An update on the situation regarding Mad Dog 2020 Casting, a company which is still failing to pay all its freelance background artists for the work they have done on numerous TV and Film productions.

It appears that this company is now refusing to pay any of its freelancers for any of the work they have done unless they go through the process of taking out a legal claim against the company, then enforcing that claim and then arranging for bailiffs to attend the company offices to extract the money they are owed. The company now has a very large number of CCJs against it - but they are not paying any of these off and are content to hold on to the money for as long as they can (before presumably going bust and walking off with whatever they can get in the meantime).

This has come about because of instructions handed down by the Chief Executive Officer, Graham Beswick, and the board of the company (members listed here: Rick Senat, James Spring and Rowena Robson. Their names have been removed from the current iteration of the site as they are all clearly too embarrassed to continue to be associated with the company).

When he does bother replying to the many desperate emails he receives from freelancers, Beswick is also telling these freelancers that he won’t pay any late payment fees they levy on their outstanding pay, despite the very clear legal obligation he has to do so, clearly happy to rely on people not bothering to sue to get that legal entitlement from him.

Beswick, who describes himself as a “serial entrepreneur” runs a number of other companies in addition to Mad Dog 2020, including (currently) being chair of a company called Feonic Sound. Whether they are happy to be helmed by someone who is refusing to meet his legal obligations in this way is up to them, but they should at least be aware of his record.

One freelancer who has finally got their pay had this to say:

”In all, it only took 48 weeks, of fobbing off, lies, feet dragging, ignoring me, countless emails, texts, letters etc to Maddog2020, the BBC, DTI, Court, Mr LeReverend (of the EAS), Rip Off Britain, posts to Facebook, a County Court Judgement, Trading Standards, worry, consultation with friends and patience but the money unexpectedly and quietly arrived into my bank account yesterday.

I have no idea at all what eventually forced/pushed/cajoled them into action but something somewhere along the line appeared to work.

Keep up the pressure guys and I urge the many others that have been in the same position as me, to not give up and let Maddog2020 get away with fraudulently keeping your money”.

Sound advice if you do want to get paid what you are owed by this company. It appears to be the only way to do so.