Although more writers are employed in the film and television industry with the increase of streaming content, Dominic Patten, a senior editor at Deadline Hollywood, told Greater Boston that the average writer doesn’t earn much — and that's part of the reason they are on strike.
“I know writers who work on what would be considered hit shows on streaming and they have to get second or third jobs to pay their rent and mortgages. That is not what we call 'Hooray for Hollywood,” said Patten.
Since the previous writers’ strike 15 years ago, which lasted about three months and focused on gaining compensation for DVD and internet use, AI has become a threat to writers. Patric Verrone, former president of WGA West and an award-winning television writer, said studios want the option to use AI and are unwilling to impose limitations.
“The companies don’t want to restrict themselves from using a technology that they may need in the future,” said Verrone. “We want to ensure that fundamentally the writing belongs to a human being, that it belongs to a writer and that’s where the creative force begins.”
The WGA is asking for a new contract that would cost studios about $429 million per year. Studios countered with $86 million, leading writers to strike on Tuesday.
The strike could resonate beyond writers. Nerissa Williams Scott, CEO and owner of TCGT Entrainment in Boston and a member of the communications faculty at Emerson College, said Boston produces films and could soon feel the effect of the strike.
“If we can’t get writers to make the films, then we can’t hire producers, directors, PAs, set designers, and people behind the camera," said Williams Scott. "It will reverberate for a very long time.”
WATCH: Writers strike halts TV Production
