Industry Entertainment manager/producer Dan Spilo was fired for cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of the indie drama Runner. Spilo was then subsequently dismissed as manager by the film’s star, Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly after, multiple sources have confirmed to Deadline.
Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included bullying and inappropriate behavior that included yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came after an HR investigation, and the Jack Reacher star parted ways with the manager at the same time. This all happened a week ago.
You might recall Spilo for his stint on the CBS show Survivor season 17, when he became the first contestant on the show to be sent home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This came after two female contestants said they were made uncomfortable by Spilo’s touchy feely manner. This played out before the cameras and Spilo survived that. The torch snuffer came after a member of the show’s crew lodged a similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated and sent home rather than being placed on the jury voting the
Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a different picture of events, noting that things quickly got awkward in the aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo choosing to leave set of his own accord, recognizing what was best for the project. Emotions were high for Spilo, were told, as he’d recently been dealing with the health challenges of a family member in Israel, which is where he set off for as soon as he was dismissed from Runner.
Sources close to production caution, however, that when it comes to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated incident. He’s developed a reputation for being abrasive and also was accused of inappropriate behavior on the 2019 set of Survivor: Island of the Idols, where he was a contestant. The situation in that case involved multiple cases of alleged inappropriate touching, involving a female producer and contestant Kellee Kim, which led him to become the first and only contestant ever ejected from the Survivor franchise.
“I truly regret that anyone was made to feel uncomfortable by my behavior,” Spilo said in part, at the time, in a statement shared exclusively with People. “In my life, I have always tried to treat others with decency, integrity and kindness. I can only hope that my actions in the future can help me to make amends and show me to be the kind of father, husband, colleague and friend that I always aim to be.”
Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an action thriller from director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project still has a week or two left of shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and following Spilo’s dismissal, producers include Todd Garner of Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures, and Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey is exec producing for Broken Road, along with Matthew Goldberg for Nickel City.
