Latinx Writers Committee Offers Hope Despite Barriers

In honor of Latinx Heritage Month, the Writers Guild of America West brings us the following news.


via WGAW CONNECT

Latinx Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the contributions of Latinx people to American society. In Hollywood, where Latinx writers face systemic barriers to employment, advocates argue that the community has untapped potential for much greater cultural influence. The WGAW Latinx Writers Committee (LWC) is one group looking to unleash that potential. As Latinx writers continue to knock at opportunity’s door, the LWC is focused on giving them the tools to succeed once they get a foothold.

“Our committee is made up of over 200 Latinx film and TV writers, and we have many at the lower levels who are entering the Guild through a fellowship program, or getting promoted, or staffing for the first time,” says LWC Co-chair Danny Tolli. “It’s all wonderful and exciting but what ends up happening is, at the end of their 20 weeks, they’re not asked back and then they’re forced to repeat levels. We have one writer who was stuck repeating staff writer for five shows.

“Part of that is due to the economics of the industry changing, and lower-level writers not getting opportunities to cover set and gain producing experience,” Tolli continues. “Another component is the systemic racism that members of the Latinx community have historically encountered. We can’t fix the larger issue within the Latinx Writers Committee, but we can empower our members to go into any room with all of the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to succeed.”

In order to increase access to jobs for its members, the committee organizes two marquee programs: meet-and-greets with showrunners and development executives, and the Showrunner Sit Down series. At the meet-and-greets, members introduce themselves, network, and ask career-related questions of the showrunners and executives who participate. At the Showrunner Sit Down events, a showrunner (Latinx or not) is invited to speak to the committee members about their own career trajectory, successes, and missteps, and members can ask very specific questions about being in writers’ rooms, being on set, how to handle post, and other unspoken rules of the business.

Using the connections and knowledge gained at these events, members have been staffed and made sales. One member reported a better relationship with a producer after applying the insights they learned at a Showrunner Sit Down.

Showrunners have reacted with similar enthusiasm. As Tolli describes, “Showrunners and upper-level writers are excited to be meeting with Latinx writers with experience and talent, who are ready not just to staff but to run their own shows….”

Read it all at wga.org

 

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