In 2021, I got a meeting request from a TAG animated show for Netflix, with a hot star attached. Netflix wanted "new voices" for a "new process."
The process? Break the entire season over a WEEKEND. Then give each writer a freelance.
My pay for the whole season would be $9k.
When Covid hit,
@PayUpHollywood
's GoFundMe for support staff raised $500,000. I still have the list of every donor.
You know who's on it? Writers, actors, managers, agents.
Know who's not? Anyone from Disney.
Know what support staff at Disney got during the pandemic? Fired.
Disney really trojan'ed horse a pro-labor message of cross-union solidarity in a movie with dancing hot boys and Christian Bale's mid-vocals, and didn't think it was gonna bite them in the ass when the girls and the gays grew up.
#WGAStrong
Day 100 on strike. Here's what the my past week has looked like:
- Cried 3 times from strike stress
- Applied for two non-industry jobs
- Took out a loan to help pay for the loan I took out during the pandemic
- 24/7 existential dread
- Still fighting. Still
#WGAStrong
So we're all very clear on what a script coordinator is, they're the department head of a department of 1 and in charge of coordinating every change to every department on a TV series, available at every moment of the day, while getting paid like it's part time job.
Guys, there is no headline, no smear campaign, no bullshit gaslighting article that will change the simple fact that CEOs making hundreds of millions of dollars are mad that actors and writers fighting for sustainable futures won't lay down and die.
Privately, some entertainment executives say the pivot to streaming was the work of both sides. Many writers and actors welcomed big upfront paydays from the likes of Netflix in lieu of a potential payoff from reruns, the executives say. They enjoyed the flexibility of 10-episode
Protesting is a right. Striking is a right. Attempted vehicular manslaughter of a Black man minding his own goddamn business? 🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼
Ian Woolf is a line producer. He is in charge of keeping people safe, yet he actively tried to intimidate and run down one of our WGA member.
Writers -- as amazing as it is seeing IA & Teamster members refuse to cross picket lines, please remember they're also receiving Studio pressure.
If someone does cross, HAVE GRACE. Maybe they're crossing a picket line at a studio now so they can refuse to cross at set later.
Reminder that, as
#WGA
negotiations resume, journalists are not entitled to or owed details of our negotiations.
If you're not hearing it from the Guild first, it's not official. The concern right now is getting the best deal for members, not clarifying the rumor mill for press.
If you ever want to see me really fucking angry, give me a megaphone and point me to the car trying to run down writers on the picket line. 🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼
#WGAStrong
#ParamountStudios
Assistants are the most abused folks in this industry.
Assistants are never in a position of power. Responsibility was on the people at the top, not the bottom.
Like the writer’s assistant couldn’t have come to Twitter & aired this lady out 🙄 normally I’m with you, but this time ain’t it.
There’s a nasty trend from folks in Hollywood: to hold onto info until someone else brings the situation to the light. Grow a spine & say the thing!!
Emerson College hired a slew of anti-union lawyers to negotiate staff's next contact, because professors and staff have been vocal about being underpaid and overworked.
After today's stunt, I'm severing any relationship I have with the
@EmersonCollege
. No money, no panels, no PR
Emerson threw the CEO of Warner Bros. Pictures an honorary degree and commencement speaking slot while studios throw their writers out on the curb to strike for their livelihoods and profession.
Solidarity with
@WGAEast
and
@WGAWest
and all grads going into film and TV!
So while I know the room size proposal has been controversial, it's important you know what the landscape of TV COULD look like, because in some areas of our industry, THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
It's happening. It's here. If we don't codify rooms in this negotiation, that's our future.
TIPS, TRICKS, AND RULES FOR PICKETING, LA VERSION:
A quick info 🧵 for any non-
#WGA
members who want to join the picket but are nervous, or for
@WGAWest
members with black-and-white brains (like me!) who prefer written instructions. WGAW Captains, please feel free to add!
I called my TAG friends, because I was positive I had misunderstood the process. A whole season in a WEEKEND? Keep me on the hook (but not in a room) for months because of a single freelance?!
Yes, they said. That's what had been happening. The rooms were disappearing.
The bravery of the writers who spoke up, and Mo's unending compassion, are what we should be aspiring to.
Also, the most racist, misogynistic, monstrous stories that support staffers shared with
#PayUpHollywood
about employers were usually about Carlton Cuse.
