Now IMG Artists rips off its own agents
mainAlison Pybus was one of three senior agents who were fired in IMG’s latest loss-cutting venture last September. She was vice president in charge of the vocal division.
Today, we hear from her that IMG are refusing to pay the reasonable travel and entertainment expenses she ran up in the course of her work.
Here’s what she says:
IMG Artists is refusing to pay me outstanding T & E expenses. They owe me well over $10,000 and refuse to respond to phone calls or letters from my attorney.
Another example of abuse of power by IMG and completely unacceptable. Upon termination at IMG after 20 years, I was asked to take trips to consolidate clients and smooth over relationships with them and IMG. Now they will not reimburse me.
Reflect a moment.
If this is how fraudster-owned IMG (pictured) treats its agents, imagine what they are doing to artists.
Finance directors the world over always want people to use their personal credit cards and reclaim from the company. It hastens paperwork. But contrary to what this blog would have you believe, most evil agents don’t earn fortunes, and I always refused to be a bank for my employer. Much better to have a company card…
If IMG is so mean over $10000. and will not respond probably forcing this agent to take legal action, and given it’s well known ‘clients account’ abuse [not to mention Mr Wissman’s conviction for fraud] I think artists should get their money out quickly and move to agencies that operate more honestly.
Looks like IMG NY has also just fired David Lai, Matthew Zelle and more??
Hindsight is always 20/20 and if (and only if) the company was willing to give out a company card to their employee (s). Everything we’ve been hearing about the new management points to *not ethical!
I feel extremely sorry for Alison Pybus and hope she is reimbursed soon for both her travel and legal expenses. When I had dealings with IMG Artists I recall it had its own travel department. Perhaps that also fell by the wayside in the various rounds of cuts. If so, then I completely fail to understand how any agency can operate effectively when it expects individual managers to waste their precious time finding the best airline and hotel deals at any one particular moment.
What is happening at IMG should be like an alarm going off in the minds of artists and promoters. What more do they need to learn about how this organisation is being managed? The company is apparently on the brink of total bankruptcy.