Thousands of unionized writers are on strike. Members of the The Writers Guild of America are walking the picket lines after contract negotiations between major television and film studios ended Monday night, May1 without an agreement. The WGA says members are not paid fairly in the streaming era. It's the first walkout in more than 15 years and will impact a variety of productions.
Reporters working on stories involving the WGA strike are welcome to quote academic voices from Northwestern University who are also members of the WGA.
Professor Zayd Dohrn is the director of the MFA program in writing for the stage and screen here at Northwestern University. Dohrn is currently writing films for Netflix and FilmNation and developing a television series. Associate professor of instruction Brett Neveu also teaches screenwriting and playwriting in the department of radio/television/film and has an extensive resume writing plays and video games.
Both Dohrn and Neveu can speak as working writers based in Chicago and away from the two coasts where most members of the guild work. They can also offer comment about the negotiations, why writers are asking for a better deal, the role of AI and more.
