Just After Dawn on the morning of May 15, 2019, more than a dozen cops arrived at a home in the placid suburb of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Armed with a search warrant, they ordered a member of the household to sit down and denied her access to her cellphone. Similar searches took place at other properties in Woodstock, New York, and Brooklyn. When it was over, according to court documents, the police left with cellphones, Usb drives, iPads, 1,300 pages of “physical documents,” four Apple MacBooks, and files filled with banking records.
- 6/7/2024
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
The Beatles continue to break records long after their musical reign across the world.
A long-lost John Lennon guitar has sold for more than $2.85 million at auction at Times Square’s Hard Rock Cafe where collectors, fans and industry aficionados had gathered from around the globe to witness the event.
Lennon’s 1964 Framus “Help!” Hootenanny acoustic guitar was also used by George Harrison during the recording sessions for the 1965 Beatles album Rubber Soul.
It had been discovered — after not being seen or played for over 50 years — at the end of 1965. Lennon gifted the guitar to Gordon Waller of Peter and Gordon, for whom he and Paul McCartney had been writing songs. But Waller later passed the guitar onto a manager of his who took it home and left it in the attic.
The new owners of the British countryside home found it while moving in and expected it to sell...
A long-lost John Lennon guitar has sold for more than $2.85 million at auction at Times Square’s Hard Rock Cafe where collectors, fans and industry aficionados had gathered from around the globe to witness the event.
Lennon’s 1964 Framus “Help!” Hootenanny acoustic guitar was also used by George Harrison during the recording sessions for the 1965 Beatles album Rubber Soul.
It had been discovered — after not being seen or played for over 50 years — at the end of 1965. Lennon gifted the guitar to Gordon Waller of Peter and Gordon, for whom he and Paul McCartney had been writing songs. But Waller later passed the guitar onto a manager of his who took it home and left it in the attic.
The new owners of the British countryside home found it while moving in and expected it to sell...
- 5/30/2024
- by Lily Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A guitar used by John Lennon has sold for $2,857,500, setting a new record for the highest-selling guitar at auction in the Beatles’ history.
The Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar, used in the recording of the Beatles’ 1965 Help! album and film, was bought through a telephone bid as part of a two-day music icons sale by Julien’s Auctions. The guitar had an estimated price of $600,000 to $800,000, but was expected to fetch far more. It surpassed the $2.4 million price tag of Lennon’s Gibson J160E, which sold in 2015.
“We are...
The Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar, used in the recording of the Beatles’ 1965 Help! album and film, was bought through a telephone bid as part of a two-day music icons sale by Julien’s Auctions. The guitar had an estimated price of $600,000 to $800,000, but was expected to fetch far more. It surpassed the $2.4 million price tag of Lennon’s Gibson J160E, which sold in 2015.
“We are...
- 5/30/2024
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
Life in post-strike Hollywood was definitely a topic of conversation at Sunday’s Writers Guild Awards, with former WGA West president David Goodman saying “the strike is over, the fight goes on” while adding “as individuals we’re replaceable.”
That sentiment has never been more applicable than now, as the ongoing contraction in Hollywood continues to impact how many writers remain out of work since walking off the picket line in September.
In March, Deadline kicked off a Hollywood Contraction series by checking in with the above and below-the-line communities to see whether opportunities have picked up since the end of the strikes.
The response hasn’t been positive. Because of fewer shows in the works and the disappearance of pilot season, the availability of gigs are now few and far between — with many considering a life outside of Hollywood.
Before Sunday’s WGA Awards celebration on both coasts, we...
That sentiment has never been more applicable than now, as the ongoing contraction in Hollywood continues to impact how many writers remain out of work since walking off the picket line in September.
In March, Deadline kicked off a Hollywood Contraction series by checking in with the above and below-the-line communities to see whether opportunities have picked up since the end of the strikes.
The response hasn’t been positive. Because of fewer shows in the works and the disappearance of pilot season, the availability of gigs are now few and far between — with many considering a life outside of Hollywood.
Before Sunday’s WGA Awards celebration on both coasts, we...
- 4/15/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith, Lynette Rice and Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America resurfaced its 2023 strike in a comedy bit that unfurled at the union’s Los Angeles awards ceremony Sunday night.
More than half a year after the union ended its 148-day strike, the union spoofed the top negotiator representing studios and streamers during those talks, Carol Lombardini, in a raunchy and at times brutal routine at the Hollywood Palladium. Nearly an hour into the union’s annual awards ceremony and between awards presentations, host Niecy Nash-Betts began interacting with an image of “Lombardini” on a screen behind her. (Only the mouth of the image moved, and the rest was static.)
When Nash-Betts asked why “Lombardini” was there, the image responded by congratulating the co-chairs of the WGA’s negotiating committee during the 2023 strike, David Goodman and Chris Keyser, for winning the Morgan Cox Award for service to the union. “First of all, I want to congratulate all the nominees and winners,...
More than half a year after the union ended its 148-day strike, the union spoofed the top negotiator representing studios and streamers during those talks, Carol Lombardini, in a raunchy and at times brutal routine at the Hollywood Palladium. Nearly an hour into the union’s annual awards ceremony and between awards presentations, host Niecy Nash-Betts began interacting with an image of “Lombardini” on a screen behind her. (Only the mouth of the image moved, and the rest was static.)
When Nash-Betts asked why “Lombardini” was there, the image responded by congratulating the co-chairs of the WGA’s negotiating committee during the 2023 strike, David Goodman and Chris Keyser, for winning the Morgan Cox Award for service to the union. “First of all, I want to congratulate all the nominees and winners,...
- 4/15/2024
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The David Hemingson-scripted Alexander Payne dramedy The Holdovers and Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction were the big film winners at the strike-delayed 2024 Writers Guild Awards, which were handed out Sunday in Los Angeles and New York.
Jefferson — who also was honored with the WGA West’s Paul Selvin Award — followed his Oscar win for Adapted Screenplay as the WGA’s weird, wild and elongated Awards season wrapped with simultaneous ceremonies on both coasts. Hemingson scored a modicum of revenge for losing the Original Screenplay Academy Award to Justine Triet and Arthur Harari for Anatomy of a Fall.
The latter script, however, wasn’t eligible for a Writers Guild Award. That’s because, unlike other guilds, the WGA deems ineligible any scripts for movies not produced under its Minimum Basic Agreement or a bona fide collective bargaining agreement with various affiliated countries.
Later, the Documentary prize went to Errol Morris...
Jefferson — who also was honored with the WGA West’s Paul Selvin Award — followed his Oscar win for Adapted Screenplay as the WGA’s weird, wild and elongated Awards season wrapped with simultaneous ceremonies on both coasts. Hemingson scored a modicum of revenge for losing the Original Screenplay Academy Award to Justine Triet and Arthur Harari for Anatomy of a Fall.
The latter script, however, wasn’t eligible for a Writers Guild Award. That’s because, unlike other guilds, the WGA deems ineligible any scripts for movies not produced under its Minimum Basic Agreement or a bona fide collective bargaining agreement with various affiliated countries.
Later, the Documentary prize went to Errol Morris...
- 4/15/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The writers strike ended seven months ago, but memories of the picket lines were fresh at the WGA Awards tonight.
“The strike is over, the fight goes on,” said former Wgaw President David Goodman at the Hollywood Palladium. “As individuals we’re replaceable, but as a union we’re irreplaceable.”
As the guild gave out awards to scribes, speaker after speaker brought up the 148-day WGA strike as well as the SAG-AFTRA strike.
From Wgaw President Meredith Stiehm to Hollywood Teamster Chief Lindsay Dougherty to Goodman and fellow Morgan Cox honoree Chris Keyser and even Drew Carey, the strike was a constant topic.
Related: The 2025 Oscars: Everything We Know So Far About The Nominations, Ceremony, Date & Host
Even AMPTP President Carol Lombardini made an appearance to talk strike — sort of. A photo of Lombardini appeared on screen with a mouthpiece full of sarcasm and mocking remarks about the studios...
