Writers Guild of America (WGA) Strike

I’m supporting the Writers Guild of America strike because the creative process needs protection from start to finish. During the late 1980’s and the early 1990’s, I was forced to give up pursuing a career in audio engineering and film making because all the time I invested in non-union productions amounted to nothing. All the promised screen credits and future distribution profits went nowhere. Recently, I've taken steps to re-enter the entertainment industry and writing is part of it. So, obviously the WGA has my support.

The samurai revered the artists and farmers of feudal Japan. Why? They fed their warrior minds an imaginative place to escape and kept their stomachs full, respectively. Even though the samurai were the bosses, they conceded that the poor and humble artists and farmers were high class people.

What writers do for our society is that they provide us with relevant commentary. They report. They satirize. They compose. They suggest. And, they offer doorways for us to explore. But most importantly, they keep us entertained. Writers are the lifeblood of the film and TV entertainment industry. Without them, producers, directors, studio crews, marketing firms, movie theatres, and TV stations have nothing new to work with.

A script isn’t a commissioned painting that’s sold, re-sold, and auctioned repeatedly after the painter’s death for millions more than its original worth and then displayed at a gallery to be seen for the price of admission. Scripts that a writer has sold and is produced will continue to earn money and value while the writer is still alive. That writer is entitled to earn residuals, a percentage of future profits. With the emergence of new technologies and broadcast methods, WGA members are due their fair share of developing revenues.

All across the USA, various organized unions have won over managements time and time again. So, Hollywood and New York big-wigs need to figure out real quick that their bread and butter are made by artists and farmers called “writers.” Give them the respect they deserve and pay them what they’re worth. Realize that most writers go unemployed for long periods of time (in between) scripts, and rely on residuals while they create new ideas and spend as much as three to five years writing and re-writing stories until they’re ready to be pitched.