Annual Report 1998

Writers Guild of America, west, Inc. 1998 WGA ANNUAL REPORT TO WRITERS ©RICHARD RUTHSATZ PHOTOGRAPHY

T HE NEW WGA AWARD

A New Footing

As this report is issued, the WGA completes in the East more than ever before and an eventful and unpredictable year, but one ensured that all writers nationwide would that sets the Guild on a new footing – a foot- have uniform ballot materials. The two ing from which we can maximize the oppor- Guilds picked up the contract negotiation tunities that lie ahead. and brought it to fruition with the membership ratification announced just as this The year began with a contract negotiation report is issued. that promised to conclude the Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) with the studios, With this chapter closed, the WGA now looks networks and other mainstream Hollywood forward to an agenda of aggressive enforce- producers, almost a year ahead of its expira- ment of Guild contracts, unprecedented tion. But, it was not to be. The net result of service to writers, and addressing the long the tight membership vote that saw the con- term questions about how writers should be tract defeated by just 16 votes nationwide was represented to the increasingly concentrated a fracture between the WGA West and the group of employers who hire us. WGA East.

As we came into office as your newly-elected And, so, we address these forward-looking leadership, we found our agenda significant- questions with due regard for the decisions ly set by the events already in progress. Such of the past, but without constraint. The for- large-scale questions as we faced, of necessi- mation of the Guild in 1933 and its recon- ty, have a calendar of their own, and many figuration in 1954 radically met the changing inchoate questions of organization and pri- industrial situations of those times. As we ority distilled into clarity, placing themselves peek over the edge of what appears to be a front and center for us to address. new era in the entertainment industry, we begin to see the requirements for the Guild The rapprochement between the leadership of in this new time. We are prepared to meet the two affiliated, but separate, institutions those needs with those actions that have that represent America’s film and television proved highly successful in the past, but also writers raised important questions of how with fresh and bold initiatives that will rede- that nationwide creative community ought to fine the role of the Writers Guild in the new be represented. The months of renegotiat- reality. ing the relationship between the Guilds June 30, 1998 resulted in short-term resolution of how national contract votes will be conducted and set the agenda for the two institutions to examine, with a deliberate pace, the more far-reaching questions about effective and unified leadership for writers.

The process for contract votes established in Daniel Petrie, Jr. John Wells Michael Mahern the January agreement enfranchised writers President Vice President Secretary-Treasurer

Table of Contents

THE MARKETPLACE FOR FILM, TELEVISION AND OTHER AUDIO-VISUAL WRITERS Record Employment ...... 7 Record Earnings ...... 8 Screen and Television Earnings ...... 8 Average Earnings ...... 9 Membership Statistics ...... 9

RESIDUALS AND FOREIGN LEVIES Residuals Collections ...... 10 Foreign Levies ...... 11

CREDITS, CREATIVE RIGHTS AND THE WGA AWARDS The “Vanity Credit” Campaign ...... 12 The Committee on the Professional Status of Writers ...... 12 Credits Restored for Blacklisted Writers ...... 12 The 50th Annual WGA Awards ...... 14

CONTRACT NEGOTIATION & ENFORCEMENT MBA Negotiations ...... 15 Claims and Arbitrations ...... 16 Contract Enforcement ...... 16 Agency Relations & Outreach ...... 17 CBS News and Promotional Writers ...... 17 The WGA Script Registration Service ...... 17

HEALTH & PENSION BENEFITS The Health & Pension Funds ...... 18 Other Options for Health Benefits ...... 18

5 Table of Contents...continued

PROTECTING AND EXTENDING WGA JURISDICTION Animation ...... 19 Informational, Interactive and Non-fiction Programs ...... 19 Independent Films ...... 19 Employment Access Programs ...... 20

ENGAGING THE PUBLIC AGENDA Legislative ...... 21 Domestic and International Alliances ...... 21 Written By ...... 22 Member Communications ...... 23 The Guild Website ...... 23 Film Festivals ...... 24 The Writers Image Campaign Committee . . . . .24 “Somebody Wrote That” Campaign ...... 24 Writers and the Media ...... 25 “Screenwriters: Fifty Faces Behind the Greatest Movie Moments” ...... 25

MANAGING THE GUILD A Clean Bill of Health ...... 26 Relations with the WGA East ...... 26 The Guild Headquarters ...... 27 Member Service ...... 28 WGA Theater & Film Society ...... 28

1998 ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Letter from the Secretary-Treasurer ...... 31 Audited Financial Statements ...... 33

The Marketplace for Film, Television and other Audio-Visual Writers

In 1997, WGA writers enjoyed, for the second year in a row, record employ- NUMBER OF WGAw MEMBERS EMPLOYED ment and earnings. The margins TOTAL MEMBERS PERCENT were modest, however, and beneath YEAR EMPLOYED REPORTING EMPLOYED the healthy totals there are shifting 1992 3,862 8,066 47.9% 1993 3,806 7,622 49.9% fortunes. The traditional television 1994 3,866 7,713 50.1% market for writers had a banner year, 1995 3,931 7,776 50.6% while the theatrical writing market 1996 4,126 7,961 51.8% began a modest retrenchment, revers- 1997 4,306 8,266 52.1% ing the tide of the previous year. Source: WGAw Records Note that prior year figures are updated to include late-reported information. RECORD EMPLOYMENT Television employment took the lead, The 1996 all-time high employment with a 6.7% increase in employment, level of 4,126 writers (updated from to a total of 2,968 writers, driven by a the figure reported in last year’s record number of series in produc- report to include late-reported tion. Especially strong this year were employment) increased by 4.3% with first-run syndication series, support- 4,306 writers employed in 1997. ed by foreign sales, along with made- This continues the move, begun last for-cable series. Fall 1998 could year, away from the employment bring contraction in this area. plateau of just less than 4,000 employed writers that had held for five In the theatrical film area, there was years. essentially level employment, with 1,782 writers employed. The trend is The 4,306 writers represent a recent high employment percentage with 52.1% of reporting members NUMBER OF WRITERS EMPLOYED BY AREA OF WORK employed. This continues the modest YEAR TV SCREEN PAY-TV OTHER but positive trend of the last few years 1992 2,670 1,575 181 21 among the membership. 1993 2,596 1,601 176 21 1994 2,631 1,618 165 36 1995 2,645 1,683 168 79 1996 2,781 1,764 188 94 1997 2,968 1,782 188 43

