One day after the Writers Guild of America ratified its 2023 strike-ending contract, Lowell Peterson has announced that he is stepping down from the post of WGA East executive director.
“I am proud of my work to transform the Wgae into a more powerful force for writers,” Peterson said in a statement on Tuesday. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with such extraordinary leaders, members, and staff. Their activism, creativity, and diligence have been essential to our success.” Peterson will leave his post after his deal expires on Nov. 15, following 15 years of leadership at the union.
The guild’s director of contract enforcement and credits, Geoff Betts, will lead on an interim basis as the labor group searches for a new executive director. Variety was the first to report the news.
Starting in 2008, Peterson headed up the union at a time when it aggressively pursued organizing efforts in digital media,...
“I am proud of my work to transform the Wgae into a more powerful force for writers,” Peterson said in a statement on Tuesday. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with such extraordinary leaders, members, and staff. Their activism, creativity, and diligence have been essential to our success.” Peterson will leave his post after his deal expires on Nov. 15, following 15 years of leadership at the union.
The guild’s director of contract enforcement and credits, Geoff Betts, will lead on an interim basis as the labor group searches for a new executive director. Variety was the first to report the news.
Starting in 2008, Peterson headed up the union at a time when it aggressively pursued organizing efforts in digital media,...
- 10/10/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Writers Guild of America East announced Thursday that Lisa Takeuchi Cullen has officially been elected as its new president after running unopposed to succeed outgoing president Michael Winship.
Takeuchi Cullen is now the third woman and the first person of color to be elected president of WGA East. Secretary-treasurer Christopher Kyle will continue in the same position after also running unopposed.
“I am honored to become the next president of the Writers Guild of America East. Even when we negotiate a fair deal with the Hollywood studios — and it is a when, not an if — I know the fight is not over,” Takeuchi Cullen said in a statement. “The fight continues for all of our members, TV and screenwriters as well as journalists and podcasters, to achieve compensation commensurate to the value of our important work. The fight continues for all workers to earn a life of dignity. The fight...
Takeuchi Cullen is now the third woman and the first person of color to be elected president of WGA East. Secretary-treasurer Christopher Kyle will continue in the same position after also running unopposed.
“I am honored to become the next president of the Writers Guild of America East. Even when we negotiate a fair deal with the Hollywood studios — and it is a when, not an if — I know the fight is not over,” Takeuchi Cullen said in a statement. “The fight continues for all of our members, TV and screenwriters as well as journalists and podcasters, to achieve compensation commensurate to the value of our important work. The fight continues for all workers to earn a life of dignity. The fight...
- 9/21/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, running unopposed, has been elected president of the WGA East. Cullen, who until now had been VP of the guild’s Film/TV/Streaming sector, succeeds Michael Winship, who chose not to seek re-election.
In the WGA East’s other officer elections, two other candidates also ran unopposed. Chris Kyle was re-elected secretary-treasurer, and Erica Saleh, a member of the guild’s Council, will be the next VP of Film/TV/Streaming – the post previously held by Cullen.
Votes were cast by 13.3% of total eligible voters for president and secretary-treasurer.
In the guild’s other races, six Council members representing the Film/TV/Streaming sector also elected: Sofia Alvarez, incumbent Josh Gondelman, incumbent Liz Hynes, incumbent Greg Iwinski, Sarah Montana, and incumbent Sasha Stewart.
Three candidates were also elected to the Council representing the Online Media sector: incumbent Caitlin Cruz, Sie Morley, and Samantha Smylie.
In Film/TV/Streaming,...
In the WGA East’s other officer elections, two other candidates also ran unopposed. Chris Kyle was re-elected secretary-treasurer, and Erica Saleh, a member of the guild’s Council, will be the next VP of Film/TV/Streaming – the post previously held by Cullen.
Votes were cast by 13.3% of total eligible voters for president and secretary-treasurer.
In the guild’s other races, six Council members representing the Film/TV/Streaming sector also elected: Sofia Alvarez, incumbent Josh Gondelman, incumbent Liz Hynes, incumbent Greg Iwinski, Sarah Montana, and incumbent Sasha Stewart.
Three candidates were also elected to the Council representing the Online Media sector: incumbent Caitlin Cruz, Sie Morley, and Samantha Smylie.
In Film/TV/Streaming,...
- 9/21/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America East (Wgae) members have elected Lisa Takeuchi Cullen as its new president. Cullen, who was an unopposed candidate for the posititon, takes over for outgoing president Michael Winship, who announced his decision to not seek reelection of his longtime post over the summer.
“I am honored to become the next President of the Writers Guild of America East,” Takeuchi Cullen said in a statement. “Even when we negotiate a fair deal with the Hollywood studios — and it is a when, not an if — I know the fight is not over. The fight continues for all of our members, TV and screenwriters as well as journalists and podcasters, to achieve compensation commensurate to the value of our important work. The fight continues for all workers to earn a life of dignity. The fight continues for all labor to put human rights over corporate profits. As the...
“I am honored to become the next President of the Writers Guild of America East,” Takeuchi Cullen said in a statement. “Even when we negotiate a fair deal with the Hollywood studios — and it is a when, not an if — I know the fight is not over. The fight continues for all of our members, TV and screenwriters as well as journalists and podcasters, to achieve compensation commensurate to the value of our important work. The fight continues for all workers to earn a life of dignity. The fight continues for all labor to put human rights over corporate profits. As the...
- 9/21/2023
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America East has re-elected a host of incumbents and two new leaders in film, television and streaming in its latest council election.
After running unopposed, current vp for film/TV/streaming Lisa Takeuchi Cullen is ascending into the president’s seat after current president Michael Winship decided not to run for re-election. She will be joined by incumbent secretary-treasurer Christopher Kyle, who is retaining the role, and Erica Saleh, a sitting council member who has been elected to the role of vp for film/TV/streaming; both ran unopposed.
Out of the 12 candidates who ran for council seats in the film/TV/streaming sector, six were elected, including incumbents Josh Gondelman, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski and Sasha Stewart and new candidates Sofia Alvarez and Sarah Montana. The new leaders’ terms begin Friday.
Takeuchi Cullen noted in a statement Thursday that she is the first woman of...
After running unopposed, current vp for film/TV/streaming Lisa Takeuchi Cullen is ascending into the president’s seat after current president Michael Winship decided not to run for re-election. She will be joined by incumbent secretary-treasurer Christopher Kyle, who is retaining the role, and Erica Saleh, a sitting council member who has been elected to the role of vp for film/TV/streaming; both ran unopposed.
Out of the 12 candidates who ran for council seats in the film/TV/streaming sector, six were elected, including incumbents Josh Gondelman, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski and Sasha Stewart and new candidates Sofia Alvarez and Sarah Montana. The new leaders’ terms begin Friday.
Takeuchi Cullen noted in a statement Thursday that she is the first woman of...
- 9/21/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Amid an ongoing strike, the Writers Guild of America East begins voting today on its new council members, including the successor for longtime president Michael Winship.
With the strike environment generating solidarity across the Wgae and its WGA West counterpart, it would seem that the election would be a straightforward affair with Wgae members on the same page about what they want from their guild.
However, this election comes not much more than a year after the guild reached a compromise to address the WGA East’s rapid growth in recent years by creating three “work sectors” for membership: Film/TV/Streaming, Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News and Online Media.
These changes came after a significant amount of internal conflict stemming from the Wgae’s success in organizing writers at digital media outlets such as Vice Media, Vox, Bustle Digital Group and many more. There are concerns that writers who primarily...
With the strike environment generating solidarity across the Wgae and its WGA West counterpart, it would seem that the election would be a straightforward affair with Wgae members on the same page about what they want from their guild.
However, this election comes not much more than a year after the guild reached a compromise to address the WGA East’s rapid growth in recent years by creating three “work sectors” for membership: Film/TV/Streaming, Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News and Online Media.
