The Chances of a WGA Strike Are So High That I'm Not Sure

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

I think the hill that has to be climbed is so high that I think it's pretty likely especially if the WGA goes first but they have struck the most in the history of Hollywood. Over these past three years the economics of Hollywood has changed completely and you can understand that creators don't want to be left behind. You know younger members coming into these unions that are more active and want more I suppose or want to be more activist, says Judd Apatow.

Paris Marx is joined by Anousha Sakoui to discuss the prospect of a writer’s strike later this year, what workers are fighting for, and how the move to streaming has affected working conditions and compensation in Hollywood.

Anousha Sakoui is an entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times, covering topics including labor and litigation in Hollywood. She was part of the team that was a 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist in breaking news for work covering the tragic shooting on the “Rust” film set. You can follow Anousha on Twitter at @anoushasakoui.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.

Also mentioned in this episode:

Anousha wrote about how the Writers Guild and Directors Guild are approaching upcoming negotiations with studios.
David Robb wrote about the history of Writers Guild strikes, and why another one seems overdue.
WGA West recently blasted Warner Discovery for reducing opportunities for content creators after its merger.
In 2021, IATSE was poised to go on strike before reaching a last-minute deal with the studios that was accepted by members.
A new deal will loosen some Covid protocols on film sets.
In 2021, Apple was paying lower rates to production crews because it said its TV+ service has less than 20 million subscribers. In July 2022, it started paying the higher rate.
In 2018, the Hollywood Reporter reflected on the 2007 writers strike after ten years.
The 2007 writers strike helped revive Donald Trump’s flagging The Apprentice show with a spinoff, The Celebrity Apprentice.