thisSource: sectorWGAw Records is toward fewer theatrical Note: Prior year figures are updated to include late-reported information.

for fewer releases by the majors in an SCREEN AND TELEVISION EARNINGS attempt to maximize profits during Unlike last year, where feature film this period of relatively calm compe- earnings muscled the entire earnings tition. Screen employment rises dur- trend, in 1997 television earnings took ing a time when new distributors are the lead. The $316.2 million earned emerging or when corporate mergers or administration changes drive reex- amination of development slates, but TELEVISION EARNINGS VS. SCREEN EARNINGS 1997 was a quiet year. (Millions of $)

TELEVISION RECORD EARNINGS YEAR EARNINGS SCREEN OTHER Writers earned $674.6 million under 1992 241.2 201.8 7.1 WGA contracts in 1997. This is less 1993 227.6 230.1 7.9 than a 1% increase over 1996, but 1994 241.2 250.9 7.1 follows two years of double-digit 1995 266.9 313.4 7.1 growth prior to that. This pattern of 1996 299.5 360.7 9.8 uneven growth in writers earnings is 1997 316.2 350.6 7.8 quite typical of the past and is pre- Source: WGAw Records dictable, with more than two-thirds Note: Prior year figures are updated to include late-reported information. of writers income concentrated among less than ten companies. by television writers (exclusive of cer- tain non-writing fees) was 5.6% higher than 1996. The television marketplace was strengthened by the emergence of TOTAL EARNINGS UNDER WGAw CONTRACTS approximately two dozen first-run syn- (Millions of $) dication series that were largely sup- TOTAL PERCENT ported by foreign sales. These series YEAR EARNINGS CHANGE often hire smaller staffs and more free- 1992 450.1 — lance writers, trimming the upside on 1993 465.6 +3.4% 1994 499.2 +7.2% the earnings increase, but providing 1995 587.4 +17.7% some welcome strength in the freelance 1996 670.0 +14.1% market. Screen earnings, in total, 1997 674.6 +0.7% dipped 2.8% from last year, to a total in 1997 of $350.6 million. This was Source: WGAw Records Note: Prior year figures are updated to include late-reported information. largely driven by a tightening at both the middle and the top earnings levels.

AVERAGE EARNINGS MEMBERSHIP STATISTICS The median earnings figure among As of April 1998, the Guild has 7,883 the working half of WGA members Current/Active members, just slightly was $80,760 in 1997, down 8.2% more than last year’s 7,825. The Guild from the final figure for 1996. The admitted 588 new members in calendar negative shift in this statistic, which year 1997, down from the record num- measures the income of the writer ber of 604 in 1996. Offsetting this, the ranked exactly in the middle of earn- ers, reflects primarily the influx of the NUMBER OF GUILD MEMBERS BY TV writers working on the first-run MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY series, many of whom will earn less “Active” Status than the median annual earnings POST- ASSOCIATE CURRENT CURRENT from the one or two scripts they will 1993 57 7,260 106 1994 107 7,432 146 MEDIAN EARNINGS UNDER WGAW CONTRACTS 1995 265 7,436 165 1996 314 7,637 186 MEDIAN PERCENT YEAR EARNINGS CHANGE 1997 347 7,825 194 1992 $57,908 — 1998 350 7,883 213 1993 61,212 +5.7% Source: WGAw Records, April each year 1994 62,700 +2.4% 1995 76,500 +22.4% Guild shifted several hundred members 1996 87,960 +15.0% to “in arrears” status during this report 1997 80,760 -8.2% period in a dues collection effort, some- thing the Guild undertakes periodically.

Source: WGAw Records Note: Prior year figures are updated to include late-reported information. NUMBER OF NEW MEMBERS typically write. Note that residuals are ADMITTED EACH YEAR tallied separately for the purpose of All Membership Categories this report. The softening in feature YEAR NUMBER writing is not a significant factor in 1992 410 this figure, because most writers in 1993 445 that marketplace will earn more than 1994 501 the median earnings, since the mini- 1995 510 mum for a typical feature script is 1996 604 almost at the median earnings level. 1997 588

Source: WGAw Records Note: Prior year figures are updated to include late-reported information.

