The WGA Strike - Support from Hollywood
November 28, 2007 · Written by Melissa Donovan
Have you been following the story of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike? In short, the writers are asking for a fair share of residuals from new media syndication, but the producers represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are refusing. Apparently the executives prefer to keep the cash cow all to themselves. You can read the full story in the NY Times Article, Screenwriters on Strike Over Stake in New Media.
It’s both refreshing and comforting to see writers banding together in an effort to gain fair compensation for their work. Too often, writers are the most undervalued members of a creative team, especially in the film and television industries. For some reason, there is a perception that writers do not need to be paid for their work.
What does it take for a writer to earn a livable wage? Authors such as J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown as well as numerous screenwriters have hit the jackpot with their work, but the average working writer is lucky to earn a decent salary despite the fact that the writing profession requires an extremely broad and complex skill set.
I was touched when I came across the video below, which shows that other Hollywood artists are backing the writers.
Please visit United Hollywood and Speechless for more information about the WGA strike and the Speechless Campaign.
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Consider this:
Hollywood actors are considered to be some of the most self-centered people in the entire world.
And even they get it.
The writers deserve to get paid. Over half of them don’t make $30,000 a year so they don’t qualify for benefits. Without the writer most of the actor’s and performers are speechless. The fat cat’s just kick back count there cash they are swimming in and ignore all the hard work the writer’s and other workers behind the scenes do everyday to make that business run. It’s sad.
Given the success of visual media for so long I’m surprised it’s taken this many years for writers to raise their voice together and demand a fair share. It’s great to see other areas of the industry backing their demands. Here is to writers across the world and over all genres being given the opportunity to earn what we’re worth.