Casting firm accused of leaving actors unpaid

Equity's warning about the agency on its official website (equity.org.uk) and Lucy Harrison Casting's official website (lucyharrisoncasting.com). The agency says that Happy House Media Ltd is still up and running, and complies fully with the law

Creatives are allegedly owed thousands of pounds by a casting firm that has gone into partial liquidation.

Equity claims the financial collapse of Happy House Productions Ltd – one of two companies to trade under the brand Lucy Harrison Casting – has left some of its members unpaid, but that the agency is continuing to send out casting opportunities.

The union has issued a warning to creatives not to accept new work from the agency, while numerous social media users have accused the agency’s behaviour as "rogue" and "a scam".

But Lucy Harrison Casting told The Stage that its other constituent company, Happy House Media Ltd, is still up and running, and complies fully with the law.

Further, in the announcement of the liquidation of Happy House Productions Ltd, the agency claims it has been the target of an "online smear campaign" that has contributed to its current fate.
Continues...

Related to this article

Casting directors: what are they looking for in 2025?

Happy House Productions Ltd is currently undergoing voluntary liquidation, with a full report still to be finalised, The Stage understands.

Equity claimed its members were owed thousands of pounds amid the company’s collapse and added that it had secured assurances from the Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate that it was raising the issue with the insolvency practitioners.

Lucy Harrison Casting, which has worked on productions including Come Alive! The Greatest Showman, did not address the allegations of unpaid workers – but it did attempt to make it "unequivocally clear that [it] is not trading illegally" going forward.

"The brand is now operating solely under Happy House Media Ltd, a legally distinct entity that was incorporated more than 12 months ago," a statement from the casting agency continued.

"The continued operation of Lucy Harrison Casting under Happy House Media Ltd is lawful and consistent with UK company law."

Both Happy House Media Ltd and Happy House Productions Ltd became legal corporations in 2021 under director Edward Lightfoot.

Since then, both companies have had dormant financial years, and their latest accounts indicated both were running at a loss.

The now-liquidated Happy House Productions Ltd recorded a loss of more than £66,000 in net assets in the financial year ending October 2024, while Happy House Media Ltd reported a loss of more than £2,800 over the same time.

For Equity, Lucy Harrison Casting’s continued operations amounts to "reopening" its business under a twin company, and the union has therefore warned members to exercise caution when engaging with Lucy Harrison Casting.

"Equity will continue to do all we can to hold this agency accountable and work to change a system in which reckless agents can walk away owing artists thousands in earnings," its statement reads.

A spokesperson from the government’s Department for Business and Trade told The Stage: "We take all relevant complaints about agencies seriously and ensure they are thoroughly investigated to protect consumers and businesses across the country."