Residuals and Foreign Levies

RESIDUALS COLLECTIONS cable reuse slowed, increasing just The WGA collected $152.9 million in 13.6%, after a strong year in 1996. residuals in calendar year 1997, a Videocassette and pay television reuse strong 20.3% increase over the $127.1 of free television programming grew million in 1996. 29.2%, though it is still a minor area of exploitation, at just $3.1 million While television residuals held their overall in 1997. own, residual compensation for feature film led the way, increasing The growth in the number of residual 28.6% overall, and an impressive checks continued, but slowed a bit, in 37.1% for domestic and foreign free 1997, with the total number of trans- TV reuse. For television programs, actions logged rising just 6.8% to collections for foreign reuse increased 216,364, from 202,653 the year ear- a substantial 30.5%. Growth in basic lier. The average residual payment

TOTAL RESIDUALS COLLECTED BY PROGRAM TYPE AND REUSE MARKET

(Millions of $)

1997 1996 PERCENT TELEVISION PROGRAMS CHANGE Domestic Free TV Reuse 49.8 46.2 +7.8% Foreign Free TV Reuse 19.7 15.1 +30.5% Basic Cable Reuse 7.5 6.6 +13.6% Videocassette/Pay TV 3.1 2.4 +29.2% Royalty Plan Programs 0.7 0.3 +133.3% Total Television Program Residuals 80.8 70.6 +14.4%

THEATRICAL FILMS Domestic & Foreign Free TV 19.6 14.3 +37.1% Videocassette/Pay TV 48.3 38.5 +25.5% Total Theatrical Film Residuals 67.9 52.8 +28.6%

OTHER RESIDUALS 4.2 3.7 +13.5% Total Residuals Collected 152.9 127.1 +20.3%

increased to $707, a healthy increase recording is both impractical and of 12.8% from the $627 average a year invasive, and are distributed to the earlier. authors of programs which were broadcast and, thus, potentially recorded. There is also a levy in Ger- FOREIGN LEVIES many on rentals of prerecorded video Foreign levies were again a healthy cassettes. area of collections for writers, although the gathering of data for the While foreign levy agreements are disbursement of funds is still frustrat- spreading to more and more coun- ing and difficult. tries, the primary sources for these funds continue to be Germany and These funds are received by the WGA France. on behalf of all applicable US writers. Foreign collection societies send the The WGA disbursed approximately WGA the U.S. writers' share of taxes $500,000 in foreign levy funds in and levies imposed by foreign govern- the fiscal year ended March 1998. We ments for the benefit of theatrical and have paid writers more than $3.2 mil- television program authors. The pri- lion since the inception of this pro- mary source of these monies is "pri- gram, and we are making progress in vate copy" taxation for home video the receipt and recording of informa- recording of broadcasts. These taxes tion to enable us to expedite payments are based on sales of blank video cas- in the future. settes, since monitoring actual home

Credits, Creative Rights and the WGA Awards

A variety of credits and creative rights THE COMMITTEE ON THE PROFESSIONAL issues occupied the Guild agenda in STATUS OF WRITERS the past year. The Guild’s credit This committee, which will take up its determination process continues to be continuing talks with the studio lead- an area of concern to the member- ership on vanity credits later this Sum- ship. The Guild is reviewing the cur- mer, also recently met with this group rent credits process again and will be about its broader creative rights agen- bringing issues to the membership in da. While its work is still in progress the near future. and not ripe for reporting, the committee continues to receive the input THE “VANITY CREDIT” CAMPAIGN of some of the most knowledgeable The WGA’s anti-vanity credit cam- and active writers in the Guild and to paign continued through the 1997-98 bring its agenda to the attention of the period, primarily in the area of moni- policy-setters at the studios. Creative toring vanity credit practices and participation is at the top of the list. preparing for meetings this Summer Also under discussion are other sub- with the studio CEOs. jects from the daily experience of feature writers, including late payments The vanity credit, giving the director and so-called “free rewrites” – as cre- of a film an extra credit in a form ative issues. A television counterpart to similar to “A ___ Film” or “A Film By the feature committee is also slated to ___,” has been the subject of a formal pick up earlier discussion about televi- agreement between the studios and the sion issues with the leadership of the Guild since 1995 and the target of television industry. informal objection for much longer. Under the agreement with the studios, CREDITS RESTORED FOR BLACKLISTED the CEOs agreed to reduce the inci- WRITERS dence of such credits over a four-year The WGA took a leading role in the period. While the studios report industry’s observance on October 27, progress in reducing their commit- 1997 of the 50th anniversary of the ment to vanity credits for directors, House Un-American Activities Com- the length of the production and dis- mittee (HUAC) hearings that started tribution cycle for feature films means the Blacklist. Working together with that on-screen vanity credits are only DGA, SAG and AFTRA, the WGA now beginning to decrease. produced an event entitled "Holly- wood Remembers the Blacklist." The

commemorations reminded those who John Lithgow reenacted actual testi- lived through the Blacklist, and edu- mony of those individuals who were cated many who have only heard about subject to the horrors of the blacklist. the era, that such unthinkable treat- A sold-out crowd attended the event. ment of creators actually occurred in The evening program is currently the United States not so many years being edited and will be available for ago. Celebrities such as Billy Crystal, viewing in the James R. Webb Memo- Kevin Spacey, Alfre Woodard and rial Library.

