A Love Letter to the Writers Strike

CREATOR NEWSLETTER


After a weekend of deliberations, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced on Sunday night that they have come to a tentative agreement for 3-year-contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — one they assure writers is “exceptional” and guarantees substantial “gains and protections.” Some of the major concerns of the writers that have been addressed include fair pay, sustainable staffing structures, streaming residuals, and the future of AI in the writers’ room. While we don’t yet know the details of the deal, it seems the AMPTP is finally ready to play ball.

It’s hard to believe the Writers Strike began all the way back in May. It’s been five months. Five months!

Five months of seeing our favorite celebrities chanting, marching, and supporting each other on the picket line. Five months of content creators trying to figure out how the hell they fit into the messy entertainment landscape while sending their love for their favorite movie-magic-makers all along the way. Five months of watching more and more people tap into what makes them furious, what hurts, and what it means to labor in a system with massive wealth and power inequalities.

It’s a bittersweet situation. Writers have taken the boot on their necks and shoved it up the ass of the media titans who said they wanted workers to starve, become homeless, and die rather than just agree to pay them more. As a former film and TV worker who spent way too many days working overtime for scraps, I feel truly proud of everyone involved.


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That said, details of the agreement have not yet been released. Over the past couple of days, the specific language of the deal has been hashed out by both parties. As soon as the language is solidified, it will be sent to the WGA board for approval, and then finally to the members of the WGA for a vote. 

So, of course, it’s not time to bust out the confetti just yet. SAG-AFTRA is still on strike — and while picketing is on hold for the WGA for now, its members were encouraged to continue supporting the picketing actors and influencers of SAG-AFTRA who have yet to get to the bargaining table with the AMPTP. Most film and TV productions will be unable to resume working without actors, so the industry will continue to feel the hurt of media companies icing actors out. (Although, the late-night and daytime talk show scene could be back in show biz soon enough!)

For anyone working in the industry, it’s about damn time. The financial strain on film, television, and all kinds of adjacent workers has been unimaginable, with many people struggling to retain healthcare and figure out new ways to put food on the table. It’s ridiculous it took this long, yet the fact that the AMPTP is folding shows that their vague threats to “starve out” workers through the summer did not work. Instead, those threats just galvanized people further. Remember when celebrities auctioned off interactions like offering to walk a person’s dog to gather emergency funds for those out of work?

And while there’s still work to be done, it’s a moment to pause and reach out to thank your fellow creatives for helping ensure a better future for us all. That’s how show biz should be, baby!


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