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:
September 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 07
Claiming Your Voice: Being Fully Expressed in Your Entertainment Career
4-5:30 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Writers Guild Foundation
This interactive workshop with Career Coach/Talent Agent Consultant/Writers Guild Foundation Workshop Facilitator Jim Arnoff will give you the coaching tools and skills to articulate and embrace your true voice and make the strongest connections possible. We’ll break down those barriers—shyness, self-judging, fear of being judged—that get in the way of speaking with strength and conviction. This workshop is about communicating effortlessly, powerfully and honoring your inner wisdom. Free with suggested RSVP, $10.
Wednesday 07
Career Longevity Committee Meeting
7-9 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
RSVP Required. The mission of the Career Longevity Committee is to advocate for writers over 40 to obtain equal access to the job market with equal opportunity for sustained professional growth.
Thursday 08
Roe Is Reversed: Getting Abortion Storylines Right
4-5:30 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Writers Guild Foundation
The Writers Guild Foundation, in collaboration with Storyline Partners, host this virtual panel discussion on the various impacted communities and how entertainment narratives can support meaningful engagement with what is at stake after the recent reversal of Roe vs. Wade. The panel will also delve into the history and context that has led to this moment. Panelists include Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi (Board Certified OB/GYN; Founder, Pegasus Health Justice Center), Dr. Gretchen Sisson (Sociologist; Researcher, Abortion Onscreen) plus more to be announced. Moderated by Renee Bracey Sherman, Executive Director, We Testify. Free with suggested RSVP, $10.
Thursday 08
Writers Education Committee Meeting
6-7:30 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Writers Ed
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
10
Zodiac: Named one of WGA’s 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (*so far), followed by a Q&A with screenwriter James Vanderbilt.
After 3 p.m. screening – Writers Guild Theater, 135 S. Doheny Dr., Beverly Hills.
Category: Guild Screenings
Q&A with Zodiac writer James Vanderbilt, presented by WGA’s Guild Screenings + Publicity & Marketing Committee, begins immediately after the screening (TRT: 157 minutes). WGAW members only with two guests. Guild membership card + proof of Covid-19 vaccination and booster required for entry.
Monday 12
Disabled Writers Committee Meeting
7-9 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
Guest speaker: Dr. Lise Deguire, Psy. D. (Clinical Psychologist). The Disabled Writers Committee advances the visibility and employment of disabled writers while encouraging, celebrating, and endorsing accurate and diverse portrayals of disabled people in all areas of media. We also serve as an expert resource for various issues impacting and related to the disabled community.
Tuesday 13
Native American & Indigenous Writers Committee Meeting
7:30-9:30 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
The NAIWC represents the professional and creative interests of Native American & Indigenous writers. It works to mentor, encourage, empower and increase the visibility of 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 14
Queer Eye for Comic Books: LGBTQ+ Voices on IP Adaptations for Film & TV
7-9 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity
This panel will bring together LGBTQ+ writers and film/TV executives to discuss the process of adapting comic book IP for film and television, with a focus on breathing life into queer characters, either those already queer on the page or reinterpreting legacy characters in a new queer light. Moderated by Eric Anthony Glover (Black Star, Tom Swift), panelists include writers James Tynion IV (Something Is Killing The Children, The Department of Truth), Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and more…
Friday
16
The Woman King: Guild Screenings Q&A with Dana Stevens
After 3 p.m. screening – Writers Guild Theater, 135 S. Doheny Dr., Beverly Hills.
Category: Guild Screenings
Q&A with The Woman King writer Dana Stevens begins immediately after the screening (TRT: 144 minutes). WGAW members only with two guests. Guild membership card + proof of Covid-19 vaccination and booster required for entry.
Saturday 17
WGAW Screenwriter Bootcamp
10 a.m.-2 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Member Organizing
Please join us for the second annual WGAW Screenwriter Bootcamp geared toward early-career screenwriters but open to any current active member curious to learn more about working in features. We’ll be discussing the pros/cons of writing on spec, pitching for OWAs, what to know about IP, how to handle the notes process, navigating relationships with producers and reps, and more.
Monday 19
Latinx Writers Committee Meeting
7:30-9:30 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
This committee actively represents the professional, creative, social and economic interests of Latinx Guild members. Its mandate is to encourage Latinx writers to become more active within the Guild; and to raise the profile and perception of Latinx writers in the industry at large by creating forums that foster networking, collaboration, education, information exchange, employment opportunities and creative expression.
Tuesday 20
LGBTQ+ Writers Committee Meeting
7:30-9:30 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity Committee Meetings
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…
Wednesday 21
Hispanic / Latine Heritage Month Celebration Panel
7-9 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity
In anticipation of Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month, the Latinx Writers Committee is hosting The Heritage Month Celebration Panel in collaboration with the New Filmmakers LA Latinx Film Festival. This is our time to shine! During this moderated zoom event Latine Showrunners and emerging writers will discuss the state of the film and television industry through the lens of our collective successes: “Where we’ve been, where we’re at, and where we need to go,” while encouraging and inspiring and more…
Thursday 22
Find A Writer Demo
7-8:30 p.m. – Zoom
Category: Inclusion and Equity
Navigating ‘Find A Writer’. Over the course of one hour, this informational session will focus on educating members about the Find A Writer database and showing them how to edit their public profiles. Presented by the WGA’s Inclusion & Equity department in partnership with the Online Services department. This event is open to WGA members only.