Tag: writer’s strike

Latest on the Writer’s Strike

Statement of WGA and AMPTP

LOS ANGELES — The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have issued the following statement today:
On Wednesday, January 23, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will begin informal discussions to determine if there is a basis for both parties to return to formal negotiations. Both the AMPTP and the WGA have agreed to make no public comments about the informal discussions until those discussions have concluded.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) represent writers in the motion picture, broadcast, cable, and new media industries in both entertainment and news. For more information about the Writers Guild of America, West, please visit www.wga.org. For more information about the Writers Guild of America, East, please visit: www.wgaeast.org.

LOST Showrunner Back At Work During Strike

The Wall Street Journal has an article about “showrunners”, writers who are also producers on their shows going back to work, inspite of the writer’s strike. The reason? Well, there are two. First, they’re getting “breach of contract” letters since they haven’t been showing up for work to do their producing work. Second, they want to make sure that the integrity of the show they’re working on remains intact, and doesn’t go off in a direction they don’t want it to go in.

Who’s one of the people returning to work?


One of the most high-profile to return to producing is Carlton Cuse, a member of the WGA’s negotiating committee who is a showrunner and writer for ABC’s “Lost.” He plans to do some postproduction for the eight episodes of “Lost” that have been shot, he says. “We feel we owe that to our fans,” he says. “We would harm our franchise if we didn’t do it ourselves.”

The studios have put these people in a hard position. Get sued if they don’t fulfill their contract obligations, and maybe have a show turned over to people that aren’t going to do the show the way it was intended. For LOST, I think handing it over to others would be a real disaster, and I think Cuse is doing the right thing.