The writers of MTV’s Ridiculousness have officially bargained their first contract.
After the writers voted to organize under the Writers Guild of America West last year, the union announced Wednesday that they had achieved a deal covering all writing staff including creative consultants, supervising producers and the showrunner.
“The writers of Ridiculousness have shown incredible unity, courage and resolve throughout their organizing campaign for a Guild contract. I’m proud to welcome them into our union,” Wgaw President Meredith Stiehm said in a statement.
According to the WGA, the deal includes:
Minimum compensation per the WGA Minimum Basic Agreement Residuals in basic cable and other reuse markets WGA pension and health benefits, including paid parental leave Full season employment guarantees Regulation of the use of AI-generated written material in accordance with the Mba A grievance and arbitration procedure Holiday pay
Additionally, all staffers will receive retroactive back pay, pension and health contributions,...
After the writers voted to organize under the Writers Guild of America West last year, the union announced Wednesday that they had achieved a deal covering all writing staff including creative consultants, supervising producers and the showrunner.
“The writers of Ridiculousness have shown incredible unity, courage and resolve throughout their organizing campaign for a Guild contract. I’m proud to welcome them into our union,” Wgaw President Meredith Stiehm said in a statement.
According to the WGA, the deal includes:
Minimum compensation per the WGA Minimum Basic Agreement Residuals in basic cable and other reuse markets WGA pension and health benefits, including paid parental leave Full season employment guarantees Regulation of the use of AI-generated written material in accordance with the Mba A grievance and arbitration procedure Holiday pay
Additionally, all staffers will receive retroactive back pay, pension and health contributions,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
The writers strike ended seven months ago, but memories of the picket lines were fresh at the WGA Awards tonight.
“The strike is over, the fight goes on,” said former Wgaw President David Goodman at the Hollywood Palladium. “As individuals we’re replaceable, but as a union we’re irreplaceable.”
As the guild gave out awards to scribes, speaker after speaker brought up the 148-day WGA strike as well as the SAG-AFTRA strike.
From Wgaw President Meredith Stiehm to Hollywood Teamster Chief Lindsay Dougherty to Goodman and fellow Morgan Cox honoree Chris Keyser and even Drew Carey, the strike was a constant topic.
Related: The 2025 Oscars: Everything We Know So Far About The Nominations, Ceremony, Date & Host
Even AMPTP President Carol Lombardini made an appearance to talk strike — sort of. A photo of Lombardini appeared on screen with a mouthpiece full of sarcasm and mocking remarks about the studios...
“The strike is over, the fight goes on,” said former Wgaw President David Goodman at the Hollywood Palladium. “As individuals we’re replaceable, but as a union we’re irreplaceable.”
As the guild gave out awards to scribes, speaker after speaker brought up the 148-day WGA strike as well as the SAG-AFTRA strike.
From Wgaw President Meredith Stiehm to Hollywood Teamster Chief Lindsay Dougherty to Goodman and fellow Morgan Cox honoree Chris Keyser and even Drew Carey, the strike was a constant topic.
Related: The 2025 Oscars: Everything We Know So Far About The Nominations, Ceremony, Date & Host
Even AMPTP President Carol Lombardini made an appearance to talk strike — sort of. A photo of Lombardini appeared on screen with a mouthpiece full of sarcasm and mocking remarks about the studios...
- 4/15/2024
- by Dominic Patten, Anthony D'Alessandro and Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Chris Keyser and David Goodman, the veteran showrunners who steered the five-month Writers Guild of America strike last year, warned guild members on Sunday to stay vigilant in a fast-changing business landscape despite the gains of last year’s historic labor action.
“Though this strike is over, the fight goes on. If we take our eye off the ball, everything we gained can literally go away tomorrow,” Goodman told the crowd at the Writers Guild Awards at the Hollywood Palladium.
Goodman and Keyser served as co-chairs of the WGA’s negotiating commttee last year. The pair, both past presidents of the WGA West, were honored with the guild’s Morgan Cox Awards for dedicated service.
“Nothing is given to labor that it does not demand,” Keyser told the crowd.
Keyser said the long struggle of last year was the end result of a long period of getting the union to...
“Though this strike is over, the fight goes on. If we take our eye off the ball, everything we gained can literally go away tomorrow,” Goodman told the crowd at the Writers Guild Awards at the Hollywood Palladium.
Goodman and Keyser served as co-chairs of the WGA’s negotiating commttee last year. The pair, both past presidents of the WGA West, were honored with the guild’s Morgan Cox Awards for dedicated service.
“Nothing is given to labor that it does not demand,” Keyser told the crowd.
Keyser said the long struggle of last year was the end result of a long period of getting the union to...
- 4/15/2024
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Cold Case may be returning to CBS. The network is considering a reboot of the police procedural drama created by Meredith Stiehm. The original series aired on CBS for seven seasons before it was cancelled in 2010.
Kathryn Morris, Justin Chambers, Thom Barry, John Finn, Jeremy Ratchford, Danny Pino, Sarah Brown, and Tracie Thoms star in the original Cold Case series. The story follows Philadelphia Police Detective Lilly Rush (Morris) and her team as they work to solve investigations that are no longer being actively pursued by the department.
Read More…...
Kathryn Morris, Justin Chambers, Thom Barry, John Finn, Jeremy Ratchford, Danny Pino, Sarah Brown, and Tracie Thoms star in the original Cold Case series. The story follows Philadelphia Police Detective Lilly Rush (Morris) and her team as they work to solve investigations that are no longer being actively pursued by the department.
Read More…...
- 4/13/2024
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
CBS is looking to reopen Cold Case. A reboot of the crime procedural, which aired for seven seasons from 2003 to 2010, is currently in development at the Eye Network, our sister site Deadline reports.
Fifteen years after the original series ended, this new iteration would follow an entirely different group of detectives dedicated to investigating unsolved crimes. Though additional details are being kept under wraps, one confirmed change from the original series is its setting; the reboot would take place in the Southwest, whereas the original was set in Philadelphia.
More from TVLineBilly Joel 100th Concert Special: How to Stream the...
Fifteen years after the original series ended, this new iteration would follow an entirely different group of detectives dedicated to investigating unsolved crimes. Though additional details are being kept under wraps, one confirmed change from the original series is its setting; the reboot would take place in the Southwest, whereas the original was set in Philadelphia.
More from TVLineBilly Joel 100th Concert Special: How to Stream the...
- 4/12/2024
- by Andy Swift
- TVLine.com
Exclusive: After bringing back CSI: Crime Scene Investigation with CSI: Vegas, CBS is looking to revive another Jerry Bruckheimer Television-produced crime procedural from the 2000s. The network is in negotiations with Warner Bros. TV for a reboot of Cold Case, which aired on CBS for seven seasons from 2003-2010, Deadline has learned. The followup comes from the series’ creator/executive producer Meredith Stiehm.
Set 15 years after the original series’ final episode, the untitled Cold Case reboot would follow a new team of tenacious detectives who investigate cold cases across the Southwest.
This is a new location as the original Cold Case was set in Philadelphia. The move would allow the potential new series to introduce a new group of characters as they tackle unsolved homicides.
Steihm is writing the script. She is executive producing with Jbtv’s Jerry Bruckheimer and KristieAnne Reed for Wbtv and CBS Studios. Talks between...
Set 15 years after the original series’ final episode, the untitled Cold Case reboot would follow a new team of tenacious detectives who investigate cold cases across the Southwest.
This is a new location as the original Cold Case was set in Philadelphia. The move would allow the potential new series to introduce a new group of characters as they tackle unsolved homicides.
Steihm is writing the script. She is executive producing with Jbtv’s Jerry Bruckheimer and KristieAnne Reed for Wbtv and CBS Studios. Talks between...
- 4/12/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
SAG-AFTRA, IATSE the WGA, and the DGA have united behind a legislative move to put up some new and slightly punitive guardrails around Artificial Intelligence.
