Agency Campaign Update Dashboard Dashboard

See the updates below for the latest on the Agency Campaign.

Upcoming Meetings

• There will be two more member Get-Togethers at the Guild office this month: tomorrow, Wednesday, July 17 and Wednesday, July 24. Both will take place from 7-9 pm. Board and Negotiating Committee members will be available to informally answer questions, and you’ll have the chance to network with other members as well. RSVP to attend either event.
• Save the Date! The Guild will hold three general membership meetings in Los Angeles in early August: Wednesday, August 7, 7:30 pm, at the WGA Theater; Thursday, August 8, 7:30 pm, at the Sheraton Universal; and Saturday, August 10, 10:30 am, at the WGA Theater. Look out for RSVP information in your inbox next week.

Resources

• The disruption of the agency campaign has provided both challenges and opportunities for members of the Guild. And for many, it's sharpened our awareness of the difficult nature of freelance employment.
• With long-time partner the Actors Fund, the Guild will present a series of seminars to help members manage the particular stresses of a freelance career. Topics will include financial planning focusing on the concerns of writers, insurance options for those not covered under the Guild plan, and stress reduction techniques. Stay tuned for more information, and check out videos from our past panel discussion on financial planning.
• A well-intentioned effort by some members to try to assist others who may be struggling has spurred us to remind you of the already existing sources of assistance—including financial assistance—the Guild and other industry foundations (including the Actors Fund) provide. Visit our resources page here.

Agency-owned studios

• The conflicts of interest so clearly inherent in studios owned by agencies sometimes get lost in discussions of the goals of the campaign. As a reminder of the stakes, here is our piece on The Myth of Affiliated Studios.

Unfranchised Agencies

• Since April, members have reported hearing from their former agencies and outreach has intensified over the past few weeks. The messages vary, but often include offers to “help,” by setting up meetings, matching with IP, or consulting under the table. These are attempts to undermine member confidence and solidarity. If a call or email from a former agent leaves you with questions or concerns, please contact the Guild. If you are feeling uncertain about how to proceed with a particular challenge in your career—with the sale of original material, the pursuit of open writing assignments, development, or staffing—call the Guild. If we can't help you directly, we can connect you with someone who can. Contact Agency or call the Agency Department at (323) 782-4502.

In solidarity,

WGA Agency Negotiating Committee

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WGA Statement of Purpose: Why Agencies Must Change

Our agents work for us. Every dollar they make must be generated as a percentage of the money we make. That is what it means to be our representatives and our fiduciaries. Agency-based studios and packaging fees make a mockery of that and are in violation of the agencies’ ethical and legal obligations to writers. We have taken too long to demand that these practices end. But the persistence of a corrupt system does not make it right. And putting things right does not blow up the business. We do not owe our agents their wealth; they owe us their loyalty. That is what we pay for. In a complex, changing, yet immensely profitable time in our industry, writers need true allies, not deeply conflicted ones. It is for this idea—simple, old-fashioned and un-revolutionary—that we stand—and for which we come together as a Guild again today.