Attention WGA -- come negotiate with...me!

Brett brought a really interesting article to my attention via his blog.

I had heard some mutterings about this before, but this is the first time I've really seen this spelled out so clearly.

I was a business administration major in college. Reading an article about collusion gave me flashbacks to my business law class. And now, I have had an epiphany.

I would like to become a "new" WGA signatory. Here's my deal. I'll give writers, directors, actors and the unionized crews a fair profit sharing deal in exchange for their services on films. Oh, I need some venture capital for this, any takers?

Screw the AMPTP, long live the SBPRC (Shawna Benson Producers Replacement Corporation)! **

** now taking on producing partners with money.

On the Outside Looking In on the WGA Strike

No article links. The contract expired almost 12 hours ago. In another 7, there will be the big meeting at the convention center to give the membership of the WGA the skinny on the negotiations and the strike. The strike is all but certain. The only detail seems to be when it will be called.

My money is on Monday. Give everyone tomorrow to clean out their desks and get their affairs in order. Then call the strike tomorrow night to start Monday. I could be wrong, but it feels logical to me (and who starts a strike on a Friday??)

What does it mean for us, the aspiring? We can't sell to WGA signatory companies if we want to have a chance in hell of joining the Guild. In '88 I hear there was some kind of amnesty, but I'm doubting that happens this time. The stakes are too high, and to forgive a bunch of scabs doesn't appear to be in the cards.

So what do we do? We keep writing our scripts, honing our craft, meeting in our writing groups, and we keep aspiring. We find other ways to get noticed that doesn't violate the strike -- work for non-sigs, go online, write a graphic novel, a book -- whatever it takes. When the strike ends, the flood will burst through and we will need to be ready to fight harder to get seen. I don't know if agents/managers will be looking for people, since we can't make them money from the sigs, which is their bread and butter. Still, I suppose it doesn't hurt to get some relationships started and nurtured for the time when we need them to blossom.

What do we do? We keep writing. And watching. And waiting. I'll be in support of our brethern. I've never been a huge advocate of unions, but there's something egregiously wrong with how writers are painted as greedy SOB's when they get treated worse than anyone and paid (in 99.5% of cases) worse than anyone involved with a film. TV is worse for residuals than film and looks to get worse if the studios don't pony up some dough for downloads above the approximately 4 to 5 cents per DVD rate writers receive today (or don't receive at all, depending on who's paying).

I'll do my best to post links to stories about the strike, but still -- the best place to read the news is Craig Mazin's site and Nikki Finke's blog. For the union viewpoint check out United Hollywood.

And of course you can always read the official press releases from the AMPTP and the WGA. Avoid the trades as they seem to be skewing to a pro-producer bias (gee, I wonder why -- they only depend on studio DEALS to report for their livelihoods).

WGA Strike News 10/17

Yesterday, there was a small breakthrough in the negotiations. The AMPTP took one of their demands around residual rollbacks off the table. Some feel that the studios reacted to an article in the L.A. Times specifically detailing the debate about residuals.

Now we wait to see what action the WGA does (or doesn't) take next...

WGA Strike Talk

If you're like me (and you probably are), you're following the strike news pretty closely. The town has gone bonkers in the last week trying to deal with the looming possibility (more like probability).

So, I thought I'd collect a few links to articles which will really help break down what the dealio is with the negotiations and the strike.

First off, if you aren't reading Craig Mazin's blog The Artful Writer, you need to start. Right now. He probably has the single most useful site for newbies to understand WGA politics, the MBA and what is up with this whole strike thing.

An article today I spotted at Mediaweek today. It's more about the TV perspective, which obviously, I care about.

Variety article published yesterday. Details a lot of the recent finger pointing.

A fascinating interview with
Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) where he discusses the strike and his advice to new writers. (George will be at AFF, where I am headed tomorrow!)

The WGA has a page devoted to strike news.

Hey, guess what? The Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) has a site too. Fun, fun.

Have any other good blogs or articles to add? Please do so in the comments.