1998 WGA AWARD WINNERS

SCREEN Children's Script (tie) Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: “The Song of the Zubble-Wump” (The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss), As Good As It Gets, Screenplay by Mark Andrus and Written by David Steven Cohen James L. Brooks Story by Mark Andrus “Elmo Saves Christmas” (Sesame Street), Written by Christine Ferraro and Tony Geiss Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: L.A. Confidential, Screenplay by Brian Helgeland & Documentary—Current Events Curtis Hanson “Why Can’t We Live Together?” (Dateline NBC), Based on the novel by James Ellroy Written by Craig Leake and Tom Brokaw Documentary—Other Than Current Events TELEVISION “The Secret White House Tapes” (Investigative Report) Original Long Form Written by Carol L. Fleisher and William Doyle The Summer of Ben Tyler, Written by Robert Inman News—Regularly Scheduled, Adapted Long Form Bulletin or Breaking Report (tie) Bastard Out of Carolina, “The Conviction of Timothy McVeigh” (CBS Evening News With Dan Rather) Teleplay by Anne Meredith Written by Jerry Cipriano, Paul Fischer, Tom Phillips Based on the book by Dorothy Allison “Diana, Princess of Wales” (CBS News Sunday Morning) Episodic Drama Written by Thomas A Harris, CBS “Entrapment” (Law & Order), Written by Rene Balcer & Richard Sweren News—Analysis, Feature or Commentary 48 Hours, Written by Greg Kandra Episodic Comedy “The Fatigues” (Seinfeld), On-Air Promotion Written by Gregg Kavet & Andy Robin NBC Promotions, Written by Gabrielle Becker Daytime Serials General Hospital, Written by Meg Bennett, Richard Culliton, RADIO Karen Harris, Craig Heller, Janet Iacobuzio, Elizabeth Radio Documentary Korte, Bill Levinson, Eleanor Mancusi, Patrick Mulcahey, Jackie Robinson: His Life and Legacy, Written by Thomas A. Sabella Lynda Myles, Judith Pinsker, Mary Ryan, Courtney Simon, News—Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin or Breaking Report Michele Val Jean, Christopher Whitesell, Garin Wolf World News This Week, Written by Julia Kathan News—Analysis, Feature or Commentary “A Time to Die” (Perspective), Written by Mike Silverstein

The observances noted the correction both continuity and change over the of several dozen feature film credits of decades. Notable among the show’s the time to reflect the true authorship many highlights was the introduction of the pictures. This work continues of a new statuette awarded to the win- and the Guild staff and members who ners of Guild awards, pictured on the are investigating the restoration of cover of this report. credits expect to bring more credits to the Guild Board of Directors for cor- The dramatic bronze statuette was rection in coming months. selected after an exhaustive search and The Guild noted with sadness the competition involving a dozen artists. passing of Paul Jarrico, a blacklisted The final design was created by Karen writer and one of the Guild’s primary Mortillaro, an Orange Coast College advocates and resources for the credits art professor. The statuette is 14 inch- restoration effort. Jarrico died in a es high weighing seven pounds, and is car accident just one day after the cast in museum-quality bronze. Each Guild’s commemoration of the statuette is numbered and signed by HUAC hearings. His spirit and the artist and cast at Decker Studios in resolve are missed, but serve to North Hollywood. The statuette, as inspire our continuing efforts to rec- yet unnamed, will join the lineup of ognize those whose lives were directly other distinctive entertainment awards affected by this dark period of Ameri- such as the Oscar, Emmy and Tony. can history. Mortillaro's design was selected by the WGA's Award Statuette Committee, consisting of WGA member volun- THE 50TH ANNUAL WGA AWARDS teers Alice Arlen, Allan Burns, Erica The Guild recognized excellence in Byrne, Eric Edson, Jules Feiffer, writing for the 50th time in February Michael A. Hoey, John Markus, Devra 1998 and marked the milestone with a Maza, Geoffrey C. Ward and Michael ceremony oriented around measuring Winship. the sweep of time and the scope of

Contract Negotiation & Enforcement Perhaps no area dominated the Guild for vital interests led to a successful agenda in the past year as did negotia- mediation in January 1998 by Justice tions. This is routine for negotiation Joseph R. Grodin, former California years, which come every three years or Supreme Court Justice and nationally so, but the focus was especially tight known expert on labor law. this year. Daniel Petrie, Jr., President, WGAw, wrote that "Both unions had issues to MBA NEGOTIATIONS address with the other and both The Guild completed an initial round unions came together to find a posi- of negotiations on the 1998 Minimum tive solution to assure a united and Basic Agreement (MBA) in June 1997, democratic voice for U.S. writers. We almost a year early. After a heated rat- have achieved significant changes in ification vote in September 1997, the our voting procedures - changes that agreement passed among WGA West have been discussed for decades and members by a vote of 1,530 (57%) to now accomplished.” Herb Sargent, ratify and 1,155 votes (43%) to reject. President of WGAE, wrote that, “The Among WGA East members, however, Council of the Guild has not only the vote went the other way, with just approved this agreement unanimous- 99 votes to ratify (17%) and 490 votes ly, but has done so with pride and to reject (83%). The vote in the East genuine gratitude to those who strongly in opposition to the vote in labored to reach this very positive res- the West invoked a decades-old provi- olution. We are looking forward to sion which specified the combination going back to the bargaining table of the two vote totals to determine the together and redirecting our energies result of the vote. With the vote toward the 1998 MBA and the future counts combined, the totals were interests of all writers." 1,629 (49.76%) to ratify and 1,645 (50.24%) to reject. Thus, overall, the The primary aspects of the agreement contract failed. were simultaneous votes on nationwide contracts (within 36 hours), The 16-vote margin led to an common voting materials, voting only exchange of rancor between West and by members who are in good standing East over voting procedures and an and have been employed by, or sold almost immediate effort by the West material to, an MBA signatory compa- for reconciliation. A variety of ny, use of independent organizations attempts at persuasion and provision