Today
@VanityFair
published a chapter from Burn It Down: It’s a deep dive into what went wrong behind the scenes at
#Lost
. A number of people had a very, very difficult time while working on the drama & finally felt they could tell their stories.
Side note: all the Board was outraged but no one more than the incredible
@jonrog1
, creator of the Jackie Chan Adventures, when he heard what TAG writers were being subjected to. Because John is the best.
I shared that story with the rest of the WGAW Board when we first started talking about the 2023 MBA. Rumors of a freelance model had been rampant but no one knew what it would look like.
That's what it looks like. A week/end breaking an entire season and a single script fee.
How many assistants were forced to pay out of pocket for lunch overages in the writers room?
Hint: when the answer is more than one, it's too many.
Hint 2: the answer is significantly more than one.
I truly, TRULY hope our union siblings see these numbers too. Because if they try to tell you that writers took all the money, you can now call bullsh*t and demand what you need. You deserve it.
Breakdown of the cost of our
#WGA
contract proposals currently on the table.
AMPTP should ask themselves if a months-long industry-wide shutdown is worth this.
#WGAstrike
#WGAstrong
Apple exec saying they can't give the WGA a fair deal because it would *checks notes* "Encourage industries in some countries to unionize in order to make more money."
Apple pulled in $400 billion last year.
#WGAstrong
This interview with an anonymous Apple exec about the WGA strike is saying out loud what we know to be true:
Al large part of their worry with our strike is that they know it will inspire other industries to fight for what they deserve.
We have to win.
Starting tomorrow,
@PayUpHollywood
is going to be selling lawn signs to support the
#Wga
and
@sagaftra
! The majority of profits will go to the Hollywood Support Staff Relief Fund and
#GreenEnvelopes
. If you want to support Hollywood workers on strike, here's another way to do so!
If you were on the strike lines, or participated in the strike in any way, I encourage you to take the time to record your memories of the last 5 months. Write it down, record it, compile photos of it. Preserve history so the next fight has a record to look back on.
Folks, the universal captains go HARD. Have you seen Universal? They've been dealing with construction, torn up side walls, anything management can think of to keep them from showing up.
Say thank you by choosing Universal to picket at. Give them support. Show up.
#WGAStrike
WEEK 7 ANNOUNCEMENT:
@WGAWest
members! There are now refillable water stations at every lot. In an effort to reduce plastic waste, please bring your reusable water bottle with you to the picket line. Spread the word!
#WGAStrong
When
@Teamsters
call,
@WGAWest
responds.
We joined Teamsters on their picket line at the
@amazon
warehouse in Santa Clarita. Amazon drivers deserve fair compensation and safe work conditions (and AC). We'll see you next time, Teamsters. Don't order from Amazon.
TV Writers - most of us are really hurting financially. As bad as we're doing, our support staffs make even less.
If it comes down to a strike, please consider an "early hiatus" bonus for your support staff.
@andmichaelgreen
's algorithm is still the one that works best, IMHO.
Who knows what contributions I will be remembered for, but one of my most practical is the *WRITERS ROOM ASSISTANTS XMAS GIFT ALGORITHM* which I have been told has spread widely.
Writers rooms take note. Minimal math required. But your gift problems solved.
It goes like this:
Netflix is more than headed there. Netflix is so rampantly anti-worker, pro-profits that, when I got a meeting for a Netflix show, every writer I talked to said to turn it down.
It had nothing to do with the show and everything to do with how horribly Netflix treats workers.
@LizAlps
Hearing Netflix is headed that way is such a bummer. For non-union studios (that should be union) I've broken an entire season of shorts in a day ($500), written a 10 episode season over 3 weeks with only one other writer (total pay $3000). It's nightmarish out there right now.
"Today, the Treasury Department released a first-of-its-kind report on labor unions, highlighting the evidence that unions serve to strengthen the middle class and grow the economy at large."
#WGAStrong
A non-strike post, cause it IS
#AAPIHeritageMonth
month.
If there's one thing I hope you take away, it's that Asian Americans and Pacific Islander-Americans are TWO SEPARATE GROUPS OF PEOPLE lumped in together by the U.S. Census.
This INCLUDES native Hawaiians/Kanaka Maoli.
Listing to the Artificial Intelligence & Copyright panel hosted by the U.S. Copyright Office, and two women of color just said "Hollywood is 90% nepotism and AI is going to help writers of color break in."
