyone else, mad respect to you.”
At the time of writing, Lewis’ video is still live on his IG.
Fellow Australian comic Alexandra Hudson also used her platform to highlight her issues with her former management, claiming they had swindled her and other comedians.
As for Andrew Hamilton, the comedian claimed that he also lost money from The Junkyard. However, he’s still thankful for what they’ve done for his career.
“This whole debacle with Junkyard Management has a lot of people talking about it and it sucks and a lot of people lost money,” he began.
“But it’s also worth pointing out that my management helped me get our new YouTube channel, the OGs, off the ground.
“So, it feels like someone has cut off my toe moments after they performed penis enlargement surgery on me.
“It’s hard to be completely bitter about it even though it has left me in short-term financial ruin.”
It is not known how many comedians or how much The Junkyard allegedly owes to its talent, but the company’s reported collapse comes months before a bunch of Aussie comedy festivals are set to kick off, including Perth and Adelaide Fringe.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to Lewis, Alexandra and Andrew for comment.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has also reached out to Craig Ivanoff and Andrew Spring from Jirsch Sutherland Insolvency Solutions for comment.
The post Aussie Comedy Management Company The Junkyard Reportedly Goes Into Administration appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
