Writers on why they’re standing up to Hollywood: ‘this is fundamentally broken’
More than 11,000 film and television writers went on strike this week, staging a showdown with studio executives over how much power writers will have in an increasingly digital, tech-reliant entertainment industry.
Writers say their profession has been devalued in the age of streaming, even as studio profits soar, executives rake in millions in compensation, and demand for new content remains ceaseless. In 2021, twelve of the top media and entertainment executives received around $1bn in total compensation between them. In contrast, half of writers are now receiving the minimum compensation for their jobs, their union said, compared to only a third a decade ago.
Arguing that the industry is trying to turn writers into content farmers or narrative gig workers, members of Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted overwhelmingly to enact the first work stoppage in 15 years after new contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) broke down.
The WGA’s key demands include increased pay; better compensation when shows are transferred to streaming services, rather than re-aired on television; regulations for how artificial intelligence is used in the writing
