Category: Press Release

Hey, we didn’t write this – not all of it anyway

WGA Announces 2020 Screenplay Nominations

via TVWriter™ Press Service

Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in screenwriting during 2019. Winners will be honored at the 2020 Writers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 1, at concurrent ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1917, Written by Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns; Universal Pictures

Booksmart, Written by Emily Halpern & Sarah Haskins and Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman; United Artists Releasing

Knives Out, Written by Rian Johnson; Lionsgate

Marriage Story, Written by Noah Baumbach; Netflix

Parasite, Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, Story by Bong Joon Ho; Neon

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster, Inspired by the Article “Can You Say…Hero?” by Tom Junod; TriStar Pictures

The Irishman, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian, Based upon the Book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt; Netflix

Jojo Rabbit, Screenplay by Taika Waititi, Based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens; Fox Searchlight

Joker, Written by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, Based on Characters from DC Comics; Warner Bros. Pictures

Little Women, Screenplay by Greta Gerwig, Based on the Novel by Louisa May Alcott; Sony Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Citizen K, Written by Alex Gibney; Greenwich Entertainment

Foster, Written by Mark Jonathan Harris; HBO Documentary Films

The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films

Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People, Written by Robert Seidman & Oren Rudavsky; First Run Features

The Kingmaker, Written by Lauren Greenfield; Showtime Documentary Films

Feature films eligible for a Writers Guild Award were exhibited theatrically for at least one week in Los Angeles during 2019 and were written under the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) or under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement of the Writers Guild of Canada, Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, Writers Guild of Ireland, Writers’ Guild of South Africa, New Zealand Writers Guild, Film Writers’ Association (India), La Guilde Francaise des Scénaristes (France), Scriptwriters Guild of Israel, Société des Auteurs de Radio, Télévision et Cinéma (Québec), or Verband Deutscher Drehbuchautoren (VDD/Germany), collectively known as affiliate Guilds. Theatrical screenplays produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild must have been submitted for Writers Guild Awards consideration.

Documentaries eligible for a Writers Guild Award featured an onscreen writing credit and were exhibited theatrically in Los Angeles or New York for one week during 2019. Theatrical documentaries must have been produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild to be eligible for awards consideration.

The Writers Guild Awards honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, news, radio, and promotional categories. The 2020 Writers Guild Awards (72nd Annual) will be presented at concurrent ceremonies on Saturday, February 1, 2020, in Los Angeles at The Beverly Hilton and in New York City at the Edison Ballroom. For more information about the 2020 Writers Guild Awards, please visit www.wga.org or www.wgaeast.org.

For media inquiries about the 2020 WGA Los Angeles show, please contact Gregg Mitchell in the WGAW Communications Department at: (323) 782-4651 or email: Gregg Mitchell

TVWriter™ congratulates all the nominees!

About the Writers Guild of America:

The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) are labor unions representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, digital media, and broadcast news. The Guilds negotiate and administer contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of their members; conduct programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to writers; and present writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America West, visit www.wga.org. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit www.wgaeast.org.

WGAW Prepares for Next Year’s Minimum Basic Agreement Negotiations

by TVWriter™ Press Service

A letter to the membership from the Honchos-In-Charge.

December 10, 2019
Dear Members,

As we head toward the holidays, we wanted to give you a brief update about 2020 MBA negotiation preparation.

First, thanks to those of you who responded to the MBA bargaining survey. The Negotiating Committee is meeting tonight and will review the preliminary results. In January, the membership will have the opportunity to vote on a Pattern of Demands, and following that, member meetings will be convened for the Committee to lay out initial proposals and get feedback.

Overall employment trends for WGAW members provide context for our upcoming negotiations. Feature employment is approaching the high levels of 20 years ago, with about a thousand screenwriters reporting over $100 million in earnings each quarter. This level of employment and earnings has been sustained for two years now, a change from the period in 2012-14 when quarterly employment in features was typically around 700 writers. Television employment remains at its highest level in history: there have been more than 4,500 members working in TV for the last five years and counting, now approaching 5,000, with more than 350 scripted series in production for each of the last three seasons.

While record numbers of members are currently employed, individual writer compensation is not where it should be, with too many members working at or close to minimum. Our MBA focus must be to ensure that writers are being fairly compensated for the global value of the content that has continued to bring banner profits to our employers, and that our benefit plans remain healthy.

We look forward to working with you in the new year.

In Solidarity,

David A. Goodman, President
Marjorie David, Vice President
Michele Mulroney, Secretary-Treasurer

Writers Guild of America Announces 2020 Negotiating Committee

Preparing for another battle.

Because that’s what TV and film writers do.

Last Friday’s announcement from the combined Writers Guild West and Writers Guild East:

November 8, 2019
Dear Members,

The WGAW Board and WGAE Council have appointed the members of the MBA negotiating committee for our upcoming contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). WGAW Executive Director David Young will serve as chief negotiator.

