Mar 29, 2024
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Headline, Industry News

Guilds show solidarity on new media

In a surprising show of union solidarity, the WGA has accepted a DGA offer to share its inside info on new-media compensation with striking scribes.

The Directors Guild of America and Writers Guild disclosed the development in a brief announcement Monday afternoon – four days after the DGA ran out of patience with the lack of progress at the WGA negotiations and said it would schedule its own talks in January if there’s no writers’ deal by the end of the year.

In a joint announcement, the DGA and WGA said they would meet shortly to discuss new media, including what the DGA has developed from its research and studies.

"Neither the WGA nor the DGA will have any further comment on the meeting or any of the information shared in the meeting," the pair announced.

The meeting with the directors may lead to a warming of the historically chilly relations between the DGA and WGA.

The DGA’s gesture is also likely to bolster the town’s consensus that the directors are confident they’ll be able to work out a deal with the majors. The helmers have signed high-powered attorney Ken Ziffren to act as a consultant in the upcoming talks.

DGA leaders have touted the fact that the guild’s spent time and resources over the past 18 months on developing ideas, numbers and formulas for the looming negotiations.

For its part, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Televison Producers indicated last week that it was cautiously optimistic about sitting down with the helmers – after spending the past five months in fruitless talks with the WGA.

"We look forward to talking with the Directors Guild of America in an atmosphere of professionalism and respect," the AMPTP said in response to the DGA’s announcement last week.

Move comes 10 days after the WGA negotiations with the AMPTP collapsed over the guild’s refusal to take half a dozen proposals off the table. The DGA announced Thursday that it would give the WGA two more weeks to make a deal, asserting that the directors could no longer stay on the sidelines as damage from the strike mounts.

The DGA-WGA meeting is likely to be perceived as a way for the Directors Guild to outline where it believes a deal can be made in the fast-changing digital world. The confab may also serve to defuse resentment among striking writers that the DGA’s undercutting the WGA through its willingness to make its own deal – at terms that may be unacceptable to writers.

Earlier this month, about 300 members of the WGA – many of them also directors – urged the DGA to hold off on scheduling talks with the AMPTP.

The WGA and AMPTP have been engaged in a firefight over which side is to blame for the failure of negotiations. It’s unlikely the WGA will be back at the bargaining table any time soon. The guild announced over the weekend that it will seek to bargain with the companies individually in an effort to break its negotiations impasse with the AMPTP – although AMPTP insiders dispute whether the companies have a legal obligation to engage in individual negotiations with the WGA.

Monday also marked the final day of Writers Guild strike picketing for 2007. Pickets will return to Los Angeles studio lots on Jan. 7 – assuming there’s no deal by then.

The WGA staged pickets Monday featuring soap stars on both coasts. In New York, pickets enduring freezing temps at Time Warner Center included stars from all four New York-based daytime dramas – "All My Children," "As the World Turns," "Guiding Light" and "One Life to Live."

Pickets included Kim Zimmer, Grant Aleksander, Marj Dusay, Tina Sloan, Robin Strasser, Michael Easton, Hilary B. Smith, Kamar De Los Reyes, Trevor St. John, Bree Williamson, Beth Ann Bonner, Melissa Archer, Catherine Hickland, Jerry Ver Dorn, Don Hastings, Julia Barr, Mark La Mura, Terri Garber, Jill Larson, Kassie DePaiva, Forbes March, David Kreizman and Ellen Dolan.

Other notables included John Sayles, Steve Martin, Nick Pileggi, Chris Elliott, Adam Resnick, Terry George, Peter Hedges, Tom Fontana and Seth Meyers.

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Headline, Industry News

Guilds show solidarity on new media

In a surprising show of union solidarity, the WGA has accepted a DGA offer to share its inside info on new-media compensation with striking scribes.

The Directors Guild of America and Writers Guild disclosed the development in a brief announcement Monday afternoon – four days after the DGA ran out of patience with the lack of progress at the WGA negotiations and said it would schedule its own talks in January if there’s no writers’ deal by the end of the year.

In a joint announcement, the DGA and WGA said they would meet shortly to discuss new media, including what the DGA has developed from its research and studies.

"Neither the WGA nor the DGA will have any further comment on the meeting or any of the information shared in the meeting," the pair announced.

The meeting with the directors may lead to a warming of the historically chilly relations between the DGA and WGA.

The DGA’s gesture is also likely to bolster the town’s consensus that the directors are confident they’ll be able to work out a deal with the majors. The helmers have signed high-powered attorney Ken Ziffren to act as a consultant in the upcoming talks.

DGA leaders have touted the fact that the guild’s spent time and resources over the past 18 months on developing ideas, numbers and formulas for the looming negotiations.

For its part, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Televison Producers indicated last week that it was cautiously optimistic about sitting down with the helmers – after spending the past five months in fruitless talks with the WGA.

"We look forward to talking with the Directors Guild of America in an atmosphere of professionalism and respect," the AMPTP said in response to the DGA’s announcement last week.

Move comes 10 days after the WGA negotiations with the AMPTP collapsed over the guild’s refusal to take half a dozen proposals off the table. The DGA announced Thursday that it would give the WGA two more weeks to make a deal, asserting that the directors could no longer stay on the sidelines as damage from the strike mounts.