“Everything generated by AI ultimately originates from a human creative source, says Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, of a new bill proposed today by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-ca). “That’s why human creative content—intellectual property—must be protected. SAG-AFTRA fully supports the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act, as this legislation is an important step in ensuring technology serves people and not the other way around.”
Deep into his race to be California’s new junior Senator, Schiff introduced the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act into the 118th Congress (read it here) Tuesday. If passed by the House and Senate and signed by President Joe Biden, the succinct act would require companies and corporations that use copyrighted works in the...
“Everything generated by AI ultimately originates from a human creative source, says Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, of a new bill proposed today by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-ca). “That’s why human creative content—intellectual property—must be protected. SAG-AFTRA fully supports the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act, as this legislation is an important step in ensuring technology serves people and not the other way around.”
Deep into his race to be California’s new junior Senator, Schiff introduced the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act into the 118th Congress (read it here) Tuesday. If passed by the House and Senate and signed by President Joe Biden, the succinct act would require companies and corporations that use copyrighted works in the...
- 4/9/2024
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
As generative artificial intelligence tools push into the entertainment industry, Hollywood is throwing its weight behind a bill that will require heightened transparency from AI companies.
The legislation, introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Tuesday, will require firms to disclose copyrighted works used to train generative AI systems. If the bill passes, OpenAI, for example, would be forced to reveal videos and other content used to create Sora.
It’s a long-shot bid to provide some ammunition to companies and creators across the industry that are threatened by the rise of generative AI tools that could play a significant role in the production pipeline. If it’s made known that companies used copyrighted works from filmmakers, writers and artists, among others, in the creation of AI systems, there could be cause to sue.
Trade groups and unions across the industry are cheering on the bill. Most maintained that their...
The legislation, introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Tuesday, will require firms to disclose copyrighted works used to train generative AI systems. If the bill passes, OpenAI, for example, would be forced to reveal videos and other content used to create Sora.
It’s a long-shot bid to provide some ammunition to companies and creators across the industry that are threatened by the rise of generative AI tools that could play a significant role in the production pipeline. If it’s made known that companies used copyrighted works from filmmakers, writers and artists, among others, in the creation of AI systems, there could be cause to sue.
Trade groups and unions across the industry are cheering on the bill. Most maintained that their...
- 4/9/2024
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Major unions representing U.S. journalists, writers and other creative professionals are calling on Congress to make these workers’ needs a “core priority” in any upcoming artificial intelligence legislation.
Presidents of the Writers Guild of America East and West, The NewsGuild and the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians wrote to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-ny) on Wednesday, urging that Congress “recognize the human ingenuity and creativity essential to a free press, the media and entertainment industry, and our members’ livelihoods” in its work to regulate AI.
The unions collectively represent journalists across print, online media and broadcast, as well as film and television writers. “AI will never be a total replacement for the work of reporters, investigators, editors, podcasters, on-air anchors or film and television writers,” the letter continued.
Between September and December 2023, Schumer convened nine “AI Insight Forums” that brought together tech leaders, heads of unions and other...
Presidents of the Writers Guild of America East and West, The NewsGuild and the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians wrote to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-ny) on Wednesday, urging that Congress “recognize the human ingenuity and creativity essential to a free press, the media and entertainment industry, and our members’ livelihoods” in its work to regulate AI.
The unions collectively represent journalists across print, online media and broadcast, as well as film and television writers. “AI will never be a total replacement for the work of reporters, investigators, editors, podcasters, on-air anchors or film and television writers,” the letter continued.
Between September and December 2023, Schumer convened nine “AI Insight Forums” that brought together tech leaders, heads of unions and other...
- 3/28/2024
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screenwriter, director and producer Walter Hill will receive the 2024 Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild of America West.
Per the guild, the award is bestowed upon members who have “advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter.” A few of Hill’s writing and co-writing credits include “The Getaway,” “48 Hrs.,” “Last Man Standing” and “Dead For A Dollar.”
“Walter Hill’s impact on our industry is undeniable,” said Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm. “His unique style influenced and educated generations of screenwriters who followed. He has had an enduring, renowned career, and the Guild is honored to present him with the Screen Laurel Award.”
In the early 1970s, Hill kicked off his writing career with “Hickey and Boggs,” “The Getaway,” “The Mackintosh” and “The Drowning Pool.” He stepped in the director’s chair for the first time with the 1975 Depression-era film “Hard Times.
Per the guild, the award is bestowed upon members who have “advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter.” A few of Hill’s writing and co-writing credits include “The Getaway,” “48 Hrs.,” “Last Man Standing” and “Dead For A Dollar.”
“Walter Hill’s impact on our industry is undeniable,” said Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm. “His unique style influenced and educated generations of screenwriters who followed. He has had an enduring, renowned career, and the Guild is honored to present him with the Screen Laurel Award.”
In the early 1970s, Hill kicked off his writing career with “Hickey and Boggs,” “The Getaway,” “The Mackintosh” and “The Drowning Pool.” He stepped in the director’s chair for the first time with the 1975 Depression-era film “Hard Times.
- 3/19/2024
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America West announced on Tuesday that writer, producer and director Walter Hill has been named the recipient of the guild’s 2024 Laurel Award for screenwriting achievement.
The Guild’s lifetime achievement award is presented to members who have “advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter.”
“Walter Hill’s impact on our industry is undeniable,” said Wgaw President Meredith Stiehm in a statement. “His unique style influenced and educated generations of screenwriters who followed. He has had an enduring, renowned career, and the Guild is honored to present him with the Screen Laurel Award.”
As a writer, Hill’s credits include Hickey and Boggs, The Getaway, The Drowning Pool, Aliens and Alien 3. Hill made his directorial debut in 1975 with Hard Times, which he also wrote, following that film up with the 1979 cult hit The Warriors. He also wrote and directed Southern Comfort,...
The Guild’s lifetime achievement award is presented to members who have “advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter.”
“Walter Hill’s impact on our industry is undeniable,” said Wgaw President Meredith Stiehm in a statement. “His unique style influenced and educated generations of screenwriters who followed. He has had an enduring, renowned career, and the Guild is honored to present him with the Screen Laurel Award.”
As a writer, Hill’s credits include Hickey and Boggs, The Getaway, The Drowning Pool, Aliens and Alien 3. Hill made his directorial debut in 1975 with Hard Times, which he also wrote, following that film up with the 1979 cult hit The Warriors. He also wrote and directed Southern Comfort,...
- 3/19/2024
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Walter Hill, who wrote and/or directed and produced such films as 48 Hrs., The Warriors, The Getaway and many more, will receive the WGA West’s 2024 Laurel Award. He will be presented with the career achievement honor April 14 during the strike-delayed Writers Guild Awards’ L.A. ceremony.
The award is presented to WGA members who have advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter, per Wgaw.
Related: 2024 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For Writers Guild, Tonys & More
Hill began his screenwriting career in the early 1970s and made his directing debut with the 1975 Depression-set film Hard Times. He went on to co-write and direct the cult 1979 pic The Warriors and pen the first two Alien sequels. He later directed and wrote or co-wrote Eddie Murphy’s breakout film 48 Hrs., sequel Another 48 Hrs., The Long Riders, Southern Comfort and Last Man Standing. His...
The award is presented to WGA members who have advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter, per Wgaw.
Related: 2024 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For Writers Guild, Tonys & More
Hill began his screenwriting career in the early 1970s and made his directing debut with the 1975 Depression-set film Hard Times. He went on to co-write and direct the cult 1979 pic The Warriors and pen the first two Alien sequels. He later directed and wrote or co-wrote Eddie Murphy’s breakout film 48 Hrs., sequel Another 48 Hrs., The Long Riders, Southern Comfort and Last Man Standing. His...
- 3/19/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The Hollywood unions are throwing their support behind the American Federation of Musicians as it begins its contract negotiations with the studios.
The AFM entered into negotiations with the AMPTP for its new collective bargaining agreement on Monday, fighting for many of the same things the WGA and SAG-AFTRA did during last year’s dual strikes, including AI protections, increased wages, and improved streaming residuals.