to count the ballots, separation of such regarding residuals on made-for-pay-tv votes from the annual election of and made-for-video product. members of the governing bodies, and a change in the Constitutional provi- This timing coincides well with the sions to provide all members an equal membership referendum on the con- vote. The guilds agreed to abide by the duct of the 2001 negotiations agreed to results of nationwide ratification votes between the WGAw and the WGAE last conducted in accord with their consti- January. Members will be able to take tutions and the new procedures in the into account their satisfaction with the January 10 Agreement. In addition, a results of this negotiation in guiding nationwide referendum on the con- the next regular negotiation. duct of the 2001 MBA will be held no later than a year before the expiration CLAIMS AND ARBITRATIONS of the 1998 MBA. In the 12 months ending April 1998, the WGA resolved 368 formal cases and A 17-member committee was appoint- collected $7.8 million. This compares ed to bring the negotiations for the favorably to last year’s results (if one 1998 MBA to conclusion and brought exceptionally large award from last year its recommended contract back to the is considered separately). The cases elected leaders and the members in involve every studio and hundreds of June 1998. The recommended contract small, independent production compa- was accepted by the nationwide mem- nies. The prosecution of cases under bership by a vote of 2,474 (80%) to WGA contracts is provided to writers at ratify and 615 (20%) to reject, bringing no charge beyond regular dues. the turbulent period to a close.

The new contract calls for a Residuals CONTRACT ENFORCEMENT Negotiation to begin almost immedi- Enhancing contract enforcement is a ately and initial talks are already being primary effort at the Guild. The past held as this report is being issued. year has seen the addition of a staff This two-year negotiation will bring to position specifically for the most fre- the table the residuals issues of great quently cited offense – late payments. concern to writers, especially the issues Any member who believes he or she is of compensation for reuse of writers’ owed an overdue payment can contact work on basic cable and in interna- the Late Payment Compliance Desk at tional television markets and issues 323.782.4780.

Contract enforcement in other areas CBS NEWS AND PROMOTIONAL WRITERS occupies a primary position in the The Guild sponsored a well-received Guild’s prospective agenda. In addi- AVID Editing Training Program in tion to the enhanced efforts of the 1997 for our CBS news writer mem- staff, the Board has set enforcement as bers. This training, conducted by a major aspect of its agenda and as a Video Symphony, the premiere AVID major element in the formulation of training company in Los Angeles, the Guild’s next strategic plan. focused on the unique Newscutter software used in newsrooms and AGENCY RELATIONS & OUTREACH helped bridge the transition to the new In the course of the last year, the technological environment of the elec- Guild continued its outreach to agen- tronic newsroom. Negotiations cies with the publication of two addi- approach for our CBS writers, who tional Writer/Agent Alerts. One dealt work at KCBS News, KNX News with Canadian writer/employment Radio, and CBS On-Air Promotions, issues; the other with delivery of the with the contract expiring in April notice of tentative writing credits. 1999 and talks starting late this year. The periodic meetings with agencies These negotiations for our growing which the Guild has conducted in past CBS contingent in Los Angeles, are years was interrupted for most of the part of the national negotiations with year by the contract negotiation CBS. effort, but will resume in full force in coming months. THE WGA SCRIPT REGISTRATION SERVICE The WGA Script Registration Service In a continuing effort to facilitate con- completed a banner year, with the cal- tact between potential employers and endar year 1997 transactions totaling members, the Agency department will 35,707 a record number that is 5% be developing a database on the Guild’s over the prior year. In an enhance- Internet website to provide another ment of its services, the department venue for distribution of writer repre- expanded its hours to 9:30 p.m. to sentation and contact information. 5:30 p.m. The Internet presence of Look for this early next year. the service is nearing implementation now that we have overcome significant hurdles regarding security and elec- tronic storage.

Health & Pension Benefits

THE HEALTH & PENSION FUNDS OTHER OPTIONS FOR HEALTH BENEFITS More writers and dependents are cur- The Guild also provides access to an rently covered by the WGA-Industry alternative health benefits program Health Plan than ever before. The called Writers Care for members who total number of covered persons is do not currently meet the require- now more than 12,000. At the same ments of the employer-sponsored time, the Health Fund maintains plan. This HMO-based program is record reserves, the benchmark for an affordable self-paid option and the stability of the fund. writers interested in more information should call the Guild. The Pension Plan has also experi- enced a positive year, reaching $1.2 The Guild also offers assistance to billion in assets. The trustees of the writers in need through our Good & Fund are considering increases in Welfare Fund. This reserve of Guild benefits. resources meets several types of needs. Writers with questions about the types Both the health fund and the pension of requests that can be made should fund and are administered by a sepa- call the Guild. The Guild can also rate staff and by its own trustees, half put writers in touch with several non- of whom are appointed by the Guild. profit programs which offer a variety Members with questions about the of benefits to members of the enter- funds may contact their offices direct- tainment industry. ly or may call the Guild. Any of these inquiries can be made by calling the Guild at 323.782.4568.

Protecting and Extending WGA Jurisdiction

ANIMATION contracts. We regularly negotiate The last year has brought long-antici- agreements covering low-budget non- pated progress in WGA coverage of fiction production, especially for basic writing for animation. We negotiated cable, to promote the use of WGA special agreements covering one basic writers. cable series, "Pocket Dragons," and two made-for-video programs based In one significant event for non-fic- on the "Garfield" character. These tion writers, the Guild participated in agreements contained important pro- the September 1997 Jackson Hole visions borrowed from the MBA, such Wildlife Film Festival. The biennial as pension and health, a form of festival honored those who have residual, credits, grievance and arbi- excelled in the field of natural history tration. More significantly, the WGA and documentary filmmaking. WGA succeeded in covering a Fox Network Member Alex Gregory, received two prime time animated series, "PJs," for awards for Best Limited Series and the the first time ever. Our efforts to Award for Cinematography. The build on these successes continue. Guild hosted a seminar on the role of the writer in non-fiction television.

