Media Consolidation Hurts Writers — It's Time for That to Change

Fewer opportunities to sell your work, gatekeeping conglomerates, less risk-taking, unilaterally imposed deal terms—these are just some of the symptoms of an industry gripped by runaway consolidation and vertical integration. These are also reasons why antitrust policy is at the forefront of the Guild’s political agenda.

Our largest employers—Disney, NBC Universal (owned by Comcast), ViacomCBS, and Time Warner (currently owned by AT&T), along with Netflix and Amazon—are vertically integrated conglomerates that produce content through their own studios and primarily distribute that content on their own networks or streaming services. Read more >>

Young and Hungry: YA & Genre

Writers explore how YA shows use genre to tell their stories.

From shows like Warrior Nun and Shadow & Bone to Kung Fu and All American, genre is being used to tell a wide variety of YA stories. The WGAW Genre Committee recently brought together writers Amy Berg (Warrior Nun), Christina M. Kim (Kung Fu), Jenny Lee (Young and Hungry), Bianca Sams (Don’t Look Deeper), and moderator Hyunjin Jo for the virtual panel, “Young and Hungry: YA & Genre,” where together they examined not just the versatility of YA projects when it comes to the types of stories they can tell, but also the powerful concepts and themes these shows embrace. Read more >>

Signatory Alert

Do not work for these bad actors on the Strike/Unfair List.

When signatory companies undermine your rights or the terms of the MBA, the Guild holds them accountable. For certain types of unfair conduct, The WGAW Board of Directors may place a company or individual on the Strike/Unfair List.

Please be advised that the company Mainstreet 1 EOOD, and Gabriel Georgiev, have been placed on the Strike/Unfair List for failure to remit P&H contributions in connection with the project, “Devil’s Brigade.” Read more >>

Westerns as a Genre of the 21st Century

Writers discuss how they’re updating the genre and doing right by historically misrepresented characters.

On July 29, the WGAW Genre Committee hosted the virtual panel “Westerns as a Genre of the 21st Century” to understand the world of Westerns today, with a spotlight on the question of representation and inclusion in a genre that historically traded in harmful stereotypes and tropes. Organizations such as the Think Tank for Inclusion and Equity (TTIE), which the WGAW recently partnered with to co-host a multi-part “Write Inclusion” panel series, are dedicated to educating the public about improving representation. But what does this mean in the context of Westerns as a genre? Read more >>