“All of Hollywood labor deserves to share in the value of what they create. Wgaw members stand with AFM as they bargain for a fair contract,” WGA West President Meredith Stiehm said in a statement of solidarity on Tuesday.
Her WGA East counterpart Lisa Takeuchi Cullen added: “We will never forget how AFM musicians used their incredible talent to uplift our members on picket lines throughout our 148-day strike. Now, as they head into negotiations with the AMPTP, we stand firmly by the side of every musician who records,...
The AFM entered into negotiations with the AMPTP for its new collective bargaining agreement on Monday, fighting for many of the same things the WGA and SAG-AFTRA did during last year’s dual strikes, including AI protections, increased wages, and improved streaming residuals.
“All of Hollywood labor deserves to share in the value of what they create. Wgaw members stand with AFM as they bargain for a fair contract,” WGA West President Meredith Stiehm said in a statement of solidarity on Tuesday.
Her WGA East counterpart Lisa Takeuchi Cullen added: “We will never forget how AFM musicians used their incredible talent to uplift our members on picket lines throughout our 148-day strike. Now, as they head into negotiations with the AMPTP, we stand firmly by the side of every musician who records,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
IATSE President Matthew Loeb did not mince words today when asked if his local unions were willing to strike if this spring’s contract negotiations with the AMPTP did not go well.
“Nothing’s off the table, and we’re not going to give up our strength and our ability because they sapped us,” said Loeb to cheers at a CES panel of Hollywood labor leaders. “Everybody’s bank account got sapped because they were unreasonable for months and months. My folks aren’t going to just settle.”
Despite the fact that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes dominated much of last year, Loeb said his membership is not strike-weary, but weary of the AMPTP’s tactics.
“Folks are fed up. And I don’t know what to call it, if it’s a post-Covid wake of dissatisfaction, but people are ready to fight and the studios would be ill advised...
“Nothing’s off the table, and we’re not going to give up our strength and our ability because they sapped us,” said Loeb to cheers at a CES panel of Hollywood labor leaders. “Everybody’s bank account got sapped because they were unreasonable for months and months. My folks aren’t going to just settle.”
Despite the fact that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes dominated much of last year, Loeb said his membership is not strike-weary, but weary of the AMPTP’s tactics.
“Folks are fed up. And I don’t know what to call it, if it’s a post-Covid wake of dissatisfaction, but people are ready to fight and the studios would be ill advised...
- 1/10/2024
- by Tom Tapp and Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Apple kicked off 2023 by unveiling that CEO Tim Cook had requested a pay cut following a drop in shareholder support for his compensation package. Then, on Dec. 8, Netflix disclosed changes to the streaming giant’s executive pay structure. The overhaul was seen as a reaction to a June vote — during the Writers Guild of America strike — when its shareholders symbolically rejected compensation packages for top execs.
Are other publicly-traded Hollywood giants up next to update their compensation policies in 2024?
Apple and Netflix could simply be seen as special cases, but critics on Wall Street and beyond have in the past urged companies to focus on shareholder friendliness. In November, AMC Theatres shareholders voted against the compensation packages proposed for its executive officers, including CEO Adam Aron, who was paid $23.7 million in 2022.
The parade of Hollywood CEO pay disclosures in regulatory filings in 2023 will be remembered for bad timing (those disclosures...
Are other publicly-traded Hollywood giants up next to update their compensation policies in 2024?
Apple and Netflix could simply be seen as special cases, but critics on Wall Street and beyond have in the past urged companies to focus on shareholder friendliness. In November, AMC Theatres shareholders voted against the compensation packages proposed for its executive officers, including CEO Adam Aron, who was paid $23.7 million in 2022.
The parade of Hollywood CEO pay disclosures in regulatory filings in 2023 will be remembered for bad timing (those disclosures...
- 12/26/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Writers Guild of America is escalating its pressure on the Television Academy after the organization removed the outstanding writing for a variety series/special award from the Emmys telecast.
On Tuesday the union sent a letter from major variety series and specials hosts and a petition signed by more than 1,400 members to Television Academy chairman Cris Abrego, calling on the organization to reinstate the category in the awards ceremony primetime broadcast. Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Jon Stewart, Amber Ruffin, Colin Jost and Michael Che were among the members signing on to the letter to Abrego, which stated that the decision “devalues their [writers’] work, and our series, by sidelining writers from being honored during the Emmys’ main telecast.”
The petition, signed by members including Leslie Jones, Bill Nye, Ray Romano, John Water, Roy Wood Jr., Rachel Bloom and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, meanwhile says the change...
On Tuesday the union sent a letter from major variety series and specials hosts and a petition signed by more than 1,400 members to Television Academy chairman Cris Abrego, calling on the organization to reinstate the category in the awards ceremony primetime broadcast. Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Jon Stewart, Amber Ruffin, Colin Jost and Michael Che were among the members signing on to the letter to Abrego, which stated that the decision “devalues their [writers’] work, and our series, by sidelining writers from being honored during the Emmys’ main telecast.”
The petition, signed by members including Leslie Jones, Bill Nye, Ray Romano, John Water, Roy Wood Jr., Rachel Bloom and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, meanwhile says the change...
- 12/19/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Writers Guild of America continues to express its displeasure with the exclusion of some writing categories from the 75th Emmy Awards.
The guild sent out a petition on Tuesday signed by more than 1,400 members, urging the Television Academy to reinstate the “Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series/Special” categories in the primetime Emmy Awards telecast.
Along with the petition was a letter signed by several comedians who are eligible for these categories, including Michael Che, Stephen Colbert, Adam Conover, Jimmy Fallon, Sam Jay, Bomani Jones, Colin Jost, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Trevor Noah, John Oliver, Amber Ruffin, Jon Stewart, and Robin Thede.
In a collective statement, the group of comedians wrote: “As hosts of series eligible for the Emmy Awards’ ‘Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series/Special’ categories, we are profoundly disappointed by the Television Academy’s decision to not present this award during the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards...
The guild sent out a petition on Tuesday signed by more than 1,400 members, urging the Television Academy to reinstate the “Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series/Special” categories in the primetime Emmy Awards telecast.
Along with the petition was a letter signed by several comedians who are eligible for these categories, including Michael Che, Stephen Colbert, Adam Conover, Jimmy Fallon, Sam Jay, Bomani Jones, Colin Jost, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Trevor Noah, John Oliver, Amber Ruffin, Jon Stewart, and Robin Thede.
In a collective statement, the group of comedians wrote: “As hosts of series eligible for the Emmy Awards’ ‘Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series/Special’ categories, we are profoundly disappointed by the Television Academy’s decision to not present this award during the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards...
- 12/19/2023
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
The TV Academy is being slammed by the Writers Guild of America for apparently making the decision to remove the presentation of the outstanding writing for a variety series/special award from the Primetime Emmys telecast that will take place on Jan. 15, 2024.
In a missive sent on Tuesday to members of the WGA East and West, the guild’s top leadership — including WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and WGA West president Meredith Stiehm — calls the TV Academy’s move a “regrettable decision” and one “without any justification or defensible reason” which “devalues our profession.”
They go on to note that the guild has raised its objections directly with the TV Academy and is “strongly advocating to have the category remain in the primetime televised program.”
The TV Academy and its 2024 Emmys broadcasting partner Fox are presumably facing pressure to deliver higher telecast ratings by making the show shorter and...
In a missive sent on Tuesday to members of the WGA East and West, the guild’s top leadership — including WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and WGA West president Meredith Stiehm — calls the TV Academy’s move a “regrettable decision” and one “without any justification or defensible reason” which “devalues our profession.”
They go on to note that the guild has raised its objections directly with the TV Academy and is “strongly advocating to have the category remain in the primetime televised program.”
The TV Academy and its 2024 Emmys broadcasting partner Fox are presumably facing pressure to deliver higher telecast ratings by making the show shorter and...
