A Public Service Announcement if ever there was one. Here’s what going on, socially and professionally, at the Writers Guild of America West this month:
May 2022
Until further notice, the Guild has suspended in-person committee meetings and events, member meetings, and screenings at the Writers Guild Theater. Virtual events are listed below. Members must RSVP in advance to receive access info to participate in online events.
Unless otherwise stated within the event, committee activities and events are open to WGAW Current, Post Current, Associate, and Associate Caucus members in Active status. If you have questions about your member status, please contact the Membership Department or call (323) 782-4532
Member Login required for live calendar, sorry. Events listed are current at time of publication. Dates and details are subject to change during the month.
Wednesday
04
Career Longevity Committee Meeting
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
RSVP: CLC 05-2022. The mission of the Career Longevity Committee is to advocate for writers over forty to obtain equal access to the job market with equal opportunity for sustained professional growth.
Saturday
07
Batman Returns – 30th Anniversary: Guild Screenings Q&A with Daniel Waters
Category: Guild Screenings
Q&A with Batman Returns writer Daniel Waters begins immediately after the screening (TRT: 126 minutes). WGAW members only with two guests. Guild membership card + proof of Covid-19 vaccination and booster required for entry.
Monday
09
Disabled Writers Committee Meeting
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
RSVP: DWC 05-2022. This Committee seeks to enhance the visibility and employment of writers with all types of disabilities, and encourage, celebrate, and endorse accurate portrayals of disabled people in all areas of the media. We also serve as an expert resource for all issues related to the disabled community.
Tuesday
10
Inside the Writers Zoom with As We See It
Category: Writers Guild Foundation
RSVP: WGFoundation. For this session, As We See It Creator and Executive Producer Jason Katims moderates a conversation with his writing staff, including Ian Deitchman & Kristin Robinson, Denise Hahn, Romi Barta, Michelle Sam, and Jesikah Suggs. They’ll discuss how they crafted the first season of the Amazon Original Series about three 20-something roommates on the autism spectrum. Free with suggested RSVP, $10.
Tuesday
10
Native American & Indigenous Writers Committee Meeting
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
RSVP: NAIWC 05-2022. This Committee represents the professional and creative interests of Native American & Indigenous writers. It works to mentor, encourage, empower and increase the visibility and employment of writers of Native American & Indigenous heritage, and serves as a cultural and educational resource for all Guild member-writers seeking to portray Native American & Indigenous Peoples in their work.
Thursday
12
Getting It Write: Latino/x/e Representation in Film and TV and How To Not Mess It Up
Category: Writers Guild Foundation
RSVP: WGFoundation. WGF teams up with Storyline Partners for a panel that will delve into writing about Afro Latino/e/x, Asian Latino/e/x, Muslim Latino/e/x people for film and TV. Speakers include Sandra Hamada (Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion), Sofie Khan (MexiStani: Growing Up Mexican and Pakistani in America), Dr. Joonyoung Veronica Kim (Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh), Grasie Mercedes (Grand Crew), Amilcar Priestley (Director, AfroLatin@Project). The panel will be accompanied by vetted narrative factsheets that Storyline Partners has produced in co-labor with expert panelists. Moderated by Jorge Rivera, Vice Chair of Latinx Writers Committee. Free with suggested RSVP, $10
Thursday
12
Writers Education Committee Meeting
Category: Writers Ed
RSVP: WEC. WGAW’s Writers Education Committee brainstorms and develops events and programs, which provide WGA members with practical, inside knowledge about how the industry works and how it is changing, emphasizing tips and tools to help writers succeed. We strive to provide working knowledge for writers and invite you to contribute your ideas.
Saturday
14
The Devil You Know: Guild Screenings Q&A with Charles Murray
Category: Guild Screenings
Q&A with The Devil You Know writer-director Charles Murray begins immediately after the screening (TRT: 116 minutes). WGAW members only with two guests. Guild membership card + proof of Covid-19 vaccination and booster required for entry.
Monday
16
Latinx Writers Committee Meeting
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
RSVP: LWC 05-2022. This committee actively represents the professional, creative, social and economic interests of Latino Guild members. Its mandate is to encourage Latino writers to become more active within the Guild; and to raise the profile and perception of Latino writers in the industry at large by creating forums that foster networking, collaboration, education, information exchange, employment opportunities and creative expression.
Tuesday
17
LGBTQ+ Writers Committee Meeting
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
RSVP: LGBTQ 05-2022. The Writers Guild of America West’s LGBTQ+ Writers Committee seeks to utilize its constituency as a resource to all writers who include LGBTQ+ characters in their work. Its members also wish to provide cultural and educational opportunities for WGAW members to nurture an understanding of how sexual orientation and gender identity affect the lives of writers; endeavor to provide networking and social activities enabling the WGAW membership to better know one another and create a greater demand for the writing services of LGBTQ+ WGAW members; and strive to generate a greater awareness within the Guild of sexual orientation (and gender identity) as a minority and, where appropriate, to identify and advocate against instances of homophobia, transphobia and/or discrimination within our industry.
Wednesday
18
The Ultimate Confidence Building Workshop: Communicate with Conviction
Category: Writers Guild Foundation
RSVP: WGFoundation. Career coach and talent agent consultant Jim Arnoff leads this workshop that’ll give you the insider’s techniques to embrace your strengths, share your career passions with enthusiasm, and pitch yourself with confidence. Learn coaching tools to let go of the doubts, fears, and inner voices which hold you back from taking your career to the next level. Limited spaces are available. Free with suggested RSVP, $10.
Thursday
19
Category: Writers Guild Foundation
RSVP: WGFoundation. Join WGF and Netflix for an evening with the best-selling authors of Bridgerton, MAID and Anatomy of a Scandal and the showrunners who have brought these entertaining and powerful stories from the page to the screen. Free with RSVP.
Saturday
21
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness: Guild Screenings Q&A with Michael Waldron
Category: Guild Screenings
Q&A with Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness writer Michael Waldron begins immediately after the screening (TRT: 126 minutes). WGAW members only with two guests. Guild membership card + proof of Covid-19 vaccination and booster required for entry.
Sunday
22
On The Count Of Three: Guild Screenings Q&A with Ari Katcher & Ryan Welch
Category: Guild Screenings
Q&A with On The Count Of Three writers Ari Katcher & Ryan Welch begins immediately after the screening (TRT: 85 minutes). WGAW members only with two guests. Guild membership card + proof of Covid-19 vaccination and booster required for entry.
Tuesday
24
Inside the Writers Zoom with Abbott Elementary
Category: Writers Guild Foundation
RSVP: WGFoundation. For this session, we welcome Creator, Executive Producer, and Star Quinta Brunson and the writers room of ABC’s new mockumentary comedy, Abbott Elementary. They’ll share how they approached character development, pitching jokes, and the funny yet nuanced stories behind the show’s hit first season. Free with suggested RSVP, $10.