NONE of this is correct. AI is going to ERASE jobs for PoCs. 🤬🤬🤬
.
@EmersonCollege
Alumni!!
Emerson’s 2023 Commencement Speaker is Emerson Grad Pamela Abdy, the Chairman & CEO of Warner Brothers’ Film Group and co-leader of the Warner Brothers’ Film Division under David Zaslav - a currently struck company.
Emerson has hid this for weeks. (🧵)
I've been a
@TaikaWaititi
devotee since high school, when I saw Eagle vs Shark. I went as Taika for Halloween twice (pink pineapple romper).
As a fellow WGA member & as a fan, this crushes me. We're killing ourselves to save our livelihoods, and you don't know our proposals?
"Man, I can't wait for the strike to be over. As a WGA member, I can't wait for us to get the thing that we want" -
@TaikaWaititi
jokes about the
#WritersStrike
during his keynote speech at THR's
#RaisingOurVoices
event
#WGA
Members --
Negotiations will continue today, May 1st, until the midnight deadline. You will receive communication some time after midnight regarding next steps, depending if we arrive at a deal or not.
Today is nerve wracking. We're all there, too. Don't push yourself.
Disney really trojan'ed horse a pro-labor message of cross-union solidarity in a movie with dancing hot boys and Christian Bale's mid-vocals, and didn't think it was gonna bite them in the ass when the girls and the gays grew up.
#WGAStrong
.
@WGAWest
members!
Seeing a lot of great tips about production being shared on Twitter. However, the people who need that information are NOT on Twitter.
Please email all leads/tips to tips
@wga
.org instead of tweeting them. Pass it on!
#WGAStrong
Today's coffee at the Disney lot was brought to us by the FANS!!!! THANK YOU
@Station19
fans for supporting us on the picket lines - you are wonderful!
#WGAstrong
#SAGAFTRAstrong
I'm not a screenwriter, but being on the board has introduce me to lots of screenwriting members who educated me on screen issues. It's impossible for new writers to achieve a sustainable career. This article is an example of all of us must fight for screen gains & for each other
"We respect the writers, and we respect the WGA. We couldn’t be here without them,” Said Sarandos.
This makes me so angry.
@netflix
is one of the WORST abusers of writers, support staff, production crews, actors, etc. This "respect" has financially crippled our industry.
As part of the AMPTP, Netflix is one of those companies currently at the table negotiating with the writers over a new deal. Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos addressed the possibility of a writers’ strike during the company’s first quarter financials
My understanding is that we traded our copyrights to our work for a union and residuals. Which is a reminder that residuals are NOT just money handed over, it's money the studios OWE us for use of our work.
Regardless of how the SAG-Aftra deal goes, or doesn't go, one thing is clear:
Workers in Hollywood are mad as hell and they're not gonna take it anymore.
#WGAStrong
#SAGAFTRASTRONG
Another Carol Lombardini quote from a casting friend, from when Carol was negotiating with 399.
"If casting associates don’t make enough money for rent they should get roommates."
Ah, Carol. Here’s a gem from prior TAG negotiations from her: We have no desire to raise animation writers' rates to meet live
action writers' wages, because "WE FEEL THAT ANIMATION WRITERS' WORK
QUALITY DOES NOT EQUATE TO THAT OF LIVE ACTION WORK LEVELS."
#WGA
members!
1) DO NOT crowdsource answers to questions about strike rules on social media. It only spreads false/incorrect info. Contact the Guild or your captain directly.
2) These rules are not the "break but ask for forgiveness later" type. Don't break the strike rules.
Hey WGA friends, the STRIKE RULES and FAQs are out. Check your emails and give them both a read. They are clear, specific, and address a lot of the questions we all have. Please give them a read, direct from the source, instead of from secondhand hearsay.
This is only happening because studios refuse to come back to the negotiating table and make a fair deal. They want you to think they're the victims.
Make a FAIR deal with the WGA, one that meets OUR needs, obeys OUR legal language, and see how quickly things go back to normal.
.
@sagaftra
members, when we
#WGA
members say we feel your pain because we've been there, we're not embellishing. This was our Act 2, back in August. Heads high, signs up -- you have the upper hand and the support of not just the town, but the whole labor movement.
