Here’s what going on, socially and professionally, at the Writers Guild of America West this month:
November 2020
Events listed are current at time of publication. Dates and details are subject to change during the month.
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
To see the live calendar, click here. (Member Login required for that, sorry.)
Tuesday 10
Native American & Indigenous Writers Committee Meeting
7:30-9:30 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
RSVP: NAIWC11-20. Info: (323) 782-4589. 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.
Wednesday 11
Writing in the Age of COVID
6-7:30 p.m. – BlueJeans
Category: Writers Ed
RSVP: COVID. This timely panel will examine the creative, personal, and budgetary impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic on both TV/film content and production protocols, as we try to adjust and adapt to the ongoing corona crisis. What challenges are writers facing during this unprecedented time that may influence storytelling, narratives, and portrayals? How do safety guidelines affect the production process as on-set shutdowns become the new normal? Panelists: Eric Lu, M.D., Executive Story Editor, The Resident; Kwame Parker, Director of Physical Production, Netflix Original Studios Films and Executive Producer, Green Book; Dr. Anne W. Rimoin, Professor of Epidemiology, UCLA Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health, and Director, UCLA Center for Global and Immigrant Health, and Bruce Helford, veteran comedy showrunner and Co-Developer/Executive Producer, The Conners; moderator: Dinah Eng (Christmas Inheritance). Additional panelists TBA. Presented by WGAW’s Writers Education Committee.
Wednesday 11
Career Longevity Committee Meeting
7-9 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
RSVP: CLC11-20. Info: (323) 782-4589. Formerly the Age Awareness Committee, the mission of the Career Longevity Committee is to assist writers of all ages in planning for long and successful careers by giving them the tools and knowledge to adapt to changes in the marketplace. WGAW members of all ages are encouraged to attend.
Monday 16
Writers with Disabilities Committee Meeting
7-9 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
RSVP: WDC11-20. Info: (323) 782-4589. This Committee seeks to enhance the visibility and employment of writers with all types of disabilities, and encourage, celebrate, and endorse accurate portrayals of the disabled in all areas of the media. We also serve as an expert resource for all issues related to the disabled community.
Tuesday 17
Spies Like Us
1-2:30 p.m. – BlueJeans
Category: Communications
RSVP: Genre. The Genre Committee presents this panel exploring how intelligence and spycraft stories reflect the Post War, Cold War, 9/11 eras, and beyond. What do our shows and films say about the times we live in? How have they evolved, and might further change, in a post-COVID, post-privacy, post-truth world? Additional topics: How do real-life spies and spycraft inspire our stories? When is authenticity sacrificed for entertainment? What do writers and producers fail to get right about the intelligence world? Panelists: BBC correspondent-author Gordon Corera (Cyberspies), author-former CIA Valerie Plame Wilson (Fair Game), and producer Stephen Cornwell (The Little Drummer Girl); additional panelists TBA. Moderator: writer Jesse Peyronel (Dig).
Tuesday 17
LGBTQ+ Writers Committee Meeting
7:30-9:30 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
RSVP: LGBTQ11-20. Info: (323) 782-4589. 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 Writers’ Room Today and Beyond: Discover the Latest Apps TV Writers are Using (That Actually Work)
7- 8:30 p.m. – BlueJeans
Category: Writers Ed
RSVP: Virtual. This panel will be a discussion on new technologies that writers are currently using in virtual writers’ rooms, including Scriptation, Miro, WritersRoom Pro, WriterDuet, and Scripto. Learn how these apps can simplify your workflow while working remotely and, eventually, when we’re back together in the room. The panel will also discuss how these apps help contribute to a more eco-friendly, sustainable production. Panelists: Writers Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything), Jenny Lynn (Mayans M.C.), Graham Towers (black-ish), Bianca Sams (Charmed), and Alisha Brophy (License to Drive), and Lena Welch (Green Spark Group). Moderated by writer and Scriptation founder Steve Vitolo (Hot in Cleveland). Presented by WGAW’s Writers Education Committee. WGA members only.
Thursday 19
WGFestival 2020: The One That Was Virtual
Th.-Fri., 11/19-11/20, 12-6 p.m. – Zoom – Zoom
Category: Writers Guild Foundation
Info/RSVP: WGFestival.org. WGF’s annual writing conference goes virtual this year. Expect two days of insightful conversations with film and TV writers as well as interactive events that you can enjoy from the comforts of your couch. Tickets go on sale on October 30. WGAW members are free with the code WEHEARTWGA.
Monday 30
Latino Writers Committee Meeting
7:30-9:30 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
RSVP: LWC11-20. Info: (323) 782-4589. 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.