Hollywood Foreign Press Ass. to disband as Dick Clark Productions take on Golden Globes

A major bombshell out of the USA today with news that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will be disbanded after 80 years, following Dick Clark Productions taking broadcast rights to the Golden Globe Awards.

The California attorney general has signed off on a plan to convert the not for profit body into a for-profit enterprise, with its 95 members to become employees of private equity firm, Eldridge Industries.

Dick Clark Productions and its partners will oversee the awards telecast, as it has done for years, and look for other ways to extend the Globes around the world.

LA Times reports proceeds from the deal, along with the existing resources of the HFPA, will transition into a newly formed nonprofit Golden Globe Foundation, which will oversee the group’s philanthropic and charitable giving.

“We are excited to close on this much-anticipated member-approved transaction and transition from a member-led organization to a commercial enterprise,” Helen Hoehne, formerly HFPA’s president, said in a statement.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the Golden Globes,” said Boehly, who serves as chairman of Eldridge. “My partners at DCP and I are grateful to Helen and team for their commitment to the successful implementation of a robust approach to governance, the expansion of the diverse and international voting body, implementing a professional, safe and accountable environment, and trusting new ownership with a new direction for the Globes.”

The move is designed to combat years of chatter around judging to shift towards employee-based accountability, and a lack of diversity.

Under the association’s new incarnation, its employees will receive an annual salary of $75,000 for their work. Their responsibilities will include screening films and TV series submitted for Golden Globe consideration, participating in the voting process for nominations and winners, creating content for the organization’s website and managing materials related to the awards show and the group’s history.

Eldridge Industries also owns several other businesses linked to the Globes, including the Penske-owned trade publications the Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

Following recent headlines NBC — which has aired the show since 1996 — committed to just a one-year trial. Next year’s Globes, the 81st, is slated to air Jan. 7th but it remains to be seen whether the show will air on NBC, another TV network or a streaming platform.