- 11/28/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Writers Guild of America is doubling down on the Television Academy’s plans to cut the number of writing awards given out on the main Emmys telecast.
The guild has urged writers to “express your feelings” about the “regrettable” decision to remove the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series/Special from the main primetime awards.
In a memo to members, the WGA said that the TV Academy made the decision “without any justification or defensible reason.”
It comes after the Emmys unveiled the category breakdown this month. Later that day, the WGA told Deadline that the decision to reduce the number of writing categories on the main telecast from four to three was “misguided given the essential role writers play in the creative process of variety series and generating value for this industry.”
The move means that Outstanding Variety Special (Live) will return to the live telecast as Outstanding...
The guild has urged writers to “express your feelings” about the “regrettable” decision to remove the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series/Special from the main primetime awards.
In a memo to members, the WGA said that the TV Academy made the decision “without any justification or defensible reason.”
It comes after the Emmys unveiled the category breakdown this month. Later that day, the WGA told Deadline that the decision to reduce the number of writing categories on the main telecast from four to three was “misguided given the essential role writers play in the creative process of variety series and generating value for this industry.”
The move means that Outstanding Variety Special (Live) will return to the live telecast as Outstanding...
- 11/28/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
For a Friday that is time for reflection and giving thanks, host Billy Ray and returning original host Todd Garner welcomes WGA president Meredith Stiehm and SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher. They talk with the guys about the lessons learned from the long and brutal six month strike that is finally and mercifully over. The guild leaders advise IATSE and Teamsters negotiators what to expect when their deals expire next July. They also review a negotiation that in their minds never had to turn into such a protracted process. The gains made by their guilds could have been achieved if only the signatories had sent in the CEOs earlier to the bargaining table, and stopped trying to work from a contract and negotiating moves that were hopelessly outdated in the streaming age. Coming in for particular criticism here is AMPTP negotiator Carol Lombardini. After Billy Ray recalled watching Lombardini cancel catering...
- 11/24/2023
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
Susan Sarandon dropped by UTA, Melissa Barrera fired from upcoming ‘Scream VII’.
The firing and dropping of two celebrity actors on Tuesday over statements related to the Israel-Hamas conflict have brought into sharper focus the challenges Hollywood faces over one of the most divisive geopolitical issues in years.
Susan Sarandon has been dropped by her agency UTA after statements allegedly made at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York last weekend.
Video footage on TikTok posted one day ago shows the activist and star of Thelma & Louise and Dead Man Walking telling a crowd, “Hold Palestine in your heart, pray for the people of Palestine…...
The firing and dropping of two celebrity actors on Tuesday over statements related to the Israel-Hamas conflict have brought into sharper focus the challenges Hollywood faces over one of the most divisive geopolitical issues in years.
Susan Sarandon has been dropped by her agency UTA after statements allegedly made at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York last weekend.
Video footage on TikTok posted one day ago shows the activist and star of Thelma & Louise and Dead Man Walking telling a crowd, “Hold Palestine in your heart, pray for the people of Palestine…...
- 11/21/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
David Young, the longtime executive director of the Writers Guild of America West, is stepping down, the guild announced on Friday.
Ellen Stutzman, who served as chief negotiator through its 148-day strike this year, will take over as executive director.
Young was initially expected to lead this year’s negotiations, but surprisingly took a medical leave in February, shortly before talks began.
“It has been an honor to work with and for writers,” Young said in a statement on Friday. “I’ve also been lucky to collaborate with the Guild’s staff, which is superb.”
Even though Young has been on leave since February, he was still consulting with the WGA behind the scenes, according to a source who spoke with him over the summer.
Several guild leaders issued statements in praise of Young’s tenure. Meredith Stiehm, the president of WGA West, called Young a “shrewd, creative strategist.” David Goodman,...
Ellen Stutzman, who served as chief negotiator through its 148-day strike this year, will take over as executive director.
Young was initially expected to lead this year’s negotiations, but surprisingly took a medical leave in February, shortly before talks began.
“It has been an honor to work with and for writers,” Young said in a statement on Friday. “I’ve also been lucky to collaborate with the Guild’s staff, which is superb.”
Even though Young has been on leave since February, he was still consulting with the WGA behind the scenes, according to a source who spoke with him over the summer.
Several guild leaders issued statements in praise of Young’s tenure. Meredith Stiehm, the president of WGA West, called Young a “shrewd, creative strategist.” David Goodman,...
- 11/4/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
The David Young era is ending at the Writers Guild.
The WGA West Board of Directors told members in a letter today that the union’s longtime Executive Director, who has spearheaded multiple bargaining campaigns on behalf of the writers including the 2020 negotiations, is exiting when his contract expires. Ellen Stutzman, who served as Wgaw’s chief negotiator during its 148-day strike this year, has been promoted to the post.
Young went on medical leave in February, ahead of the Writers Guild strike, and 18-year Wgaw vet Stutzman was tapped to lead contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers.
Known for his bare-knuckle negotiating style, Young joined as the head of the guild’s organizing department in 2004 and was upped to Executive Director the following year. During a heated phone call in 2020, Young famously told WME partner Rick Rosen that he “should kick his ass” but...
The WGA West Board of Directors told members in a letter today that the union’s longtime Executive Director, who has spearheaded multiple bargaining campaigns on behalf of the writers including the 2020 negotiations, is exiting when his contract expires. Ellen Stutzman, who served as Wgaw’s chief negotiator during its 148-day strike this year, has been promoted to the post.
Young went on medical leave in February, ahead of the Writers Guild strike, and 18-year Wgaw vet Stutzman was tapped to lead contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers.
Known for his bare-knuckle negotiating style, Young joined as the head of the guild’s organizing department in 2004 and was upped to Executive Director the following year. During a heated phone call in 2020, Young famously told WME partner Rick Rosen that he “should kick his ass” but...
- 11/4/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Ellen Stutzman, who served as chief negotiator during the strike, has been named the new director of WGA West, the guild’s President Meredith Stiehm announced on Friday. Outgoing veteran David Young has held the position since 2005.
“Ellen is a steady, calm force to be reckoned with, as we all witnessed these past five months as she led us to victory in the 2023 strike,” said Stiehm. “She is beloved by staff and members, and I have every confidence in her as she steps into this role. Writers could not be in better hands.”
“There’s nothing more important – that determines the outcome of things more – than the right person at the right time. Ellen was that for us. The exact right person at a tenuous moment,” said former Wgaw president and 2023 WGA Negotiating Committee co-chair Chris Keyser.
“The first, maybe most important, decision we all made in the course of...
“Ellen is a steady, calm force to be reckoned with, as we all witnessed these past five months as she led us to victory in the 2023 strike,” said Stiehm. “She is beloved by staff and members, and I have every confidence in her as she steps into this role. Writers could not be in better hands.”
“There’s nothing more important – that determines the outcome of things more – than the right person at the right time. Ellen was that for us. The exact right person at a tenuous moment,” said former Wgaw president and 2023 WGA Negotiating Committee co-chair Chris Keyser.
“The first, maybe most important, decision we all made in the course of...
- 11/4/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
The WGA has come out in favor of a boycott of hotels in Santa Monica affiliated with the American Film Market.
Hospitalities union Unite Here Local 11 is in the midst of a labor dispute with several hotels, including the Le Meridien Delfina, the new headquarters of the AFM, which kicked off Oct. 31 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 5. On Wednesday, the union held protests outside multiple AFM-affiliated hotels calling on market attendees to boycott them. The union, which has been holding rolling strikes since the July 4th weekend, is calling for “a living wage” for its members to allow them to afford to live in Los Angeles amid rising inflation and soaring housing costs. Unite Here has also called out the Le Meridien Delfina and other hotels for allegedly using unhoused refugees to replace workers during the strikes.
The WGA, which last month signed a new deal with AMPTP, ending the second-longest strike in its history,...
