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NEWS: Strife at IC Entertainment

......Correct me if I'm wrong..... but a panel is an interview....
you ask questions... he answers.... Panel's are meant to Inform the fans AND News media of what that company is doing......

...you mean "tried" to call...

...heero IS NOT contesting the actual basis of the article, but the way it was addressed....

Actually, those quotes are from panels at conventions that Ironcat attended. ANN tried to *call* the people at IC....not just parrot back what was stated at a panel.

Cassandra wrote:

Actually, those quotes are from panels at conventions that Ironcat attended. ANN tried to *call* the people at IC....not just parrot back what was stated at a panel.

You do know how "informal" Anime convention panels are, right? And if you want to say that Otakon's are not, I again state that for the 3-4 weeks prior to ANN running the story, IC Entertainment, to my knowledge was at at least 3 conventions. My POINT is that if Kevin Lillard could get comments from Mr. Bennett (even if at a panel, altho Mr. Lillard's report says that "(Steve) Bennett spent the Otakon weekend trying to sell all of his accumulated inventory, to make enough money to get the small company through the summer money woes." I'd think ANN could have at least gotten some kind of comment from him at a table. My point is the article implies (but doesn't SAY) that the Bennetts were withholding money out of spite or some other personal reason, and the lack of comment makes it appear that they are "hiding". Considering their convention presence, I think that's a stretch, don't you?
I think if ANN was really interested in at least HAVING two sides to this story, SOMEONE could have talked to Ironcat.

My point is the article implies (but doesn't SAY) that the Bennetts were withholding money out of spite or some other personal reason,

For one thing, it was a general practice of the Bennetts to expect anyone interested in working at IC to work for free for a while. And it was like pulling teeth to even get paid.

After AMA, we got our paychecks, with much grumbling from Steve. He acted like he didn't want to give us any money and that some of us didn't deserve to be paid. After that point he was always suspicious of Kei and Jason working from home. After THAT paycheck, another pay freeze was enacted. But the promise of several payments from distributors owed to the company was dangled like a carrot, and we stayed on, waiting for the money to come in so we could be paid. We continued to work, but on July 15th, I broke down and told Steve on AIM that I would quit at the end of the month if I didn't get paid. (I considered this my two weeks' notice, which both Bennetts claim no one did. I have a log of it, so I have proof I was going to quit on July 31st.) He talked me down, promising to catch up on paychecks some time after Otakon, relying on cash flow from cons.

I had arranged with Steve that I would be paid beginning in December 2001. In April 2002, I still had not been paid. I fought and fought and finally got Steve to issue me backpay dating to December 2001, so effectively I went four months without pay, but half of it was retroactive. My pay rate was $2/page in each manga I did. Just for reference, industry standard is $5/page, 2.5 times what I made at IC. And there was a time when Steve tried to pay me even less—

May I add something very quickly? To clarify: while Kei was paying me via PayPal, it was Kevin who later denied me pay. Kei herself never denied me pay.

No paychecks were written for anyone from June 16 to July 31, when we quit. So Duane, Jason Balduf, Kei, and myself were without pay for six weeks (three quarterly pay periods) Ellen was without pay for four months. She was paid a monthly freelance rate. And for most of July, Steve refused to write any checks—even for bills and creditors. His way of dealing with the finances was to try and ignore everyone asking for money owed to them. He was constantly putting us all off, including a printer.

AND to dispute your claim Cassandra, the quote from the fansview report I referenced is from Otakon which was in early August, AnimeNEXT was two months later in October, and according to Mr. Lillard's report, Steve Bennett DID state at Otakon that people were not being paid. (it is quoted above)
(edit: sorry, the Otakon report quote about people not being paid is a page before, not "above")

Yes, some of the company's workers had left because paychecks were late

Sorry dude, but any reasonable adult reader will assume that the boss isn't paying because he doesn't have the money, even if they only read the bold print.

I don't understand why companies just have to screw their employees. It just doesn't make sense. They get you services you can use/sell, and you treat them like crap.