#SAGAFTRAStrong
“It is with profound disappointment that we report the industry CEOs have walked away from the bargaining table after refusing to counter our latest offer. We have negotiated with them in good faith, despite the fact that last week they presented an offer that was, shockingly,
#WGA
members! This is weird to say during a strike, but please don't forget to vote!
I encourage you to consider those with a history of Guild service, our lot captains especially. Selfishly, I'd love to see my spot filled by a fellow female writer, so I'm boosting a few --
People from a place of extreme privilege, like the top earnings of a union, conflate having success with knowledge.
It doesn't mean intentions aren't well-meaning. They most likely are. But they're still inflicting harm on negotiations and on the solidarity of the membership.
Their hearts are in the right place, I’ll give them that but it’s actually a stupid proposal and undermining the entire strike. And baby, the studios are going to pounce. But yes, they should be paying more in fees but also, just go picket and donate to the damn funds.
Congrats to the new
@WGAWest
board members! Y'all are in good hands!
Also, officially, my terms are done, so besides the occasional strike news, this account won't have many updates. It's been an honor serving, and I'll see ya on the picket lines!
#WGAStrong
Writers - remember all the times we heard about TV pilots/series announced in the press, only to learn the room had been going on for months/wrapped/were already writing a second season?
Stuff like this isn't timely. It's mean to bait writers into reacting.
With respect to Mayor Bass, this is no longer an industry with good middle class jobs because the middle class in Hollywood (and in this country) is is nearly extinct.
If Mayor Bass supports a middle class, she must support the
#WGA
and our fight against the AMPTP.
Bass on WGA Strike: “LA relies on a strong entertainment industry that is the envy of the world while putting Angelenos to work in good, middle class jobs. I encourage all sides to come together around an agreement that protects our signature industry & the families it supports.”
T*ler Perr* ran his business of non-union labor and built his empire by financially undercutting his crews and writers. He has a long and googleable history of anti-union and union-busting behavior.
Maybe he's not the person to listen to during a union negotiation.
#WGA
members, just don't listen to Matt Belloni. Don't.
I don't mean this as a "only listen to people who like us!" Members are allowed to hold whatever opinions they want.
But Belloni specifically has put HARMFUL, malicious fake news in the water. Read with skepticism.
If you are unsure why MRS requirements are so crucial, talk to TAG (Animation Guild) writers. The studios have reduced TAG writers (except the showrunner) to freelance status.
Without MRS, TV careers & pay will consist of a weekend story summit and a freelance script.
Let's be clear, the studio heads & their trade minions have been pushing the narrative that the
#WGA
plan to preserve the writers room with a minimum # of writers is "ridiculous" when it's the one proposal whose success or failure will decide if we have a guild in the future. 1/
"Showrunners are not only supportive of a minimum writing staff but desperate for it. As a publication whose sole focus is the entertainment industry, there was no way for Variety to not know that those disagreeing are in the extreme minority."
#WGAStrong
Warner Bros Discovery's Hour-Long Earnings Call Omits Any Mention Of WGA Strike, But CEO David Zaslav Tells CNBC He Believes "A Love For Working" Will End The Impasse
Let's please take a moment to thank the incredible, AMAZING fans who have been standing by this Hollywood labor actions.
You've supported us, sent us coffee, join the pickets, echoed our calls for a fair deal, and much more. You guys are reason we do this. Thank you so much.
"The union has called for a boycott of three particular properties — Hotel Maya in Long Beach, Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point and Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica — alleging that management had condoned violence against strikers."
#WGA
writers who weren't in the Guild in 2007/08, please raise your hand.
I was a college intern during the last strike, which struck to cover the internet (to put broadly).
I'm now a Supervising Producer on an internet show.
We're fighting for you, too.
#WGAThenandnow
Pre-WGA aren’t being “screwed” by this action as I just saw somewhere else. In many ways, this helps pre-WGA on the cusp of breaking more than established rank and file who don’t work for minimums anymore.
We’re literally fighting for the future and you ARE the future.
No, it's not.
We cheer 'cos the star of the movie is an abuser who has yet to do ANYTHING to repent. The execs are the ones who tried gaslighting movie goers into welcoming back the abusive, as did the director. Zaslav pushed and forgot to keep said abuser the star.
#BurnItDown
We're cementing the Hollywood Support Staff Relief Fund as an emergency fund for assistants who might not qualify for usual ECF aid!
The incredible
@WomenInFilm
, our partners, have donated $10k. See how you can donate below!
