June 9, 2023

The Black List Supports the Writers Guild of America by Suspending Membership of Struck Company Employees and Discounting Fees for Writers

Contact: Bob Hopkinson (310) 801-8563
The Black List, an industry-leading platform for the discovery and support of writers, in coordination with the Writers Guild of America, East and West (WGA), announced additional measures in response to the ongoing writer strike.

Los Angeles and New York - The Black List, an industry-leading platform for the discovery and support of writers, in coordination with the Writers Guild of America, East and West (WGA), announced additional measures in response to the ongoing writer strike. 

With immediate effect, the Black List will suspend industry memberships for employees of struck companies–over 1,300 members. Concurrently, the Black List will discount its material hosting fees for writers for the duration of the strike.

This measure assures that all writers, WGA and non-WGA alike, have unfettered access to the Black List's services without fear of unknowingly breaking strike rules, enabling them to still receive valuable feedback, network with non-struck companies, and submit to Guild-sanctioned programs.

The WGA, affirming its earlier guidance distributed by the Black List to its writer members, reiterated that "Writers Guild members are barred from selling or optioning scripts, pitching, and being hired during the strike. Non-members who infringe the strike by transacting with a Guild signatory, even if their script was discovered on the Black List, may be denied Guild membership."

Franklin Leonard, founder of the Black List, reflected on the move: "Writers remain the most undervalued constituents of the film and television ecosystem, and it should be unsurprising that the Black List backs them in their pursuit of equitable pay and protections reflecting their vital and economically significant contributions to the industry. When writers win, the entire industry wins."

Guild executive Charles Slocum commented, "The Black List decision to support writers in this way during the strike reinforces their longstanding commitment to supporting writers."

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is a labor union representing writers of motion pictures, television, radio, and Internet programming, including news and documentaries. Founded in 1933, the Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members. It is involved in a wide range of programs that advance the interests of writers, and is active in public policy and legislative matters on the local, national, and international levels. For more information on the WGAW, please visit: www.wga.org.