They made a lot of promises they can't keep like for example the Evangelion Rapport Comics tankobans that they were raving that they got the rights to...That was about hmm 5-6 years ago LOL.

IC needs to close shop and sell off their licenses to either Tokyo Pop or Viz if they want to save some face. I would hate to think all that money they did have was wasted on "teabagging" and drunken con parties with jailbait cosplayers.

I've known just about all the employees of IC for a long time now, and from what they all tell me, no employee did anything to cause damage to any others. These actions were all taken and executed (and sometimes due to the neglect thereof) of the owners. Not to mention the fact that when you're an owner, there is NOTHING you don't and can't get access to. It's just a fact. I can't hide anything from my boss at work cept maybe my stash of m&ms, if he really wants to know something, he can just bust in, snatch up any of the books and that's that. So this whole "hide hide woe is us thing" is just the same old stuff ICs spat out since several years back.

Freakin' shysters.

Not sure what's up with that whole 'we can't find anyone' deal. I see that on their forum and I refuse to comment on it. If I can find just about every AM creator with a quick search on google... Gee it's real hard to go to the creator's website and contact them that way, too. Doesn't say much to me about their willingness to do anything but whine.

Personally, I got fed up not getting a reply and honestly don't care anymore. They'll get what they deserve.

However, I think it would be nice for Ironcat to formulate some sort of response. Right now all they have on their website is that they won't be commenting on it. It just kinda makes them look bad.

I agree that the owner in question should have been more straight forward with the employees. This is something that should not be ignore and there are probably consequences.

The above post is the usual pabulum issued by a company that has A) done something very wrong, B) kinda admitted to it in a mealy-mouthed, noncommittal fashion and C) continue to refuse to explain, apologize or even try to fix the problems they've caused.

What's your point? That if it's revealed that a company doesn't pay due wages, people assume that the company is being badly run by crummy businesspeople? That's a good assumption, and a far cry from your assertion that people would assume the boss wasn't paying out of spite.

Ellen: May I add something very quickly? To clarify: while Kei was paying me via PayPal, it was Kevin who later denied me pay. Kei herself never denied me pay

As she said, I was unpaid for four months. I continued to work, however, because I loved my job and had faith the money would come. I realized other employees were being paid while I was not, but I wished the best for the company and did not quit until I could no longer afford to work, even with the promise of pay in the future.

We heard sob stories on a regular basis. This is not well known, but not long before we left, Steve offered Stephanie and me cash handouts of $100 each, from earnings from a small con. We refused them for three reasons. It was cash, which is untraceable and shady for both sides. It was only offered to the two of us, not to Kei or Jason or Ellen. That's partiality, and it disgusted us. Third, what could we have done with a measly $100 each?

I was also told that there was a lack of funds in the IC account to pay me. I was told this, of course, while other employees were still receiving pay.

I've made attempts to have a date set for the remainder of the money, but I have not received a date from the Bennetts.

At this point in time, all of us owed backpay (with the exception of Kei) have received one check. However, in every single case the amount on the check was lower than expected. We have not been offered a satisfactory reason as to why

In my eyes neither Kevin nor Steve have treated us with any true consideration, so I'm tired of being nice to the public about it.

Firstly:
cassandra: If Kevin Lillard got that information outside of a panel, it AGAIN proves my point, ANN COULD have gotten information from IC in another way. Or are you going to tell me that IC would comment to Kevin Lillard and NOT to ANN? Because if so, that to me is not a good commentary on ANN's press abilities.

As for the comment, yes it did say payments were late, but until payments are made, they ARE essentially "late". Unless IC actually makes some legal defaults on those payments, such they they are no longer required to make them, they are simply "late". If IC paid these people tomorrow, then those payments are "late". Again, I don't THINK (and I could be wrong) that these people are in danger of NEVER receiving their money. Duane and Stephanie COMBINED are apparently only owed less than $500, unless Ellen's backpay is massive, I think they will get their money.