Congratulations WGA and Writers. Uplifting to see positive solutions unfold while avoiding negativity. Witnessing a beautiful Phoenix emerging from the ashes. Thanks for giving nonWGA Screenwriters a front row seat. https://deadline.com/2019/04/wga-writers-submission-system-expansion-upf...
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I can only speak for myself to say I enjoy following what's happening in the industry even as a non-WGA screenwriter. I feel it benefits me to know more about the industry I aspire to work in.
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I agree with Kay. I'm not in the WGA but I do have an attorney who'd like to pitch my pilot. Trouble is we don't know whether to go to an agency or not. Industry is a mess right now thanks to this ongoing war. Theoretically, pitching an agency is crossing a picket line but let's face it, the WGA isn't exactly welcoming newcomers with open arms. As a non-guild member, you have every right to take a meeting with anyone who will give you a shot and I highly doubt the WGA is going to open submissions to outsiders anytime soon.
I've not been a card carrying member for well over a decade now - I don't miss it!
Membership in the WGA is beneficial if your goal is to be a writer working within the traditional system. If you're an independent filmmaker or a creator of TV (as I am), membership doesn't hold much value. As an indie, go out and produce your stuff! M L. you shouldn't be pitching to agencies at all. You should be pitching to prodcos and distros - even before this dust-up, agencies weren't the place to go to get your pilot produced and retain any creative control whatsoever.
John Ellis Pitching a distributor for a pilot? Huh? The way I understand it this war is over the agencies packaging TV shows and attaching producers, directors, talent etc. for your show and then taking it to a network or streaming service and making a deal based on those attachments.
That's the issue. The conflict of interest over them doing that and compromising the rates of all involved to save the platforms money and then pocketing the difference in the form of packaging fees.
Yeah, ideally I'd go to a development company first but as an unrepped 1st time writer, I'm not going to get a meeting with any TV development company or network like HBO anytime soon. They don't take meetings for material that isn't packaged by the top 4. This is what this whole conflict is about. Do you really know of a TV development company, production company or platform that has an open door policy for submissions that don't come through an agency? By all means, list them...