Burbank runs on entertainment, with more than 1,000 media and creative companies and a workforce of about 166,000. As a result, a Burbank employment lawyer has to know day rates, call sheets, and freelance invoices.
Frontier Law Center represents employees across California from its office in Woodland Hills, about 20 miles west. You can see every claim type we handle on our How We Help page. In an industry where the next booking often depends on relationships, it is normal to worry that speaking up could cost you work.
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Quick Answer
Do studio and production employees in Burbank have the same rights as other California employees?
Yes, the core California protections apply on Burbank lots and sets, including daily overtime, meal premiums, harassment and discrimination law, and protection from retaliation. A few industry rules and some union contracts change the details. The Motion Picture Wage Order lets some film and TV employees work six hours before their first meal, Cal-WARN notice does not cover a project wrap, and freelancers have their own contract and payment law. Burbank also follows the $16.90 state minimum wage rather than the $18.42 City of Los Angeles rate that applies in North Hollywood and Toluca Lake.
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How a Burbank Employment Lawyer Handles Long Days on Studio Lots and Production Sets
Burbank production jobs follow the same core pay rules as other California jobs. That is why a Burbank employment lawyer rebuilds your real hours from call sheets first. Under California overtime law, time and a half begins after eight hours a day or 40 a week. Double time begins after 12 hours in a day, and both rules still apply on a flat day rate.
Under the Motion Picture Wage Order, some film and TV employees can work up to six hours before their first meal. Most other employees need one by the end of the fifth hour. For those employees, the next meal must start within six hours after the first one ends. If a meal comes later, the employer owes you one extra hour of pay for the day.
Crew under a union contract with its own overtime and meal terms may be required to follow that contract instead. For everyone else, the wage and hour team at Frontier Law Center tests salaried titles labeled exempt. Our class action and PAGA team handles practices that reach a whole department.
| Your Burbank Job | What Usually Goes Wrong | What California Law Says |
|---|---|---|
| Production assistant or set crew on a flat day rate | Fourteen-hour days paid as one flat number, with lunch called late | Time and a half after 8 hours, double time after 12, and an extra hour of pay for a day with a late meal (Labor Code 510; Wage Order 12) |
| Coordinator, assistant editor, or junior animator on a salary labeled exempt | No overtime despite routine duties and modest pay | Exempt status requires exempt duties, independent judgment, and a salary of at least twice the state minimum wage (Labor Code 515) |
| Freelance designer, writer, or illustrator | No written contract and an invoice unpaid for months | A signed written contract and payment by the contract date or within 30 days of finishing (Business and Professions Code 18102 and 18103) |
| Unpaid intern at a studio or production company | Harassment or unequal treatment with nowhere to report it | FEHA bars harassment of interns at employers of any size, and generally bars discrimination against them once a company has five or more employees (Government Code 12926(d) and 12940(c) and (j)) |
| Crew released at wrap, or staff cut in a studio restructuring | No notice before a large layoff | Cal-WARN requires 60 days of notice for a mass layoff at a larger worksite, but not for a project wrap (Labor Code 1400.5 and 1401) |
| Studio tour, retail, or airport staff in Burbank | Paid less than coworkers at the same chain across the city line | The $16.90 state rate covers most Burbank jobs, while $18.42 and 48 sick hours apply in North Hollywood and Toluca Lake (Labor Code 1182.12; Los Angeles Minimum Wage Ordinance) |
Why a Burbank Employment Attorney Checks Which Minimum Wage Applies at the City Line
Burbank’s city council has discussed a local minimum wage, but none exists today. As a result, the $16.90 state floor covers most jobs at Burbank studios, shops, and the airport. That rate becomes $17.40 on January 1, 2027. A Burbank employment lawyer at Frontier Law Center checks your pay stubs against whichever floor applies.
North Hollywood and Toluca Lake, on the other hand, are neighborhoods of the City of Los Angeles. There, the Office of Wage Standards enforces an $18.42 floor plus 48 paid sick hours a year. Universal City, an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County, follows the county rate of $18.47.
When Burbank Freelancers and Independent Contractors Need an Employment Attorney
Burbank freelancers need an employment attorney when a company treats them like staff or ignores their contract rights. A Burbank employment lawyer starts by asking whether the contractor label even fits.
