To highlight the work of all writers employed on movie projects, members of the Writers Guild of America recently approved the establishment of an “Additional Literary Material” screen credit for feature films. Acknowledging the Work of All Writers Starting Jan. 1, 2022, the WGA can offer an “Additional Literary Credit” to writers during the credit-determination…
AMPTP Strikes New Deals with Major Motion Picture & Television Union Groups In spite of the unique negotiating circumstances stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has recently reached new agreements with each of The Directors Guild of America, The Writers Guild of America, and The Screen Actors Guild-American…
It looks like a ray of light has started to shine through the stubborn conflict between the Writers Guild of America and the major talent agencies. The results appear to hinge on a conditional deal that involves hard but significant concessions on both sides. Packaging deals, the practice at the heart of the conflict, offer…
Hollywood union leaders have recently issued industry-wide guidelines that recommend motion picture studio production changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to those who have drafted the protocols, if reopening is to happen safely, actors, crew, and everyone who participates in the process will need to be protected from infection, and these guidelines are…
Television network and studio executives, and major producers for existing programs are about to make some strategic hiring decisions, according to industry commentary, like this article from Deadline. As the WGA (Writers Guild of America) faces the end of its current contract with television and film production companies this spring, television networks and studios are…
In the midst of the ongoing battle between the Writer’s Guild of America and various talent agencies, day-to-day WGA business continues, including elections for Guild president. This September, David Goodman soundly defeated Phyllis Nagy in a contest that inspired record turnout. In addition to his re-election to a two-year term, the results were positive for…
On June 19th, via a 16-minute video posted to the WGA’s website, the Guild president announced an official end to the negotiation process between the WGA and the association of talent agencies that represent its writer members, the ATA. (Here’s the video if you haven’t seen it.) Earlier this spring, talks became tense and an…
A round of newly released information seems to be keeping writer-agent tensions in the spotlight, and possibly fanning the flames of the ongoing dispute between the WGA and major talent agencies. As of late May, the Writers Guild of America amended its lawsuit against four agencies (WME, CAA, UTA and ICM) to add allegations of…
The current conflict between Writers Guild of America (WGA) members and their agents, represented by the Association of Talent Agents (ATA), exposes tensions that have been simmering for a long time. According to the WGA (and many individual writers), writers have traditionally been under served by the nature of the relationship, since agents have been…
After an hour-long negotiation session on Friday between the WGA and the talent agencies that represent its writer members (The Association of Talent Agents), progress broke down. The WGA’s decision to implement a new Code of Conduct that regulates the actions of the talent agencies took place formally on the same day (Friday), which left…