These changes came after a significant amount of internal conflict stemming from the Wgae’s success in organizing writers at digital media outlets such as Vice Media, Vox, Bustle Digital Group and many more. There are concerns that writers who primarily...
- 9/6/2023
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Writers Guild of America East leadership has touched down in Los Angeles for meetings to review the counter-offer by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers furnished on Aug. 11, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The WGA and the AMPTP are set to meet Tuesday, Aug. 15.
On Friday, the AMPTP presented its latest counter-proposal to the writers’ union. The guild told its members that night that it would “evaluate their offer” and present their response this week.
It’s not unusual for leaders of the eastern branch to join their West Coast counterparts during a strike — president Michael Winship has previously told THR that during the 2007-08 writers’ strike, as president of the eastern branch of the union, he flew out to L.A. every few weeks — but it does suggest that the talks have gotten more serious in recent days.
Neither branch of the Writers Guild of America responded...
On Friday, the AMPTP presented its latest counter-proposal to the writers’ union. The guild told its members that night that it would “evaluate their offer” and present their response this week.
It’s not unusual for leaders of the eastern branch to join their West Coast counterparts during a strike — president Michael Winship has previously told THR that during the 2007-08 writers’ strike, as president of the eastern branch of the union, he flew out to L.A. every few weeks — but it does suggest that the talks have gotten more serious in recent days.
Neither branch of the Writers Guild of America responded...
- 8/15/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny and Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As writers hit 100 days of being on strike, members approached the milestone with a large degree of resolve and enthusiasm, with some anger and questions simmering underneath.
The picket line outside the Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery offices near Union Square was one of the largest seen in New York since the start of the Writers Guild of America strike on May 2. The WGA received more than 700 RSVPs just from its own members, but SAG-AFTRA members were also on the lines as were IATSE members, Local 802 musicians and more.
A Local 802 band and a drumline of all women, trans and non-binary musicians accompanied the picketers circling around the block. Local elected officials, including New York City comptroller Brad Lander and New York state senator Kristen S. Gonzalez, were in attendance as well as Rebecca Damon, executive director of SAG-AFTRA’s New York local, as well as big-name actors such as Richard Gere and Bob Odenkirk.
The picket line outside the Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery offices near Union Square was one of the largest seen in New York since the start of the Writers Guild of America strike on May 2. The WGA received more than 700 RSVPs just from its own members, but SAG-AFTRA members were also on the lines as were IATSE members, Local 802 musicians and more.
A Local 802 band and a drumline of all women, trans and non-binary musicians accompanied the picketers circling around the block. Local elected officials, including New York City comptroller Brad Lander and New York state senator Kristen S. Gonzalez, were in attendance as well as Rebecca Damon, executive director of SAG-AFTRA’s New York local, as well as big-name actors such as Richard Gere and Bob Odenkirk.
- 8/9/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s been a long and winding road so far for Hollywood during its summer of strikes, and the path forward is anything but clear. As the Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reach the 100-day milestone of the work stoppage, here is a timeline of the key events, pivotal moments and snapshots of an industry in turmoil.
Hollywood Braces for a Possible Writers Strike: Why the WGA and Studios Are on a Collision Course April
17: WGA Approves Strike Authorization With 97.9% Voting Yes
30: What Price Hollywood? For WGA Contract Talks, History Doesn’t Have to Repeat Itself
Hollywood Braces for Fallout as a Possible Writers Strike Looms May
1: AMPTP, WGA talks break down; WGA Calls for Strike to Begin Tuesday, Slams Studios for Creating ‘Gig Economy’ That Aims to Turn Writing into ‘Entirely Freelance’ Profession
2: First day of picketing in...
Hollywood Braces for a Possible Writers Strike: Why the WGA and Studios Are on a Collision Course April
17: WGA Approves Strike Authorization With 97.9% Voting Yes
30: What Price Hollywood? For WGA Contract Talks, History Doesn’t Have to Repeat Itself
Hollywood Braces for Fallout as a Possible Writers Strike Looms May
1: AMPTP, WGA talks break down; WGA Calls for Strike to Begin Tuesday, Slams Studios for Creating ‘Gig Economy’ That Aims to Turn Writing into ‘Entirely Freelance’ Profession
2: First day of picketing in...
- 8/9/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen will be the next president of the WGA East, succeeding Michael Winship, who is not seeking re-election.
Cullen, who is running unopposed in the guild’s upcoming elections, will be its third female president and the first person of color to hold the post, starting next month. She currently serves as VP of the guild’s Film/TV/Streaming sector.
Winship said in a statement today that his decision not to run again “was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency. Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Takeuchi Cullen’s bio on the guild’s website...
Cullen, who is running unopposed in the guild’s upcoming elections, will be its third female president and the first person of color to hold the post, starting next month. She currently serves as VP of the guild’s Film/TV/Streaming sector.
Winship said in a statement today that his decision not to run again “was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency. Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Takeuchi Cullen’s bio on the guild’s website...
- 8/1/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
In a changing of the guard at the Writers Guild of America East, president Michael Winship told members Tuesday morning that he will not seek re-election in September.
“This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them,” Winship wrote. “Now the time has come for me to pass responsibility to the new generation of Guild members and the elected council.”
Winship served as president of the guild from 2007-2017, and agreed to run once more in 2021 “to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years,” he wrote.
According to the list of candidates released by the WGA East Tuesday, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen — who is...
“This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them,” Winship wrote. “Now the time has come for me to pass responsibility to the new generation of Guild members and the elected council.”
Winship served as president of the guild from 2007-2017, and agreed to run once more in 2021 “to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years,” he wrote.
According to the list of candidates released by the WGA East Tuesday, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen — who is...
- 8/1/2023
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
WGA East president Michael Winship will not be seeking re-election amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
“This is a decision that was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency,” Winship said in a statement sent to guild members Tuesday, just as Wgae revealed the candidates up for officer seats in its upcoming council election this September. “Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Per Winship, “This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them. Now...
“This is a decision that was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency,” Winship said in a statement sent to guild members Tuesday, just as Wgae revealed the candidates up for officer seats in its upcoming council election this September. “Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Per Winship, “This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them. Now...
- 8/1/2023
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Writers Guild of America East President Michael Winship will step down from his post in September despite the union’s ongoing strike against Hollywood studios.
Winship, who previously led the union from 2007-2017, said Tuesday in a letter to union members that his name does not appear on the list of candidates for this year’s upcoming elections because he intends to stick with the pledge he made when he returned in 2021 and only serve two years.
“This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them,” Winship wrote. “Now the time has come for me to pass responsibility to the new generation of Guild members and the elected council.”
The news came as the candidates for the next vote were announced, with only Lisa Takeuchi Cullen,...
Winship, who previously led the union from 2007-2017, said Tuesday in a letter to union members that his name does not appear on the list of candidates for this year’s upcoming elections because he intends to stick with the pledge he made when he returned in 2021 and only serve two years.
“This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them,” Winship wrote. “Now the time has come for me to pass responsibility to the new generation of Guild members and the elected council.”
The news came as the candidates for the next vote were announced, with only Lisa Takeuchi Cullen,...
- 8/1/2023
- by Eileen AJ Connelly
- The Wrap
In the pouring rain, upwards of 100 people marched outside of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Park Avenue South building Tuesday afternoon in New York as part of a themed Writers Guild picket that doubled as a promise to unionize east coast animation writers.
“This has been a long, horrible battle trying to get animation writing covered. We are not giving up. I’m really just here to say that when the strike is over, when we have won the contract we deserve, we are circling back to animation,” Susan Kim, WGA East animation caucus co-chair and a writer/story editor behind hits like Arthur, Bubble Guppies, Courage the Cowardly Dog and Clifford the Big Red Dog, told a drenched crowd of picketers. “We are going to be back. We’re going to be better than ever. And we are going to get this goddamn industry organized.”
