Look I don’t want to get involved in this, but I have to say something, yes claw has made his mistakes in the past. This blog has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue for the past few weeks. As much as this man had made mistakes in his past, at least he tried, he gave it all. So basically it has created awareness.
@ Gillian –Have you contacted claw? Why don’t you try and make some kind of arrangement with him? Reading some of your letters shows me that once up on a time you guys must have been business partners, none of our business. You don’t need to answer me, but TRY it, allot of producers have owed some of us money, and still do. Claw is not the only one.
@Pat – I take my hat off for you, creating awareness is great news! But I am trying to figure something out. Do you want this man to stop producing? Cause reading everything, and all the comments, your blog is more to humiliate him than what it is to create awareness, and that is somehow a big concern to allot of people like myself, as he is a producer who allot of us have worked with in the past. Mostly allot of us have had good times, and some had bad times… And continue to work with him….
Reading the article in the Argus, I can’t help but wonder, here is a man, that has probably lost everything he has ever had and yet you slag him into the ground. For a second turn the table on yourself, ask yourself the question. What if you tried everything? Did you just give up?
I read what Bridget said, and somehow I would like to agree with her. Here is a man who has given it all, who has lost it all. I think reading of the space in ct closing makes me think that claw has finally given up his coat to producing. Mind you, I would probably do the same.
I respect claw for 30 years of work. I looked at the bigger picture, and I looked at the smaller picture, claw does not deserve this… I stand for fellow actors and yes create awareness. But create them for everyone, as claw is not the only producer that I know that owes people money. Sadly they are everywhere.
J
Wow, J. Seems like you got yourself pretty involved there.
So basically what you’re saying is that this man, who has sold himself as a producer for thirty years and has exploited artists for thirty years, and not paid artists for thirty years, is a hard worker and doesn’t deserve to be held responsible for his indescretions?
In terms of your comments, I don’t believe it is up to Gillian to take the time and effort to make a deal on a court order worth over R100 000. If you were familiar with the law, you would know that it is Mr CLaw’s legal responsibility to make such an effort.
If this site humiliates Mr CLaw than that is his own doing. Are you suggesting that Pat should create awareness and not make public what the issues are? How would you suggest he handles this issue?
Lastly, there is a site on Facebook called “My Previous Emplyer Exploits Performing Artists” which deals with a massive theatre franchise in South Africa with venues in Cresta, Broadacres, Menlyn, Gateway, Alberton, etc. I’m sure you can figure out who they are. The Facebook group is similar to this site, in that it clearly states the violations which have been committed by the franchise. So, yes, we are holding other producers accountable for not paying artists, not providing contracts, firing people without following procedures as set out by the Labour Relations Act, putting people in accommodation which overflows with faeces, etc. I encourage you to have a look at this group. We are also taking them to the CCMA.
What you and MR CLaw and a few others seem to take for granted is the fact that we have educated ourselves with regard to illegal labour practises, previous cases of defamation of character (of which we have been accused), and we are very aware of our rights. Perhaps you should do the same. The “bigger picture” is that Mr CLaw and the abovementioned franchise, as well as other producers in this country, are exploiting artists on a continual basis, they are breaking the law, they are taking advantage of the love artists have for their work and if someone does not take a stand, it will continue.
Gillian Lindners reply to J:
Hello J
Thanks for your input. You are clearly a reasonable person, and one who is not owed money by claw. I wonder if I know you.
To answer your question to me:
The reason I have a high court judgement against this man is because he refused to pay when it was asked of him. He didn’t even make arrangements to pay it off.
As you suggested, I would have preferred that he just pay up, and we both move on. Like a normal business transaction. This didn’t happen. He knows he owes the money, he also has a copy of the high court judgement, he knows how to find me. If he intended to pay at all, he would have saved me the trouble of going to the high court. Don’t you understand? He doesn’t WANT to pay. It’s not that he can’t. I believe he never intended to pay me at all, and he thought he could get away with it.
So far he has.
People who are wooed into great sounding thespian positions enable him to continue, even though they know how he operates. They just hope it won’t happen to them. Sometimes, it does.
I know you asked this of Pat, but do I think claw should stop producing? Yes. I feel he just has too many failures, like this last one at the NewSpace, to indicate he can do the job. There are too many casulaties. Do I want to humiliate him? No. He is charming and witty, well read and likes cats. I just want him to pay me and others what he owes. But especially me. It took me years to recover, and I would like to be compensated for this.
The other day when the question of another outstanding bill needed to be paid, the person concerned immediately asked for another invoice in order to pay it. It was an oversite and she is going to make it right. She is a practitioner of integrity, which is why she has such a good name in the marketplace. THAT is honour. Why can’t claw operate that way?
By the way – has claw lost everything? Has he had to sell his house and survive on lentils? I’ll be surprised if this is the case.
To J,
I am so tired of people (like yourself) trying to water this issue down. If Claw was in the UK or the States he would be banned out right. None of this emotional stuff about, ‘he gave his all’ would even feature in a discussion. What Claw does to artists is illegal, it’s as simple as that. Claw has made mistakes I agree: A year of mistakes could be called ‘naïveté’, 10 years of mistakes could be called ‘stupid’ but 30 years of so-called ‘mistakes’ is called pathological. It’s personality disorder stuff.
‘J’ do you know Claws ethics? Because people like myself, Jillian and Pat have experienced Claws ethics first hand – so your efforts to get us to contact him and be nice are thwarted by our previous and disappointing attempts to get our money out of him.
Shame: ‘we’ve slagged a bankrupt man into the ground.’ Whose fault is his bankrupcy? Certainly not ours and certainly not the industries – it’s a wonder with all the artists he hasn’t paid how he pertains to be bankrupt: Where did all our money go? Maybe he claims bankruptcy for pities sake and has our money in an offshore bank account. Come now, this man is ruthless!
I personally do not respect Claw for being an unethical and immoral producer for 30 years. And I personally am looking at the big picture: I personally have an official law suite out against BY Theatre and an Internet group of 475 people who support that cause. The big picture is that until producers and people begin to treat the artist in accordance with the law and give the artists the rights they deserve they should be banned. Examples have to be made of people like Claw to insure that the future of our industry is protected. And without a union this is all we’ve got. Come now ‘J’ stop using letters for your real name and put your neck out there like the rest of us.
Chris Luke