September 26, 2023
A sigh of relief for the writers! Hollywood screenwriters have been on strike for five months; a tentative deal has been struck to end the impasse between writers and studios that has impacted the television and movie industry.
The Writers Guild of America, which represents Hollywood’s writers, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, an association of Hollywood’s largest studios and production companies, announced that an agreement had been reached.
The WGA, which represents thousands of film and television writers, described the deal as “exceptional” with “meaningful gains and protections for writers”—source Deadline.
Top executives from Hollywood joined negotiations this week, helping to break the months-long impasse – Disney CEO Bob Iger, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, and NBCUniversal Studio Group Chair Donna Langley.
The lengthy strike has caused inevitable delays and hiccups. The strike has cost the US economy around $5bn, according to Kevin Klowden's report estimate. It was the longest strike to affect Hollywood in decades and halted most film and TV production.
This is the first time in more than 60 years that both writers and actors went on strike simultaneously. While the writers’ rooms may soon reopen, a return to production will have to await a deal with striking actors, who have been picketing from coast to coast, shutting down productions that tried to restart.
The writers and actors share similar demands, including higher base compensation, a more significant cut of project royalties (residuals), and stricter protections against artificial intelligence.
While picketing has been temporarily suspended, WGA members remain technically on strike until the new contract is ratified.
Revolution Entertainment Services’ early blogs on Strike talk about how to get through the Strike, the demands of writers and actors, and the light at the end of the tunnel. Read here.
The Revolution Team