During her brief speech — which...
“This has been a long, horrible battle trying to get animation writing covered. We are not giving up. I’m really just here to say that when the strike is over, when we have won the contract we deserve, we are circling back to animation,” Susan Kim, WGA East animation caucus co-chair and a writer/story editor behind hits like Arthur, Bubble Guppies, Courage the Cowardly Dog and Clifford the Big Red Dog, told a drenched crowd of picketers. “We are going to be back. We’re going to be better than ever. And we are going to get this goddamn industry organized.”
During her brief speech — which...
- 7/26/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In a joint statement today, unions IATSE, Teamsters, the DGA, and the WGA East and West extended “unwavering support and solidarity” with SAG-AFTRA in the ongoing contract negotiations with producers.
“Hollywood must be a place where every worker, on-screen and off, is treated according to the value their skills and talents command,” the statement reads, in part (see the complete text below). “While the studios have collective worth of trillions of dollars, billions of viewers globally, and sky-high profits, this fight is not about actors against the studios, but rather about workers across all crafts and departments in the industry standing together to prevent mega-corporations from eroding the conditions we fought decades to achieve.”
The unions “call on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to immediately acknowledge the contributions of performers and negotiate a suitable contract with their union.”
The current SAG-AFTRA agreement is set to...
“Hollywood must be a place where every worker, on-screen and off, is treated according to the value their skills and talents command,” the statement reads, in part (see the complete text below). “While the studios have collective worth of trillions of dollars, billions of viewers globally, and sky-high profits, this fight is not about actors against the studios, but rather about workers across all crafts and departments in the industry standing together to prevent mega-corporations from eroding the conditions we fought decades to achieve.”
The unions “call on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to immediately acknowledge the contributions of performers and negotiate a suitable contract with their union.”
The current SAG-AFTRA agreement is set to...
- 7/12/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Ryan Murphy, in a letter from his attorney to the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, threatened litigation against Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions.
The flap started June 21, when Leight, a former Law & Order: Svu showrunner and playwright, alleged in a tweet that crewmembers on Murphy’s American Horror Story had told him that “they’ll be blackballed in Murphy-land” if they don’t cross the Writers Guild’s picket lines. At the time, a spokesperson for Murphy called Leight’s tweet “absolute nonsense” and “categorically false.”
After Murphy’s attorney Craig Emanuel sent the letter to the WGA, union leadership met with Leight, who deleted the tweet and issued an apology and retraction in which he called his initial tweet “unsubstantiated” and “completely false and inaccurate.” Reps for Murphy declined further comment on...
The flap started June 21, when Leight, a former Law & Order: Svu showrunner and playwright, alleged in a tweet that crewmembers on Murphy’s American Horror Story had told him that “they’ll be blackballed in Murphy-land” if they don’t cross the Writers Guild’s picket lines. At the time, a spokesperson for Murphy called Leight’s tweet “absolute nonsense” and “categorically false.”
After Murphy’s attorney Craig Emanuel sent the letter to the WGA, union leadership met with Leight, who deleted the tweet and issued an apology and retraction in which he called his initial tweet “unsubstantiated” and “completely false and inaccurate.” Reps for Murphy declined further comment on...
- 7/6/2023
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The head of the country’s largest labor union joined striking Writers Guild film and television writers at a rally on Monday outside the New York City offices of streaming giant Amazon and said the writers’ cause has the support of workers from across unionized labor.
“You are fighting for all of us,” Liz Shuler, president of the 12.5-million member AFL-CIO, told about 200 people in a block-long picket line facing Amazon’s East Coast headquarters in the Manhattan’s Hudson Yards development.
“Can you hear us, Jeff Bezos?” Shuler said, referencing Amazon’s CEO, from her spot on the curb in a towering glass and steel office park where Amazon’s corporate neighbors include Warner Bros Discovery, Wells Fargo and BlackRock.
Shuler shared the microphone Monday with union leaders and a state senator, Jessica Ramos from Queens, who questioned the tax breaks that Amazon receives from union-friendly New York for...
“You are fighting for all of us,” Liz Shuler, president of the 12.5-million member AFL-CIO, told about 200 people in a block-long picket line facing Amazon’s East Coast headquarters in the Manhattan’s Hudson Yards development.
“Can you hear us, Jeff Bezos?” Shuler said, referencing Amazon’s CEO, from her spot on the curb in a towering glass and steel office park where Amazon’s corporate neighbors include Warner Bros Discovery, Wells Fargo and BlackRock.
Shuler shared the microphone Monday with union leaders and a state senator, Jessica Ramos from Queens, who questioned the tax breaks that Amazon receives from union-friendly New York for...
- 6/13/2023
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
The leaders of the Writers Guild, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and the Teamsters have issued a “joint statement of solidarity” with the Directors Guild in its final scheduled week of contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, saying that they “stand alongside our sisters, brothers, and kin in the DGA in their pursuit of a fair contract.” Their statement comes on the 30th day of the ongoing WGA strike and 21 days after the DGA began its contract talks with the AMPTP.
“We believe in a Hollywood where every worker is valued and their contributions recognized, whether their labor is on or off screen,” the labor leaders said. “A fair contract for directors does not benefit just a select few; it uplifts every worker in the film and television industry and acknowledges the interconnected nature of our work. We call on the AMPTP to immediately negotiate a fair agreement...
“We believe in a Hollywood where every worker is valued and their contributions recognized, whether their labor is on or off screen,” the labor leaders said. “A fair contract for directors does not benefit just a select few; it uplifts every worker in the film and television industry and acknowledges the interconnected nature of our work. We call on the AMPTP to immediately negotiate a fair agreement...
- 5/31/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Colin Farrell, Mariska Hargitay, Danny Strong, Paula Pell, Rachel Dratch, Michael Kelly and Craig Zobel were among the stars who came out to the writers strike picket line outside Paramount Global’s New York City office in Times Square Thursday.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D.-N.Y., and local politicians spoke at the event in support of the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) cause against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that has led to a four-week-and-counting work stoppage due to the organizations’ inability to ink a new contract May 1.
“This is about what’s right. We’ve seen income inequality grow exponentially over the last decade; and in your business, it has never been more present,” Gillibrand said to the crowd, filled with not only WGA members, but also those from SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and Teamsters, among other unions. “We see writers working hard every day to...
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D.-N.Y., and local politicians spoke at the event in support of the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) cause against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that has led to a four-week-and-counting work stoppage due to the organizations’ inability to ink a new contract May 1.
“This is about what’s right. We’ve seen income inequality grow exponentially over the last decade; and in your business, it has never been more present,” Gillibrand said to the crowd, filled with not only WGA members, but also those from SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and Teamsters, among other unions. “We see writers working hard every day to...
- 5/25/2023
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
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, Warren Leight and labor leaders Rebecca Damon from SAG-AFTRA, Kate Shindle of Actors Equity and Matt Loeb of IATSE were also among those who spoke, with Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon making crowd appearances.
Both of those actors’ messages of solidarity were more prominently shared on social media as Ruffalo encouraged SAG members to vote yes on the strike authorization and stand in solidarity with the WGA if they are concerned about “AI protections, and the future of television and entertainment.” Sarandon, meanwhile, tweeted, “NYC is a Union town. Stronger Together!!!” alongside of video of the rally.
Cynthia Nixon, Ilana Glazer, Warren Leight and labor leaders Rebecca Damon from SAG-AFTRA, Kate Shindle of Actors Equity and Matt Loeb of IATSE were also among those who spoke, with Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon making crowd appearances.
