On May 2nd, 2023 the Hollywood world of bright lights and cameras went radio silent due to a writers’ strike, the first stop in the Hollywood industry since the 2007 WGA strike. Every 3 years both the branches of the writers guild, the East and West, meet to represent their whooping 11,500 members to discuss their contracts with studio executives. The main issue regarding this past meeting was the lack of compensation for writers who had worked on content that had been published in streaming services by these large companies. As negotiations began, there was a wide gap between what either side thought was an appropriate agreement.
Some studios claimed their proposals offered more significant payment increases, but many writers see these studios as unwilling to be convinced in their stance. According to a New York Times article reporting the strike, Tara Kole, one of the founding partners of the JSSK entertainment law firm, was interviewed. In this interview, she said, “Any hope that this would be fast has faded. I hate to say it, but it will be a while.” Many studios argue this is not a good time for a strike considering the lack of viewership for cable networks and some entertainment companies like Disney and Warner Brothers have laid off some workers due to cost-saving necessities.
In the early stages of this strike, many believed the holdouts would subside in mid to late July, but now, heavily into the weeks of September, many predict the strike could stop by the end of the autumn season. Some of the picketers may even believe this strike could go into the winter months, with snowmen joining the picket line. This could be even more of an option as the Public Radio reports the Emmys have been moved from September 18th, into the new year. Jonathan Handel, an entertainment lawyer, gives his opinion in a Vanity Fair article: “The issues are hard ones, and both sides have some very valid points, and it’s hard to see who would be the behind-the-scenes negotiator to bridge the gap and initiate talks.”
As this strike continues, it will start to affect the rotation of TV series in streaming services and cable television. Similar to the 2007 writers’ strike, reality shows have been popping up as well as the integration of international content. This has also affected your favorite late-night shows like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Saturday Night Live. Many of these shows have been replacing their time slots with repeats of previous episodes. Stephen Colbert expressed his side to CNN saying, “I also think that the writers’ demands are not unreasonable.” This strike will take a while to affect the movie line as most films shoot a year in advance. But if this strike continues into the later months of the year, the early stages of production will begin to be affected.
The committee co-chair of the WGA, Chris Keyser commented to Vanity Fair saying they are ready to strike: “until we get the deal that we need to make sure that writing is a viable profession.” The writer’s strike of 2007 lasting from early November to mid-Februray of 2008, caused a whooping 2.1 billion loss to Hollywood studios. CNBC reported the 2023 WGA strike has already had a 3 billion dollar impact on the California economy in just under 5 months, with no definite end in sight.