Hospitalities union Unite Here Local 11 is in the midst of a labor dispute with several hotels, including the Le Meridien Delfina, the new headquarters of the AFM, which kicked off Oct. 31 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 5. On Wednesday, the union held protests outside multiple AFM-affiliated hotels calling on market attendees to boycott them. The union, which has been holding rolling strikes since the July 4th weekend, is calling for “a living wage” for its members to allow them to afford to live in Los Angeles amid rising inflation and soaring housing costs. Unite Here has also called out the Le Meridien Delfina and other hotels for allegedly using unhoused refugees to replace workers during the strikes.
The WGA, which last month signed a new deal with AMPTP, ending the second-longest strike in its history,...
- 11/2/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Pusillanimous. It’s a word with a nice sound to it, screenwriter Dan Gordon (“Wyatt Earp”) says, but it’s got a nasty definition: “Timid, cowardly, lacking in courage.” It’s the word Gordon uses to describe the Writers Guild of America West’s leadership, a guild from which he resigned October 23 after it initially stayed silent in response to the terrorist group Hamas’s surprise attack against Israel October 7. The result was the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust.
Hollywood didn’t condemn Hamas all at once, but eventually all the major guilds, including the DGA and SAG-AFTRA, issued statements condemning the terrorist organization, which has ruled Gaza with an authoritarian hand since 2006. The WGA — at first — did not, even after holding a Zoom call with prominent showrunners who urged the guild to speak out. Instead, a leaked message to members revealed that leadership was unable to reach...
Hollywood didn’t condemn Hamas all at once, but eventually all the major guilds, including the DGA and SAG-AFTRA, issued statements condemning the terrorist organization, which has ruled Gaza with an authoritarian hand since 2006. The WGA — at first — did not, even after holding a Zoom call with prominent showrunners who urged the guild to speak out. Instead, a leaked message to members revealed that leadership was unable to reach...
- 10/30/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
“The Board of Directors has worked exhaustively to consider the great diversity of opinions among our members on this issue… the Board’s viewpoints are varied, and we found consensus out of reach. For these reasons, we have decided not to comment publicly.”
Richard Trank
After more than two weeks of silence, Writers Guild of America West president Meredith Stiehm finally issued a statement on behalf of the union’s board about the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. While the Wgaw has never had problems making statements about controversial issues, for some reason this particular writers room could not come to a “consensus” on the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.
Fellow guilds like the DGA and SAG-AFTRA somehow were able to come to consensus to make clear statements on the issue of a terrorist organization reportedly decapitating babies, torturing and raping women, kidnapping elderly Holocaust survivors, parading...
Richard Trank
After more than two weeks of silence, Writers Guild of America West president Meredith Stiehm finally issued a statement on behalf of the union’s board about the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. While the Wgaw has never had problems making statements about controversial issues, for some reason this particular writers room could not come to a “consensus” on the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.
Fellow guilds like the DGA and SAG-AFTRA somehow were able to come to consensus to make clear statements on the issue of a terrorist organization reportedly decapitating babies, torturing and raping women, kidnapping elderly Holocaust survivors, parading...
- 10/27/2023
- by Richard Trank
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Writers Guild of America West’s officers have spoken out against the Hamas terror attacks, following weeks of maintaining a controversial group silence. In an email sent to members on Tuesday morning, which TheWrap has obtained, the guild’s officers stated, “All of us in Guild leadership are horrified by the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th.” The statement was signed by President Meredith Stiehm, VP Michele Mulroney and Secretary-Treasurer Betsy Thomas.
The Hamas strikes against Israel left over 1,400 dead with hundreds taken hostage. Israel responded by hitting Gaza repeatedly with heavy airstrike bombardments that have left thousands killed and plunged the region into chaos.
“The murder of so many innocent people in Israel is an abomination,” the WGA leaders further noted Tuesday. “We deeply mourn the deaths of innocent Palestinians ensnared in the violence in Gaza. We feel for all our members who have been affected, directly and indirectly.
The Hamas strikes against Israel left over 1,400 dead with hundreds taken hostage. Israel responded by hitting Gaza repeatedly with heavy airstrike bombardments that have left thousands killed and plunged the region into chaos.
“The murder of so many innocent people in Israel is an abomination,” the WGA leaders further noted Tuesday. “We deeply mourn the deaths of innocent Palestinians ensnared in the violence in Gaza. We feel for all our members who have been affected, directly and indirectly.
- 10/24/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
In the face of criticism, the Writers Guild of America West is explaining why it has so far not issued a statement on Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel — and decrying the “atrocities committed by Hamas.”
“The Guild’s decision not to issue a statement on the events of October 7th has caused pain within our membership that we did not intend,” top guild officers, including president Meredith Stiehm, vice president Michele Mulroney and secretary-treasurer Betsy Thomas, wrote WGA West members in an email on Tuesday. “We believe it is important to both explain our process and to attempt to rectify the situation, as well as to unequivocally state that antisemitism and Islamophobia have no place in this Guild.”
The officers explained that in the early days following the attacks, leaders were “horrified” but felt it was “outside the purview of a U.S. labor union representing writers to comment on it.
“The Guild’s decision not to issue a statement on the events of October 7th has caused pain within our membership that we did not intend,” top guild officers, including president Meredith Stiehm, vice president Michele Mulroney and secretary-treasurer Betsy Thomas, wrote WGA West members in an email on Tuesday. “We believe it is important to both explain our process and to attempt to rectify the situation, as well as to unequivocally state that antisemitism and Islamophobia have no place in this Guild.”
The officers explained that in the early days following the attacks, leaders were “horrified” but felt it was “outside the purview of a U.S. labor union representing writers to comment on it.
- 10/24/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dan Gordon, a 56-year member of the Writers Guild of America and reserve captain for the Israeli Defense Forces, published an open letter on Tuesday resigning from the union over its failure to condemn the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
“The failure of the Guild’s leadership to issue even the mildest condemnation of the worst massacre of a religious minority in the Middle East since Isis carried out similar atrocities against the Yezidis is appalling,” Gordon said in his letter. “It is corrosive to me as a writer and repugnant to every fiber of my being as a person of conscience.”
Gordon will assume “financial core” status, or “fi-core” for short. Those with fi-core status cannot vote in guild elections or receive other perks of full members, but still pay reduced dues and work under the same bargaining agreement terms as full members. Those who assume fi-core...
“The failure of the Guild’s leadership to issue even the mildest condemnation of the worst massacre of a religious minority in the Middle East since Isis carried out similar atrocities against the Yezidis is appalling,” Gordon said in his letter. “It is corrosive to me as a writer and repugnant to every fiber of my being as a person of conscience.”
Gordon will assume “financial core” status, or “fi-core” for short. Those with fi-core status cannot vote in guild elections or receive other perks of full members, but still pay reduced dues and work under the same bargaining agreement terms as full members. Those who assume fi-core...
- 10/24/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
The Writers Guild of America West issued an apology to its members on Tuesday for the harm caused by its decision not to release a statement in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The guild has faced withering criticism over the last week for failing to condemn the Hamas attacks, which took the lives of more than 1,400 people.
In a lengthy statement to members on Tuesday, the guild sought to explain its decision not to weigh in on the issue. The guild explained that it has generally taken stances on domestic issues pertaining to social justice or freedom of speech, while it has avoided international tragedies.
“We did not, for example, make a comment after Russia invaded Ukraine, nor on terrorist attacks in Somalia, Pakistan or elsewhere,” the guild said. “It can be an imprecise science for a labor union to pick and choose where it weighs in...
The guild has faced withering criticism over the last week for failing to condemn the Hamas attacks, which took the lives of more than 1,400 people.
In a lengthy statement to members on Tuesday, the guild sought to explain its decision not to weigh in on the issue. The guild explained that it has generally taken stances on domestic issues pertaining to social justice or freedom of speech, while it has avoided international tragedies.
“We did not, for example, make a comment after Russia invaded Ukraine, nor on terrorist attacks in Somalia, Pakistan or elsewhere,” the guild said. “It can be an imprecise science for a labor union to pick and choose where it weighs in...