#PayUpHollywood
“Best and last” offer going to SAG-AFTRA today. Yes, that’s a studio tactic, but sounds like if there’s no deal today or this weekend, might not be talks next week.
This is absolutely fucking ghastly of Stacey Richman to state being neurodivergent means you don't know any better when it comes to SEXUALLY ASSAULTING VICTIMS. Not only is this completely and totally FALSE, but it further stigmatizes neurodivergences. I could vomit.
In 2017, 19 sources came to me with allegations of harassing & inappropriate behavior from Andrew Kreisberg, then an executive producer on a number of DC CW superhero shows, among them TheFlash & Arrow. (Kreisberg denied any & all misconduct.) That story:
If you don't know Greg, he's the one on the Negotiating Committee making sure Article A writers don't get lost in this fight and that the AMPTP hands over gains that will make Article A writing sustainable. If you are a C/V writer, follow Greg.
#WGASTRONG
it’s telling that every late night writer is taking this for what it is (the first shot by a new AMPTP PR firm with an opening first line that drips with agenda) instead of falling for the lie that it’s accurate reporting on negotiations
#WGA
will continue to support SAG-AFTRA during negotiations, and we'll be showing up when it's the Teamsters and IATSE's turn at the table. Hollywood Labor fighting together is how the workers win.
When workers fight, they win 👊
Congratulations to WGA members for standing up and fighting back for what you deserve.
We're ready for the actors to win soon, and
@Teamsters
&
@IATSE
members to win big next year.
#HollywoodLaborUnited
Hey
@WGAWest
members and picketing friends! Please note the change in schedule this week - both because of an event and because of the heat wave!
#WGAstrong
Assistants & Support Staff! The incredible
@AlexRubinWrites
has joined
#PayUpHollywood
to help us make sure assistants don't fall through the cracks during this time.
If you have ANY questions about applying to the Entertainment Community Fund, ask one of us!
#MonetaryResource
If you are in need of a one time grant to help pay for rent, groceries, gas, anything at all, apply for the Entertainment Community Fund! If you have ANY questions, reach out here or to
@AlexRubinWrites
or
@LizAlps
!
Overpay? Are you fucking kidding me?
We made major wins, but there's still a ways to go to restoring long term sustainability to writing.
Somehow, Zas both admitted they strung us along for five months, knowing we were RIGHT, and also showed he still had no fucking clue.
David Zaslav says the writers were actually right about everything all along but suggests they’re overpaid.
“They are right about almost everything. So what if we overpay? I’ve never regretted overpaying for great talent or a great asset.”
(Source: )
#WGA
Members! Reminder that picketing is CANCELLED this afternoon EXCEPT for Amazon! No picketing tomorrow for the Labor Day weekend - please rest and recuperate. I know that's almost ridiculously to ask right now, but please try! ❤️
Netflix is demanding shareholders approve over $166 million in retroactive executive pay for 2022.
By contrast, the writers strike ends if Netflix agreed to a contract that would cost the streamer an estimated $68 million a year.
Assistants, writers, former and current support staff!
#PayUpHollywood
has put together a resource picket for this Monday, July 10th, from 11am-2pm!
Many assistants have been laid off or impacted. Please come show solidarity and support for the hardest workers in Hollywood!
It's almost here! The
#PayUpHollywood
Support Staff Resource Picket is this Monday, July 10 from 11am-2pm at Netflix on Sunset!
Netflix created the WA/SC position. Come thank them while learning about the resources available during the strike!
Can't come but want to support? 🧵
#WGA
Members! Because of this weekend's hurricane, picketing is CANCELLED this Monday, August 21st.
Welcome to a sentence I never thought I would write in my life but 2023 is full of surprises.
Why are you going after Phoebe when *Kathleen Kennedy* is the executive at Disney, one of the companies we are striking against?
@Nina_Metz
, stop trying to turn writers against writers. Ask the EXECUTIVES where they stand, not the writers.
#wgastrong
Did anyone ask Phoebe Waller-Bridge — who had the $60 million/3 year Amazon deal that resulted in no TV or film; a deal that was just renewed — about the writers strike? She’s one of the highly paid outliers, has she discussed the issues facing the majority of writers who aren’t?
@LucasBrownEyes
From what I've learned, this was a common way to run television pre-1980's. The studios are trying to return to the system, and they're exploiting loopholes in the MBAs because they don't codify rooms.