“The strike is over, the fight goes on,” said former Wgaw President David Goodman at the Hollywood Palladium. “As individuals we’re replaceable, but as a union we’re irreplaceable.”
As the guild gave out awards to scribes, speaker after speaker brought up the 148-day WGA strike as well as the SAG-AFTRA strike.
From Wgaw President Meredith Stiehm to Hollywood Teamster Chief Lindsay Dougherty to Goodman and fellow Morgan Cox honoree Chris Keyser and even Drew Carey, the strike was a constant topic.
Related: The 2025 Oscars: Everything We Know So Far About The Nominations, Ceremony, Date & Host
Even AMPTP President Carol Lombardini made an appearance to talk strike — sort of. A photo of Lombardini appeared on screen with a mouthpiece full of sarcasm and mocking remarks about the studios...
- 4/15/2024
- by Dominic Patten, Anthony D'Alessandro and Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Chris Keyser and David Goodman, the veteran showrunners who steered the five-month Writers Guild of America strike last year, warned guild members on Sunday to stay vigilant in a fast-changing business landscape despite the gains of last year’s historic labor action.
“Though this strike is over, the fight goes on. If we take our eye off the ball, everything we gained can literally go away tomorrow,” Goodman told the crowd at the Writers Guild Awards at the Hollywood Palladium.
Goodman and Keyser served as co-chairs of the WGA’s negotiating commttee last year. The pair, both past presidents of the WGA West, were honored with the guild’s Morgan Cox Awards for dedicated service.
“Nothing is given to labor that it does not demand,” Keyser told the crowd.
Keyser said the long struggle of last year was the end result of a long period of getting the union to...
“Though this strike is over, the fight goes on. If we take our eye off the ball, everything we gained can literally go away tomorrow,” Goodman told the crowd at the Writers Guild Awards at the Hollywood Palladium.
Goodman and Keyser served as co-chairs of the WGA’s negotiating commttee last year. The pair, both past presidents of the WGA West, were honored with the guild’s Morgan Cox Awards for dedicated service.
“Nothing is given to labor that it does not demand,” Keyser told the crowd.
Keyser said the long struggle of last year was the end result of a long period of getting the union to...
- 4/15/2024
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
‘Succession’ has gone out with one final bang: The HBO drama won two Writers Guild of America Awards on Sunday night — the most of any series — for best drama series and also for best drama episode. Creator Jesse Armstrong was on hand in New York to accept the award, while several of the show’s writers were also in LA to accept the honor.
This reps the final major awards show where “Succession” (which ended its run last May) was still eligible. Besides best drama, the show also won the episodic drama prize, for the episode “Living+,” written by Georgia Pritchett and Will Arbery.
The WGA Awards recognized the best of 2023’s television and film via its annual event held this year at the Hollywood Palladium for the West Coast edition and at New York’s Edison Ballroom for the East Coast ceremony.
Big winners on the film side included “American Fiction” writer Cord Jefferson,...
This reps the final major awards show where “Succession” (which ended its run last May) was still eligible. Besides best drama, the show also won the episodic drama prize, for the episode “Living+,” written by Georgia Pritchett and Will Arbery.
The WGA Awards recognized the best of 2023’s television and film via its annual event held this year at the Hollywood Palladium for the West Coast edition and at New York’s Edison Ballroom for the East Coast ceremony.
Big winners on the film side included “American Fiction” writer Cord Jefferson,...
- 4/14/2024
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
"Futurama" is first and foremost a comedy, but by setting events a thousand years in the future, it invited itself to have the kind of worldbuilding you'd see in more straight-laced science fiction. The writers aren't just out to make their audience laugh, but to invest them in a futuristic world.
The "Futurama" writers are learned science-fiction nerds themselves. Series co-creator David X. Cohen has degrees in physics and computer science, while David A. Goodman, who wrote the "Futurama" episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before," (which featured most of the original "Star Trek" cast) went on to write for "Star Trek: Enterprise." Since the writers are nerds, they know how obsessive nerds think and engage with media by overanalyzing it.
The creators of "Futurama" admit they've even relied on fans to preserve the series' continuity, checking the "Futurama" wiki rather than rewatching episodes themselves. An audio commentary track for the series premiere,...
The "Futurama" writers are learned science-fiction nerds themselves. Series co-creator David X. Cohen has degrees in physics and computer science, while David A. Goodman, who wrote the "Futurama" episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before," (which featured most of the original "Star Trek" cast) went on to write for "Star Trek: Enterprise." Since the writers are nerds, they know how obsessive nerds think and engage with media by overanalyzing it.
The creators of "Futurama" admit they've even relied on fans to preserve the series' continuity, checking the "Futurama" wiki rather than rewatching episodes themselves. An audio commentary track for the series premiere,...
- 3/2/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Peacock’s coming-of-age thriller “Hysteria!” is set to tackle the era of Satanic Panic, and Deadline reports that Garret Dillahunt (The Last House on the Left) has signed on.
Nolan North (Pretty Little Liars), Elijah Richardson (Fantasy Football), Milly Shapiro (Hereditary), Allison Scagliotti (Warehouse 13) and Jessica Treska (Alex & Me) have also been set for recurring roles, alongside the previously announced Bruce Campbell, Julie Bowen, Anna Camp, Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, Kezii Curtis, and Nikki Hahn.
Written and executive produced by Matthew Scott Kane (Stitchers) and David Goodman (The Orville), “Hysteria!” explores America’s dark history of mass hysteria through the shocking story of the teenage Satanic Panic. The series follows a group of 1980s high school misfits as they exploit the growing hysteria around teen occult activity.
Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts will helm the premiere episode.
Here’s the full synopsis: “When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during...
Nolan North (Pretty Little Liars), Elijah Richardson (Fantasy Football), Milly Shapiro (Hereditary), Allison Scagliotti (Warehouse 13) and Jessica Treska (Alex & Me) have also been set for recurring roles, alongside the previously announced Bruce Campbell, Julie Bowen, Anna Camp, Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, Kezii Curtis, and Nikki Hahn.
Written and executive produced by Matthew Scott Kane (Stitchers) and David Goodman (The Orville), “Hysteria!” explores America’s dark history of mass hysteria through the shocking story of the teenage Satanic Panic. The series follows a group of 1980s high school misfits as they exploit the growing hysteria around teen occult activity.
Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts will helm the premiere episode.
Here’s the full synopsis: “When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during...
- 2/28/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Garret Dillahunt (Ghosts of Beirut). Nolan North (Pretty Little Liars), Elijah Richardson (Fantasy Football), Milly Shapiro (Hereditary), Allison Scagliotti (Warehouse 13) and Jessica Treska (Alex & Me) are set for recurring roles in Hysteria!, Peacock’s coming-of-age Satanic Panic thriller series. They join previously announced cast Julie Bowen, Anna Camp, Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, Kezii Curtis, Nikki Hahn and Bruce Campbell.
Written and executive produced by Matthew Scott Kane (Stitchers) and David Goodman (The Orville), Hysteria! explores America’s dark history of mass hysteria through the shocking story of the teenage Satanic Panic. The series follows a group of 1980s high school misfits as they exploit the growing hysteria around teen occult activity.
Per the official synopsis: “When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the “Satanic Panic” of the late 1980s, a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts realize they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in...
Written and executive produced by Matthew Scott Kane (Stitchers) and David Goodman (The Orville), Hysteria! explores America’s dark history of mass hysteria through the shocking story of the teenage Satanic Panic. The series follows a group of 1980s high school misfits as they exploit the growing hysteria around teen occult activity.
Per the official synopsis: “When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the “Satanic Panic” of the late 1980s, a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts realize they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in...
- 2/28/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
This article contains spoilers for The Orville, Star Trek: The Original Series, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Featuring broad comedy and characters who don’t seem to be taking their jobs very seriously, the first trailer for The Orville suggested that the Fox series would be a spoof of Star Trek.