INFORMATIONAL, INTERACTIVE AND NON-FICTION PROGRAMS INDEPENDENT FILMS Drawing on our long-standing com- The WGA broke new ground as this mitment to pursue coverage of the full year ends by issuing its first low budget range of writing done by WGA mem- feature waiver. As part of its strategy bers and looking forward to redou- for making this creative area more bling our efforts, the Guild is consid- available for WGA writers, the Guild’s ering a number of options for Board of Directors renewed its open- enhanced marketing of the alternate ness to such waivers in its approval of contracts we offer for Informational, this first agreement to modified terms Interactive and Non-Fiction writing. of employment. Many projects can be We continue to closely monitor the effectively covered under existing progress of technology in the interac- Guild provisions, though some, such tive market, specifically the Internet, as this film with a budget less than to determine when it will be appro- $500,000, warrant modified terms. priate to enforce the MBA rather Writers interested in such alternative than, or in addition to, the alternative terms should contact the Guild asking

about an independent film waiver at compliance. The meeting, held at 323.782.4568. WGA Headquarters, was an interguild dialogue, and was attended by repre- The Guild also continued its alliance sentatives of the various Hollywood with the Independent Feature Project, labor unions (DGA, SAG and West (IFP West), serving as the official AFTRA), as well as other interested theater of their Independent Spirit groups such as the NAACP, the Media Awards and as the host of the Image Coalition and the L.A. Com- bimonthly New Visions screening mission on Human Relations. series for quality independent films seeking distribution. In other activity, the Committee of Women Writers hosted an October 1997 agents panel as well as the EMPLOYMENT ACCESS PROGRAMS Women in Film 25th Anniversary The WGA worked with Disney again Celebration in April 1998. The Free- in the past year to administer the Walt lance Committee's Producer Access Disney Studios Writers Fellowship Program completed another round Program. The nine new Fellows were and four writers received assignments welcomed at a reception hosted by the through the ABC Latino Freelance Writers Guild in October 1997. All Writers Access Program. The first five of the Television Fellows from WGA/Media Access award was pre- 1996 are currently employed on series sented to Board member David and many other past graduates have Balkan. The Guild cosponsored a successfully made the transition into conference at USC in January 1998 the television and feature film writing entitled "Affirmative Action in the workforce. 21st Century:A Public/Private Part- nership". Women, Black and Latino In November 1997 and again in Writer Directories were updated and March 1998, the WGA hosted lun- released. The Guild was represented at cheon meetings to discuss new and dialogues in connection with the Pres- collective strategies toward implemen- ident's Initiative on Race in February tation of Affirmative Action programs 1998 and the President's Committee and efforts in Hollywood. Special for the Employment of People with guests included representatives from Disabilities in New Orleans in May the U.S. Department of Labor, the 1998. governmental entity responsible for enforcement of Affirmative Action

Engaging the Public Agenda

LEGISLATIVE the ordinance’s requirements. The The Guild has initiated an aggressive Guild has sponsored a bill in Sacra- lobbying effort in Washington, D.C., mento, A.B. 2065, authored by Los Angeles and Sacramento. Our Assemblyman Cardenas, which will Washington program includes estab- establish statewide standards and pro- lishing the Writers Guild as an hibit both permit and tax require- informed resource on industry trends ments for writers and others. The and building a legislative agenda that Guild is spearheading a coalition of will protect writers' economic and 22 entertainment and literary orga- creative rights. As this report goes to nizations that are supporting our press, we are working to amend the efforts. Copyright Term Extension Act to assure all writers receive residuals for DOMESTIC & INTERNATIONAL pre-1960s work. Our efforts in sup- ALLIANCES port of this legislation included the The Guild continued its active agenda testimony of Julius J. Epstein, the co- of interaction with allied organiza- winner of the Academy Award for the tions around the world in the past screenplay Casablanca. We have also year, continuing to pursue the inter- worked to establish rights in the U.S. ests of American writers by represent- treaty covering the Internet. Next on ing those interests in international our agenda is addressing the venues and by supporting the efforts inequities writers experience under of other organizations to represent various Internal Revenue codes. the interests of their writer-con- stituents. Closer to home, the Guild took on the Los Angeles City Council follow- The newest engagement of the Guild ing the passage of the Home Occupa- came through increased activity with tion Ordinance and the expansion of the Pan-American entertainment the city's Business License Ordinance union federation PANARTES. The to writers. Writers would have been quadrennial congress of unions, rep- required to have a permit to write in resenting all the trades and arts in the their homes and to pay a city business industry from North, Central and tax. With the support and action of South America, brought together thousands of writers, the Guild has more than 100 delegates in Cuer- largely succeeded in its legal and leg- navaca, Mexico. The four-day event islative effort to exempt writers from

