The skies are cloudy over LA and thick over NYC today, but for over 1,000 studio and “struck companies” staffers their Black List membership just went dark.
In support of the Writers Guild of America’s over one-month long strike, the Franklin Leonard founded platform has suspended the access that approximately 1,300 have to its services.
In addition, the nearly 20-year-old script curation organization has slashed material fees for writers until their battle with the studios and streamers is resolved with a new deal. “Writers remain the most undervalued constituents of the film and television ecosystem, and it should be unsurprising that the Black List backs them in their pursuit of equitable pay and protections reflecting their vital and economically significant contributions to the industry,” Leonard told Deadline today. “When writers win, the entire industry wins.” The move to cut costs for scribes and wall off access for studios allows writers to stay well within guidelines of selling, optioning, pitching or taking on new gigs during the strike, which started on May 2 after talks with the AMPTP on a new contract broke down The Black List decision to support writers in this way during the strike reinforces their longstanding commitment to supporting writers,” noted WGA executive Charles Slocum.
One of the treasure troves of new work and new voices in Hollywood since its 2005 inception, the annual Black List has become essential round-up of the most liked but unproduced screenplays.
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