Both of those actors’ messages of solidarity were more prominently shared on social media as Ruffalo encouraged SAG members to vote yes on the strike authorization and stand in solidarity with the WGA if they are concerned about “AI protections, and the future of television and entertainment.” Sarandon, meanwhile, tweeted, “NYC is a Union town. Stronger Together!!!” alongside of video of the rally.
- 5/23/2023
- by Abbey White and Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After yesterday’s Imagine Dragons party outside Netflix, it was Paramount’s turn to pop.
Around 900 picketers flooded the streets near Melrose supporting the WGA West’s Committee of Black Writers.
These included stars such as Samira Wiley, Gabby Sidibe, Kendrick Sampson and Robin Thede.
Precious star Sidibe told Deadline, “I am striking with the writers because if they don’t work, I can’t work”, while Orange Is The New Black star Wiley said she was on the picket line to support her writer wife, Lauren Morelli. “My house is a two union household,” she added.
Thede, creator and star of HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, warned the studios to “stop being cheap”. “I’m striking because paying writers a day rate is an abomination. We are still professionals and we deserve to be paid that way,” she added.
Why I'm Striking: “Because paying writers a day wage is abomination.
Around 900 picketers flooded the streets near Melrose supporting the WGA West’s Committee of Black Writers.
These included stars such as Samira Wiley, Gabby Sidibe, Kendrick Sampson and Robin Thede.
Precious star Sidibe told Deadline, “I am striking with the writers because if they don’t work, I can’t work”, while Orange Is The New Black star Wiley said she was on the picket line to support her writer wife, Lauren Morelli. “My house is a two union household,” she added.
Thede, creator and star of HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, warned the studios to “stop being cheap”. “I’m striking because paying writers a day rate is an abomination. We are still professionals and we deserve to be paid that way,” she added.
Why I'm Striking: “Because paying writers a day wage is abomination.
- 5/10/2023
- by Peter White, Rosy Cordero and Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
When Greg Brockman, the president and co-founder of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, was recently extolling the capabilities of artificial intelligence, he turned to “Game of Thrones.”
Imagine, he said, if you could use AI to rewrite the ending of that not-so-popular finale. Maybe even put yourself into the show.
“That is what entertainment will look like,” said Brockman.
Not six months since the release of ChatGPT, generative artificial intelligence is already prompting widespread unease throughout Hollywood. Concern over chatbots writing or rewriting scripts is one of the leading reasons TV and film screenwriters took to picket lines earlier this week.
Though the Writers Guild of America is striking for better pay in an industry where streaming has upended many of the old rules, AI looms as rising anxiety.
“AI is terrifying,” said Danny Strong, the “Dopesick” and “Empire” creator. “Now, I’ve seen some of ChatGPT’s writing and as of...
Imagine, he said, if you could use AI to rewrite the ending of that not-so-popular finale. Maybe even put yourself into the show.
“That is what entertainment will look like,” said Brockman.
Not six months since the release of ChatGPT, generative artificial intelligence is already prompting widespread unease throughout Hollywood. Concern over chatbots writing or rewriting scripts is one of the leading reasons TV and film screenwriters took to picket lines earlier this week.
Though the Writers Guild of America is striking for better pay in an industry where streaming has upended many of the old rules, AI looms as rising anxiety.
“AI is terrifying,” said Danny Strong, the “Dopesick” and “Empire” creator. “Now, I’ve seen some of ChatGPT’s writing and as of...
- 5/5/2023
- by Anita Tai
- ET Canada
When A.C. Bradley was hired to write on the 2022 Disney+ series “Ms. Marvel,” part of her job entailed going to set every day to help with re-writing scenes on the fly while the show was being filmed.
“It was a mixture of everything from wanting to add new characters into the show to needing to change things because of location,” Bradley tells Variety. Just one example: The day the production was set to shoot a chase sequence at Marriott hotel, she helped to add a beat where the chase entered the kitchen because it was nearby. “Why not use what you have?”
This kind of scenario is, of course, no longer possible during the ongoing writers strike. “Pens down” means no WGA member can write or change scripts whatsoever, before, during or after production. In many cases, that has meant that showrunners have left their shows entirely, like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power...
“It was a mixture of everything from wanting to add new characters into the show to needing to change things because of location,” Bradley tells Variety. Just one example: The day the production was set to shoot a chase sequence at Marriott hotel, she helped to add a beat where the chase entered the kitchen because it was nearby. “Why not use what you have?”
This kind of scenario is, of course, no longer possible during the ongoing writers strike. “Pens down” means no WGA member can write or change scripts whatsoever, before, during or after production. In many cases, that has meant that showrunners have left their shows entirely, like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power...
- 5/5/2023
- by Adam B. Vary
- Variety Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America is on strike, putting TV and film production on hold indefinitely. From the outside looking in, it may not be clear why the thousands of members of WGA East and West are on picket lines this week. TV Insider went to the Wednesday, May 3 protest outside of Netflix’s New York City headquarters to get firsthand accounts from the writers of your favorite shows. Here, they share their reasons for striking, explaining why this issue goes far beyond Hollywood. Michael Winship, President of Writers Guild of America East Winship was on the picket lines representing WGA East leadership. He explained why striking is necessary. “Well, first of all, we love all of you, and we respect all of you, and we’re sorry if we’re disappointing you by not seeing the new shows and the regular shows you watch,” Winship told TV Insider. “The...
- 5/4/2023
- TV Insider
Writers discussed their thoughts and concerns about their union’s upcoming negotiations — and its potential to trigger the entertainment industry’s first major strike in over 15 years — at the 2023 Writers Guild Awards ceremonies on Sunday night.
Nominees and winners alike discussed a potential work stoppage once the Writers Guild of America’s current contract with studios and streamers expires May 1 at the dual ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. In L.A., show host Janelle James got right to it in her opening monologue, joking that the ceremony was both an awards gathering and a “strike authorization vote,” and that if writers put down their pencils, they could “use any of that downtime to come up with movies starring Janelle James.” (If talks between studios and streamers and the union do break down after bargaining begins on March 20, the guild could call a strike authorization vote.)
Later in the West Coast ceremony,...
Nominees and winners alike discussed a potential work stoppage once the Writers Guild of America’s current contract with studios and streamers expires May 1 at the dual ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. In L.A., show host Janelle James got right to it in her opening monologue, joking that the ceremony was both an awards gathering and a “strike authorization vote,” and that if writers put down their pencils, they could “use any of that downtime to come up with movies starring Janelle James.” (If talks between studios and streamers and the union do break down after bargaining begins on March 20, the guild could call a strike authorization vote.)
Later in the West Coast ceremony,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Meredith Stiehm, president of the WGA West, got right to the point in her remarks Sunday at the guild’s 2023 award ceremony. With contract negotiations less than two weeks aways, Stiehm rallied the troops about the need for solidarity, and she emphasized the guild’s role as serving as the “good sheriff” helping to tame the Wild West for writers.
The guild, Stiehm told the crowd at the Fairmont Century Plaza, is “walking around like Gary Cooper — low key but watchful, vigilent and a little swagger.” The guild is “looking to keep the peace” but is devoted to enforcing the rules established by its contracts. “The guild says there are rules, there are laws,” she said referring to a fight that the WGA recently settled over $42 million in residual payments owed to guild members.
“The guild with its superior stuff set that right and Netflix paid that $42 million,” she said.
The guild, Stiehm told the crowd at the Fairmont Century Plaza, is “walking around like Gary Cooper — low key but watchful, vigilent and a little swagger.” The guild is “looking to keep the peace” but is devoted to enforcing the rules established by its contracts. “The guild says there are rules, there are laws,” she said referring to a fight that the WGA recently settled over $42 million in residual payments owed to guild members.
“The guild with its superior stuff set that right and Netflix paid that $42 million,” she said.
- 3/6/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
There is a major change in the WGA negotiating team ahead of the March 20 start of talks with studios on a new contract. Wgaw Executive Director David Young, who has spearheaded multiple bargaining campaigns on behalf of the writers, is going on a medical leave of absence starting today, the guild’s leadership told members in an email this afternoon.