highlighted the similarities of the forums and the annual Los Angeles issues for industry workers in all the "City of Lights, City of Angels" centers of film and television produc- French Film Festival. tion in the region. Our primary international connec- Our activity also continued with the tion continues to be with our sister world federation Media Entertain- Guilds in the International Affiliation ment International. Through this of Writers Guilds (IAWG). This affil- affiliation we have kept in touch with iation includes the WGAE, the Writers developments in Europe and else- Guild of Canada, the Australian Writ- where and sent delegates to select gov- ers Guild, the New Zealand Writers’ ernmental and industry meetings. Guild, the French Canadian Société des Auteurs, Recherchistes, Docu- The “City of Lights, City of Angels” mentalistes et Compositeurs film festival brought the French and (SARDeC), and the Writers Guild of American film communities together Great Britain. The IAWG member for the second year in a row this past Guilds work together to strengthen March. The Franco-American Cul- and standardize the conditions under tural Fund (FACF) is a collaborative which their members work through a effort between the Writers Guild, coordinated agenda spanning intellec- Directors Guild, Motion Picture tual property policy, foreign levy col- Association and France's Society of lection strategies, and contract negoti- Authors, Composers and Editors of ation and enforcement strategies. Music. The FACF is funded by levies imposed on the sale of blank video- WRITTEN BY tapes sold in France. In an effort to After last year’s successful transforma- encourage and promote a dialogue tion, this year Written By became an between the filmmaking communities award winner. Written By was recog- of France and the United States, the nized by the Western Publications FACF sponsors a number of initia- Association at their 41st Annual Mag- tives, including: master classes in gie Awards ceremony. Selected from France with American writers, direc- among 1,700 entries, Written By was tors and producers; an international nominated in four categories, and scholarship exchange program for named Most Improved Trade Publica- French and American film students; tion (with circulation under 50,000) the sponsorships of international film

and Best Special Interest Trade Publi- discussions about areas of concern to cation. In addition, Written By took the members. Member News promises to be trade publication grand prize for the a valuable means to inform members evening, winning as Best Overall and continue the Guild's ongoing Trade Publication against competition commitment to member service. This with a wide range of resources and focus of member communication is circulation levels. The event honors part of a larger effort by the Guild to the best in magazine publishing in the achieve the disparate goals of commu- Western United Sates, recognizing nicating more with the members and "editorial and design excellence." reducing the number of mailings the Guild sends. In addition to the honors received from the WPA, Written By saw growth in THE GUILD WEBSITE circulation, with paid subscribers The Guild presence on the Internet at nearly doubling from 1996. And www.wga.org has completed a year of newsstand distribution grew, with growth in both content and traffic. more than 2,500 copies per month Visits to the website have tripled in the being sent to bookstores and news- last year to approximately 20,000 per stands nationwide and in Canada. month, with total “hits” topping 500,000 per month. The range of MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS content has expanded from news and The Publications Department, the descriptive information about the Public Affairs Department and other Guild and articles drawn from Writ- communications-related staff have ten By to include information more collaborated with President Daniel directly related to the business of the Petrie, Jr. and Executive Director Guild and original journalism. In the Brian Walton to create a new publica- coming year the website will be mov- tion exclusively for Guild members ing into the core areas of Guild busi- called Written By Member News. This pub- ness. The website always has the latest lication consolidates a number of news about the Guild, so check for Guildy mailings, including the long- ritten B supdates periodically or when events W standing monthly Calendar ofe events.wwarrant. The publicationbe is expectedrN to grow in emscope, in all likelihood expanding to M include member letters – sparking

FILM FESTIVALS icant steps toward our goal of ensuring The Public Affairs Department coor- the full participation of writers in the dinates the Guild's participation at a studio publicity machine. A publicist number of film festivals. The Guild outreach program has been estab- annually participates in major festivals lished, setting up one-on-one meet- such as Sundance, Los Angeles, Seat- ings with studio publicity heads to tle, Austin, Telluride and Toronto. An bring the writer's contribution to the aggressive and high-profile Guild forefront. Also, Clein + White devel- presence at festivals has increased oped a publicity handbook for writers, attention to the role of the writer in "Writers & Publicity: Advice from an film and heightened awareness of Expert," explaining the film publicity individual writers in what previously process from the ground up. This has been a director-focused environ- handbook is available through the ment. The Guild's participation also Department of Public Affairs. serves as an effective means to remain visible within the community of inde- "SOMEBODY WROTE THAT" CAMPAIGN pendent filmmakers, fostering an The Public Affairs Department has informed body of potential WGA been responsible for a variety of ini- members. tiatives in the area of image and public awareness. The latest effort is the THE WRITERS IMAGE CAMPAIGN "Somebody Wrote That" campaign. COMMITTEE The campaign so far has used ad space The Writers Image Campaign Com- in national magazines (such as Fade In, mittee (WICC) was formed in 1996 Scenario, Filmmaker and Scr(i)pt) acquired with the goal of enhancing the image through "trade-outs," thus the effort of the writer. WICC was pivotal in has cost members essentially nothing. determining public image goals and Using humor, the series of ads priorities and allocating resources to describes visual movie scenes that the that end. This group of members was viewing public might not readily involved in the hiring of an outside ascribe to writers. The "Somebody publicity firm, Clein + White Public Wrote That" tag line will be integrated Relations. Working with Clein + into a number of aspects of the White has been extremely valuable to Guild's publicity efforts, augmenting the Guild’s efforts to emphasize the the ongoing use of the slogan "Ameri- contribution of the writer to the film- ca's Storytellers." Such slogans are making process. We have taken signif- used extensively on Guild logo materi-

