Title: Showrunners Express Frustration as Writers Guild Strike Continues
Subtitle: Discussions intensify as showrunners seek answers from WGA leaders
Date: [Insert Date]
Byline: [Author name]
After more than four months on strike, prominent showrunners are growing restless and seeking answers from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) leadership. Frustrated with the prolonged work stoppage, showrunners have been reaching out to guild leaders to better understand the strategy in engaging with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). In response to this increased activity, several guild leaders are set to meet with a group of showrunners at the WGA West headquarters.
While a WGA West communications representative declined to comment, Chris Keyser, co-chair of the WGA negotiating committee, stated that they have conversations with members every day but won’t comment on individual inquiries. The showrunners’ message to guild leaders is one of seeking ways to assist rather than attacking the union. They are concerned about the growing financial impact on writers and other industry workers due to the shutdown of TV and film production.
Efforts have been made to keep these discussions private, but tensions escalated last week and on Monday when a group led in part by showrunners Kenya Barris and Noah Hawley attempted to set up a private meeting with WGA leaders David Goodman and Chris Keyser. Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation reveal that a meeting was scheduled for September 8, which was later rescheduled for September 11. However, the September 11 meeting was eventually canceled, with conflicting views on who initiated the cancellation.
These clusters of showrunners and seasoned writers have formed in private WhatsApp and Facebook groups during the strike. While writers continue to publicly support the guild, they express concern about the mounting financial loss for themselves and others who rely on the production of TV shows and films. Showrunners who oversee multiple shows, like Barris and Hawley, have felt frustrated hearing stories of hardship from crew members, support staff, and other workers affected by the strike.
Other showrunners, including Tyler Perry, Sam Esmail, Lena Waithe, and Dan Fogelman, have been involved in discussions surrounding these issues. Shonda Rhimes has participated in some discussion groups but has declined to attend a meeting. Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer of “Stranger Things” were also invited but declined. Representatives for Barris and Hawley declined to comment.
There have been conflicting accounts regarding the cancellation of the September 11 meeting. Reports circulated that Barris and Hawley canceled out of concern that it would send the wrong message to outsiders. Sources with firsthand knowledge strongly dispute this claim, emphasizing that the showrunners did not choose to cancel the meeting.
While the WGA has maintained strong support from its 11,000 members, questions about the status of negotiations and the union’s plan to bring the strike to a conclusion have arisen. Some members are frustrated by the sporadic pace of negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP since their last formal meeting on August 18. The guild and management have both stated that the onus is on the other side to restart negotiations with a new offer or response. However, showrunners reaching out to the guild stress that they do not want a rubber-stamped acceptance of the last AMPTP offer.
The longer the strike continues, the more challenging negotiations may become for other unions, such as IATSE and the Hollywood Teamsters, who will face their contract negotiations next year. Despite this, both unions have been vocal supporters of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and are expected to continue their support.
Concerns among writers are growing, and they desire direct communication from their leaders regarding negotiations and plans to end the strike. The frustration has led to amplified debates on social media, with critics of the WGA’s contract agenda and tactics facing swift criticism.
As the strike drags on, industry workers and showrunners alike express the need for urgency and concrete progress in negotiations. The call to hunker down with management representatives and find a path to a contract resolution is gaining strength within the showrunner and writer community.
[Corrected: An earlier version of this story incorrectly characterized Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer’s involvement with the showrunner outreach. Corrected: An earlier version of this story incorrectly cited the involvement of directors Ridley Scott and David Fincher.]
[Contributor: Gene Maddaus]