John,
At midnight last night, the Writers Guild of America, officially went on strike to demand fair compensation for their work.
This may sound like a battle of the bougie against the billionaires, but Hollywood writers are fighting the same fight against corporate greed we all are. As television has evolved in the streaming era, corporations are shortchanging the writers of some of our favorite TV shows like Westworld and Abbott Elementary.
Now, instead of being compensated based on ad revenue from replaying shows on network TV, massive corporations like Netflix, Warner Bros, and Disney rake in billions from streaming services, while the writers get pennies.
I was a child actress, a card carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild. The place where you start is the script, it’s the heartbeat of a film or TV show. What writers do is tell the stories and actors bring them to life. Without writers there is no content.
Writers are struggling to claw back to the same slice of the pie that they had 10 years ago — and they need our support. Click here to watch a video by our friends at More Perfect Union breaking down the issue, then send a message to the CEOs of the biggest streaming services in America to demand they fairly compensate writers!
Watch, Sign, & Send »
Here’s how it used to work for Hollywood writers: The vast majority of television shows were aired on broadcast networks, which made money from airing ads during the show. When those shows aired reruns, everyone who worked on the show was entitled to a portion of the additional ad revenue that the networks collected.
Anyone who watches TV in 2023 can tell you why this approach is broken: instead of airing reruns, networks license out shows to streaming services like HBO Max, Disney Plus, Netflix or Amazon Prime. They don’t air ads, so the writers receive only fractions of a penny on what they would have under the old system.
The corporations are making even more money than before — they’re just doing it in a way that they won’t have to share. Hollywood writers just want to be paid what they’re owed.
Sign a message of support for the WGA’s demands, and send it directly to the CEOs of Amazon, Netflix, Disney and Warner Bros!
In solidarity,
Nelini Stamp
Working Families Party