In said trailer, Captain Mercer (Seth MacFarlane) tries to eat a marble and asks an alien to move over so he is framed better in the viewscreen. Lt. Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes) drinks beer while on duty, flying a shuttle, at 9:15 a.m. Commander Kelly Grayson’s (Adrianne Palicki) former marriage to Mercer is treated to rather stale “comic” arguments about going to therapy. Mercer’s reaction to Lt. Commander Bortus’s (Peter Macon) species being entirely male is to observe, with truly cutting and original wit, that they probably don’t have many arguments about leaving the toilet seat up.
Featuring broad comedy and characters who don’t seem to be taking their jobs very seriously, the first trailer for The Orville suggested that the Fox series would be a spoof of Star Trek.
In said trailer, Captain Mercer (Seth MacFarlane) tries to eat a marble and asks an alien to move over so he is framed better in the viewscreen. Lt. Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes) drinks beer while on duty, flying a shuttle, at 9:15 a.m. Commander Kelly Grayson’s (Adrianne Palicki) former marriage to Mercer is treated to rather stale “comic” arguments about going to therapy. Mercer’s reaction to Lt. Commander Bortus’s (Peter Macon) species being entirely male is to observe, with truly cutting and original wit, that they probably don’t have many arguments about leaving the toilet seat up.
- 2/28/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
In Nicholas Meyer's 1991 film "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) had moved from merely being a helmsman on the U.S.S. Enterprise to being the captain of a brand-new ship: the U.S.S. Excelsior. This new ship was equipped with a technology called transwarp drive, allowing it to fly more swiftly and nimbly than any other ship before it. In "Star Trek VI," Captain Sulu was exploring space near a Klingon moon called Praxis when a mining disaster caused the entire celestial body to explode. Later in the film, Captain Sulu would charge to the rescue, saving the Enterprise from a sneak attack by a cloaked Klingon vessel.
Captain Sulu's on-screen adventures ended there, although non-canonical sources continued to explore the character's career. In 1994 and 1995, a trio of audio-only adventures called "Transformations," "Cacophany," and "Envoy," all starring Takei, were released on CD and cassette,...
Captain Sulu's on-screen adventures ended there, although non-canonical sources continued to explore the character's career. In 1994 and 1995, a trio of audio-only adventures called "Transformations," "Cacophany," and "Envoy," all starring Takei, were released on CD and cassette,...
- 1/29/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), the U.S.S. Enterprise's communications officer on "Star Trek," rarely got episodes of her own. Audiences learned about Uhura through her interactions with the other members of the crew, remaining professional on the bridge, and keeping her personal life personal. It wouldn't be until the "Star Trek: The Animated Series" episode "The Lorelei Signal" that Uhura would take command of the Enterprise and solve the crisis of the week. Uhura remained the communications officer on the Enterprise through the events of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" in 1991. On "Star Trek: Picard," it was mentioned that Uhura had become the captain of a ship called the U.S.S. Leondegrance and made first contact with hundreds of new species.
Fun trivia: King Leondegrance was Guinivere's father in Arthurian myth. In John Boorman's 1981 Arthurian film "Excalibur," King Leondegrance was played by future "Star Trek" luminary and Picard himself,...
Fun trivia: King Leondegrance was Guinivere's father in Arthurian myth. In John Boorman's 1981 Arthurian film "Excalibur," King Leondegrance was played by future "Star Trek" luminary and Picard himself,...
- 1/2/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The future of "Futurama" is secured, thanks to Hulu. The streaming service revived the series for the second time (following in Comedy Central's footsteps), ordering 20 new episodes following the escapades of everyone's favorite intergalactic delivery crew. Ten of those episodes debuted as a revival season (season 11 by broadcast order) earlier in 2023. Following that, the series has been renewed for two additional seasons and there's even been talk of a new "Futurama" movie.
Before getting ahead of yourselves though, there's the back half of the initial 20 episodes that Hulu ordered. This is either season 12 or season 11 part two, depending on if you go by production or broadcast order — we'll stick with the latter for now. No official release date has been given yet, but these ten new episodes are expected to arrive in 2024.
At New York Comic-Con 2023, the "Futurama" production team partook in a roundtable and teased the upcoming episodes...
Before getting ahead of yourselves though, there's the back half of the initial 20 episodes that Hulu ordered. This is either season 12 or season 11 part two, depending on if you go by production or broadcast order — we'll stick with the latter for now. No official release date has been given yet, but these ten new episodes are expected to arrive in 2024.
At New York Comic-Con 2023, the "Futurama" production team partook in a roundtable and teased the upcoming episodes...
- 12/25/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
A3 Artists Agency is allegedly locked in a “state of chaos” as it confronts an “exodus of agents and their clients” to competing firms because of majority owner Adam Bold’s mismanagement of company funds, sexual misconduct and drug abuse, according to a complaint that has been filed seeking to block the sale of company’s most profitable divisions to rival Gersh.
Agency partners Robert Attermann and Brian Cho, in a lawsuit filed on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claim that they were duped into signing away their ability to stop the merger by Bold, who’s allegedly been shopping the agency for months at a figure they say is well-below market value.
“It has become exceedingly clear that Bold intends to siphon the proceeds of the A3 sale to himself and drive what remains of a once-great company into bankruptcy,” states the complaint. “In such a scenario, the...
Agency partners Robert Attermann and Brian Cho, in a lawsuit filed on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claim that they were duped into signing away their ability to stop the merger by Bold, who’s allegedly been shopping the agency for months at a figure they say is well-below market value.
“It has become exceedingly clear that Bold intends to siphon the proceeds of the A3 sale to himself and drive what remains of a once-great company into bankruptcy,” states the complaint. “In such a scenario, the...
- 12/6/2023
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Young, the longtime executive director of the Writers Guild of America West, is stepping down, the guild announced on Friday.
Ellen Stutzman, who served as chief negotiator through its 148-day strike this year, will take over as executive director.
Young was initially expected to lead this year’s negotiations, but surprisingly took a medical leave in February, shortly before talks began.
“It has been an honor to work with and for writers,” Young said in a statement on Friday. “I’ve also been lucky to collaborate with the Guild’s staff, which is superb.”
Even though Young has been on leave since February, he was still consulting with the WGA behind the scenes, according to a source who spoke with him over the summer.
Several guild leaders issued statements in praise of Young’s tenure. Meredith Stiehm, the president of WGA West, called Young a “shrewd, creative strategist.” David Goodman,...
Ellen Stutzman, who served as chief negotiator through its 148-day strike this year, will take over as executive director.
Young was initially expected to lead this year’s negotiations, but surprisingly took a medical leave in February, shortly before talks began.
“It has been an honor to work with and for writers,” Young said in a statement on Friday. “I’ve also been lucky to collaborate with the Guild’s staff, which is superb.”
Even though Young has been on leave since February, he was still consulting with the WGA behind the scenes, according to a source who spoke with him over the summer.
Several guild leaders issued statements in praise of Young’s tenure. Meredith Stiehm, the president of WGA West, called Young a “shrewd, creative strategist.” David Goodman,...
- 11/4/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
The David Young era is ending at the Writers Guild.
The WGA West Board of Directors told members in a letter today that the union’s longtime Executive Director, who has spearheaded multiple bargaining campaigns on behalf of the writers including the 2020 negotiations, is exiting when his contract expires. Ellen Stutzman, who served as Wgaw’s chief negotiator during its 148-day strike this year, has been promoted to the post.
Young went on medical leave in February, ahead of the Writers Guild strike, and 18-year Wgaw vet Stutzman was tapped to lead contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers.
Known for his bare-knuckle negotiating style, Young joined as the head of the guild’s organizing department in 2004 and was upped to Executive Director the following year. During a heated phone call in 2020, Young famously told WME partner Rick Rosen that he “should kick his ass” but...