“Wgaw Assistant Executive Director Ellen Stutzman will serve as chief negotiator for the 2023 Mba negotiations,” the letter said. “Ellen has earned the confidence and full support of the Wgaw Board, Wgae Council, and the WGA Negotiating Committee. She will lead a staff with decades of experience negotiating and enforcing the Mba, and organizing and mobilizing members to support the Guilds’ contract campaigns.”
No additional information about Young’s condition or expected return day has been revealed but the guild’s officers wished him a full recovery on behalf of the entire membership.
“Wgaw Assistant Executive Director Ellen Stutzman will serve as chief negotiator for the 2023 Mba negotiations,” the letter said. “Ellen has earned the confidence and full support of the Wgaw Board, Wgae Council, and the WGA Negotiating Committee. She will lead a staff with decades of experience negotiating and enforcing the Mba, and organizing and mobilizing members to support the Guilds’ contract campaigns.”
No additional information about Young’s condition or expected return day has been revealed but the guild’s officers wished him a full recovery on behalf of the entire membership.
- 2/28/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
In a surprise development that could have major effects on upcoming talks, the Writers Guild announced that its assistant executive director Ellen Stutzman will take over as chief negotiator for the guild’s 2023 minimum basic agreement negotiations.
WGA West executive director David Young, who previously served in that role, is taking a medical leave of absence, the Guild told members Tuesday. “We know we speak for the entire Wgaw and Wgae memberships in wishing David a full recovery,” a host of guild leaders, including WGA West president Meredith Stiehm and WGA East president Michael Winship, said in a statement.
Stutzman, a 17-year veteran of the union, has been in the assistant executive director role since 2018 and has overseen the guild’s legal, agency, contracts, and research and public policy departments in that time. “As part of the executive staff, Ellen has played a key strategic role in the past three...
WGA West executive director David Young, who previously served in that role, is taking a medical leave of absence, the Guild told members Tuesday. “We know we speak for the entire Wgaw and Wgae memberships in wishing David a full recovery,” a host of guild leaders, including WGA West president Meredith Stiehm and WGA East president Michael Winship, said in a statement.
Stutzman, a 17-year veteran of the union, has been in the assistant executive director role since 2018 and has overseen the guild’s legal, agency, contracts, and research and public policy departments in that time. “As part of the executive staff, Ellen has played a key strategic role in the past three...
- 2/28/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The WGA has issued its Pattern of Demands ahead of its negotiations with the AMPTP.
It comes after the union has requested that members vote on these before talks begin on March 20 and its contract expires on May 1.
The demands have been split into three main categories: Compensation and Residuals, Pension Plan and Health Fund and Professional Standards and Protection in the Employment of Writers.
Related Story WGA Plans Showrunner Meetings This Week In Advance Of AMPTP Negotiations Related Story Information Sharing Required By WGA's Historic Agency Franchise Deal To Play Key Role In Film & TV Contract Talks Related Story SAG-AFTRA's Fran Drescher & Duncan Crabtree-Ireland On Looking To "Reinvent The Wheel" In New AMPTP Contract & Moving SAG Awards To Netflix
Most of the topics are expected including higher minimum rates, the issue of mini-rooms, increased residuals and increase contributions to its pension fund.
However, some of them are slightly...
It comes after the union has requested that members vote on these before talks begin on March 20 and its contract expires on May 1.
The demands have been split into three main categories: Compensation and Residuals, Pension Plan and Health Fund and Professional Standards and Protection in the Employment of Writers.
Related Story WGA Plans Showrunner Meetings This Week In Advance Of AMPTP Negotiations Related Story Information Sharing Required By WGA's Historic Agency Franchise Deal To Play Key Role In Film & TV Contract Talks Related Story SAG-AFTRA's Fran Drescher & Duncan Crabtree-Ireland On Looking To "Reinvent The Wheel" In New AMPTP Contract & Moving SAG Awards To Netflix
Most of the topics are expected including higher minimum rates, the issue of mini-rooms, increased residuals and increase contributions to its pension fund.
However, some of them are slightly...
- 2/28/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America asked members on Monday to vote in favor of its “pattern of demands,” the broad outline that will guide the union’s position in upcoming talks with the major studios.
The bargaining is set to begin on March 20. The current contract expires on May 1. The union is looking to get better wages and a better deal on residual payments for streaming shows.
The “pattern of demands” also includes addressing “the abuses of mini-rooms,” in which TV seasons are written with fewer writers over a shorter period of time than has traditionally been the case. The demands also include increasing the applicability of “span protection,” in which writers are compensated for extra time to write an episode.
The WGA is also looking to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the writing process.
An email went to the membership this morning asking for a “yes” vote on the demands.
The bargaining is set to begin on March 20. The current contract expires on May 1. The union is looking to get better wages and a better deal on residual payments for streaming shows.
The “pattern of demands” also includes addressing “the abuses of mini-rooms,” in which TV seasons are written with fewer writers over a shorter period of time than has traditionally been the case. The demands also include increasing the applicability of “span protection,” in which writers are compensated for extra time to write an episode.
The WGA is also looking to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the writing process.
An email went to the membership this morning asking for a “yes” vote on the demands.
- 2/27/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
As Hollywood’s writers prepare for a round of union negotiations that is expected to be especially combative and potentially even trigger a strike, some are revisiting the wins and losses of their last work stoppage, in 2007-08.
The 100-day Writers Guild of America strike more than 15 years ago rocked the industry as the union fought in large part for a greater cut of what was then called “new media” — projects distributed or rerun over the internet, on iPods or cellphones. In an action that cost the L.A. economy $2.1 billion, per the Milken Institute, deals were lost, scripted series including 30 Rock, Lost and Pushing Daisies were curtailed or forever altered, late night shows were hobbled and the Golden Globes were reduced to a press conference. Though periodically revisiting 2007-08 is hardly unusual — screenwriter and three-time WGA negotiating committee co-chair Billy Ray (Captain Phillips) says that internal debates erupt...
The 100-day Writers Guild of America strike more than 15 years ago rocked the industry as the union fought in large part for a greater cut of what was then called “new media” — projects distributed or rerun over the internet, on iPods or cellphones. In an action that cost the L.A. economy $2.1 billion, per the Milken Institute, deals were lost, scripted series including 30 Rock, Lost and Pushing Daisies were curtailed or forever altered, late night shows were hobbled and the Golden Globes were reduced to a press conference. Though periodically revisiting 2007-08 is hardly unusual — screenwriter and three-time WGA negotiating committee co-chair Billy Ray (Captain Phillips) says that internal debates erupt...
- 2/23/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Penelope Koechl will be this year’s recipient of the WGA East’s Richard B. Jablow Award for Devoted Service to the Guild. The honorary award will be presented at the 75th annual Writers Guild Awards ceremony at New York’s Edison Ballroom on March 5.
Related Story WGA Awards TV Nominations: ‘Abbott Elementary,’ ‘Better Call Saul,’ ‘The Crown,’ ‘Severance’, ’Yellowjackets’ Among Shows Vying For Top Prizes Related Story WGA East & HuffPost Reach Deal On New Contract, Avert Threatened Strike Related Story 'Living Single' Creator Yvette Lee Bowser Set For WGA West's Top TV Honor
Koechl, who served five terms on the guild’s Council, is currently a member of the Trustee Review and Appointment Committee and chairperson of the Election Committee. After joining the guild in 1986, she served as a member of the 1988 Strike Committee, the 2001 Negotiating Committee and an alternate on the 2007 Negotiating Committee. A longtime writer for the...
