Wondering How the Writer's Strike Affects You?
Bring Hollywood home, no matter where you live. Hollywood By Phone is a subscription service that connects writers with agents, managers, and other industry execs through weekly, live conference calls. Wondering how the WGA strike affects you?Hollywood By Phone and the Great American PitchFest invite you to join a free, live teleconference on November 20th to learn more, air concerns, and ask questions about the WGA strike. Only 300 callers may participate, so if interested, please email info@PitchFest.com with the subject line of conference call to RSVP, and for further instructions. This is a difficult and stressful time for writers everywhere, as negotiations break down and The Writer’s Guild of America writers leave their offices, sets and soundstages for the picket line. "Hyphenates," - those writer-directors, writer-editors, writer-producers, even writer-actors - are in a quandary. Can they still perform non-writing duties? And where does the "writing" stop? Some take off their writing hat and show up for work in their other roles. Others have decided that their other personae will refuse to cross the picket line. All are torn on the horns of this dilemma, and split schizophrenic by the same multiple talents that heretofore have served them so well and brought such prominence, wealth and achievement. And what about non WGA writers (pre WGA)? Does the strike mean more opportunities for new writers? What should a non-union writer DO - or NOT DO - during the WGA strike?Like the pro football strike a few years ago - this could be your shot at the big leagues, and a strike can be perhaps the best opportunity ever for a new writer. On the other hand, do you take advantage of a potential opportunity if it means alienating yourself with the WGA, or the very writers whose work may have inspired you to pursue a screenwriting career in the first place? The WGA doesn’t want to keep you out - it wants you in, and protected under its agreement with the studios - the very agreement the WGA’s trying to negotiate now. So, where's the line? Is just submitting material an ethical issue? After all, someone is paid to read it. And what about submitting to a non-signatory company? What is the fine line between "creating" and "writing"?Please join Signe Olynyk, founder of The Great American PitchFest, and Chris Soth, USC film grad, WGA Writer and founder of Hollywood By Phone and Million-Dollar Screenwriting with a special guest writer, to discuss the strike and related issues for Guild Members and Non-Members alike, including an update on where negotiations stand. Details of the call are still being worked out. If you are interested, please email info@PitchFest.com, with conference call in the subject line, and you will be contacted with the final details when they are available. CHRIS SOTH developed the "Mini-Movie Method" after years of success as a Hollywood screenwriter. Chris has multiple projects in development at major Hollywood studios. This master story teller is also an expert in pitching and selling - necessary tools for a screenwriter in Hollywood. Chris holds an MFA in screenwriting and a BA in Dramatic Literature. He is the only seminar instructor whose work has been produced by a major Hollywood studio. |