Barack Obama expressed his support for the Writers Guild of America on Thursday as their strike neared its second month. at the beginning of a linkedin livestream event While promoting his new Netflix documentary “Working: What We Do All Day,” the former president talked about the importance of writers in the entertainment industry.
“I know there’s a lot of studios and streamers that feel a little bit pissed off and that there’s been a little bit too much of a product and they’re feeling their bottom line and their shareholder pressure etc., but the fact is, it’s that they wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t for the writers who created those stories,” Obama told host Ira Glass.
“My hope is that as someone who is really a supporter of the Writers Guild and as someone who believes in storytelling and the craft of it,” Obama continued, “I hope that they are compensated.” will be given and the importance of what they do will be reflected in whatever agreement is reached.I am very supportive of the writers and the strike and I hope they get their fair share of the fruits of their labour.
Obama’s statements echo those of his former Vice President, Joe Biden, who said earlier this month that he expected the WGA to “get a fair deal as soon as possible.”
Production in Hollywood has ground to a halt as the strike enters its 24th day. No talks have been scheduled between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers some expected The strike will continue till at least July.
The WGA is seeking higher pay for writers with minimum staff requirements and length of employment. It also requested contingencies limiting the use of artificial intelligence to generate scripts. AMPTP rejected these requests without any counter-offers, leading to the breakdown of talks on 2 May.
The Obamas have family ties to the entertainment industry, as their daughter Malia served as a writer for the Prime Video series “Swarm”.
For all of TheWrap’s WGA strike coverage, click here.
