What Contract Services does

Contract Services Administration Trust Fund (CSATF) is a non-profit organization founded in 1965 and headquartered in Burbank, California, that administers key provisions of collective bargaining agreements for the motion picture and television industry. The organization is composed of two tax-exempt trust funds — CSATF (501(c)(6) business league) and CSATTF (501(c)(5) labor organization subject to ERISA) — governed by boards of trustees appointed by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Contract Services maintains rosters and training lists for approximately 60,000 Industry Professionals across more than 125 job classifications, administers the Safety Pass program (over 30 safety training courses delivering 2.28 million+ cumulative training hours since 2003), and provides DOT-compliant substance testing, transportation services, and apprenticeship programs in coordination with IATSE, Basic Crafts unions, DGA, and SAG-AFTRA.

The organization's technology platform consists of the Industry Hub (launched 2023, replacing the 2004-era Online Roster) for searching roster and training compliance records, a self-service Portal for Industry Professionals to manage applications and enrollments, and the CS Access Mobile App (launched 2022 on iOS and Android) for global access to Safety Bulletins and Hotlines. Contract Services also produces 45 numbered Safety Bulletins plus Procedural Guidelines and Informational Fact Sheets through the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee. New product lines include Safety Advisor Training (March 2025) for California's tax-credit productions, the Training Referral Platform ($10/course for external employers), Harassment Prevention, Firearms Safety, Workplace Violence Prevention, RCAN, and Hours of Service training modules.

The revenue model is funded primarily through collective bargaining agreements negotiated between AMPTP (representing major studios including Disney, Warner Bros., Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Amazon MGM, Apple, and HBO) and industry unions. The Training Referral Platform adds a modest pay-per-play revenue stream at $10 per course enrollment for employers purchasing training access for non-roster employees. Customer segments include the freelance motion picture workforce (60,000+ Industry Professionals), major studios and producers requiring compliance verification, and industry unions/guilds requiring member training administration. Leadership comprises CEO David Gross (appointed 2019) and Chief Administrative Officer Ingrid Lohne (appointed 2005, originally hired as Safety Pass Director in 2003).

Name

Contract Services

Legal name

Contract Services Administration Trust Fund

Website

https://csatf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Contract Services is a non-profit trust fund that administers collective bargaining provisions for the motion picture and television industry, providing safety training, workforce rosters, and compliance services to approximately 60,000 Industry Professionals, unions, and major studios since 1965.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Motion Picture Industry Workforce Safety and Compliance Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Compliance, Safety & Regulatory Training (BPACANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Safety, Compliance & Regulatory (OSHA/HSE/GxP) Certifications (EDAAANAJ), Transportation & Fleet Safety (DOT, Driver Safety) (EDABAEAM), Safety, Security & Facilities Onboarding (EHS, Physical Security) (EDABAOAI), Workplace Compliance & Professional Responsibility (Ethics, Harassment Prevention, Safety Basics) (EDAAAKAK)

Keywords

• Safety training programs
• Roster management services
• Workforce compliance training
• Production safety bulletins
• Apprenticeship training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Burbank

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Trust Fund Administration: Contract Services is a non-profit organization funded through collective bargaining agreements between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and industry unions. The organization consists of two separate tax-exempt trust funds: CSATF (a 501(c)(6) business league) and CSATTF (a 501(c)(5) labor organization subject to ERISA). Funding comes from industry employers and unions as part of negotiated collective bargaining agreements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Contract Services administers industry-wide safety training (Safety Pass program with 35+ courses), maintains experience rosters and training lists for more than 60,000 motion picture Industry Professionals across 125+ job classifications, and provides compliance, apprenticeship, substance testing, transportation, and safety advisory services. Its technology backbone — the Industry Hub, self-service Portal, and CS Access Mobile App — supports roster verification, training enrollment, and Safety Bulletin distribution for studios, unions, and Industry Professionals governed by 20+ collective bargaining agreements.

Product overview

Contract Services is a nonprofit organization that serves as the administrative backbone for the motion picture and television industry, administering key provisions of collective bargaining agreements. The organization operates the Safety Pass program (over 30 safety training courses), manages the Industry Experience Roster and multiple other rosters covering approximately 60,000 Industry Professionals across more than 125 job classifications, and provides a suite of specialized training programs. The core technology platform consists of the Industry Hub (for searching roster and training records) and the Portal (for Industry Professionals to manage applications, training, and compliance). Additional offerings include the Training Referral Platform for employers, Safety Advisor Training for California tax credit productions, CS Access Mobile App, apprenticeship programs, substance testing, and specialized courses for harassment prevention, firearms safety, RCAN, hours of service, and workplace violence prevention.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Safety Pass: Industry-leading safety training program for the motion picture and television production workforce. Provides contractually mandated safety training covering topics including general safety, hazard communication, firearm safety, lighting safety, and respiratory protection.
• Training Referral Platform
• Industry Hub
• CS Access