Related Story WGA Awards TV Nominations: ‘Abbott Elementary,’ ‘Better Call Saul,’ ‘The Crown,’ ‘Severance’, ’Yellowjackets’ Among Shows Vying For Top Prizes Related Story WGA East & HuffPost Reach Deal On New Contract, Avert Threatened Strike Related Story 'Living Single' Creator Yvette Lee Bowser Set For WGA West's Top TV Honor
Koechl, who served five terms on the guild’s Council, is currently a member of the Trustee Review and Appointment Committee and chairperson of the Election Committee. After joining the guild in 1986, she served as a member of the 1988 Strike Committee, the 2001 Negotiating Committee and an alternate on the 2007 Negotiating Committee. A longtime writer for the...
- 2/2/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Paul Simms, the writer behind ”Late Night With David Letterman” and the first three seasons of HBO’s “The Larry Sanders Show,” will receive the Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence in recognition of his decades-long commitment to creating transformative content and mentoring budding screenwriters.
“Atlanta” creator Donald Glover is presenting the award to Simms at the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards on March 5. The ceremony will be held at New York City’s Edison Ballroom.
“I’m deeply honored to receive the Herb Sargent Award and truly grateful to the writers I’ve worked with over the years,” Simms said. “Without their input, I’m not even capable of coming up with a funny quote, and I look forward to their assessments of all the various ways this quote you’re reading right now missed the mark and could have been better.”
The award is annually presented to a...
“Atlanta” creator Donald Glover is presenting the award to Simms at the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards on March 5. The ceremony will be held at New York City’s Edison Ballroom.
“I’m deeply honored to receive the Herb Sargent Award and truly grateful to the writers I’ve worked with over the years,” Simms said. “Without their input, I’m not even capable of coming up with a funny quote, and I look forward to their assessments of all the various ways this quote you’re reading right now missed the mark and could have been better.”
The award is annually presented to a...
- 1/20/2023
- by Katie Reul
- Variety Film + TV
Paul Simms, the creator of the NBC comedy NewsRadio and currently showrunner on FX’s What We Do in the Shadows and an executive producer on Atlanta, will be this year’s recipient of the WGA East’s Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence. The honor will be presented by Atlanta‘s Donald Glover at the 75th annual Writers Guild Awards ceremony March 5 at New York’s Edison Ballroom.
“I’m deeply honored to receive the Herb Sargent Award and truly grateful to the writers I’ve worked with over the years,” Simms said. “Without their input, I’m not even capable of coming up with a funny quote, and I look forward to their assessments of all the various ways this quote you’re reading right now missed the mark and could have been better.”
Simms joined the guild in 1990 as a writer for Late Night with David Letterman.
“I’m deeply honored to receive the Herb Sargent Award and truly grateful to the writers I’ve worked with over the years,” Simms said. “Without their input, I’m not even capable of coming up with a funny quote, and I look forward to their assessments of all the various ways this quote you’re reading right now missed the mark and could have been better.”
Simms joined the guild in 1990 as a writer for Late Night with David Letterman.
- 1/19/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmaker Spike Lee is set to receive the Ian McClellan Hunter Award from the Writers Guild of America East at the Writers Guild Awards in March.
The kudo recognizes writers who have made significant contributions to film and TV through a body work that takes on timely issues and social concerns. Past recipients include Robert Benton, Tom Fontana, Geoffrey Ward, Andrew Bergman, John Sayles, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, John Waters, Richard Lagravenese, Nora Ephron and Walter Bernstein.
“For nearly forty years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East president Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain, and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America. Spike Lee is a moviemaker and storyteller greatly deserving to be honored with the WGA East’s Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
The kudo recognizes writers who have made significant contributions to film and TV through a body work that takes on timely issues and social concerns. Past recipients include Robert Benton, Tom Fontana, Geoffrey Ward, Andrew Bergman, John Sayles, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, John Waters, Richard Lagravenese, Nora Ephron and Walter Bernstein.
“For nearly forty years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East president Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain, and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America. Spike Lee is a moviemaker and storyteller greatly deserving to be honored with the WGA East’s Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
- 1/12/2023
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America East has named the latest recipient of its career achievement award: Spike Lee.
The Do the Right Thing and Da 5 Bloods filmmaker will receive the East Coast guild’s Ian McLellan Hunter Award at the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards when their New York ceremony takes place at the Edison Ballroom on March 5. The award, established in 1992 in appreciation of the namesake British screenwriter (who wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and famously put his name to the screenplay for Roman Holiday, which was actually co-penned by the then-blacklisted Dalton Trumbo), lauds a writer for the quality and breadth of their filmography. Nora Ephron, David Simon, John Waters and John Sayles have all been past recipients.
The award is generally given annually, but wasn’t bestowed in the past two years because the Writers Guild Awards went virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Do the Right Thing and Da 5 Bloods filmmaker will receive the East Coast guild’s Ian McLellan Hunter Award at the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards when their New York ceremony takes place at the Edison Ballroom on March 5. The award, established in 1992 in appreciation of the namesake British screenwriter (who wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and famously put his name to the screenplay for Roman Holiday, which was actually co-penned by the then-blacklisted Dalton Trumbo), lauds a writer for the quality and breadth of their filmography. Nora Ephron, David Simon, John Waters and John Sayles have all been past recipients.
The award is generally given annually, but wasn’t bestowed in the past two years because the Writers Guild Awards went virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- 1/12/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spike Lee will be this year’s recipient of the WGA East’s Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
The award, which will be presented March 5 at the 75th anniversary WGA Awards in New York City, is named after the famed writer who fronted for Dalton Trumbo and Ring Lardner Jr. during the Hollywood Blacklist before being blacklisted himself. In announcing Lee’s selection, the guild described him as “one of the greatest writer/directors in film history.”
“For nearly 40 years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East President Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America.”
Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It,...
The award, which will be presented March 5 at the 75th anniversary WGA Awards in New York City, is named after the famed writer who fronted for Dalton Trumbo and Ring Lardner Jr. during the Hollywood Blacklist before being blacklisted himself. In announcing Lee’s selection, the guild described him as “one of the greatest writer/directors in film history.”
“For nearly 40 years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East President Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America.”
Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It,...
- 1/12/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Leaders of Hollywood’s unions and guilds are calling on Congress to pass the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act (Patpa) before Republicans take control of the House of Representatives in January. The legislation would restore tax breaks for work-related expenses by updating the Qualified Performing Artist (Qpa) deduction and modernizing a provision that has been on the books since it was signed into law in the 1980s by President Ronald Reagan. The provision would allow middle-class entertainment workers to again deduct common business expenses.
Currently, the adjusted gross income threshold for the Qpa deduction is 16,000, which has been unchanged since Qpa’s inception in 1986. Patpa would raise the threshold of the Qpa deduction to 100,000 for single taxpayers and 200,000 for joint filers to help ensure middle-class entertainment workers qualify for the deduction.
In a letter sent today to the leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Committee on Finance,...
Currently, the adjusted gross income threshold for the Qpa deduction is 16,000, which has been unchanged since Qpa’s inception in 1986. Patpa would raise the threshold of the Qpa deduction to 100,000 for single taxpayers and 200,000 for joint filers to help ensure middle-class entertainment workers qualify for the deduction.
In a letter sent today to the leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Committee on Finance,...
- 12/6/2022
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Writers Guild of America has named its negotiating committee for the pivotal 2023 round of contract talks covering film and television projects, the first to occur since Covid-19 disrupted the last round of talks two years ago.
With WGA West executive director David Young serving as chief negotiator, the 2023 negotiating committee overseeing the WGA’s Basic Agreement will be co-chaired by former WGA West presidents David Goodman and Chris Keyser. Prominent Guild members including John August, Kay Cannon, Mike Schur, David Shore and Davis Simon will serve on the negotiating committee, as well as WGA West leaders Meredith Stiehm, Michele Mulroney and Betsy Thomas and WGA East leaders Michael Winship, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and Christopher Kyle.
