A RECORDING ARTIST IN JERSEY Weinstein kept wallet in his pants
PAYBACK is no fun. Just ask Harvey Weinstein. While the disgraced producer (photo) is finally getting his comeuppance from the many women he’s allegedly harassed over the years, multiple event planners say that getting money from the movie mogul was like squeezing blood from a stone. “It’s an open secret,” according to one organizer, who asked not be named for fear of retribution. The GETTY trusted industry veteran says their company was at one point owed tens of thousands of dollars by Weinstein, and spent several months calling and emailing before finally getting the money they’d earned. “It’s well known he was late in paying publicists,” says another source who had dealings with the “Bad Santa” producer. We’ve also learned that the Weinstein Company’s laissez faire attitude about paying workers didn’t fly so well with one private security company that provided protection at Weinstein’s star-studded events, only to be kept waiting for their checks. We’re told that company, which is largely staffed by retired police officers, once paid a visit to Weinstein’s Lower Manhattan offices to remind him that they needed to be paid — sooner than later. A representative for that company said he “had no recollection” of the alleged event when we reached out, thanked us for calling and quickly hung up when pressed about specifics.
There are also photographers who were known to take a pass on Weinstein’s events because getting paid was such a hassle, according to sources in that area of the biz. At least one photo agency that frequently shoots movie premieres and parties counts itself among those that have been kept waiting by Weinstein. It wasn’t all bad. One prominent event host, who asked not to be named, said that they’d done multiple movie premieres for Weinstein and never had an issue. But they went into those deals knowing that team Weinstein needed to be reminded to send out checks on payday.
Reps for Weinstein did not respond to a request for comment. The Cars frontman is showing his visual side at the Wentworth Gallery the Mall at Short Hills on Saturday, but don’t be surprised if his sons, 22-year-old and 17-year-old aren’t the most enthused patrons at the exhibition. “They see me doing it around the house, I don’t think they give it a second glance,” he confessed. “They’re too busy on the computers, learning about artificial intelligence, you know?”