- 10/24/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
After weeks of outrage from members about its silence over the terror attack against Israel, the Writers Guild is finally speaking out.
“All of us in Guild leadership are horrified by the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th,” said WGA West boss Meredith Stiehm, VP Michele Mulroney and Treasurer Betsy Thomas in an email sent to members Tuesday morning.
Read the full WGA West letter below.
The surprise attacks left over 1,400 dead and hundreds taken hostage, with only four released so far in recent days. In response, with strong U.S. backing, Israel has hit Gaza repeatedly with heavy airstrike bombardments that have left thousands killed. Additionally, as the Idf amass on the border for an expected ground invasion, the government in Jerusalem has told Palestinians to evacuate Gaza City, creating a deeper humanitarian crisis.
“The murder of so many innocent people in Israel is an abomination, the WGA...
“All of us in Guild leadership are horrified by the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th,” said WGA West boss Meredith Stiehm, VP Michele Mulroney and Treasurer Betsy Thomas in an email sent to members Tuesday morning.
Read the full WGA West letter below.
The surprise attacks left over 1,400 dead and hundreds taken hostage, with only four released so far in recent days. In response, with strong U.S. backing, Israel has hit Gaza repeatedly with heavy airstrike bombardments that have left thousands killed. Additionally, as the Idf amass on the border for an expected ground invasion, the government in Jerusalem has told Palestinians to evacuate Gaza City, creating a deeper humanitarian crisis.
“The murder of so many innocent people in Israel is an abomination, the WGA...
- 10/24/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Longtime Writers Guild member Dan Gordon is resigning over the union’s lack of public support for Israel.
“I am resigning my membership in the WGA West and electing financial core status because I no longer wish to be a fellow traveler with those who hide behind the fetid veil of a morally bankrupt wokeism and stand silent in the face of a fanatical ideology no less explicit in its genocidal intent toward the Jewish people than that of Nazi Germany,” The Hurricane screenwriter said Tuesday.
In a letter sent to WGA West brass Patrick Cannon and Ellen Stutzman, the Israeli-American writer and former Idf member added: “The failure of the Guild’s leadership to issue even the mildest condemnation of the worst massacre of a religious minority in the Middle East since Isis carried out similar atrocities against the Yezidis is appalling. It is corrosive to me as a...
“I am resigning my membership in the WGA West and electing financial core status because I no longer wish to be a fellow traveler with those who hide behind the fetid veil of a morally bankrupt wokeism and stand silent in the face of a fanatical ideology no less explicit in its genocidal intent toward the Jewish people than that of Nazi Germany,” The Hurricane screenwriter said Tuesday.
In a letter sent to WGA West brass Patrick Cannon and Ellen Stutzman, the Israeli-American writer and former Idf member added: “The failure of the Guild’s leadership to issue even the mildest condemnation of the worst massacre of a religious minority in the Middle East since Isis carried out similar atrocities against the Yezidis is appalling. It is corrosive to me as a...
- 10/24/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
The Screenwriters Guild of Israel called out the Writers Guild of America over their reluctance to release a consensus statement condemning the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel.
The WGA board has faced heavy criticism over the union failing to join SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America in condemning the attacks.
“It is a damn shame that a professional writers’ guild decides to withhold words. To keep utterly silent. To not take a stand. Well, your silence is considered a stand, picking a side. A shame,” the Israeli Screenwriters Guild wrote a statement posted to social media Sunday.
English follows:
בעוד אנחנו, חברנו וחברותנו מלווים משפחות בלוויות, מחזיקים אצבעות ומתפללים להחזרתם של החטופים והחטופות ולשלומם של כל חיילנו וחיילותינו, בניהם כמובן גם תסריטאים ותסריטאיות אשר נמצאים בחזית המלחמה, בהתנדבות ובעורף האזרחי, נאלצנו גם לכתוב את המכתב המצורף. pic.twitter.com/qL5yJJ7VpP
— Screenwriters Guild of Israel – איגוד התסריטאים (@IgudHatasritaim...
The WGA board has faced heavy criticism over the union failing to join SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America in condemning the attacks.
“It is a damn shame that a professional writers’ guild decides to withhold words. To keep utterly silent. To not take a stand. Well, your silence is considered a stand, picking a side. A shame,” the Israeli Screenwriters Guild wrote a statement posted to social media Sunday.
English follows:
בעוד אנחנו, חברנו וחברותנו מלווים משפחות בלוויות, מחזיקים אצבעות ומתפללים להחזרתם של החטופים והחטופות ולשלומם של כל חיילנו וחיילותינו, בניהם כמובן גם תסריטאים ותסריטאיות אשר נמצאים בחזית המלחמה, בהתנדבות ובעורף האזרחי, נאלצנו גם לכתוב את המכתב המצורף. pic.twitter.com/qL5yJJ7VpP
— Screenwriters Guild of Israel – איגוד התסריטאים (@IgudHatasritaim...
- 10/23/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
The Screenwriters Guild of Israel (Sgi) has slammed the WGA for its silence over the conflict raging in the nation.
Sgi Chair Nadav Ben Simon is understood to have contacted the guild’s 600-strong member base yesterday with a statement, which has also been posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The statement, which can be read in full below, blasts the WGA for failing to “find in their hearts enough courage to speak out against a terrorist organization that is currently holding 200 hostages, some of them toddlers and babies, snatched from their cribs as their mothers were raped in the same room in front of their eyes.”
“Your silence is considered a stand,” adds the statement. “It is a shame that a professional writers’ guild cannot reach a consensus and find the words to condemn an act of terrorism, an act of unprovoked crime against humanity, against innocent civilians, women, children,...
Sgi Chair Nadav Ben Simon is understood to have contacted the guild’s 600-strong member base yesterday with a statement, which has also been posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The statement, which can be read in full below, blasts the WGA for failing to “find in their hearts enough courage to speak out against a terrorist organization that is currently holding 200 hostages, some of them toddlers and babies, snatched from their cribs as their mothers were raped in the same room in front of their eyes.”
“Your silence is considered a stand,” adds the statement. “It is a shame that a professional writers’ guild cannot reach a consensus and find the words to condemn an act of terrorism, an act of unprovoked crime against humanity, against innocent civilians, women, children,...
- 10/23/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Writers Guild of America’s silence on the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel looks to be the only statement they’ll be making, at least according to West Coast president Meredith Stiehm.
“In the past week, some members have requested that the Guild take a public stand on events in the Middle East,” WGA West boss and former Homeland EP today told showrunners and others who have sought a statement of support and condolence from their Guild similar to what the DGA and SAG-AFTRA, plus Disney, Comcast, and many others have already said for the over 1400 killed by Hamas and the hundreds taken hostage. “Equally, many members have asked us to refrain from making any statement” Stiehm continued in the email sent out at around noon today.
Read the full email, entitled “Follow up to your outreach” from Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm below.
“The Board of Directors has...
“In the past week, some members have requested that the Guild take a public stand on events in the Middle East,” WGA West boss and former Homeland EP today told showrunners and others who have sought a statement of support and condolence from their Guild similar to what the DGA and SAG-AFTRA, plus Disney, Comcast, and many others have already said for the over 1400 killed by Hamas and the hundreds taken hostage. “Equally, many members have asked us to refrain from making any statement” Stiehm continued in the email sent out at around noon today.
Read the full email, entitled “Follow up to your outreach” from Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm below.
“The Board of Directors has...
- 10/22/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
An estimated 75 members of the Writers Guild of America met Friday afternoon for a 90-minute Zoom meeting that served as an outlet for their collective disappointment about their union’s silence after Hamas’ attack on Israel.
Showrunners including Hank Steinberg (Without a Trace), Howard Gordon (Homeland), Joel Fields (The Americans) and Marc Guggenheim (Legends of Tomorrow) attended the virtual gathering in which attendees expressed confusion about why the WGA, fresh off a nearly 150-day strike, has not joined other guilds including SAG-AFTRA and the DGA in condemning the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
“It feels very much as if we all marched in solidarity for five months having our guild’s back and here they are not having ours,” Guggenheim told The Hollywood Reporter after the meeting.
