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Hollywood Strikes: What Happened

A curated selection of Variety news, analysis and in-the-moment coverage of 2023’s record-setting work stoppages by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA.

Writer Ilana Pena holds her sign on the picket line on the fourth day of the strike by the Writers Guild of America in front of Netflix in Hollywood, California, on May 5, 2023. - The Hollywood writers' strike broke out this week over pay, but the refusal of studios like Netflix and Disney to rule out artificial intelligence replacing human scribes in the future has only fueled anger and fear on the picket lines. With their rapidly advancing ability to eerily mimic human conversation, AI programs like ChatGPT have spooked many industries recently. The White House this week summoned Big Tech to discuss the potential risks. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

How the WGA Decided to Harness — but Not Ban — Artificial Intelligence

Last summer, Van Robichaux ran for the board of directors of the Writers Guild of America West. Out of 17 candidates, he was the…

QUEENS, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2023/05/04: Writers Guild of America members march on a picket line in front of Silvercup Studios. After contract negotiations failed, thousands of unionized writers voted unanimously to strike, bringing television production to a halt, and initiating the first walkout in 15 years. (Photo by Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

For Film Writers, a Strike Over ‘Free Work’ Has Been Decades in Development

The 2023 writers strike has focused attention on recent developments like artificial intelligence and the transition to streaming. But for film writers, the key…

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2023/05/10: Actor Mandy Patinkin seen marching in solidarity with the WGA. The 2023 Writers Guild of America strike is an ongoing labor dispute between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) labor union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).The WGA represents 11,500 screenwriters and went on strike on Tuesday after contract negotiations with studios, streaming services and networks failed. (Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Residuals Are Key to Nearly Every Strike in Hollywood History — Here’s Why

What would it take to get a fair residual in streaming? That is the question at the heart of both the Writers Guild of…

LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 03: Signage used by members and supporters of SAG-AFTRA and WGA as they walk the picket line is seen at Paramount Studios on August 03, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Members of SAG-AFTRA and WGA (Writers Guild of America) have both walked out in their first joint strike against the studios since 1960. The strike has shut down a majority of Hollywood productions with writers in the third month of their strike against the Hollywood studios. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

TV Staff Minimum Remains Key Sticking Point, but Some in WGA Privately Grumble: ‘Nobody Asked for This’

The Writers Guild of America responded on Tuesday to the latest proposal from the studios, as the sides continue to try to resolve the…

Former WGAW president Christopher Keyser

Chris Keyser’s Gift for Rhetoric on Display in WGA Strike: ‘He’s Our Churchill’

Chris Keyser, a tuxedoed 23-year-old, stood at a lectern at the Oxford Union to defend the moral superiority of the United States over the…

SAG WGA Strike Artificial Intelligence

SAG-AFTRA Strike: AI Fears Mount for Background Actors

Prince Royal, an actor in Los Angeles, was working as an extra on “The Flash” when he was directed to a tractor trailer to…

How SAG-AFTRA, AMPTP Talks Ended After 'Civilized' Dispute

How SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP Talks Broke Down After Calls to CEOs, a Strike Delay Demand and Rebuffed Offers

There was a large crowd in the room when SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood’s major studios and streamers formally began contract bargaining negotiations on June 7.…

WGA Writers Strike Placeholder

Writers Strike: Inside the Room as Talks Collapsed

To a lot of people outside the negotiating room, a strike by Hollywood writers felt inevitable. But it didn’t feel that way inside the…

WGA Strike: How Writers and Studios Reached a Deal, Explained

‘We Caused Them Pain’: The Inside Story of How the WGA and AMPTP Negotiated a ‘Great Deal’ to End the Writers Strike

The backchanneling began to pick up steam after the WGA strike passed the 60-day mark and actors joined writers on picket lines in July.…

WGA Leaders Divulge How the Deal Got Done

WGA Leaders David Goodman, Chris Keyser and Meredith Stiehm on How the Deal Was Done: ‘We Got Something for Every Sector of the Guild’

David Goodman, Chris Keyser and Meredith Stiehm have spent this year in warrior mode on behalf of their fellow 11,500 members of the Writers…

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 10: SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher (L) speaks as SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland looks on at a press conference discussing their strike-ending deal with the Hollywood studios on November 10, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. A tentative labor agreement has been reached between the actors union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) with the strike completed after 118 days. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

‘A Crowning Achievement’ and ‘Moment of Triumph’ for Actors: SAG-AFTRA Leaders Reflect on the Long Road to Ratification

“Frankly, I’m exhausted,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher told Variety minutes after the union disclosed the ratification vote tally that sealed the deal on its…

Writers walk the picket line on the second day of the television and movie writers' strike outside Disney Studios in Burbank, California on May 3, 2023. - More than 11,000 Hollywood television and movie writers went on their first strike in 15 years, after talks with studios and streamers over pay and working conditions failed to clinch a deal. The strike means late-night shows are expected to grind to a halt immediately, while television series and movies scheduled for release later this year and beyond could face major delays. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

WGA Strike Hits 100 Days: Timeline of Key Events

It’s been a long and winding road so far for Hollywood during its summer of strikes, and the path forward is anything but clear.…

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 18: Striking WGA (Writers Guild of America) members picket with striking SAG-AFTRA members outside Netflix studios on September 18, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. The Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are set to meet for a new round of contract talks this week in the four-months long writers strike. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

New WGA Contract Explained: AI Is Not a Writer, Solo Scribe Shows Don’t Need Minimum Staff and More

The WGA emerges from the long slog of a strike and difficult contract talks with a deal that is far richer and more comprehensive…

'Bones' reunion picket WGA July 7 2023 Fox Studios

‘Bones’ Reunion WGA Picket Draws Crowd at Fox and Spurs Nostalgia for Procedural TV: ‘We Worked 46 Weeks a Year’

Renowned alumni of the Jeffersonian Institute pulled out their security badges and patches to assemble Friday morning for a lively “Bones” writers strike reunion…

SAG-AFTRA and WGA Members and Supporters walks the picket line in support of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike at the Netflix Studios on July 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Dragged Back to Minimum Scale: Why Veteran Actors are Mad About Streaming ‘Discounts’ and Having to Fight for Their Contractual Rights

SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood’s largest employers are wrestling over complicated contract proposals in a business turned inside-out by the transition from linear to streaming. But…

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