Other members of the committee include WGA West board members Adam Conover, Angelina Burnett, Robb Chavis, Travis Donnelly, Ashley Gable, Eric Haywood and Nicole Yorkin and WGA...
The Writers Guild of America has named its negotiating committee for the pivotal 2023 round of contract talks covering film and television projects, the first to occur since Covid-19 disrupted the last round of talks two years ago.
With WGA West executive director David Young serving as chief negotiator, the 2023 negotiating committee overseeing the WGA’s Basic Agreement will be co-chaired by former WGA West presidents David Goodman and Chris Keyser. Prominent Guild members including John August, Kay Cannon, Mike Schur, David Shore and Davis Simon will serve on the negotiating committee, as well as WGA West leaders Meredith Stiehm, Michele Mulroney and Betsy Thomas and WGA East leaders Michael Winship, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and Christopher Kyle.
Other members of the committee include WGA West board members Adam Conover, Angelina Burnett, Robb Chavis, Travis Donnelly, Ashley Gable, Eric Haywood and Nicole Yorkin and WGA...
- 11/7/2022
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Writers Guild of America has tapped former presidents David Goodman and Chris Keyser to co-chair the guild’s negotiating committee, leading the fight on what are sure to be difficult bargaining with Hollywood’s major players in the first half of next year.
The WGA’s master contract covering most film and TV production is set to expire on May 1. With numerous economic issues and concerns about working conditions for middle-class writers, the negotiations are expected to be intense at a time when the TV and film sectors are in the throes of a messy transition to internet-delivered content on an increasingly on-demand basis.
Goodman, a showrunner known for his work with Seth MacFarlane on “Family Guy” and “The Orville,” is revered among WGA membership for successfully waging a three-year campaign against the top talent agencies that allowed the guild to ban the practice of agencies receiving packaging fees...
The WGA’s master contract covering most film and TV production is set to expire on May 1. With numerous economic issues and concerns about working conditions for middle-class writers, the negotiations are expected to be intense at a time when the TV and film sectors are in the throes of a messy transition to internet-delivered content on an increasingly on-demand basis.
Goodman, a showrunner known for his work with Seth MacFarlane on “Family Guy” and “The Orville,” is revered among WGA membership for successfully waging a three-year campaign against the top talent agencies that allowed the guild to ban the practice of agencies receiving packaging fees...
- 11/7/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Sara David, running unopposed, has been elected vice president of the WGA East representing online media members, and Kathy McGee beat two other candidates to become vice president representing members working in the broadcast/cable/streaming news sector.
David, a digital editor at Paramount+/Viacom CBS for unscripted series, currently serves on the WGA East Council, the guild’s governing body. McGee, a news writer at Wcbs New York City, has served on the guild’s Council and on its Committee for Inclusion and Equity.
This is the guild’s first election since its members voted overwhelmingly in June to amend the Wgae constitution and restructure the guild to ensure a more “balanced representation” among its three work sectors: film/television/streaming, broadcast/cable/streaming news, and online media. Election of the guild’s president, secretary-treasurer and vice president representing the film/TV/streaming sector will be held next year.
David, a digital editor at Paramount+/Viacom CBS for unscripted series, currently serves on the WGA East Council, the guild’s governing body. McGee, a news writer at Wcbs New York City, has served on the guild’s Council and on its Committee for Inclusion and Equity.
This is the guild’s first election since its members voted overwhelmingly in June to amend the Wgae constitution and restructure the guild to ensure a more “balanced representation” among its three work sectors: film/television/streaming, broadcast/cable/streaming news, and online media. Election of the guild’s president, secretary-treasurer and vice president representing the film/TV/streaming sector will be held next year.
- 9/15/2022
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
WGA East members have voted overwhelmingly to approve changes to the guild’s constitution that are designed to ensure a more “balanced representation” of members by bridging the divide between those who work in film, TV and broadcasting, and those employed in digital newsrooms.
The referendum, which was approved by a vote of 1,567-40 (98-2), includes the creation of three work-sector vice presidents covering members who work in Film/TV/Streaming, Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News, and Online Media.
“I’m proud of the union and the way in which our officers and council representatives have worked together, facing what often seemed to be intractable issues, yet reaching consensus,” guild president Michael Winship said Thursday. “We now stand united and determined just as we confront the big fights ahead, from next year’s Mba negotiations with the studios and networks to building and enforcing strong contracts for our new shops.”
In a statement,...
The referendum, which was approved by a vote of 1,567-40 (98-2), includes the creation of three work-sector vice presidents covering members who work in Film/TV/Streaming, Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News, and Online Media.
“I’m proud of the union and the way in which our officers and council representatives have worked together, facing what often seemed to be intractable issues, yet reaching consensus,” guild president Michael Winship said Thursday. “We now stand united and determined just as we confront the big fights ahead, from next year’s Mba negotiations with the studios and networks to building and enforcing strong contracts for our new shops.”
In a statement,...
- 6/9/2022
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
The membership of WGA East has ratified a change to the union’s constitution, cementing a compromise between traditional TV and film writers and newer members who work in digital media.
The amendment passed overwhelmingly, with 98 of the votes in favor. Turnout was 24.
The constitutional change creates three “work sectors” within the union: Film/TV/Streaming, Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News and Online Media. Each sector will bargain separately for contracts and vote separately for union vice presidents, though the entire membership will still vote together for the top leadership posts of president and secretary-treasurer.
“I’m proud of the union and the way in which our officers and Council representatives have worked together, facing what often seemed to be intractable issues, yet reaching consensus,” said Michael Winship, president of the union, in a statement. “We now stand united and determined just as we confront the big fights ahead, from next...
The amendment passed overwhelmingly, with 98 of the votes in favor. Turnout was 24.
The constitutional change creates three “work sectors” within the union: Film/TV/Streaming, Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News and Online Media. Each sector will bargain separately for contracts and vote separately for union vice presidents, though the entire membership will still vote together for the top leadership posts of president and secretary-treasurer.
“I’m proud of the union and the way in which our officers and Council representatives have worked together, facing what often seemed to be intractable issues, yet reaching consensus,” said Michael Winship, president of the union, in a statement. “We now stand united and determined just as we confront the big fights ahead, from next...
- 6/9/2022
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Writers Guild of America East members have voted in favor of changes to the union’s constitution that were aimed at addressing internal controversy over its aggressive digital media organizing efforts.
98 percent of voting members approved the constitutional changes, while two percent voted against. An overall 1,607 votes were cast, amounting to a turnout of 24 percent. Members voted between May 23 and June 9 on the resolution, which proposed instituting new vice president positions in three work sectors — film, TV and streaming, broadcast, cable and streaming news and online media. The resolution also proposed ensuring the governing council proportionately represents the work sectors that its union members belong to based on the union’s most recent census results, and only allowing members to be able to vote on leaders within their own work sector.
“I’m proud of the union and the way in which our...
Writers Guild of America East members have voted in favor of changes to the union’s constitution that were aimed at addressing internal controversy over its aggressive digital media organizing efforts.
98 percent of voting members approved the constitutional changes, while two percent voted against. An overall 1,607 votes were cast, amounting to a turnout of 24 percent. Members voted between May 23 and June 9 on the resolution, which proposed instituting new vice president positions in three work sectors — film, TV and streaming, broadcast, cable and streaming news and online media. The resolution also proposed ensuring the governing council proportionately represents the work sectors that its union members belong to based on the union’s most recent census results, and only allowing members to be able to vote on leaders within their own work sector.
“I’m proud of the union and the way in which our...
- 6/9/2022
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The WGA East, whose leaders last year talked openly about spinning off their digital news members into a separate union, is now fully embracing them by proposing changes to the guild’s constitution that would ensure “balanced representation” on its governing body for members from its different work sectors.
