WGAW & WGAE Declare War on Packaging

About three weeks ago, we wrote about the fact that the Writers Guild of America and the Association of Talent Agents hadn’t revisited the contractual relationship between writers and agents in over forty years.

Of special concern to the writers (that’s “us”) were the rules that allowed agencies (that would be “them”) to take packaging fees based on the overall budget of a new series instead of the usual ten percent of the salaries of their clients involved in the creation and sale of the series. This allowed the agencies to make far more money in any deal they negotiated than any of the creative partners.

After some dancing around, the writers (“us,” remember?) have taken the first step in changing the situation by voting to reopen, as in renegotiate, the agreement.

No word yet on what the agents’ next move will be, but things could get bloody. Here’s the official WGAWest announcement:And you thought Trump’s trade war was a big deal!

Author: LB

A legendary figure in the television writing and production world with a career going back to the late ’60s, Larry Brody has written and produced hundreds of hours of American and worldwide television and is a consultant to production companies and networks in the U.S. and abroad . Shows written or produced by Brody have won several awards including - yes, it's true - Emmys, Writers Guild Awards, and the Humanitas Award.

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