Much of Friday’s meeting saw writers looking for answers about the WGA’s silence as it pertains to...
Showrunners including Hank Steinberg (Without a Trace), Howard Gordon (Homeland), Joel Fields (The Americans) and Marc Guggenheim (Legends of Tomorrow) attended the virtual gathering in which attendees expressed confusion about why the WGA, fresh off a nearly 150-day strike, has not joined other guilds including SAG-AFTRA and the DGA in condemning the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
“It feels very much as if we all marched in solidarity for five months having our guild’s back and here they are not having ours,” Guggenheim told The Hollywood Reporter after the meeting.
Much of Friday’s meeting saw writers looking for answers about the WGA’s silence as it pertains to...
- 10/21/2023
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix has promised to make “substantial changes” to its executive pay model after significant shareholder pushback regarding the sizable pay packages.
“We recognize we don’t have wide support for our executive compensation model of the last 20 years. We are listening to our shareholders and plan on substantial changes for 2024 to a more conventional model,” Netflix said in its third quarter earnings statement. “Our executive compensation plan will continue to be built on pay for performance.”
The commitment to switch up the compensation model comes months after the company’s shareholders rejected the streamer’s $166 million executive pay package in June. Only 25.7% of shareholders approved the package, which included salaries for co-ceo Ted Sarandos, former co-ceo Reed Hastings and Greg Peters, who was elevated from COO to co-ceo. While the vote is nonbinding and serves a purely advisory function, it marked a rare dissent among similar “Say on Pay” proposals.
“We recognize we don’t have wide support for our executive compensation model of the last 20 years. We are listening to our shareholders and plan on substantial changes for 2024 to a more conventional model,” Netflix said in its third quarter earnings statement. “Our executive compensation plan will continue to be built on pay for performance.”
The commitment to switch up the compensation model comes months after the company’s shareholders rejected the streamer’s $166 million executive pay package in June. Only 25.7% of shareholders approved the package, which included salaries for co-ceo Ted Sarandos, former co-ceo Reed Hastings and Greg Peters, who was elevated from COO to co-ceo. While the vote is nonbinding and serves a purely advisory function, it marked a rare dissent among similar “Say on Pay” proposals.
- 10/18/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
WGA members voted in favor of a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that ended one of Hollywood’s longest strikes.
The union reached an almost unanimous decision of the three-year Minimum Basic Agreement. Members of both the WGA West and WGA East cast their votes, with 99% of those who voted approving the now sealed deal that will run from Sept. 25, 2023 to May 31, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,...
The union reached an almost unanimous decision of the three-year Minimum Basic Agreement. Members of both the WGA West and WGA East cast their votes, with 99% of those who voted approving the now sealed deal that will run from Sept. 25, 2023 to May 31, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,...
- 10/9/2023
- by Charisma Madarang and Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
It’s officially over: The Writers Guild of America has ratified the three-year contract deal that ended the second-longest strike in the union’s history.
Ninety-nine percent of union members voted to support the contract in a vote that ended on Monday; the WGA says of the 8,525 valid votes cast there were 8,435 “yes” votes and 90 “no” votes (1 percent). The term of the new agreement is from Sept. 25, 2023, through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” said Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman, negotiating committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman, the entire WGA negotiating committee, strike captains, lot coordinators, and the staff...
Ninety-nine percent of union members voted to support the contract in a vote that ended on Monday; the WGA says of the 8,525 valid votes cast there were 8,435 “yes” votes and 90 “no” votes (1 percent). The term of the new agreement is from Sept. 25, 2023, through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” said Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman, negotiating committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman, the entire WGA negotiating committee, strike captains, lot coordinators, and the staff...
- 10/9/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny and Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Writers are overwhelmingly in favor of the new contract its guild has won from the studios. WGA members have voted in favor of ratifying the new minimum basic agreement, with an enormous 99 percent of members who voted approving the contract. The strike is officially over.
The guild said of the 8,525 valid votes cast, there were 8,435 “yes” votes and 90 “no” votes. Back in 2020, the last time the contract came up for a ratification vote, 98 percent of members approved it, but only 4,155 valid votes were cast.
Writers will now work under this contract effective through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” said Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA Chief Negotiator Ellen Stutzman,...
The guild said of the 8,525 valid votes cast, there were 8,435 “yes” votes and 90 “no” votes. Back in 2020, the last time the contract came up for a ratification vote, 98 percent of members approved it, but only 4,155 valid votes were cast.
Writers will now work under this contract effective through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” said Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA Chief Negotiator Ellen Stutzman,...
- 10/9/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
The writers’ strike officially ended Monday as the Writers Guild of America announced that its members overwhelmingly voted to ratify the contract negotiated by guild leaders after 148 days on the picket lines.
The WGA announced the result of the ratification vote on Monday, with 8,435 out of 8,525 votes received in favor of ratification for a vote percentage of 99%. The voter turnout was significantly above the ratification vote for the 2020 contract, in which 4,155 votes were received.
The term of the new agreement is from Sept. 25 through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” WGA West president Meredith Stiehm said in a statement. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman, negotiating...
The WGA announced the result of the ratification vote on Monday, with 8,435 out of 8,525 votes received in favor of ratification for a vote percentage of 99%. The voter turnout was significantly above the ratification vote for the 2020 contract, in which 4,155 votes were received.
The term of the new agreement is from Sept. 25 through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” WGA West president Meredith Stiehm said in a statement. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman, negotiating...
- 10/9/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
The Writers Guild of America has voted overwhelmingly to ratify its new contract, formally ending one of the longest labor disputes in Hollywood history.
The membership voted 99% in favor of ratification, with 8,435 voting yes and 90 members opposed.
In a statement, WGA West president Meredith Stiehm thanked leadership, strike captains, and WGA staff for working to deliver the contract.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” she said. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago.”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios in bargaining, congratulated the WGA on ratifying the contract, “which represents meaningful gains and protections for writers.”
“It is important progress for our industry that writers are back to work,” the studio group said.
The WGA ended its strike on Sept.
The membership voted 99% in favor of ratification, with 8,435 voting yes and 90 members opposed.
In a statement, WGA West president Meredith Stiehm thanked leadership, strike captains, and WGA staff for working to deliver the contract.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” she said. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago.”
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios in bargaining, congratulated the WGA on ratifying the contract, “which represents meaningful gains and protections for writers.”
“It is important progress for our industry that writers are back to work,” the studio group said.
The WGA ended its strike on Sept.
- 10/9/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
(Updated with SAG-AFTRA statement) Writers have officially approved their deal with the studios.
This afternoon, the WGA membership ratified its contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, bringing to a final end to the strike that lasted for nearly five months.
After a week of voting, a vast majority of the WGA membership cast their ballot in favor of ratifying the three-year Minimum Basic Agreement. Some 8,525 valid votes, or “99% of WGA members,” as the guild termed it just now, were cast by members of the 11,000-strong Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East.
“There were 8,435 ‘yes’ votes and 90 ‘no’ votes,” the guild announced in an email sent to members.
With major strides for scribes in terms of A.I. guardrails, residuals, writers room staffing, and data transparency, as well as pay hikes, the now sealed deal runs from September 25, 2023 to May 31, 2026.
Monday...
This afternoon, the WGA membership ratified its contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, bringing to a final end to the strike that lasted for nearly five months.
After a week of voting, a vast majority of the WGA membership cast their ballot in favor of ratifying the three-year Minimum Basic Agreement. Some 8,525 valid votes, or “99% of WGA members,” as the guild termed it just now, were cast by members of the 11,000-strong Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East.
“There were 8,435 ‘yes’ votes and 90 ‘no’ votes,” the guild announced in an email sent to members.
With major strides for scribes in terms of A.I. guardrails, residuals, writers room staffing, and data transparency, as well as pay hikes, the now sealed deal runs from September 25, 2023 to May 31, 2026.