The guild said that to ensure that all members are represented on its governing body, its Council is unanimously recommending that members approve changes to the constitution that include creating three work sector vice presidents covering members who work in Film/TV/Streaming, Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News, and Online Media.
The constitutional changes will be put to a vote of the members later this spring. In the meantime, the guild says it will be kicking off a campaign, called #NextChapter, to encourage members to approve the changes. The guild also will be holding virtual town hall discussions in April to share...
The guild said that to ensure that all members are represented on its governing body, its Council is unanimously recommending that members approve changes to the constitution that include creating three work sector vice presidents covering members who work in Film/TV/Streaming, Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News, and Online Media.
The constitutional changes will be put to a vote of the members later this spring. In the meantime, the guild says it will be kicking off a campaign, called #NextChapter, to encourage members to approve the changes. The guild also will be holding virtual town hall discussions in April to share...
- 4/8/2022
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Leaders of the WGA East have reached a compromise after months of friction over the membership base of the union that represents film and TV writers on the East Coast.
The WGA East council voted unanimously to pursue major changes to the union’s constitution to allow for different classifications of membership. The council is recommending changes that will be voted on in a member referendum later this spring.
All of this is an effort to settle the divide over the WGA East’s big push during the last decade to organize writers for digital news and entertainment outlets.
“The Wgae Council has spent the last several months working together and with an outside facilitator. I think I speak for everyone involved when I say that it has been a learning process in which everyone exchanged ideas and listened to one another,” said Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild of America East.
The WGA East council voted unanimously to pursue major changes to the union’s constitution to allow for different classifications of membership. The council is recommending changes that will be voted on in a member referendum later this spring.
All of this is an effort to settle the divide over the WGA East’s big push during the last decade to organize writers for digital news and entertainment outlets.
“The Wgae Council has spent the last several months working together and with an outside facilitator. I think I speak for everyone involved when I say that it has been a learning process in which everyone exchanged ideas and listened to one another,” said Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild of America East.
- 4/7/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
“Coda” and “Don’t Look Up” added momentum to their hopes for Oscar gold by nabbing the top film honors Sunday at the 74th annual Writers Guild Awards.
The wins for the Apple TV Plus and Netflix titles come as film award season heads into its final seven-day countdown leading into the 94th Academy Awards on March 27. The Writers Guild of America West and East joined forces this year to present Sunday’s kudos in a virtual format, hosted by actor-writer Ashley Nicole Black, out of pandemic-related caution.
The leaders of both guilds, WGA West president Meredith Stiehm and WGA East president Michael Winship — made a brief side-by-side video appearance to assure members that the Writers Guild Awards will be back in person next year.
“Enjoy your sweat pants and slippers now. Next year you’ll be back in heels and ties and Spanx again,” said Stiehm.
On the TV side,...
The wins for the Apple TV Plus and Netflix titles come as film award season heads into its final seven-day countdown leading into the 94th Academy Awards on March 27. The Writers Guild of America West and East joined forces this year to present Sunday’s kudos in a virtual format, hosted by actor-writer Ashley Nicole Black, out of pandemic-related caution.
The leaders of both guilds, WGA West president Meredith Stiehm and WGA East president Michael Winship — made a brief side-by-side video appearance to assure members that the Writers Guild Awards will be back in person next year.
“Enjoy your sweat pants and slippers now. Next year you’ll be back in heels and ties and Spanx again,” said Stiehm.
On the TV side,...
- 3/20/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton, Michael Schneider and Adam B. Vary
- Variety Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America, East will hold its annual “And the Nominees Are…” documentary contenders’ panel on March 8, with Variety hosting the livestream.
The limited series panel will take place at 7 p.m. Et/ 4 p.m. Pt and will be split into two parts, with the second one airing 45 minutes after the first. It will be streamed on Variety.com via the YouTube link below, and on Zoom for members of the Guild.
The first conversation will include WGA nominees Pax Wassermann (“Becoming Cousteau”), Marc Shaffer (“Exposing Muybridge”), Suzanne Joe Kai (“Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres”) and Robe Imbriano (“Amend: The Fight for America”). The second part will feature panelists Rick Young (“The Healthcare Divide”), Marcela Gaviria (“The Jihadist”), Geoffrey C. Ward (“A Writer”), Gene Tempest and Sarah Burns (“Round One”). The panels will be moderated by Wgae president Michael Winship.
The 2022 Writers Guild...
The limited series panel will take place at 7 p.m. Et/ 4 p.m. Pt and will be split into two parts, with the second one airing 45 minutes after the first. It will be streamed on Variety.com via the YouTube link below, and on Zoom for members of the Guild.
The first conversation will include WGA nominees Pax Wassermann (“Becoming Cousteau”), Marc Shaffer (“Exposing Muybridge”), Suzanne Joe Kai (“Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres”) and Robe Imbriano (“Amend: The Fight for America”). The second part will feature panelists Rick Young (“The Healthcare Divide”), Marcela Gaviria (“The Jihadist”), Geoffrey C. Ward (“A Writer”), Gene Tempest and Sarah Burns (“Round One”). The panels will be moderated by Wgae president Michael Winship.
The 2022 Writers Guild...
- 3/8/2022
- by Sasha Urban
- Variety Film + TV
The WGA East has resumed its organizing of digital newsrooms after a pause amid concerns that news writers and producers were on the verge of becoming a majority of the guild’s membership.
That concern played out last summer in the guild’s officer and Council elections, with secretary-treasurer-elect Chris Kyle, running unopposed, warning that the influx of news writers and producers posed “an existential threat to the guild” that could lead to it “collapsing.”
Only a few years ago, the vast majority of the guild’s members were film and scripted television writers. But over the half-decade, an aggressive campaign to organize dozens of digital news outlets including Salon, Slate and HuffPost has changed the union’s demographics dramatically, with its news sectors — broadcast and digital — now approaching 50% of the total membership.
During last summer’s elections, which amounted to a referendum on the future of the guild, president-elect Michael Winship,...
That concern played out last summer in the guild’s officer and Council elections, with secretary-treasurer-elect Chris Kyle, running unopposed, warning that the influx of news writers and producers posed “an existential threat to the guild” that could lead to it “collapsing.”
Only a few years ago, the vast majority of the guild’s members were film and scripted television writers. But over the half-decade, an aggressive campaign to organize dozens of digital news outlets including Salon, Slate and HuffPost has changed the union’s demographics dramatically, with its news sectors — broadcast and digital — now approaching 50% of the total membership.
During last summer’s elections, which amounted to a referendum on the future of the guild, president-elect Michael Winship,...
- 2/16/2022
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
On Sunday, the national executive board of the International Cinematographers Guild unanimously agreed to support the IATSE nationwide strike vote, and encouraged its members to vote “Yes” in a new video. The action was taken at a meeting called by Icg national president John Lindley.
“The Elected Leaders of Local 600 spoke with one voice today on behalf of the thousands of their members who are unified in their resolve to get a fair deal from the employers who have walked away from the bargaining table,” Lindley said in a statement to Variety.
In a recent video released by the Icg, Rebecca Rhine, Associate National Executive Director told guild members: “The most important thing is that we send a powerful message to the employer, that we are united and that we have overwhelming support.”
In the video, the Cinematographers Guild urged its members to back the IATSE Strike authorization vote which is set for Oct.
“The Elected Leaders of Local 600 spoke with one voice today on behalf of the thousands of their members who are unified in their resolve to get a fair deal from the employers who have walked away from the bargaining table,” Lindley said in a statement to Variety.
In a recent video released by the Icg, Rebecca Rhine, Associate National Executive Director told guild members: “The most important thing is that we send a powerful message to the employer, that we are united and that we have overwhelming support.”
In the video, the Cinematographers Guild urged its members to back the IATSE Strike authorization vote which is set for Oct.
- 9/26/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
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