WGA
Striking Writers Respond to DGA’s Tentative Deal With Studios, Streamers
As the Writers Guild enters its second calendar month of a strike, a key alliance in its fight for increased residuals, wages and AI protections has struck a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. In a tentative deal that is poised to be submitted for approval Tuesday to its National Board, […]
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Anonymous Strike Diary: The ‘Well-Known Creator’ on Actually Missing Development Hell
This is part of a series of accounts of the strike from Hollywood writers at different levels in their careers. The diarists have been granted anonymity to encourage candor. You can read previous entries by ‘Well-Known Creator’ and others here. I wasn’t in production when the strike started nor was I running a writers room. For the last half […]
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New York State Senate, Assembly Members Call on AMPTP to “Negotiate in Good Faith” With WGA Amid Stalled Contract Talks
Over 50 members from the New York State Senate and Assembly have signed two separate letters calling on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to return to the bargaining table with the Writers Guild. One letter from the senate and one from the assembly were delivered to AMPTP Friday morning, which marks one […]
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Netflix Shareholders Reject Exec Pay Packages, Days After Writers Guild Urged “No” Vote
In a rare rebuke of corporate executive compensation, Netflix shareholders rejected the pay packages for top executives at the company, including co-CEO Ted Sarandos, former co-CEO Reed Hastings, and Greg Peters, who was COO of the company last year and was elevated to the co-CEO role earlier this year. The “no” vote on the “Say […]
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Tom Hanks, Baby Jessica and Lessons from a Three Strike Writer
It was October of 1987 and I was saving the morning’s writing on my Mac 512 – a process that took about a minute longer than Michelangelo needed to finish chiseling David – when the phone rang. I welcomed the diversion. “Turn on CNN,” said the voice on the other end. It was Ken Finkleman, […]
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Boston University President Accuses 2023 Graduates of “Cancel Culture” After They Boo David Zaslav During Commencement
Boston University’s outgoing president has said students who booed Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav during the school’s 2023 commencement were engaging in “cancel culture.” In a lengthy post published to the university’s website and the first full public response from the university following criticisms over the school’s decision to choose Zaslav to speak to […]
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Anonymous Strike Diary: The ‘Eastside Warrior’ on Stretching Out Those Final Paychecks
This is part of a series of accounts of the strike from Hollywood writers at different levels in their careers. The diarists have been granted anonymity to encourage candor. You can read previous entries by ‘Eastside Warrior’ and others here. Memorial Day must be the new Labor Day — at least judging by the ocean of unions […]
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Anonymous Strike Diary: ‘The Well-Known Creator’ on Some Harsh Formative Career Lessons
This is part of a series of accounts of the strike from Hollywood writers at different levels in their careers who have been granted anonymity to encourage candor. I was picketing the other day when I ran into an old friend. I hadn’t seen him much since a few years ago when he, for the first […]
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Television Academy Honors Canceled Amid Writers Strike
The 2023 Television Academy Honors have been canceled due to the ongoing writers strike. “After discussions with the WGA and out of deference to those impacted by the ongoing labor dispute, the Television Academy is canceling the Television Academy Honors reception which was scheduled for the evening of May 31. We appreciate everyone’s understanding,” an […]
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“Your Fight Is Our Fight”: John Leguizamo, Busy Philipps, Tony Kushner and Unions Show Solidarity With WGA
John Leguizamo, Busy Philipps, Tony Kushner, Neil Gaiman, Al Franken and Wanda Sykes were among those who took to the stage during WGA East’s Rally at 30 Rockefeller Center on Tuesday, appearing alongside union leaders from SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, Actor’s Equity and more pledging that “all of labor stands behind the writers.” Cynthia Nixon, Ilana Glazer, […]
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Anonymous Strike Diary: ‘The Disillusioned EP’ on Her “Toxic Relationship” With the Studios
This is part of a series of frank accounts of the strike from Hollywood writers at different levels in their careers. The diarists have been granted anonymity to encourage candor. My week began on Sunday night with an email from my strike captain. The next day’s early morning picket was getting pulled up even earlier. Word […]
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Writers Guild Committee Member John August Discloses A.I. Investment, Faces Scrutiny
Writers Guild of America negotiating committee member John August has publicly disclosed his company’s investment in an artificial intelligence-powered writing tool and is facing some member blowback as the WGA is seeking to regulate the use of the technology in its current negotiations. The Big Fish and Aladdin screenwriter (and co-host of the popular Scriptnotes […]
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