A Devon entertainment company has been forced to make more than a dozen employees redundant following the devastating impact of coronavirus.
Over the last four weeks, Scarlett Entertainment - a global business founded by siblings Ben and Rebecca Marks - reported over 100 cancelled or postponed events, with a contract value in excess of £1m.
It means 13 out of their 70 staff had to be let go.
Co-Founder Rebecca Marks said: “Our decision to cut back our workforce is a direct result of cancellations across our core markets key such as Italy, the US and the Middle East. With the situation unlikely to change in the coming weeks we’ve made this difficult decision in order for the business to survive throughout this crisis. We’re working with our clients and artists to help them to navigate the current landscape, and are advising on alternative digital solutions.”
was contacted about the redundancies with claims that those who lost their jobs had been paid notice pay, but not redundancy.
The company said that of the people who have been let go due to Coronavirus, all had been at the company for less than two years and therefore did not qualify for statutory redundancy.
The virus has not only impacted event planners and agencies across the industry but is also having significant economic impact on the many artists who rely on event bookings as their sole source of income.
Sam Dixon, also known as close up magician and illusionist Maddox has spoken about the impact on his livelihood.
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“My job relies on me bringing people of all ages together, and unfortunately I’m not able to do that anymore for the foreseeable future - at least not in person,” he said.
“I certainly miss the joy performing brings me and others, but we are fortunate to have digital avenues that create a brand new way to reach out and entertain audiences. Virtual shows are no longer a futuristic idea, but entirely possible and a necessity during the current climate.”
In these challenging times, Scarlett Entertainment recommends that businesses find alternative solutions to in-person events.
“Unique circumstances require unique actions, we’re encouraging both local and our global clients to seek digital and virtual event solutions to ensure they can still communicate with audiences, ready to hit the ground running when the virus ends,” said Rebecca Marks.
Scarlett Entertainment started as a small family business founded by brother and sister Ben and Rebecca Marks. The multi award winning agency, based in Newton Abbot now operates in 80 countries worldwide, represents over 16,000 artists and has worked with world-renowned brands such as Google, Louis Vuitton and UEFA.