[Air-L] WGA strike

[Tuszynski, Stephanie]

Michael -

I'm not following your connection between people who write for the web and the WGA. The WGA only represents film and tv writers. You can't become a Guild member until you meet certain thresholds of working in the film and tv industry. People who write "for the web" in general would never be part of the WGA. It's only for screenwriters who work on scripts and teleplays. 

And for years the studios have assumed that they can get unknowns in to fill the place of the more experience writers if they have to, but I think that's bunk. That's where all those "story editors" on reality shows come from. But again, the talent pool is limited (screenwriting is the single hardest branch of creative writing to do well) and it's going to run dry. (This is why the Guild has been fighting for years to get the reality show writers under their umbrella.) 


Stephanie Tuszynski
Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of Theatre and Film
University of Toledo


Message: 2
Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 09:07:19 +1100
From: "Michael Baron" <webbaron at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Air-L] WGA strike
To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
Cc: aoir list <air-l at aoir.org>
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	<c78ecacf0801031407s5d85b7c7x5fdf48dc7c750a7d at mail.gmail.com>
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While, I do agree with Barry on the entitlements issue and find the strike
to be fully justifiable, to be honest i doubt it is going to be successful.
There are currently many Web writers who do not happen to be memebers of the
Writers Guild. Chances are they will be prepared to work for little money
just to "put their foot in" and get published. Unfortunately, the perception
of the Web writing as non-commercial still appears to be very strong in the
writers' community. Hopefully, this will turn around one day (and the strike
may make this day come sooner rather than later).