al such as caps, mugs, T-shirts and "SCREENWRITERS: FIFTY FACES BEHIND pens – further broadening exposure THE GREATEST MOVIE MOMENTS" for our publicity and awareness The Guild was the major benefactor efforts. Such items are not yet for sale, of a photographic portrait exhibit fea- but rather are distributed to various turing screenwriters that began a individuals at film festivals, recep- world tour in the Fall of 1997. The tions, outreach gatherings and as exhibit is the creation of Helena tokens of appreciation. Lumme, who devised the concept, and Mika Manninen, who photographed WRITERS AND THE MEDIA the screenwriters. Their goal is to In its capacity as liaison to the Media spotlight screenwriters who they feel Relations Committee, the Public are "the true architects of cinema . . . Affairs Department coordinates five often overlooked by the media and the annual writer events: Summer and public." The striking portraits are Winter Screenwriter Receptions; accompanied by a statement from Television Critics Association Recep- each writer commenting upon the life tion; Emmy Nominee Reception and of the Hollywood screenwriter. The WGA Award Nominee Reception. exhibit was shown earlier this year in These events have proven very success- Helsinki, Finland and at the Cannes ful tools in our efforts to elevate the Film Festival, and will travel to Berlin status of the screen and television and London. The US premiere was writer and build relationships through held at the Academy of Motion Pic- one-on-one interaction with film tures Arts and Sciences in December critics and other members of the 1997. entertainment, national and international press.

Managing the Guild

A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH RELATIONS WITH THE WGA EAST In response to a challenge to the In 1954, five writers’ unions, includ- Guild’s September 1997 election for ing the oldest predecessor of the WGA Board Members and Officers, the West, the Screen Writers Guild, came Guild Board of Directors commis- together to form one united repre- sioned an independent committee sentative organization for writers comprised of WGAw members to nationwide. In the process, they actu- review the claim. The claim, filed by a ally formed two corporations, with group of Guild members with the separate governance: one was in New Department of Labor (DOL), alleged York and the other was in Los Ange- that the 1997 election violated labor les. The structure suited the times, as law and the Guild's constitution. The the contracts under which writers DOL referred the matter back to the worked were effectively regional – live Guild for resolution through internal television in New York, filmed televi- procedures as the law requires. The sion and feature films in Los Angeles, committee's four and a half week radio split between the coasts. Rou- investigation included 31 interviews tine transcontinental travel was still by with writers and members of the train and regional negotiations and WGAw staff. The committee's report strikes would be hampered by truly of 28 pages concludes with this state- national decision making. ment: "The Committee unanimously finds that none of the allegations in By 1981, the Guild contracts were the election protest is supported by national and film and television writ- the evidence and that the Guild pro- ing had spanned the 3,000 mile gulf. vided, in all respects, adequate safe- The Guild governance, however, was guards for a fair election." still bifurcated. With no national board to govern a restructuring of The Board unanimously accepted the policy setting, the two-guild form report at its January 5 Board meeting remained. Attempts at a merger were and, although a few Guild members unsuccessful and the issue remained sought further investigation, the DOL largely outside the awareness of the took no further action. membership.

Until the contract rejection this year, that is. In the wake of the rejection, the dual-leadership structure and

arcane voting rules came front and THE GUILD HEADQUARTERS center as the underlying causes for the The Guild headquarters continues to fracture. The WGA West leadership be an active asset in the conduct of the generally advocated a union of the two collective affairs of writers. One recent leadership groups to represent what is, addition is a video conferencing system in reality, one body of writers. The that connects with the office of WGA leadership of WGA East rejected the East to allow easier communication for idea of a merger, preferring to main- joint committees and between the tain autonomy. Ironically, it had Board of WGAw and the Council of been the screenwriters in the West who WGAE. had advocated the two-guild structure in 1954, over the objection of the Also added this year is a Member Cof- New York leaders. feehouse on the second floor. This comfortable, roomy space is provided In the heat of the contract negotia- for members’ use during business tion, the bigger questions about the hours (9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) for merger of the two institutions into meeting friends or business associates one representative organization were or for reading or writing in between deferred in favor of narrower agree- meetings. This space was authorized by ment on the conduct of national the Board of Directors for a trial peri- votes. The vital interest at hand was od, after which they will review its use the conclusion of the 1998 MBA. and possible permanent establishment. With that agreement concluded, the attention will now turn, in due The Property Planning Committee has course, to the more far-reaching undertaken the immense task of creat- questions of the most effective struc- ing visual art for the WGA Headquar- ture for representing writers with ters building that will incorporate text, strength, clarity and equal representa- photography and memorabilia to tell tion, providing the same level of ser- the history of the Writers Guild of vices to writers in Los Angeles, New America, West and of writers in Holly- York, and to those distributed wood. A researcher has been gathering throughout the rest of the country, materials by researching various archives including the Motion Picture Academy, the studios and private col- lectors as well as the private collections of Guild members.

MEMBER SERVICE WGA THEATER & FILM SOCIETY Member Service in many forms was The expansion of the lobby at the part of the agenda of the Guild this Guild’s theater on Doheny Drive in year. Most notable was the creation of Beverly Hills has dramatically upgrad- a new Member Services Department. ed our capacity to host receptions and Longtime Guild lawyers Countess larger gatherings. A catering pantry, Williams and Mark Mitchell staff this green room and an additional new department to reach out to restroom complete the additions and screenwriters and television writers, provide for full-service facilities in a respectively, to ensure that all writers space that is inviting and unique. The have easy access to the Guild’s services. subsequent attraction of several long- term clients, along with the Guild’s own use, have already justified this investment by the Guild.