Monday...
- 10/9/2023
- by Peter White and Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: As the striking actors guild sits down today with the studio bosses for the first new talks in over 80 days, the writers are one step closer to officially ending their nearly 150-day labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
“We strongly endorse this proposed contract and encourage you to vote for its ratification,” said Writers Guild of America West president Meredith Stiehm and WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi in a joint message to guild members that started landing in scribes’ inboxes late this morning (read the full email below).
Over 11,000 members of the WGA on both coasts received their ratification ballots and support material Monday via email. Garnering unanimous support from the WGA West board and the WGA East council the tentative agreement that guild negotiators came to with studio CEOs on September 24 is now out for “members in good standing” to give a Yea or Nay to.
“We strongly endorse this proposed contract and encourage you to vote for its ratification,” said Writers Guild of America West president Meredith Stiehm and WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi in a joint message to guild members that started landing in scribes’ inboxes late this morning (read the full email below).
Over 11,000 members of the WGA on both coasts received their ratification ballots and support material Monday via email. Garnering unanimous support from the WGA West board and the WGA East council the tentative agreement that guild negotiators came to with studio CEOs on September 24 is now out for “members in good standing” to give a Yea or Nay to.
- 10/2/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill giving unemployment benefits to striking workers, which was backed by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. “Now is not the time to increase costs or incur this sizable debt,” he wrote in his veto message Saturday.
Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D-Burbank), who had sponsored the bill, was disappointed by the veto. “The labor unrest and concern we all witnessed this summer earned the Legislature’s action to pass unemployment benefits for striking workers. The need continues and so will efforts to make this the law in California. The hardworking women and men in California need to put food on their table and pay their rent. Sb 799 would have injected a small piece of security to working families that is needed and deserved,” he said in a statement.
The California Legislature had passed the bill, Sb 799, on Sept. 14. The bill was supported by...
Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D-Burbank), who had sponsored the bill, was disappointed by the veto. “The labor unrest and concern we all witnessed this summer earned the Legislature’s action to pass unemployment benefits for striking workers. The need continues and so will efforts to make this the law in California. The hardworking women and men in California need to put food on their table and pay their rent. Sb 799 would have injected a small piece of security to working families that is needed and deserved,” he said in a statement.
The California Legislature had passed the bill, Sb 799, on Sept. 14. The bill was supported by...
- 10/1/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Gavin Newsom Vetoes WGA & SAG-AFTRA-Backed-Bill To Provide Unemployment Benefits To Striking Workers
Updated, with WGA comment: California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have made striking workers eligible for unemployment benefits.
WGA and SAG-AFTRA backed the legislation amid their walkout, but Newsom said in a statement that the state’s Ui trust fund is “vulnerable to insolvency.”
“Any expansion of eligibility for Ui benefits could increase California’s outstanding federal Ui debt projected to be nearly $20 billion by the end of the year and could jeopardize California’s Benefit Cost Ratio add-on waiver application, significantly increasing taxed on employers,” Newsom said, adding that the state is responsible for the interest payments on the federal Ui loan and has paid $362.7 million in interest with another $302 million due this month.
“Now is not the time to increase costs or incur this sizable debt,” he wrote.
His decision to veto the legislation comes after the WGA and AMPTP reached a tentative agreement to end the strike,...
WGA and SAG-AFTRA backed the legislation amid their walkout, but Newsom said in a statement that the state’s Ui trust fund is “vulnerable to insolvency.”
“Any expansion of eligibility for Ui benefits could increase California’s outstanding federal Ui debt projected to be nearly $20 billion by the end of the year and could jeopardize California’s Benefit Cost Ratio add-on waiver application, significantly increasing taxed on employers,” Newsom said, adding that the state is responsible for the interest payments on the federal Ui loan and has paid $362.7 million in interest with another $302 million due this month.
“Now is not the time to increase costs or incur this sizable debt,” he wrote.
His decision to veto the legislation comes after the WGA and AMPTP reached a tentative agreement to end the strike,...
- 10/1/2023
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
This is Day 78 of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
It was everything everywhere all at once Thursday in New York City: Striking actors getting ready for contract talks were joined by writers who have just wrapped up theirs at a rally in Manhattan that also highlighted Asian American Pacific Islander culture in film and television.
On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated by Asian communities worldwide, about 200 people gathered outside the Manhattan offices of Warner Bros. Discovery for pickets and speeches that marked the official end of one strike against the major studios and the continuation of another whose end might be in sight.
Speakers including Joel de la Fuente of Hemlock Grove, Perry Yung of The Knick, Celia Au of Wu Assassins and Ivory Aquino of When We Rise hailed the growing visibility of Asian-Americans onscreen and said that their strike demands — including sustainable wages and limits on the use...
It was everything everywhere all at once Thursday in New York City: Striking actors getting ready for contract talks were joined by writers who have just wrapped up theirs at a rally in Manhattan that also highlighted Asian American Pacific Islander culture in film and television.
On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated by Asian communities worldwide, about 200 people gathered outside the Manhattan offices of Warner Bros. Discovery for pickets and speeches that marked the official end of one strike against the major studios and the continuation of another whose end might be in sight.
Speakers including Joel de la Fuente of Hemlock Grove, Perry Yung of The Knick, Celia Au of Wu Assassins and Ivory Aquino of When We Rise hailed the growing visibility of Asian-Americans onscreen and said that their strike demands — including sustainable wages and limits on the use...
- 9/28/2023
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America, on the union’s first day after its historic 148-day strike, staged a “rock concert” — as one showrunner described it — Wednesday night at the Hollywood Palladium as the guild celebrated its leadership and solidarity while outlining the deal points in its tentative Minimum Basic Agreement to its membership.
The meeting opened with a minutes-long standing ovation for the negotiating committee and was followed by a video featuring scenes and interviews from the picket lines and from various rallies held throughout the past 148 days of the work stoppage.
WGA West President Meredith Stiehm opened the meeting with the “official” announcement that the guild had reached a tentative new three-year Minimum Basic Agreement after what was the union’s second-longest strike in its history. Her remarks were met with one standing ovation after another as she recognized each and every member of the WGA’s leadership, board...
The meeting opened with a minutes-long standing ovation for the negotiating committee and was followed by a video featuring scenes and interviews from the picket lines and from various rallies held throughout the past 148 days of the work stoppage.
WGA West President Meredith Stiehm opened the meeting with the “official” announcement that the guild had reached a tentative new three-year Minimum Basic Agreement after what was the union’s second-longest strike in its history. Her remarks were met with one standing ovation after another as she recognized each and every member of the WGA’s leadership, board...
- 9/28/2023
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As of Wednesday, the 148-day 2023 writers strike — a bold attempt to reshape the business for scribes from Hollywood’s most audacious union — is officially over.
The sprawling tentative agreement that brought an end to the historic work stoppage was reached on Sept. 24 after Writers Guild of America negotiators and some of the industry’s top leaders had been in talks for days on the new three-year contract. Though it’s still subject to member ratification to take effect, the deal addresses a wide array of union priorities like setting minimum staffing for writers rooms, putting in place guardrails on the use of AI, and rewarding writers if their projects pop on streaming services.
So how did the pact come together? In an interview on Tuesday night, the union’s negotiating committee co-chair Chris Keyser and union president Meredith Stiehm offered their take, noting that once four top executives — Disney’s Bob Iger,...
The sprawling tentative agreement that brought an end to the historic work stoppage was reached on Sept. 24 after Writers Guild of America negotiators and some of the industry’s top leaders had been in talks for days on the new three-year contract. Though it’s still subject to member ratification to take effect, the deal addresses a wide array of union priorities like setting minimum staffing for writers rooms, putting in place guardrails on the use of AI, and rewarding writers if their projects pop on streaming services.
So how did the pact come together? In an interview on Tuesday night, the union’s negotiating committee co-chair Chris Keyser and union president Meredith Stiehm offered their take, noting that once four top executives — Disney’s Bob Iger,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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