I think it's an understatement to say that the WGA strike has entered a new phase.
There's been no official negotiation since mid-August, but developments are still coming thick and fast, so let us update you real quick. If you want a more complex examination, slam the link up in the image of the most recent developments as well as a Labor Day Dress for the co-chair of the WGA's negotiating committee.
After the so-low-it's-underground offer in the middle of August, we've been hearing plenty about how "offended" and "surprised" big executives are. Are they out of touch or is it a PR tactic to make writers look greedy? There's no way for us to know (maybe a little of both).
Enter the DGA (Director's Guild of America) who've been quiet after securing a contract just after the WGA's strike began. At Good Boy Books, we assumed they wanted to stay out of it, but recent email leaks from within the guild paint a more sinister picture...
According to a number of activist insiders, writer-directors face specific prejudice, and the leaked emails back them up, displaying a deliberate bias against "primarily writer writer-directors" and encouraging members not to vote them to the guild's leadership council.
This takes us up to now, when Chris Keyser mentions in his Labor Day address, that the studios are currently fighting amongst themselves for a deal.
Now if we at Good Boy Books had to venture a guess, we'd say this is now about more than just money; it's a question of reputation. All the studios know their names are in the toilet (along with their slates for next year) but it's pretty clear than until now the cable channels and streamers have been content to treat writers as cheap, frivolous and annoying, perpetuating a culture that exploits writers and keeps them away from any path to control over any aspect of the work they create.
Now that culture's being revealed, and the race to pin the blame on someone is starting. We've already seen leaks to the press, new PR firms, but what's next?
Almost certainly a break in the AMPTP's silent solidarity. Studious seeking independent deals and throwing each other under the bus.
For a lot of writers, watching these big companies turn on each other could be pretty cathartic.
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