The DGA-WGA meeting is likely to be perceived as a way for the Directors Guild to outline where it believes a deal can be made in the fast-changing digital world. The confab may also serve to defuse resentment among striking writers that the DGA’s undercutting the WGA through its willingness to make its own deal – at terms that may be unacceptable to writers.

Earlier this month, about 300 members of the WGA – many of them also directors – urged the DGA to hold off on scheduling talks with the AMPTP.

The WGA and AMPTP have been engaged in a firefight over which side is to blame for the failure of negotiations. It’s unlikely the WGA will be back at the bargaining table any time soon. The guild announced over the weekend that it will seek to bargain with the companies individually in an effort to break its negotiations impasse with the AMPTP – although AMPTP insiders dispute whether the companies have a legal obligation to engage in individual negotiations with the WGA.

Monday also marked the final day of Writers Guild strike picketing for 2007. Pickets will return to Los Angeles studio lots on Jan. 7 – assuming there’s no deal by then.

The WGA staged pickets Monday featuring soap stars on both coasts. In New York, pickets enduring freezing temps at Time Warner Center included stars from all four New York-based daytime dramas – "All My Children," "As the World Turns," "Guiding Light" and "One Life to Live."

Pickets included Kim Zimmer, Grant Aleksander, Marj Dusay, Tina Sloan, Robin Strasser, Michael Easton, Hilary B. Smith, Kamar De Los Reyes, Trevor St. John, Bree Williamson, Beth Ann Bonner, Melissa Archer, Catherine Hickland, Jerry Ver Dorn, Don Hastings, Julia Barr, Mark La Mura, Terri Garber, Jill Larson, Kassie DePaiva, Forbes March, David Kreizman and Ellen Dolan.

Other notables included John Sayles, Steve Martin, Nick Pileggi, Chris Elliott, Adam Resnick, Terry George, Peter Hedges, Tom Fontana and Seth Meyers.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headline, Industry News

Guilds show solidarity on new media

In a surprising show of union solidarity, the WGA has accepted a DGA offer to share its inside info on new-media compensation with striking scribes.

The Directors Guild of America and Writers Guild disclosed the development in a brief announcement Monday afternoon – four days after the DGA ran out of patience with the lack of progress at the WGA negotiations and said it would schedule its own talks in January if there’s no writers’ deal by the end of the year.

In a joint announcement, the DGA and WGA said they would meet shortly to discuss new media, including what the DGA has developed from its research and studies.

"Neither the WGA nor the DGA will have any further comment on the meeting or any of the information shared in the meeting," the pair announced.

The meeting with the directors may lead to a warming of the historically chilly relations between the DGA and WGA.

The DGA’s gesture is also likely to bolster the town’s consensus that the directors are confident they’ll be able to work out a deal with the majors. The helmers have signed high-powered attorney Ken Ziffren to act as a consultant in the upcoming talks.

DGA leaders have touted the fact that the guild’s spent time and resources over the past 18 months on developing ideas, numbers and formulas for the looming negotiations.

For its part, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Televison Producers indicated last week that it was cautiously optimistic about sitting down with the helmers – after spending the past five months in fruitless talks with the WGA.

"We look forward to talking with the Directors Guild of America in an atmosphere of professionalism and respect," the AMPTP said in response to the DGA’s announcement last week.

Move comes 10 days after the WGA negotiations with the AMPTP collapsed over the guild’s refusal to take half a dozen proposals off the table. The DGA announced Thursday that it would give the WGA two more weeks to make a deal, asserting that the directors could no longer stay on the sidelines as damage from the strike mounts.

The DGA-WGA meeting is likely to be perceived as a way for the Directors Guild to outline where it believes a deal can be made in the fast-changing digital world. The confab may also serve to defuse resentment among striking writers that the DGA’s undercutting the WGA through its willingness to make its own deal – at terms that may be unacceptable to writers.

Earlier this month, about 300 members of the WGA – many of them also directors – urged the DGA to hold off on scheduling talks with the AMPTP.

The WGA and AMPTP have been engaged in a firefight over which side is to blame for the failure of negotiations. It’s unlikely the WGA will be back at the bargaining table any time soon. The guild announced over the weekend that it will seek to bargain with the companies individually in an effort to break its negotiations impasse with the AMPTP – although AMPTP insiders dispute whether the companies have a legal obligation to engage in individual negotiations with the WGA.

Monday also marked the final day of Writers Guild strike picketing for 2007. Pickets will return to Los Angeles studio lots on Jan. 7 – assuming there’s no deal by then.

The WGA staged pickets Monday featuring soap stars on both coasts. In New York, pickets enduring freezing temps at Time Warner Center included stars from all four New York-based daytime dramas – "All My Children," "As the World Turns," "Guiding Light" and "One Life to Live."

Pickets included Kim Zimmer, Grant Aleksander, Marj Dusay, Tina Sloan, Robin Strasser, Michael Easton, Hilary B. Smith, Kamar De Los Reyes, Trevor St. John, Bree Williamson, Beth Ann Bonner, Melissa Archer, Catherine Hickland, Jerry Ver Dorn, Don Hastings, Julia Barr, Mark La Mura, Terri Garber, Jill Larson, Kassie DePaiva, Forbes March, David Kreizman and Ellen Dolan.

Other notables included John Sayles, Steve Martin, Nick Pileggi, Chris Elliott, Adam Resnick, Terry George, Peter Hedges, Tom Fontana and Seth Meyers.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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