The WGA West Board of Directors told members in a letter today that the union’s longtime Executive Director, who has spearheaded multiple bargaining campaigns on behalf of the writers including the 2020 negotiations, is exiting when his contract expires. Ellen Stutzman, who served as Wgaw’s chief negotiator during its 148-day strike this year, has been promoted to the post.
Young went on medical leave in February, ahead of the Writers Guild strike, and 18-year Wgaw vet Stutzman was tapped to lead contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers.
Known for his bare-knuckle negotiating style, Young joined as the head of the guild’s organizing department in 2004 and was upped to Executive Director the following year. During a heated phone call in 2020, Young famously told WME partner Rick Rosen that he “should kick his ass” but...
- 11/4/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
After 18 years at the top of the Writers Guild of America West, executive director David Young is departing. And the chief negotiator who led the union in its latest round of negotiations amid a historic strike — Ellen Stutzman — will take his place.
The WGA West board of directors announced the leadership transition to members on Friday. “Our membership owes David a great debt. His organizing experience and strategic acumen were essential to building the Guild into the fighting organization it is today,” the group stated in it message. Young will remain at the union through the remainder of his contract, but Stutzman’s promotion is effective immediately.
Young, who joined the union in 2004 as an organizing director and stepped into the executive director role a year later, led the union through a momentous period, including the 100-day strike in 2007-8 that tackled what was then called “new media” and the...
The WGA West board of directors announced the leadership transition to members on Friday. “Our membership owes David a great debt. His organizing experience and strategic acumen were essential to building the Guild into the fighting organization it is today,” the group stated in it message. Young will remain at the union through the remainder of his contract, but Stutzman’s promotion is effective immediately.
Young, who joined the union in 2004 as an organizing director and stepped into the executive director role a year later, led the union through a momentous period, including the 100-day strike in 2007-8 that tackled what was then called “new media” and the...
- 11/4/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ellen Stutzman, who served as chief negotiator during the strike, has been named the new director of WGA West, the guild’s President Meredith Stiehm announced on Friday. Outgoing veteran David Young has held the position since 2005.
“Ellen is a steady, calm force to be reckoned with, as we all witnessed these past five months as she led us to victory in the 2023 strike,” said Stiehm. “She is beloved by staff and members, and I have every confidence in her as she steps into this role. Writers could not be in better hands.”
“There’s nothing more important – that determines the outcome of things more – than the right person at the right time. Ellen was that for us. The exact right person at a tenuous moment,” said former Wgaw president and 2023 WGA Negotiating Committee co-chair Chris Keyser.
“The first, maybe most important, decision we all made in the course of...
“Ellen is a steady, calm force to be reckoned with, as we all witnessed these past five months as she led us to victory in the 2023 strike,” said Stiehm. “She is beloved by staff and members, and I have every confidence in her as she steps into this role. Writers could not be in better hands.”
“There’s nothing more important – that determines the outcome of things more – than the right person at the right time. Ellen was that for us. The exact right person at a tenuous moment,” said former Wgaw president and 2023 WGA Negotiating Committee co-chair Chris Keyser.
“The first, maybe most important, decision we all made in the course of...
- 11/4/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
I proudly voted “yes” for the new WGA Minimum Basic Agreement. It is an immense achievement, and Ellen Stutzman, Chris Keyser, David Goodman and the rest of the negotiating committee should take well-deserved bows.
Regarding artificial intelligence, the WGA negotiated a smart, forward-thinking set of guardrails for guild members even though the technology is still sorting itself out and very few can predict its ultimate manifestation.
But given the powerful nature of AI and its potential to save the studios countless millions, I can’t help but wonder how these profit-seeking monoliths will side-step the new restrictions in the years to come as the technology improves.
By looking back at a particular experience of my own, I think I know of one way they can.
I cite this story as a warning to both my guilds, the WGA and DGA, as well as IATSE and Teamsters as they negotiate future...
Regarding artificial intelligence, the WGA negotiated a smart, forward-thinking set of guardrails for guild members even though the technology is still sorting itself out and very few can predict its ultimate manifestation.
But given the powerful nature of AI and its potential to save the studios countless millions, I can’t help but wonder how these profit-seeking monoliths will side-step the new restrictions in the years to come as the technology improves.
By looking back at a particular experience of my own, I think I know of one way they can.
I cite this story as a warning to both my guilds, the WGA and DGA, as well as IATSE and Teamsters as they negotiate future...
- 10/31/2023
- by Daniel Adams
- The Wrap
No hostage left behind.
So many of your favorite stars have come together to thank President Biden for his efforts in working to peace amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Amid the news that two American hostages and two Israeli hostages have been released from captivity, Hollywood heavyweights are hoping for the safe return of the 220 innocent people who are still being held hostage by Hamas.
“We are heartened by Friday’s release of the two American hostages, Judith Ranaan and her daughter Natalie Ranaan and by today’s release of two Israelis, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, whose husbands remain in captivity,” the letter read.
The letter continued, “But our relief is tempered by our overwhelming concern that 220 innocent people, including 30 children, remain captive by terrorists, threatened with torture and death. They were taken by Hamas in the savage massacre of October 7, where over 1,400 Israelis were slaughtered – women raped, families burned alive,...
So many of your favorite stars have come together to thank President Biden for his efforts in working to peace amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Amid the news that two American hostages and two Israeli hostages have been released from captivity, Hollywood heavyweights are hoping for the safe return of the 220 innocent people who are still being held hostage by Hamas.
“We are heartened by Friday’s release of the two American hostages, Judith Ranaan and her daughter Natalie Ranaan and by today’s release of two Israelis, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, whose husbands remain in captivity,” the letter read.
The letter continued, “But our relief is tempered by our overwhelming concern that 220 innocent people, including 30 children, remain captive by terrorists, threatened with torture and death. They were taken by Hamas in the savage massacre of October 7, where over 1,400 Israelis were slaughtered – women raped, families burned alive,...
- 10/24/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Why did it take five months?
That’s the vexing question that entertainment industry insiders are wrestling with even as they cheer the end of the Writers Guild of America strike. Union leaders said it again and again all summer — that Hollywood’s system for collective bargaining was “broken.” Turns out they were right.
The economic pain spread across the entertainment industry and beyond by showbiz’s summer of labor strife has been devastating. The situation demands both urgent action and long-term study because the industry dynamics that spurred the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are likely to persist in the near term. For the sake of avoiding more debilitating work stoppages, leaders from labor and management need to undertake a thoughtful and methodical review of decades-old contract terms and options for updating the underlying economic constructs of complicated compensation formulas. It’s a process that will also demand the...
That’s the vexing question that entertainment industry insiders are wrestling with even as they cheer the end of the Writers Guild of America strike. Union leaders said it again and again all summer — that Hollywood’s system for collective bargaining was “broken.” Turns out they were right.
The economic pain spread across the entertainment industry and beyond by showbiz’s summer of labor strife has been devastating. The situation demands both urgent action and long-term study because the industry dynamics that spurred the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are likely to persist in the near term. For the sake of avoiding more debilitating work stoppages, leaders from labor and management need to undertake a thoughtful and methodical review of decades-old contract terms and options for updating the underlying economic constructs of complicated compensation formulas. It’s a process that will also demand the...
- 10/11/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
WGA members voted in favor of a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that ended one of Hollywood’s longest strikes.
The union reached an almost unanimous decision of the three-year Minimum Basic Agreement. Members of both the WGA West and WGA East cast their votes, with 99% of those who voted approving the now sealed deal that will run from Sept. 25, 2023 to May 31, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,...
The union reached an almost unanimous decision of the three-year Minimum Basic Agreement. Members of both the WGA West and WGA East cast their votes, with 99% of those who voted approving the now sealed deal that will run from Sept. 25, 2023 to May 31, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,...
- 10/9/2023
- by Charisma Madarang and Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
It’s officially over: The Writers Guild of America has ratified the three-year contract deal that ended the second-longest strike in the union’s history.
Ninety-nine percent of union members voted to support the contract in a vote that ended on Monday; the WGA says of the 8,525 valid votes cast there were 8,435 “yes” votes and 90 “no” votes (1 percent). The term of the new agreement is from Sept. 25, 2023, through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” said Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman, negotiating committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman, the entire WGA negotiating committee, strike captains, lot coordinators, and the staff...
Ninety-nine percent of union members voted to support the contract in a vote that ended on Monday; the WGA says of the 8,525 valid votes cast there were 8,435 “yes” votes and 90 “no” votes (1 percent). The term of the new agreement is from Sept. 25, 2023, through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” said Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman, negotiating committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman, the entire WGA negotiating committee, strike captains, lot coordinators, and the staff...
- 10/9/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny and Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Writers are overwhelmingly in favor of the new contract its guild has won from the studios. WGA members have voted in favor of ratifying the new minimum basic agreement, with an enormous 99 percent of members who voted approving the contract. The strike is officially over.
The guild said of the 8,525 valid votes cast, there were 8,435 “yes” votes and 90 “no” votes. Back in 2020, the last time the contract came up for a ratification vote, 98 percent of members approved it, but only 4,155 valid votes were cast.
Writers will now work under this contract effective through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” said Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA Chief Negotiator Ellen Stutzman,...
The guild said of the 8,525 valid votes cast, there were 8,435 “yes” votes and 90 “no” votes. Back in 2020, the last time the contract came up for a ratification vote, 98 percent of members approved it, but only 4,155 valid votes were cast.
Writers will now work under this contract effective through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” said Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA Chief Negotiator Ellen Stutzman,...
- 10/9/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
The writers’ strike officially ended Monday as the Writers Guild of America announced that its members overwhelmingly voted to ratify the contract negotiated by guild leaders after 148 days on the picket lines.
The WGA announced the result of the ratification vote on Monday, with 8,435 out of 8,525 votes received in favor of ratification for a vote percentage of 99%. The voter turnout was significantly above the ratification vote for the 2020 contract, in which 4,155 votes were received.
The term of the new agreement is from Sept. 25 through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” WGA West president Meredith Stiehm said in a statement. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman, negotiating...
The WGA announced the result of the ratification vote on Monday, with 8,435 out of 8,525 votes received in favor of ratification for a vote percentage of 99%. The voter turnout was significantly above the ratification vote for the 2020 contract, in which 4,155 votes were received.
The term of the new agreement is from Sept. 25 through May 1, 2026.
“Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership,” WGA West president Meredith Stiehm said in a statement. “Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman, negotiating...
- 10/9/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
(Updated with SAG-AFTRA statement) Writers have officially approved their deal with the studios.
This afternoon, the WGA membership ratified its contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, bringing to a final end to the strike that lasted for nearly five months.
After a week of voting, a vast majority of the WGA membership cast their ballot in favor of ratifying the three-year Minimum Basic Agreement. Some 8,525 valid votes, or “99% of WGA members,” as the guild termed it just now, were cast by members of the 11,000-strong Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East.
“There were 8,435 ‘yes’ votes and 90 ‘no’ votes,” the guild announced in an email sent to members.
With major strides for scribes in terms of A.I. guardrails, residuals, writers room staffing, and data transparency, as well as pay hikes, the now sealed deal runs from September 25, 2023 to May 31, 2026.
Monday...
This afternoon, the WGA membership ratified its contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, bringing to a final end to the strike that lasted for nearly five months.
After a week of voting, a vast majority of the WGA membership cast their ballot in favor of ratifying the three-year Minimum Basic Agreement. Some 8,525 valid votes, or “99% of WGA members,” as the guild termed it just now, were cast by members of the 11,000-strong Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East.
“There were 8,435 ‘yes’ votes and 90 ‘no’ votes,” the guild announced in an email sent to members.
With major strides for scribes in terms of A.I. guardrails, residuals, writers room staffing, and data transparency, as well as pay hikes, the now sealed deal runs from September 25, 2023 to May 31, 2026.
Monday...
- 10/9/2023
- by Peter White and Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
This Halloween season, Lifetime unveils “Truly Unbelievable Movies,” a Ripped from the Headlines Event featuring a slate of seven new original movies featuring top talent.
All produced earlier this year, the lineup includes Lifetime’s milestone 500th original movie, the two-night event Murdaugh Murders: The Movie starring Bill Pullman as Alex Murdaugh who, on the surface is a prominent and respected South Carolina lawyer, loving husband and father but behind closed doors, lived a drug-filled secret life that ultimately led to murder.
The event officially kicked off on September 17, and brand new original movies will debut on Saturdays at 8p/7c from now through October 28, 2023.
Here’s the full “Truly Unbelievable Movies” lineup from Lifetime….
How She Caught A Killer – September 16
Inspired by real events, rookie detective Linda Murphy (Sarah Drew) is fresh out of the police academy when she hears her boss, detective David Goodman (Eric Keenleyside) talking about...
All produced earlier this year, the lineup includes Lifetime’s milestone 500th original movie, the two-night event Murdaugh Murders: The Movie starring Bill Pullman as Alex Murdaugh who, on the surface is a prominent and respected South Carolina lawyer, loving husband and father but behind closed doors, lived a drug-filled secret life that ultimately led to murder.
The event officially kicked off on September 17, and brand new original movies will debut on Saturdays at 8p/7c from now through October 28, 2023.
Here’s the full “Truly Unbelievable Movies” lineup from Lifetime….
How She Caught A Killer – September 16
Inspired by real events, rookie detective Linda Murphy (Sarah Drew) is fresh out of the police academy when she hears her boss, detective David Goodman (Eric Keenleyside) talking about...
- 10/3/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: As the striking actors guild sits down today with the studio bosses for the first new talks in over 80 days, the writers are one step closer to officially ending their nearly 150-day labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
“We strongly endorse this proposed contract and encourage you to vote for its ratification,” said Writers Guild of America West president Meredith Stiehm and WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi in a joint message to guild members that started landing in scribes’ inboxes late this morning (read the full email below).
Over 11,000 members of the WGA on both coasts received their ratification ballots and support material Monday via email. Garnering unanimous support from the WGA West board and the WGA East council the tentative agreement that guild negotiators came to with studio CEOs on September 24 is now out for “members in good standing” to give a Yea or Nay to.
“We strongly endorse this proposed contract and encourage you to vote for its ratification,” said Writers Guild of America West president Meredith Stiehm and WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi in a joint message to guild members that started landing in scribes’ inboxes late this morning (read the full email below).
Over 11,000 members of the WGA on both coasts received their ratification ballots and support material Monday via email. Garnering unanimous support from the WGA West board and the WGA East council the tentative agreement that guild negotiators came to with studio CEOs on September 24 is now out for “members in good standing” to give a Yea or Nay to.
- 10/2/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are set to return to the negotiating table Monday — just eight days after the WGA reached its own deal — with several issues that need to be resolved in order for Hollywood to resume production.
Many actor-specific issues will be discussed in the negotiating room, but the biggest topics will be increased compensation to counter declining real wages — particularly when it comes to streaming — and ensuring that actors have control over whether their performances and likenesses are replicated by AI programs.
Once again, the quartet of CEOs that took over talks with the WGA — Disney’s Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos — are expected to be in the room negotiating with the actors’ guild’s negotiating committee, led by chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and guild president Fran Drescher.
Insiders on...
Many actor-specific issues will be discussed in the negotiating room, but the biggest topics will be increased compensation to counter declining real wages — particularly when it comes to streaming — and ensuring that actors have control over whether their performances and likenesses are replicated by AI programs.
Once again, the quartet of CEOs that took over talks with the WGA — Disney’s Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos — are expected to be in the room negotiating with the actors’ guild’s negotiating committee, led by chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and guild president Fran Drescher.
Insiders on...
- 10/2/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
You are reading an exclusive WrapPRO article for free. Want to level up your entertainment career? Click here to subscribe.
Writers are finally back to work in Hollywood after the WGA and studios reached a deal, which has left many in the industry asking, “What took so long?”
Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman, the co-chairs of WGA’s negotiating committee, pin the blame on the stall tactics that the studios used alongside the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, one that was rendered ineffective by the solidarity built between the WGA and other unions throughout the summer.
“The AMPTP was created in the 80s during the Reagan era, a very anti-labor time. Now, labor is reasserting itself over the last few years, and the AMPTP can’t use old tactics anymore of stalling and trying to squeeze the unions,” Keyser told TheWrap.
He continued, “The broad response I...
Writers are finally back to work in Hollywood after the WGA and studios reached a deal, which has left many in the industry asking, “What took so long?”
Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman, the co-chairs of WGA’s negotiating committee, pin the blame on the stall tactics that the studios used alongside the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, one that was rendered ineffective by the solidarity built between the WGA and other unions throughout the summer.
“The AMPTP was created in the 80s during the Reagan era, a very anti-labor time. Now, labor is reasserting itself over the last few years, and the AMPTP can’t use old tactics anymore of stalling and trying to squeeze the unions,” Keyser told TheWrap.
He continued, “The broad response I...
- 9/29/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
In the 22nd week of his Deadline podcast Strike Talk, Billy Ray sits with WGA Negotiating Committee co-chairs David Goodman and Chris Keyser to learn what happened inside the room during the negotiations and what gains were made in the deal struck Sunday with the AMPTP.
Ray has been part of past WGA negotiations and knows the ins and outs, and the trio break down everything from why it took so long for the CEOs to join the talks and break the stalemate, to concessions gained on meaningful streaming residuals, limitations on AI, curtailing the use of mini-rooms to save money, and creating exceptions for showrunners who solely write their series episodes.
For fans of Ray’s superb Strike Talk podcast that has become a North Star for writers, he reveals that for solidarity’s sake, he will hang in and do these podcasts until SAG-AFTRA makes its deal. The...
Ray has been part of past WGA negotiations and knows the ins and outs, and the trio break down everything from why it took so long for the CEOs to join the talks and break the stalemate, to concessions gained on meaningful streaming residuals, limitations on AI, curtailing the use of mini-rooms to save money, and creating exceptions for showrunners who solely write their series episodes.
For fans of Ray’s superb Strike Talk podcast that has become a North Star for writers, he reveals that for solidarity’s sake, he will hang in and do these podcasts until SAG-AFTRA makes its deal. The...
- 9/29/2023
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America, on the union’s first day after its historic 148-day strike, staged a “rock concert” — as one showrunner described it — Wednesday night at the Hollywood Palladium as the guild celebrated its leadership and solidarity while outlining the deal points in its tentative Minimum Basic Agreement to its membership.
The meeting opened with a minutes-long standing ovation for the negotiating committee and was followed by a video featuring scenes and interviews from the picket lines and from various rallies held throughout the past 148 days of the work stoppage.
WGA West President Meredith Stiehm opened the meeting with the “official” announcement that the guild had reached a tentative new three-year Minimum Basic Agreement after what was the union’s second-longest strike in its history. Her remarks were met with one standing ovation after another as she recognized each and every member of the WGA’s leadership, board...
The meeting opened with a minutes-long standing ovation for the negotiating committee and was followed by a video featuring scenes and interviews from the picket lines and from various rallies held throughout the past 148 days of the work stoppage.
WGA West President Meredith Stiehm opened the meeting with the “official” announcement that the guild had reached a tentative new three-year Minimum Basic Agreement after what was the union’s second-longest strike in its history. Her remarks were met with one standing ovation after another as she recognized each and every member of the WGA’s leadership, board...
- 9/28/2023
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Goodman, Chris Keyser and Meredith Stiehm have spent this year in warrior mode on behalf of their fellow 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America.
Goodman and Keyser, both past presidents of the WGA West, were co-chairs of the WGA’s 25-member negotiating committee. Stiehm was re-elected earlier this month to her second two-year term as WGA West president. All three are veteran showrunners who went into these momentous negotiations determined to shore up the future of employment for writers in the industry that has generated so much for so many.
Here, as the sun formally sets on the 2023 WGA strike, the trio discuss the highs and lows, ups and downs of the long fight, and they detail what they view as the existential crises addressed in the WGA’s hard-fought three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
There’s a lot to unpack in this deal.
Goodman and Keyser, both past presidents of the WGA West, were co-chairs of the WGA’s 25-member negotiating committee. Stiehm was re-elected earlier this month to her second two-year term as WGA West president. All three are veteran showrunners who went into these momentous negotiations determined to shore up the future of employment for writers in the industry that has generated so much for so many.
Here, as the sun formally sets on the 2023 WGA strike, the trio discuss the highs and lows, ups and downs of the long fight, and they detail what they view as the existential crises addressed in the WGA’s hard-fought three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
There’s a lot to unpack in this deal.
- 9/27/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America’s announcement that it has reached a potentially strike-ending deal with Hollywood studios was met with cheers by entertainment union members, including the union that it shared picket lines with for months, SAG-AFTRA.
“SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines,” the actors’ guild said in a statement.
A more barbed statement came from Lindsay Dougherty, Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 399, who praised the WGA for their resilience while swiping at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios in labor talks.
“The militancy of the writers holding the line and hitting the pavement exemplified their unwavering commitment to their core issues,” Dougherty wrote “Their fight has also inspired a renewed solidarity among Hollywood workers that will live long past this bargaining cycle.”
“Solidarity,...
“SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines,” the actors’ guild said in a statement.
A more barbed statement came from Lindsay Dougherty, Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 399, who praised the WGA for their resilience while swiping at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios in labor talks.
“The militancy of the writers holding the line and hitting the pavement exemplified their unwavering commitment to their core issues,” Dougherty wrote “Their fight has also inspired a renewed solidarity among Hollywood workers that will live long past this bargaining cycle.”
“Solidarity,...
- 9/25/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Larry Wilmore says “finally.” Greg Grunberg says “Mazel tov! Writers Strike Deal!!!”
Bill Wolkoff promises not to picket Dancing with the Stars.
The Writers Guild has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to end its strike after nearly five months, and needless to say — the members have thoughts, lots of happy thoughts. And it’s all spilling out on social media.
Here’s a roundup of their reactions so far:
Billy Ray: “To all my fellow writers— You earned this. You saved our profession. Now let’s continue to stand w the actors. And IATSE. And the Teamsters. And labor everywhere. That’s how we’ll save America.”
Wolkoff: “Day 146. It gives me great pleasure to say we will Not be picketing Dancing With The Stars tomorrow! I really can’t wait to watch the premiere on Tuesday, because we did it!
Bill Wolkoff promises not to picket Dancing with the Stars.
The Writers Guild has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to end its strike after nearly five months, and needless to say — the members have thoughts, lots of happy thoughts. And it’s all spilling out on social media.
Here’s a roundup of their reactions so far:
Billy Ray: “To all my fellow writers— You earned this. You saved our profession. Now let’s continue to stand w the actors. And IATSE. And the Teamsters. And labor everywhere. That’s how we’ll save America.”
Wolkoff: “Day 146. It gives me great pleasure to say we will Not be picketing Dancing With The Stars tomorrow! I really can’t wait to watch the premiere on Tuesday, because we did it!
- 9/25/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive, Updated with joint statement: The roller coaster ride of the Writers Guild and the Hollywood studios trying to seal a deal to end the writers’ nearly 5-month-long strike isn’t over yet.
After a day many thought would see an agreement between the WGA and the AMPTP finalized, it looks like things are on pause — at least until Sunday morning. “The WGA and the AMPTP met for bargaining on Saturday and will meet again on Sunday,” the two sides said late Saturday in their second joint statement in a week.
With claims of a “best and final offer” from the studios and streamers on the table and lawyers from both sides still poring over the fine print, the WGA strike is going to go at least one more day.
One more day that looks likely to see another so-called “best and final offer,” a fairly standard legal term that...
After a day many thought would see an agreement between the WGA and the AMPTP finalized, it looks like things are on pause — at least until Sunday morning. “The WGA and the AMPTP met for bargaining on Saturday and will meet again on Sunday,” the two sides said late Saturday in their second joint statement in a week.
With claims of a “best and final offer” from the studios and streamers on the table and lawyers from both sides still poring over the fine print, the WGA strike is going to go at least one more day.
One more day that looks likely to see another so-called “best and final offer,” a fairly standard legal term that...
- 9/24/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
(Updated with WGA statement) The Writers Guild brass and studios CEOs were working Friday night to close a deal to end the scribes’ strike, but it seems they aren’t quite there yet.
Running from around 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m., the third day of direct talks between the WGA negotiating committee and the heads of Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery has ended without a tentative agreement for a new three-year contract. While the two sides were able to find accord on a number of issues, a solution acceptable to all on matters like AI and writers rooms’ minimum staffing levels has eluded the negotiators so far, we hear.
However, while nothing was etched in stone, it does appear Bob Iger, Donna Langley, Ted Sarandos and David Zaslav and the other principals are open to reconvening at some point over the weekend. In fact, the CEO Gang of Four,...
Running from around 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m., the third day of direct talks between the WGA negotiating committee and the heads of Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery has ended without a tentative agreement for a new three-year contract. While the two sides were able to find accord on a number of issues, a solution acceptable to all on matters like AI and writers rooms’ minimum staffing levels has eluded the negotiators so far, we hear.
However, while nothing was etched in stone, it does appear Bob Iger, Donna Langley, Ted Sarandos and David Zaslav and the other principals are open to reconvening at some point over the weekend. In fact, the CEO Gang of Four,...
- 9/23/2023
- by Dominic Patten and Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The WGA is heading back to the bargaining table with the CEOs of Netflix, Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros Discovery on Friday.
“The WGA and AMPTP met for bargaining today and will meet again tomorrow,” said the guild in a message to members after a long session Thursday night. Executives Ted Sarandos, Bob Iger, Donna Langley and David Zaslav are all anticipated to be in attendance Friday, along with AMPTP president Carol Lombardini and a praetorian guard of lawyers. On the other side, WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman, along with David Goodman and Chris Keyser, will also be in the room at the AMPTP’s Sherman Oaks offices.
Scheduling and attendance weren’t the only messages the guild wanted to convey late tonight after an unresolved marathon negotiating session with the studies and streamers.
“Your Negotiating Committee appreciates all the messages of solidarity and support we have received the last few days,...
“The WGA and AMPTP met for bargaining today and will meet again tomorrow,” said the guild in a message to members after a long session Thursday night. Executives Ted Sarandos, Bob Iger, Donna Langley and David Zaslav are all anticipated to be in attendance Friday, along with AMPTP president Carol Lombardini and a praetorian guard of lawyers. On the other side, WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman, along with David Goodman and Chris Keyser, will also be in the room at the AMPTP’s Sherman Oaks offices.
Scheduling and attendance weren’t the only messages the guild wanted to convey late tonight after an unresolved marathon negotiating session with the studies and streamers.
“Your Negotiating Committee appreciates all the messages of solidarity and support we have received the last few days,...
- 9/22/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
3rd Update, 9:59 Pm: In a note to members that just went out, the WGA says it will be meeting Friday with the AMPTP and CEOs from Netflix, Universal, Warner Bros Discovery and Disney for more talks.
2nd Update 8:55 Pm: The writers’ strike is not over yet,
Despite putting in a long second day of direct talks, top CEOs, the AMPTP and the WGA did not close a deal tonight. While sources say both sides are open and willing to gather round the bargaining table, no further talks are officially scheduled.
However, negotiating committees for both the writers and the Carol Lombardini-run AMPTP plus Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Bob Iger, Universal’s Donna Langley and Warner Bros Discovery’s David Zaslav have all indicated they will try to convene a meeting tomorrow, we’re told.
Bob Iger, Ted Sarandos, David Zaslav & Donna Langley
As rumors of...
2nd Update 8:55 Pm: The writers’ strike is not over yet,
Despite putting in a long second day of direct talks, top CEOs, the AMPTP and the WGA did not close a deal tonight. While sources say both sides are open and willing to gather round the bargaining table, no further talks are officially scheduled.
However, negotiating committees for both the writers and the Carol Lombardini-run AMPTP plus Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Bob Iger, Universal’s Donna Langley and Warner Bros Discovery’s David Zaslav have all indicated they will try to convene a meeting tomorrow, we’re told.
Bob Iger, Ted Sarandos, David Zaslav & Donna Langley
As rumors of...
- 9/22/2023
- by Dominic Patten and Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
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Just two days before a restart to stalled negotiations, Writers Guild leaders had an emotional meeting with a diverse group of Hollywood showrunners, which included Courtney Kemp and Yvette Lee Bowser, seeking progress toward ending the crippling strike now in its fifth month, TheWrap has learned.
“It was a meeting to voice frustration,” said an individual with knowledge of the meeting that took place Monday at the WGA headquarters in Los Angeles. “To say: We’re writers but we’re also management and our people are living out of their cars. They’re giving blood plasma for groceries.”
The meeting was intended to touch base ahead of the negotiating committee going into talks, after which they go dark, said another individual with knowledge of the meeting. “It was honest and positive in tone,...
Just two days before a restart to stalled negotiations, Writers Guild leaders had an emotional meeting with a diverse group of Hollywood showrunners, which included Courtney Kemp and Yvette Lee Bowser, seeking progress toward ending the crippling strike now in its fifth month, TheWrap has learned.
“It was a meeting to voice frustration,” said an individual with knowledge of the meeting that took place Monday at the WGA headquarters in Los Angeles. “To say: We’re writers but we’re also management and our people are living out of their cars. They’re giving blood plasma for groceries.”
The meeting was intended to touch base ahead of the negotiating committee going into talks, after which they go dark, said another individual with knowledge of the meeting. “It was honest and positive in tone,...
- 9/19/2023
- by Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
Meredith Stiehm has been re-elected president of the WGA West, defeating Rich Talarico in a landslide.
A total of 3,783 valid ballots were cast, and Stiehm received 3,354 to Talarico’s 300. Stiehm’s running mates were also easily elected. Michele Mulroney, a member of the guild’s negotiating committee, was re-elected as vice president, and Betsy Thomas was re-elected as secretary-treasurer. Mulroney defeated Isaac Gómez, who’s currently serving as a strike captain, by a vote of 3,235 to 411. Thomas beat Jeffrey Thompson 3,182 to 421.
Stiehm’s re-election, which in effect was a referendum on the guild’s ongoing strike, comes the day before the Writers Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are scheduled to resume negotiations for a deal that, if successful, would end the WGA’s strike, which is in its 141st day.
Related: WGA West President Meredith Stiehm Says “Fair Deal” For Writers & Actors That “Shares The...
A total of 3,783 valid ballots were cast, and Stiehm received 3,354 to Talarico’s 300. Stiehm’s running mates were also easily elected. Michele Mulroney, a member of the guild’s negotiating committee, was re-elected as vice president, and Betsy Thomas was re-elected as secretary-treasurer. Mulroney defeated Isaac Gómez, who’s currently serving as a strike captain, by a vote of 3,235 to 411. Thomas beat Jeffrey Thompson 3,182 to 421.
Stiehm’s re-election, which in effect was a referendum on the guild’s ongoing strike, comes the day before the Writers Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are scheduled to resume negotiations for a deal that, if successful, would end the WGA’s strike, which is in its 141st day.
Related: WGA West President Meredith Stiehm Says “Fair Deal” For Writers & Actors That “Shares The...
- 9/19/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
A scheduled Friday meeting between WGA leadership and a group of top showrunners led by Kenya Barris, Noah Hawley, and Sam Esmail has been postponed, according to multiple media reports.
The group of multi-hyphenate WGA members were meant to privately met with leadership from the Writers Guild Negotiating Committee, including co-chairs David A. Goodman and Chris Keyser, to discuss the latest progress in talks with the studios and where negotiations stand. But with the WGA and AMPTP mutually announcing Thursday that negotiations will resume at some point next week, that showrunner conversation has been put on hold.
The purpose of the meeting was for the top showrunners to start a dialogue and express concerns with the strike on its 137th day. Scheduling the meeting has been on and off for the better part of a week as rumors have run rampant about the meeting’s purpose. But as sources previously told IndieWire,...
The group of multi-hyphenate WGA members were meant to privately met with leadership from the Writers Guild Negotiating Committee, including co-chairs David A. Goodman and Chris Keyser, to discuss the latest progress in talks with the studios and where negotiations stand. But with the WGA and AMPTP mutually announcing Thursday that negotiations will resume at some point next week, that showrunner conversation has been put on hold.
The purpose of the meeting was for the top showrunners to start a dialogue and express concerns with the strike on its 137th day. Scheduling the meeting has been on and off for the better part of a week as rumors have run rampant about the meeting’s purpose. But as sources previously told IndieWire,...
- 9/15/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
A meeting that had been scheduled for today between the leaders of the Writers Guild of America and a group of concerned showrunners has been postponed as the guild prepares to resume contract bargaining talks with Hollywood’s major studios next week.
The meeting was set to take place on Friday. Kenya Barris, Noah Hawley and Sam Esmail have been among the showrunners seeking insight from WGA leadership to restart talks and bring an end the strike, which is now in its 137th day. The guild’s back-and-forth with showrunners came as the WGA also connected with the AMPTP on resuming bargaining negotiations next week. In that context, it’s understood that the sides agreed that the WGA should focus on preparing for negotiations. The approach of the Rosh Hashanah holiday this evening also complicated the effort for a Friday sit-down at WGA West headquarters.
The showrunners group has been...
The meeting was set to take place on Friday. Kenya Barris, Noah Hawley and Sam Esmail have been among the showrunners seeking insight from WGA leadership to restart talks and bring an end the strike, which is now in its 137th day. The guild’s back-and-forth with showrunners came as the WGA also connected with the AMPTP on resuming bargaining negotiations next week. In that context, it’s understood that the sides agreed that the WGA should focus on preparing for negotiations. The approach of the Rosh Hashanah holiday this evening also complicated the effort for a Friday sit-down at WGA West headquarters.
The showrunners group has been...
- 9/15/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
After days of back-and-forth about whether there would be a meeting between WGA leadership and a dozen or so high-level showrunners about the status of negotiations and concerns about ending the strike, the previously scheduled meeting has been canceled, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap.
The meeting was allegedly canceled as news broke on Thursday evening that the WGA union and the AMPTP were potentially returning to the negotiation table. The writers strike began on May 2 and is about to end its 20th week. Beyond the announcement which renewed hopes of a swift or swifter resolution, that the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah beginning Friday night at sundown was reportedly a factor in the scuttling of the meeting.
The AMPTP and the WGA both released statements on Thursday night indicating that they were attempting to schedule a return to negotiations as soon as next week. Talks had been frozen in place...
The meeting was allegedly canceled as news broke on Thursday evening that the WGA union and the AMPTP were potentially returning to the negotiation table. The writers strike began on May 2 and is about to end its 20th week. Beyond the announcement which renewed hopes of a swift or swifter resolution, that the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah beginning Friday night at sundown was reportedly a factor in the scuttling of the meeting.
The AMPTP and the WGA both released statements on Thursday night indicating that they were attempting to schedule a return to negotiations as soon as next week. Talks had been frozen in place...
- 9/15/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Updated with WGA statement: The writers and the studios are set to get back around the negotiating table.
The AMPTP revealed Thursday that the two parties are “working to schedule a meeting next week.”
“On Wednesday, September 13, the WGA reached out to the AMPTP and asked for a meeting to move negotiations forward. We have agreed and are working to schedule a meeting next week. Every member company of the AMPTP is committed and eager to reach a fair deal, and to working together with the WGA to end the strike,” the studio alliance said this afternoon.
No longer afterward, the scribes offered their own no-frills statement on further bargaining. “The WGA and AMPTP are in the process of scheduling a time to get back in the room,” said a self-titled “Negotiations Update” email sent out to members from the Ellen Stutzman, David Goodman and Chris Keyser-led negotiating committee.
The AMPTP revealed Thursday that the two parties are “working to schedule a meeting next week.”
“On Wednesday, September 13, the WGA reached out to the AMPTP and asked for a meeting to move negotiations forward. We have agreed and are working to schedule a meeting next week. Every member company of the AMPTP is committed and eager to reach a fair deal, and to working together with the WGA to end the strike,” the studio alliance said this afternoon.
No longer afterward, the scribes offered their own no-frills statement on further bargaining. “The WGA and AMPTP are in the process of scheduling a time to get back in the room,” said a self-titled “Negotiations Update” email sent out to members from the Ellen Stutzman, David Goodman and Chris Keyser-led negotiating committee.
- 9/14/2023
- by Peter White and Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Three gripping films from Lifetime are coming to Canada this fall.
Today, the TV network unveiled a first-look trailer for its “Ripped From The Headlines” event, in which new “truly unbelievable movies” will premiere every weekend beginning September 16.
Dubbed “movies you have to see to believe,” a few of the titles will air on Lifetime Canada and Slice, including one starring “Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix.
Check out the chilling, action-packed films airing this September and October below.
Read More: ‘The Fall Of The House Of Usher’ Trailer: Sibling Rivalry Takes A Chilling Turn In Edgar Allen Poe Series
‘How She Caught A Killer’
The first all new Lifetime original film, titled “How She Caught a Killer”, is inspired by a true story and centres on a “rookie detective Linda Murphy (Sarah Drew) [who] is fresh out of the police academy when she hears her boss, detective David Goodman (Eric Keenleyside...
Today, the TV network unveiled a first-look trailer for its “Ripped From The Headlines” event, in which new “truly unbelievable movies” will premiere every weekend beginning September 16.
Dubbed “movies you have to see to believe,” a few of the titles will air on Lifetime Canada and Slice, including one starring “Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix.
Check out the chilling, action-packed films airing this September and October below.
Read More: ‘The Fall Of The House Of Usher’ Trailer: Sibling Rivalry Takes A Chilling Turn In Edgar Allen Poe Series
‘How She Caught A Killer’
The first all new Lifetime original film, titled “How She Caught a Killer”, is inspired by a true story and centres on a “rookie detective Linda Murphy (Sarah Drew) [who] is fresh out of the police academy when she hears her boss, detective David Goodman (Eric Keenleyside...
- 9/14/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
A meeting between Writers Guild of America leaders and top showrunners has been scheduled for Thursday, TheWrap has learned. The move comes amid increased concerns about restlessness among the members of the WGA concerning the length of the ongoing strike. The financially brutal work stoppage, which began on May 2, has now gone on past four months.
As TheWrap previously reported, Kenya Barris, Noah Hawley and other A-list showrunners had been demanding answers from WGA negotiating leadership, including chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman and committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman. They had concerns about whether the guild was motivated to get to a deal.
“The showrunners are quite pissed,” declared a high-level studio executive speaking to TheWrap. “They are mad at the guilds and feel that they are not responding to the studios’ offer. Now even the higher-paid members of the guild are expressing concern over the inability to end the strike.
As TheWrap previously reported, Kenya Barris, Noah Hawley and other A-list showrunners had been demanding answers from WGA negotiating leadership, including chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman and committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman. They had concerns about whether the guild was motivated to get to a deal.
“The showrunners are quite pissed,” declared a high-level studio executive speaking to TheWrap. “They are mad at the guilds and feel that they are not responding to the studios’ offer. Now even the higher-paid members of the guild are expressing concern over the inability to end the strike.
- 9/12/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
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