e278. Hollywood is on Strike! (But, what does that mean?)
If you’re a fan of current American popular culture it’s pretty much impossible to not know that Hollywood is on strike right now. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May 2, 2023 with the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) joining them on July 14. With both guilds striking that has effectively brought production on movies and television in America to a standstill and it isn’t clear when either will be able to settle with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Media attention to the strike has been fairly thorough and it seems like, for the most part, public sentiment has stayed with the striking guilds. However, oddly enough, even though both guilds have made it clear that they’re not really striking for “the Hollywood millionaires” but instead, the regular working class artists, most interviews and coverage has been with famous (and frankly relatively rich) people because… well, that’s how media works! Well not us! On this week’s supersized episode, Hannah and Mav are joined by returning guest and working (well, currently striking) actor Ryan Scott Thomas as working (well as currently striking) writer Jamie Nash to talk all about the ongoing strike and lend a personal take “from the trenches.” Listen and let us know what you think in the comments. Citations and Links: * This episode’s Call For Comments * WGA West Good and Welfare Emergency Assistance Fund * SAG-AFTRA Foundation * Entertainment Community Fund * Buy Jamie’s book, Save the Cat! Writes for TV: The Last Book on Creating Binge-Worthy Content You’ll Ever Need * Check out Jamie’s Podcast, Writers/Blockbusters Screenwriting Podcast * Follow Jamie on Twitter: @Jamie_Nash * Follow Ryan on Instagram: @ryanscottthomas * Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme * Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahleerogers * Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick * Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast