🦍 the pen is mightier than the corporate shills.. maybe
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🦍 writers’ strike
more than 11k writers for the writers guild of america (wga) have gathered in mass strikes in protest of the alliance of motion pictures and television producers (amptp).
basically, the wga is frustrated with low wages and the potential threat of ai in the future of writing. their demands include:
mandatory staffing for a minimum period of time - each show would be required to hire x amount of writers for x amount of time
ai such as chatgpt will not replace writers
every writer should get a pension and health insurance
the amptp has rejected all of these demands
🦍 it’s been a while
this is hardly the first writers’ strike, but it’s not something that happens often – as in once every few decades. the history of writers’ strikes include:
2007 - 2008 : lasted 100 days and effectively killed/halted numerous shows
1988 : lasted 153 days and cost the entertainment field around $500 million
it’s unclear how long this one will last, but it should be somewhere around 3~5 months or longer, depending on how long the wga can last
🦍 it’s down to streaming
then, what’s changed since the last strike for writers to feel like their working conditions are being strained? well, the introduction of streaming has brought changes
writers are no longer getting residuals from dvd sales, etc…
streaming has made projects shorter, with many in the writing rooms being paid minimum wage
writers aren’t being paid to be on set
🦍 what’ll happen?
it’s clear that the strikes are not expected to end any time soon. however, it will take a toll on many upcoming projects
late night shows and snl will be affected immediately, but many shows are already done with production
the effects of the strike will start showing in the fall, as writers won’t be working on projects starting this month
for example, severance’s second season has been postponed due to the strike
the screen actors guild (sag) and directors guild of america (dga) (and other unions) have also expressed support for the strike, which is different from the previous 2007 strike. so, it’ll be worth looking on for how this situation plays out
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