Under California’s ABC test, a company that controls when, where, and how you work usually has an employee. Even without that control, you may be one if you work only for that company. The same is true when your work is part of its core business.
Some creative roles use an older test, and our misclassification attorneys at Frontier Law Center sort out which one applies.
If the company got your status wrong, you can recover the benefits owed to employees. That includes unpaid overtime, meal premiums, and work expenses. True freelancers on contracts signed or renewed since January 1, 2025, get separate protection under California’s Freelance Worker Protection Act.
That law covers graphic design, fine art, and many writing, editing, and illustration jobs, with firm rules on paperwork and payment.
Your Rights Under California’s Freelance Worker Protection Act
- A signed written contract for covered work worth $250 or more
- A contract listing your services, your rate, and how the company pays you
- Payment by the contract date, or within 30 days of finishing if it names none
- No demand that you take less pay or do extra work to receive timely payment
- No retaliation for asserting or enforcing your rights
- An extra $1,000 if the company refused a contract you requested before starting
- Up to twice the unpaid amount when your payment comes late
You do not have to sort out your status alone.
Tell us who set your hours and who supplied the gear, and we will sort out which California rules protect you.
How a Burbank Harassment Lawyer Protects Crew, Interns, and Contract Talent
California’s harassment law protects nearly everyone who works on a Burbank production. The Fair Employment and Housing Act, or FEHA, covers employees, applicants, unpaid interns, volunteers, and people working under a contract. Its harassment rules apply to employers of any size.
Our sexual harassment attorneys at Frontier Law Center build these cases from texts, call sheets, and witness accounts. If you fear losing the next booking, a Burbank employment lawyer can explain how FEHA protects you after you report.
Hostile Work Environment Claims Involving Coworkers, Vendors, and Talent
When a supervisor harasses you, the company is responsible for that harassment. When a coworker, a vendor, or talent harasses you, the company is liable if it knew or should have known about it and failed to act quickly. A written report to a producer, department head, or HR shows when the company knew.
Sexual Harassment by a Producer or Director Who Is Not Your Employer
California Civil Code section 51.9 covers sexual harassment within a business or professional relationship, and it names directors and producers specifically. It reaches them even when they never employed you. It also covers anyone who claims the power to help you land future work.
What a Burbank Retaliation Attorney Looks For After Safety Complaints and Wage Disputes
Punishing an employee for a safety or pay complaint is illegal in California. A Burbank retaliation attorney therefore looks first at what changed after you spoke up.
Our workplace retaliation attorneys and whistleblower retaliation team at Frontier Law Center handle every stage of these cases.
Protected Activity Starts When You Raise a Safety or Pay Concern
Labor Code section 6310 protects you when you complain about safety or health or report a work injury. Section 98.6 does the same when you complain about unpaid wages or file a wage claim. California’s whistleblower law also protects reports to an agency, your supervisor, or anyone who can fix the problem.
Your Hours Shrink or Your Name Drops Off the Call Sheet
Retaliation on a production rarely arrives as a firing. Instead, your name drops off the next call sheet, your hours shrink, or a department head stops answering texts. Changes like these can support a retaliation claim when they follow your complaint.
The Dates Connect Your Complaint to the Change
Save the call sheets, schedules, and messages from before and after your complaint. A Burbank employment lawyer then lines up those dates to show what the company reacted to. You stay protected even if nobody proves a violation, as long as you reasonably believed the company broke the law.
In Whistleblower Claims, the Company Must Prove It Would Have Acted Anyway
In whistleblower claims under Labor Code section 1102.5, the burden shifts once you show your report played a part. The company must then prove by clear and convincing evidence that it would have acted anyway. That standard is demanding, which is why a clear timeline matters so much.
How a Burbank Wrongful Termination Lawyer Reviews Layoffs at Studios and Wraps on Productions
Not every Burbank layoff is legal, even when jobs end with the project. A Burbank wrongful termination lawyer first separates a true project wrap from a restructuring that used the wrap as cover.
