Private Online Forum Offers Writers A Secure Space During WGA-ATA Battle – Deadline

Nearly a month ago, I hear about two prominent viewers concerned about the WGA negotiations with the Association of Talent Agents and the rhetoric of dissension of a part of the guild who shared their fears with several colleagues sharing the same concerns. The duo then made contact with the WGA management, who was receptive, and organized a meeting for the group, which reached 50 to 60 people overnight. They met with several members of the WGA Negotiating Committee, who answered a host of questions from spectators about the strategy and final phase of the guild.

I understand that most of the authors who left the meeting leave the meeting with a positive feeling about the management's willingness to have an open and honest conversation, but many still feel they have more questions only answers. I hear one of the spectators who attended the meeting created a private online forum for writers where they could continue the conversation.

The forum, accessible by an app, has become a haven for writers of all levels – from beginners to A-list animators – where they can freely express their opinion on the WGA-ATA clash without fear of demonization. This includes writers who question the WGA's bargaining tactics.

After months of accumulation, the conflict between the writers guild and ATA, which represents talent agencies, culminated last Friday when both parties were unable to enter into a new franchise agreement. The WGA implemented its new code of conduct, which banned packagings and affiliated productions from an agency and ordered its members to fire their agencies if they did not sign it, which none of the Major talent management agencies have not done it yet.

The skirmish became a full-fledged war on Wednesday when the WGA and several of its prominent members sued the 4 big agencies for their packaging.

Jon Robin Baitz, the first major writer to rebuff the WGA, demands that he fires his agents

I hear that the forum, which began as a quiet affair with a handful of people, has grown rapidly, with dozens of new members joining more than 200 people every day. There is no condition as to the possibility of joining the group. Some users have signed the e-letter form to dismiss their agents, while others have not signed it and do not intend to do so.

The group is not a monolith and does not function as a collective body. For example, I hear that individual members have been in communication with WGA leaders and have organized meetings with Bargaining Committee members to obtain more information and clarification on the situation, as well as to share their views. frustration, which, as one author wrote, has become a civil war. There are no big powwows organized for all members.

The goal of the online community is that, through open dialogue and mutual respect, everyone can be fully informed about the issues and make the best decisions possible.

While the discussion room presents writers from both sides of the current division with different points of view, I hear them all – including those who have not signed their letter of termination to agents – follow the letter of the guild laws, explicitly because many worry about potential consequences.

John August of the WGA Negotiating Team Expects Discussions with Agencies to Resume Soon