Products and services

• Safety Pass Program
• Industry Experience Roster (IER)
• Industry Hub and Portal
• Television Commercial Roster (TCR)
• Teachers Availability List (TAL) and Dual Credential Substitute List (DCSL)
• Local #800 Experience Registry
• SAG-AFTRA Training List
• Local 817 Locations Preference Lists
• Safety Advisor Training
• CS Access Mobile App
• Training Referral Platform
• Substance Testing Program
• Apprenticeship Programs
• Skills Training
• Safety Bulletins
• Local #399 Transportation Services
• Nationwide Transportation Services
• Local #706 Training Series
• Local #800 Training Series
• COVID-19 Prevention Training (C19)

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,280,000+ training hours delivered through Safety Pass program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1965AMPTP represents major motion picture and television producers in collective bargaining negotiations with Hollywood unions. Contract Services was established through collective bargaining between AMPTP member companies and unions to administer key provisions of collective bargaining agreements including apprenticeship programs, training and safety programs, and seniority rosters.
• IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1965Contract Services administers certain aspects of collective bargaining agreements with 14 IATSE local unions covering property, grips, cinematographers, sound, editors, costumers, make-up artists, lighting technicians, set painters, art directors, animation, script supervisors, studio teachers, and costume designers.
• Basic Crafts UnionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1965Contract Services administers aspects of collective bargaining agreements with Basic Crafts unions including IBEW Local #40 (electrical), Plumbers Local #78, Teamsters Local #399 (transportation), Laborers Local #724, and Plasterers Local #755.
• Directors Guild of America (DGA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1965Contract Services provides training administration services for DGA classifications including First and Second Assistant Directors, Unit Production Managers, Stage Managers, Associate Directors, and DGA Trainees.
• SAG-AFTRAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1965Contract Services maintains training records for Stunt Coordinators and Stunt Performers under the SAG-AFTRA Codified Basic Agreement, including mandatory safety and harassment prevention training requirements.
• Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1965Contract Services hosts the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee, composed of guild, union, and management representatives active in industry safety and health programs. The committee publishes Safety Bulletins, Guidelines, and Fact Sheets for the motion picture and television industry.
• Major Studios (Disney, Warner Bros., Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Amazon, Apple, HBO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor motion picture studios partner with Contract Services for workforce safety training compliance, roster verification, and industry safety standards. Studios utilize the Industry Hub to verify roster and training compliance of Industry Professionals.
• Entertainment PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEntertainment Partners administers the Teacher Referral Service for Studio Teachers on the Teachers Availability List (TAL), facilitating employment referrals for qualified studio teachers.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Entertainment Partners: Entertainment Partners is the leading provider of production management and workforce services for the entertainment industry, offering payroll, residuals, production accounting, and incentive management. Like Contract Services, it serves the operational backbone of film/TV production and partners with major studios and unions, but focuses on financial/administrative services while Contract Services focuses on training, safety, and roster management.
• Cast & Crew Entertainment Services: Cast & Crew provides payroll, human resources, and production accounting services to the entertainment industry. It is a direct peer in workforce administration for Hollywood productions, with overlapping customers (studios and unions) and a similar role as a back-office service provider, though without the training and safety specialization of Contract Services.

Others

• Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA): SAG-AFTRA is a labor union representing performers that maintains training lists administered by Contract Services (e.g., Stunt Coordinator training). It is a key contractual partner and customer of Contract Services, sharing the same motion picture industry context and collective bargaining framework, but operates as a union rather than a training/roster services organization.
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE): IATSE is the union representing behind-the-scenes entertainment workers whose 14 West Coast local unions contract with Contract Services for roster and training administration. As the primary labor partner and customer base, IATSE shares the motion picture industry focus but operates as a collective bargaining union rather than a training services provider.
• Motion Picture Association (MPA): The MPA is the trade association representing major film and television studios (the AMPTP's counterpart). Contract Services' funding ultimately flows from MPA member companies through the AMPTP, and the two organizations jointly shape industry safety standards and labor-management policy through the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee.
• The Actors Fund: The Actors Fund is a national non-profit providing social services, healthcare, housing, and career support to entertainment industry professionals. While not a training or roster services peer, it serves the same freelance motion picture workforce that Contract Services trains, and is part of the broader administrative ecosystem supporting the entertainment industry.
• Directors Guild of America (DGA): The DGA is the union representing directors and team members in film and television, and is one of Contract Services' core contractual partners for training administration (First/Second ADs, UPMs, Stage Managers). It shares the industry focus but operates as a labor union rather than a training/roster services body.

Regional players

• British Film Institute (BFI): The BFI is the UK lead organization for film, supporting skills development, training, and workforce standards. It serves an analogous role to Contract Services in supporting the British film production workforce, though with a broader cultural mandate and a different funding/governance model than the collective bargaining-based trust fund structure of CSATF.
• National Film Board of Canada (NFB): The NFB is a Canadian federal cultural agency producing and distributing films and providing industry training and development. Like Contract Services, it supports a national film production workforce, but is government-funded and operates in Canada rather than serving U.S. collective bargaining-driven production.

Emerging players

• OSHA Outreach Training Program: OSHA's Outreach Training Program provides general industry and construction safety training, overlapping with Contract Services' workplace safety curriculum (fall protection, hazard communication, electrical safety). It is a comparable regulatory-adjacent safety training program, though focused on general industry rather than motion picture production specifics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Contract Services