Matthew Garrahan, Los Angeles Correspondent for the Financial Times, just emailed me an early look at his interview with WGAW prez Patric Verrone publishing Friday. Verrone hinted the WGA is prepared to budge on its demand for reality TV writers to be covered by the new pay deal. “It’s not a sticking point . . . there is room to negotiate.” He also issued a stark warning to U.S. media companies that writers and audiences will migrate to the internet in the event of a prolonged strike. He said the dispute was creating “entrepreneurial possibilities for the talent community to go directly into production and distribution. With every day that goes by, our members are exploring internet TV. The ability to explore this business without media conglomerates is becoming a real possibility.”
Verrone said, “We are prepared to bargain. But the ability to do that is limited by [the media companies] not being at the table.” Interestingly, Verrone gave the newspaper no hint that the WGA was filing an unfair labor complaint with the NLRB against the media companies. "Sitting in his office, a stone’s throw from the CBS studio lot, Mr Verrone, who once wrote for Johnny Carson and The Simpsons, hints the WGA is prepared to budge on its demand for reality TV writers to be covered by the new pay deal. “It’s not a sticking point . . . there is room to negotiate.” The real reason for the breakdown in talks, he says, was the reluctance of the studios and TV networks to agree a pay formula for work by writers that is streamed free on the internet. “We are trying to do a deal that allows [writers] to keep up with the future, and [the media companies] are not,” he says. Talks last week yielded a “tiny bit of movement on streaming. But then we were given an ultimatum that we had to take other issues off the table”.
The union had initially called for a doubling of the payments writers receive from the sale of each DVD. However, Mr Verrone says the WGA took the DVD proposal “off the table in an effort to make a deal on New Media and avoid a strike . . . we took it off and now we’re being told to take off six other things”. These included a “fair market value” test for writers’ earnings on content sold between in-house entities owned by the same media company. The test is “essential to dealing with vertically integrated [media] companies”, says Mr Verrone. The AMPTP has rejected the proposal, though, calling it unworkable. The WGA also wants writers’ share of new media revenues to be based on a distributor’s gross formula rather than the producer’s gross. Verrone says he will fight to get a formula based on distributor’s gross – if the AMPTP ever comes back to the table.
Still got a couple bullets left in that gun, huh, PV? I love it. Glad the WGA came out swinging and unmasked the real Scrooge.
Comment by Writer In a 1 Bedroom — December 13, 2007 @ 8:38 pm
Great. Verrone is forced to come out and tip his hand because idiot blowhard traitors like Mazin are trying to do what the AMPTP has been completely unsuccesful at: dividing us.
Comment by I hate the firm of Fabiani & Lehane & Mazin — December 13, 2007 @ 8:41 pm
Yeah, this is disappointing that we writers have so many fucking stupid members who simply do not understand the basics of negotiation. Congrats, guys, we look like amateurs now, but you got your wish.
As far as the AMPTP, I’m almost done with my webisode scripts now, we start shooting in January. Enjoy em, assholes, I wouldn’t have ever done it without the strike. I will gladly help to kill TV and take away your control.
And lastly, this should be a good news cycle up until X-mas. All the AMPTP has to say is “They are not being too demanding,” while we have an arsenal of crap to hit them with. Next up, Hollywood accounting.
Comment by DA in LA — December 13, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
If this guild is so powerful and united, what could one man (Mazin) composing a blog hurt?
All this we-will-not-be-divided is rather insecure.
Again, don’t worry. If you’re strong, you’re strong. Sticks and stones, eh?
Comment by Wow — December 13, 2007 @ 10:34 pm
This whole thing is a train wreck.
Comment by Former board member — December 13, 2007 @ 11:52 pm
The AMPTP just do not get it.
It’s mind blowing that a kid in high school has a better grasp on technology than some of Hollywood’s biggest players. (yeah, yeah, I know, Tom Freston…’nuff said)
Somebody just find a 13-year old to explain the web to the AMPTP because we’re about 10 months away from the death of network tv at the rate these bozos are going.
Comment by s — December 13, 2007 @ 11:57 pm
Mr Verrone… hints the WGA is prepared to budge on its demand for reality TV writers to be covered by the new pay deal. “It’s not a sticking point . . . there is room to negotiate.”
Really? Then what the fuck were we doing marching at Fremantle last Friday? It sure as fuck better be a sticking point.
Mr. Verrone says the WGA took the DVD proposal “off the table in an effort to make a deal on new media and avoid a strike…”
But the strike didn’t get avoided. Put DVDs back on the table!!!
Comment by Fly on WGA Wall — December 14, 2007 @ 12:31 am
Here’s the problem with Mazin. The Guild is remarkably unified. We all know it. His was I believe the only published line of dissent. He has since, rather naively (Tokyo Rose meets Annie Hall), apologized for being used by the LA Times. The problem is, many reporters are lazy, and rather than call around, they took his ill-informed pompous diatribe about pickets and reality, and it now gets repeated and repeated by other lazier reporters.
So, even though his opinion is without merit, or true support, it becomes part of the week’s headlines, and dictates ongoing coverage and requires our Guild leaders to waste time.
In the long run it won’t matter. The WGA remains far more unified than the press and the AMPTP understand. And going forward, Mazin has discredited himself even more than he already had.
Comment by Anonymous — December 14, 2007 @ 6:49 am
If the reality writers are thrown under the bus, don’t expect them to ever trust the WGA again.
Comment by chrissypoo — December 14, 2007 @ 7:27 am
I think the AMPTP is winning this war of attrition.
Comment by bron — December 14, 2007 @ 7:30 am
Bron: You are wrong. Walk a picket line.
Comment by 20 year writer — December 14, 2007 @ 12:32 pm
INT. ROOM #237 - OVERLOOK HOTEL – NIGHT
Jack’s eyes glazed with raw anger – types – clicky-clack…
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
No work and no pay makes Jack a dull boy.
Comment by pb — December 14, 2007 @ 12:33 pm
WGA - god love you. I support the writers.
However, please leave reality TV alone.
Thanks.
Comment by Reality Producer/Editor — December 14, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
great fight in Vegas last weekend…Floyd Mayweather (the AMTPT) versus Ricky Hatton (the WGA)…lots of bluster from Hatton and a great cheering section…but Mayweather was better prepared, chose his shots, worked the ring and chopped him down in the 10th…lucky Hatton only had to take ten rounds of punishment…the overmatched WGA leaders are setting us up for months of it when we all know we’ll go back on the DGA terms or worse…and this latest posturing nonsense of a legal action makes them look even more pathetic…
Comment by sketpic — December 14, 2007 @ 5:43 pm
seriously, why is this dude in charge?
Comment by No End in Sight — December 14, 2007 @ 7:59 pm