READERS POLL: Do WGA Side-Deals Help or Hurt the Writers Strike?
As you know, it was announced today that Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner’s film studio, United Artists, has closed a deal with the WGA, agreeing to all the striking screenwriters’…
As you know, it was announced today that Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner’s film studio, United Artists, has closed a deal with the WGA, agreeing to all the striking screenwriters’ proposals and allowing them to begin hiring writers and producing movies. This is the second side-deal the WGA has made, following last week’s deal with David Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants.
But the reactions of Hollywood and writers across the country seem to be mixed!
Some people champion the development, applauding both the WGA and these production companies for making deals outside the AMPTP. They hope similar deals are soon to follow.
Others criticize these deals, predicting they’ll lead to the division of the Writers Guild, the disintegration of the writers’ power, and—ultimately—the loss of everything the WGA is fighting for. If some union screenwriters go back to work, they say, other will become resentful… why should some WGA members be allowed to work and others not? The WGA’s power, they argue, lies only in sheer unity: nobody works until everybody works.
Writers Digestwants to know your opinion. Take our poll... or post your thoughts below!
Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).
