As the ripple effect of the writers’ strike spreads throughout Hollywood, the Writers Guild of America has notified studios that it will not post FYC announcements for the upcoming Emmy season on its website or in email communications to members, two insiders told TheWrap.
“After deliberation with our legal department, all production on FYC is now suspended,” read a Guild email to studio award teams obtained by TheWrap. “We understand that this can be frustrating and you already have means planned, but due to the strike rules, we cannot continue.”
The union is offering studios that have already purchased ad space the option between a full refund or credit for future ads “for consideration” after the strike ends.
After several weeks of negotiations that began on March 20, the WGA and the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance failed to agree on a new bargaining agreement, breaking off talks on Monday. Thousands of WGA members, supported by members of other Hollywood unions, picketed studios and production offices in Los Angeles and New York, halting production of late-night comedy shows as well as major shows like “Stranger Things.” and “Abbott Elementary”.
The walkout also affected events happening in Hollywood, such as the MTV Movie and TV Awards, which will air Sunday as a pre-recorded broadcast based on clips after the WGA announced they would picket the event at the Barker Hangar in Santa . Monica and Drew Barrymore announced that they would no longer host the show in solidarity.
The WGA also held member meetings in Los Angeles and New York last week to prepare for future action, including a public rally on May 15 with the support of other Hollywood unions. Kay Cannon, creator of the “Pitch Perfect” film trilogy and a member of the WGA bargaining committee, told TheWrap that the Los Angeles meeting held at the Shrine Auditorium was “one of the most exciting and amazing experiences of a united front that I ever had.” been a part of.”
This weekend, the guild’s leadership held a meeting for showrunners in Beverly Hills urging them to reject demands from multiple studios to return to work on their TV series in a producing capacity, saying such work violates the guild’s strike rules. despite claims to the contrary. of studies
“Under the National Labor Relations Act, the WGA may not interfere with an employer’s right to designate employees to perform certain supervisory functions. If you do not provide contracted services due to the strike, HBO/HBO Max will not be required to continue your salary,” an email from HBO reads.
Along with increased compensation for airing programs, the WGA seeks to codify the structure of the writers’ room with minimum staffing and length of employment requirements, proposals made in response to the proliferation of mini-rooms, which members say WGA put pressure on writers to produce more scripts before a series is greenlit for less money and without allowing them to have the experience of working on a show during production.
The AMPTP rejected these proposals without a counter offer, saying its member studios “do not agree with applying a one-size-fits-all solution to shows that are unique and different in their approach to creative staff.”
“If writing is needed, writers are hired, but these proposals require the employment of writers, whether they are needed for the creative process or not,” the AMPTP said on Thursday. “While the WGA has argued that the proposal is necessary to ‘preserve[e] the writers room,’ is actually a hiring fee that is incompatible with the creative nature of our industry.”
