Category Archives: US writers’ strike 2023

More than half UK’s film and TV workers still unemployed after Hollywood strikes

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Bectu survey shows just 6% of workers have seen a full recovery in employment a year on from joint industrial action by Sag-Aftra and the Writers Guild of America

More than half of the UK’s film and TV workforce are still out of work a year after the Hollywood strikes of 2023, new research has found.

According to a survey of more than 2,300 film and TV workers by the Bectu trade union, 52% of workers in the UK film sector are out of work, 51% in TV drama, 57% in unscripted TV and 53% in commercials.

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How Hollywood writers triumphed over AI – and why it matters

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Observers hail a ‘smart’ deal that allows for artificial intelligence as a tool, not a replacement – and could be a model for other industries

Hollywood writers scored a major victory this week in the battle over artificial intelligence with a new contract featuring strong guardrails in how the technology can be used in film and television projects.

One of the longest labor strikes in Hollywood history came to an end on Tuesday after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) approved an agreement made with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Writers and actors had been picketing for months as part of a historic “double strike” that brought the industry to a standstill.

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Hollywood writers agree to end five-month strike after new studio deal

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Writers Guild of America said its members could return to work while a ratification vote takes place for fresh three-year contract

Hollywood writers will officially end their five-month strike on Wednesday, as union leaders approved an agreement made with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and sent the full details of the new contract to union members for ratification.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) said in a statement on Tuesday evening that its members could return to work at midnight tonight, while a ratification vote takes place on a new three-year contract with Hollywood studios.

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‘Exceptional’: Hollywood writers hail tentative deal to end strike

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Writers Guild of America says agreement on pay and conditions ‘due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power’

The tentative deal reached between Hollywood and studio executives has been received well by those on strike and others within the industry.

Members from the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who took on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) with demands that included better pay and residuals, and safeguards on the use of artificial intelligence, shared their collective relief.

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Drew Barrymore faces criticism for restarting talkshow amid writers’ strike

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Demonstrators picket outside CBS Studios in New York to protest decision to resume production without unionized writers

Protesters slammed host Drew Barrymore for restarting her daytime talkshow without its unionized writers amid the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.

Chanting slogans such as “shut it down”, at least a dozen demonstrators picketed in front of CBS Studios in New York on Monday to protest against Barrymore’s decision to resume production of her talkshow’s fourth season.

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Hollywood writers union mulls proposal from studios that would end strike

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Negotiating committee of Writers Guild of America says it is evaluating offer in substantial step forward

Hollywood TV and film writers represented by the Writers Guild of America are evaluating a counterproposal from studios that would end their ongoing strike of more than 100 days, marking a substantial step forward in negotiations.

“Your Negotiating Committee received a counterproposal from the AMPTP today,” the guild’s negotiating committee said in a statement referring to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. “We will evaluate their offer and, after deliberation, go back to them with the WGA’s response next week.

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Emmys 2023: awards likely postponed to next year due to Hollywood strikes

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Vendors have reportedly been told the ceremony will be pushed as studios refuse to meet demands of actors and writers

Fox is expected to announce soon that the Emmy awards will be rescheduled to January next year due to the ongoing writers and actors strikes in Hollywood.

Variety first reported on Thursday that vendors for the ceremony have been informed of an imminent date change, but not given an exact date, while the Los Angeles Times cited an unnamed source familiar with the plans, who said Fox was planning to move the telecast date to January.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Netflix lists AI job worth $900,000 amid twin Hollywood strikes

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Company lists highly paid machine-learning project manager role while actors and executives at odds over future of AI in Hollywood

As actors and writers strike over fair compensation and protections from the encroachment of artificial intelligence, Netflix has listed a position for a machine learning product manager that will compensate somewhere between $300,000 and $900,000 a year. According to the Screen Actors Guild (Sag-Aftra), 87% of the guild’s actors make less than $26,000 per year.

The use of AI in the production of film and television – either to write scripts, generate actors’ likenesses, or cut corners in paying creative work, has been a major point of contention in negotiations between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and Sag and the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Writers have been striking since May; the actors joined earlier this month. The first joint strike since 1960 threatens to bring Hollywood to a complete standstill.

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‘Bargaining for our very existence’: why the battle over AI is being fought in Hollywood

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The ramifications of artificial intelligence are of concern to the actors and writers on strike – from big stars to bit players

To get her start in Hollywood, Chivonne Michelle studied acting at New York University. But what helped her break into the industry and gave her the key training she needed was working on set as a background actor.

Today, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technology threatens to put those “entry level and working class” Hollywood jobs at risk, Michelle and other striking actors say.

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Hollywood actors are going on strike. Here’s what that means

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Shooting for House of the Dragon, Andor and Gladiator 2 will be delayed and many award shows and premieres will be postponed

After negotiations between studio representatives the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the US actors’ union Sag-Aftra (Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) failed to make a breakthrough, Hollywood actors are going on strike.

The decision means that actors will be joining writers on the picket lines, marking the first time in over six decades that both unions have taken simultaneous strike action.

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Hollywood actors union overwhelmingly votes to strike if talks fail with studios

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Sag-Aftra president Fran Drescher tells more than 60,000 union members she is proud of them

Actors represented by the Hollywood union Sag-Aftra have overwhelmingly voted to strike if they don’t agree on a new contract with major studios, streamers and production companies by 30 June.

On Monday 65,000 members of the guild, which represents more than 160,000 screen actors, broadcast journalists, announcers, hosts and stunt performers, voted, with 98% supporting a strike if negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) fail.

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Directors union reaches tentative deal with Hollywood studios as writers strike

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Agreement comes as writers remain on strike and actors are currently holding a strike authorization vote

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) which represents film and television directors announced late on Saturday that it had reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood’s major studios, averting a possible work stoppage.

The development comes as Hollywood writers are currently on strike and actors represented by the Sag-Aftra union are currently holding a strike authorization vote.

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