Sometimes it takes great adversity and the threat of extinction to bring like-minded people together to face a common enemy. This was the case during the 1960’s when the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) made a concerted effort to unionize all circus performers.

Under the direction of their leader, actress Penny Singleton, AGVA posed a serious threat to the American circus industry and to the Producers who were bringing quality family entertainment to the American public.

Using their vast war chest, AGVA began an immense public relations and legal push to force restrictive conditions upon how Producers could use the acts contracted to them. Totally ignoring the fact that the vast majority of circus artists did not want to unionize, AGVA was now a real “Bull in the China Shop”.

In 1967, a few Producers decided enough was enough and under the leadership of George A. Hamid, Sr. and Art Concello, the Circus Producers Association was founded, quickly adding members Hubert Castle, Sam Pollack, L.N. Fleckles and Howard Suez and also retaining famed Chicago based attorney Eugene Resnick. The Circus Producers Association went to war, winning battles against AGVA in New York and Arizona and even getting favorable rulings for the Industry from the Internal Revenue Service over how to classify acts.

By the early 1970’s, Singleton and AGVA were a mere footnote to circus history and the threat to limit the ability of performers to show their talent to the public was over.

Circus Producers Association then went to work for the benefit of the American Circus Industry establishing a forum where disputes within the industry were heard before legal action was necessary, obtaining an affordable accident insurance plan for circus performers and making sure all Circus Producers Association members adhered to strict guidelines concerning quality of performance, honesty in all contract negotiations and even writing up an “Animal Care Manifesto” to ensure the humane treatment of all performing animals.

Over the years, the roster of Circus Producers Association reads like a list of “Who’s Who” in the circus world. Unfortunately, space and the fear of unconscious omission precludes listing everyone, but rest assured, there were, and are now, members who were, and are, giants in the entertainment world.