Screenwriter Annie Deyoung with Supporters James and Ethan Marino
Hollywood and the Picket Line
By Mary Beth Gentle
Not every picket line you come across has writers picketing alongside pilots and flight attendants or row after row of ‘Trekkies’ walking the line at Studio Main Gates. But, in Hollywood, that is how the picket line has come to look. They are called ‘theme’ days. Inviting the fans and crew of a particular show or members of a particular union to picket the studio where the show is produced is one way the writers on the picket line have found to keep their momentum going. It clearly shows the support from other unions and from television and film fans.
There have been quite a few ‘theme’ days to date: Teamster Support days, Bring Your Favorite Actor to Work days, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ days, Joss Whedon Fandom days, Veteran Writer days, Bring Your Kids to the Picket Line days, Bring Your Dog days, Singles on the Picket Line days, SAG Solidarity days, Horror Writer days and Crime Writer days. The list could go on, and will go on, as long as the strike continues. In doing all of this, the Writers are sending a clear message: we are not alone and we are not going anywhere.
I have not had to cross many picket lines in my life and it breaks my heart a little every day as I drive through the Studio Gate past the striking writers. So, I do little things to show support. I wave a big sign that reads ‘Support the Writers’ as I drive into the Studio, which gets me a few cheers from the cold and tired writers and more than a few glares from the security guards. I proudly wear a ‘Support the Writers’ wristband and have succeeded in getting them on quite a few wrists in my hallway. I have a ‘Support the Writers’ sign pinned to the wall of my office, which gets its share of comments from the studio executives on the floor. It is not much, but I always hope that my small show of support might help the writers know that they are not alone.
I have talked to a few of the writers who struggle every day to remain hopeful. They have been at this quite a few months now and, with the powers-that-be avoiding the negotiating table, it has become harder to walk that picket line and hold onto the hope of a quick resolution. I have talked to one of the writers on those lines directly and have asked a few questions.
Annie DeYoung, writer of The Ron Clark Story (TNT) and the Disney Channel movies Return to Halloweentown and Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board, spends four out of five days on the picket line every week. She has shown her support and raised her voice at Union rallies and at a Los Angeles City Council Meeting. I asked her to quickly share with us an update directly from the picket line and have also asked her what support from fans has meant to her.
“The AMPTP (the Producers) would like people to believe that the writers are the ones depriving them of their television shows. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We are and always have been ready for fair negotiations toward a contract which will compensate us in a small way for what we create. We are ready and willing to go back to work, to create great film & television. But this strike is about preserving our livelihood. It is about being paid a decent wage so we can make our mortgage payments, our car payments, our children’s tuition. We’re working for a living just like everyone else in this country. Except we earn our living by creating television shows and films. A big part of our wages are paid in residuals when a show or movie we write is rerun. The problem is that the producers don’t want to pay us a fair rate when they rerun our shows on the internet. And, since the future of television is the internet, if the AMPTP has it’s way, soon we’ll get paid next to nothing for internet reruns and downloads, even as the studios and producing companies are raking in the profits. It is hard facing this day after day, but when we have the support of our families and our fans, it means a lot. Every little bit of support gives us the courage to continue to stand up for our rights.”
As someone who lives and works in Hollywood, I have found ways to show my support for Annie and the other writers on the picket line. If you would like to show your support to the writers and to let the producers know you do care about the material that is piped into your homes and cineplexes, here are a few websites that you can visit:
Strikeswag.com is a site that sells T-Shirts about the strike so you can show your support. All profits are donated to the Writers Guild Foundation Industry Support Fund to assist non-WGA members of the industry who are in financial distress as a direct result of the strike. Fans4writers.com is a site created by the fans. This site has downloadable banners for your MySpace and FaceBook pages and websites. It also has downloadable posters for your home or storefront windows, and many ideas on how you can help wherever you live.
These are just a few of the many sites out there that have been created to help show the support the writers need from both the Hollywood community and the community at large. As always, I remain hopeful that this strike will end in a fair and amicable manner so we can all get back to the business of making and watching wonderfully scripted entertainment.
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