Cal-WARN, California’s layoff notice law, requires 60 days of written notice before a mass layoff. That means 50 or more layoffs within 30 days at a worksite with 75 or more employees. The notice goes to employees who have worked there for at least six months.
The rule does not cover a film or TV wrap when the company hired the crew only for that project. It does apply when a studio, network, or streaming division cuts ongoing staff. Our wrongful termination team at Frontier Law Center reviews the notice, the timing, and the selection list.
Age Patterns Hidden Inside a Studio Restructuring
A studio that cuts mostly employees over 50 in one department may face an age discrimination claim. California law protects employees 40 and older, so the ages on a layoff list matter. A Burbank employment lawyer compares who stayed, who left, and who the company hired next.
1
Kirsten Starr
Controller
2
Nicole Clancy
Senior Litigation Attorney
3
Mike Rachmann
Litigation Attorney
4
Robert Starr
Attorney, Founding Partner
5
Francine Barlavi
Client Onboarding Team
6
Danny Barlavi
Client Onboarding Team Lead
7
Kaylie Urango
Pre-Litigation Support Specialist
8
Amber Shelgren
Case Evaluation Assistant
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Taylor McCarthy
Litigation Support Specialist
10
Gabriela Dominguez
Litigation Support Specialist
11
Cynthia Rodriguez
Case Manager
12
Collette Navasartian
Paralegal
13
Rebecca Harteker
Litigation Attorney
14
Manny Starr
Attorney, Managing Partner
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Colin Rickard
Director of Growth & Operations
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Mark Tieman
Attorney, Managing Partner
How Frontier Law Center’s Burbank Employment Attorneys Serve North Hollywood and Toluca Lake From Woodland Hills
Frontier Law Center serves Burbank, North Hollywood, and Toluca Lake by phone and online from its Woodland Hills base at 6200 Canoga Avenue, Suite 470. Since every consultation happens remotely, a Burbank employment lawyer can review your case after wrap.
Under Managing Partner Manny Starr, Frontier Law Center has helped more than 10,000 employees across California and recovered more than $100 million. Because we work on contingency, there is no cost to you unless we recover money.
Our client reviews are worth a read, and the How We Help page lists every claim type we take.
Questions Burbank Crew, Freelancers, and Studio Employees Ask an Employment Lawyer
These answers cover Burbank rules that general guides skip, and a Burbank employment lawyer at Frontier Law Center can apply them to your facts.
Can a Burbank Film or TV Set Make Me Wait Six Hours for My First Meal Break?
Yes, the state’s Motion Picture Wage Order allows some film and TV employees to work up to six hours before their first meal. The next meal must start within six hours after the first one ends. A meal that comes later earns you one extra hour of pay. Crew whose union contract sets its own meal rules may be required to follow that contract instead.
Does an Unpaid Intern at a Burbank Production Company Have Protection From Harassment and Discrimination?
Yes, California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, known as FEHA, protects unpaid interns from harassment at a company of any size. Its rules against discrimination in how a company chooses, trains, treats, or releases interns generally apply once it has five or more employees.
Does Cal-WARN Apply When a Burbank Production Wraps and Releases Its Crew?
HR handles bullying under company policy, and California requires a prompt, fair investigation when the complaint involves harassment or retaliation. Your complaint carries more weight when it is in writing, names the specific conduct, and lists dates and witnesses. If the bullying is tied to a protected trait, say so directly, because that triggers your employer’s legal duties. Keep a copy of everything you submit.
Can I Sue a Burbank Producer or Director Who Harassed Me but Never Employed Me?
Yes, California Civil Code section 51.9 lets you sue a producer or director for sexual harassment, even if they never employed you. The claim requires a professional relationship and unwelcome conduct that was severe or pervasive, meaning serious or repeated. You must also show harm, such as lost work or emotional distress.
Get a Free Case Evaluation From a Burbank Employment Lawyer
You do not need to know which wage order covers your show before you reach out. At Frontier Law Center, a Burbank employment lawyer goes through your hours, messages, and key dates, then tells you plainly where you stand. You can also start online at any hour, in English or Spanish, through our intake assistant.
Reach out to Frontier Law Center to set up a free case evaluation and find out whether you have a case.