The members of the committee are:

Michele Mulroney, Co-Chair
Shawn Ryan, Co-Chair
Betsy Thomas, Co-Chair
Liz Alper
Arash Amel
John August
Amy Berg
Ashley Nicole Black
Adam Brooks
Francesca Butler
Patti Carr
Robb Chavis
Meg DeLoatch
Travis Donnelly
Kate Erickson
Dante W. Harper
Eric Heisserer
Melissa Hilfers
Elliott Kalan
Chris Keyser
Adele Lim
Peter Murrieta
Luvh Rakhe
Dailyn Rodriguez
Erica Saleh
David Slack
Lauren Ashley Smith
Amy Sohn
Meredith Stiehm
Patric M. Verrone

David A. Goodman, Ex-Officio
Marjorie David, Ex-Officio
Beau Willimon, Ex-Officio
Kathy McGee, Ex-Officio
Bob Schneider, Ex-Officio

Our current Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) expires on May 1, 2020. In anticipation of the upcoming negotiations, Guild staff has prepared research, data and potential negotiating proposals for leadership and members to consider as we begin the process of setting priorities. Next week the Guilds will send out a member survey where you can identify the MBA issues that matter the most to you. The negotiating committee will begin meeting this month.

Member meetings will commence in early 2020 to give further opportunity for writer feedback, and a pattern of demands will be put to a vote prior to the start of spring negotiations.

In Solidarity,
WGAW Board and WGAE Council

Netflix to launch first original scripted podcast

What took them so long?

by TVWriter™ News Service
Via podnews.net

Netflix has announced it’s to launch its first original scripted podcast, with Spotify.

It is a 6-episode narrative, and first-of-a-kind play, designed to be a fictional, in-world companion podcast to go along with the new post-apocalyptic YA Netflix TV series “Daybreak” entitled “The Only Podcast Left- Daybreak.” Showrunner and head writer Aron Coleitethe is on board as an executive producer. The podcast will branch off from season 1 to tell a story of where a group of teens decide to make a podcast during an apocalypse. Check out the promotional audio trailer HERE.

A launch date of Nov. 7 has been earmarked for the podcast, which will stream exclusively on Spotify until Dec. 12, before becoming available on all other platforms.

Show Description: It’s post-apocalyptic Glendale. The Jocks, Cheermazons, STEM Punks, Disciples of Kardashia, and more are battling for dominance in the valley. And after you tear through Daybreak Season 1, you’ll want to meet the A.V. Club. They’re a group of kids who survived the apocalypse by using their skills to rig cameras and spy on warring tribes all over the valley. And now they’re making a show about it, while juggling their own personal drama and trying to stay alive as mutant pugs, ghoulies, and a mysterious new tribe all try to kill their vibe. It’s The Only Podcast Left.

“Netflix is an amazing creative partner. When they asked us to do a narrative podcast in the Daybreak world, we came back with the most insane idea we could think of and they didn’t even blink. In fact they got even more excited about what we were trying to create,” said Coleite.

“We love how podcasts give creators more freedom to explore and go deeper into elements of their stories, and we see original scripted podcasts as the next level in world exploration. With ‘Daybreak,’ it’s a world ripe for that,” said Rae Votta, podcast lead for the Netflix brand and editorial team.

“If the Daybreak tribes can play video games after the apocalypse, we figured they could also be creating a podcast! This one was especially fun as it’s playing into the meta nature of it all and explores what makes a podcast.. by making a podcast.”

Netflix’s other podcasts include: “Present Company with Krista Smith,” wherein the former Vanity Fair West Coast Editor and newly-minted Netflix consultant sits with megastars and tastemakers like Eddie Murphy, Marta Kauffman, Mary J. Blige and TED Talk supernova Brene Brown. Moreover, “Strong Black Legends,” where podcast star Tracy Clayton talks to formative black creators and icons like comedian Jackée Harry and director Robert Townsend. Also, “You Can’t Make This Up,” which gives a behind-the-scenes look at how nonfiction filmmakers got their compelling true crime stories.

2019 Nicholl Fellowship Finalists Announced

by TVWriter™ Press Service

The Nicholl Fellowships are arguably the most important writing competition in existence for new screenwriters. In addition to the actual Fellowship, winners almost always end up with representation and agents and lots of wide open doors that were shut tight before.

TVWriter™ congratulates the following 2019 Nicholl Fellowships finalists on their achievement:

Aaron Chung, “Princess Vietnam”
Gary Patent, “Cosmonaut”
Jack Zafran, “Justice, Justice”
Joel Sinensky, “The Lie Factory”
Karen McDermott, “Lullabies of La Jaula”
Lynn Esta Goldman, “On the Wing”
Matthew Fantaci, “Scandalous!”
Paul Ashton, “Slater Berricks is a Dead Man”
Renee Pillai, “Boy with Kite”
Sean Malcolm, “Mother”
Toy Styles, “Concrete Beach”
Walker McKnight, “Street Rat Allie Punches Her Ticket”

Here’s a quick description of the Fellowships from an earlier post here at TVWriter™:

The Nicholl competition is open to any individual who has not earned more than $25,000 writing for film or television or received a fellowship prize that includes a “first look” clause, an option, or any other quid pro quo involving the writer’s work.  Entry scripts must be feature length and the original work of a sole author or of exactly two collaborative authors.  The scripts must have been written originally in English.  Adaptations and translated scripts are not eligible.  The earnings limit for 2013 is an increase from the $5,000 limit in previous years.

Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that the recipients will each complete a feature-length screenplay during their fellowship year.  The Academy acquires no rights to the works of Nicholl fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts.

To learn more about the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, visit http://oscars.org/nicholl.