How Greedy Hollywood Execs Squeeze Writers

How did streaming fundamentally change the way that TV is made?

The Writers Guild of America's strike against the major studios and streaming platforms is still ongoing, two months strong. We talk with Justin Halpern, board member of the WGA about the battle of the writers vs executives and corporate greed.

More than 97% of the members bravely voted to go on strike while negotiating their contract with Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers The strike is the first of its kind in 15 years. In that time, television work has changed dramatically, especially due to the advent of streaming. Workers say it's been a race to the bottom as the industry has gig-ified through the proliferation of “day rates” or “mini rooms.”

We discuss how residuals, the writing process, schedules, and pay have all been impacted by the new ways writing rooms work, cutting much of the writers' average incomes compared to a decade ago. “In the 2013-14 season, 33% of all TV series writers were paid minimum; now half are working at minimum,” according to WGA statistics. We talk with Justin about what it will take for the strike to end and what solidarity from other unions has looked like throughout the past two months.

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