David A.Goodman: Last News

Meredith Stiehm will be the next president of the WGA West. Stiehm, running unopposed, will succeed David A. Goodman, who has termed out, on Sept. 21.

Meredith Stiehm is running for president of the WGA West. Currently a member of the local’s board of directors, she was one of the eight named plaintiffs in the WGA’s historic legal battle that reshaped the talent agency business.

The WGA West’s annual election season has begun. This year, the guild will hold elections for all three of its officers – president, vice president and secretary-treasurer – and for eight of the 16 seats on its board of directors.

Fresh off the WGA’s historic victory over the talent agencies, WGA West president David A. Goodman opened his remarks tonight at the 73rd annual Writers Guild Awards with a good-natured poke at Ari Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, the parent company of WME, which was the last to sign the guild’s franchise agreement. “We’re recording this three weeks ahead of the ceremony,” he joked, “so if anything has happened to me in the meantime, I would encourage the police to take a hard look at Ari Emanuel.”

David A. Goodman has been president of the WGA West since 2017, and will term out in September, bringing to an end one of the guild’s most consequential presidencies. In this interview, he reflects on what it was like to be president during the most challenging year in the history of the film and television industry, and on the WGA’s historic campaign to reshape the talent agency business – and what may lie ahead if members decide to take on the business practices of personal managers, as well. He also spoke about how the film industry lags far behind television in terms of diversity and inclusion, and about what David Young, the guild’s longtime executive director, is really like.

The Writers Guild of America West sent a note on Friday to its estimated 10,000 members telling them to not work on upcoming projects from producersRandall Emmett and George Furla amid a dispute with the union. The WGAW claims that the producers' companies,Emmett Furla Oasis Films (EFO) and Pumped, LLC, owe compensation to four writers who worked on a television series pitch entitledPump.

David Robb Labor EditorWME partner Rick Rosen claims in court documents filed Wednesday that WGA West executive director David Young “repeatedly threatened to ‘kill’ me” during a heated phone conversation in August, as the guild and the agency were trying to work out a deal to end their ongoing legal standoff.Rosen said that he was so alarmed by the alleged threat that he called WGA West president David A. Goodman to complain about it, but didn’t get a satisfactory response.

Amid a standoff with two major talent agencies, the Writers Guild of America West unveiled the results of its annual election for its leadership on Monday. Candidates that have been elected to two-year terms to the guild's board of directors include Betsy Thomas, Deric A.

Greg Evans Associate Editor/Broadway CriticWriters Guild of America West has announced the results of its 2020 Board of Directors election, with eight members elected for two-year terms.Of the eight, only one – Eric Haywood – is a non-incumbent.The elected members include Haywood, Betsy Thomas, Deric A. Hughes, Ashley Gable, Patti Carr, David Slack, Travis Donnelly and Patric M.

David Robb Labor EditorEXCLUSIVE: The WGA has wrapped up successful negotiations on two fronts in the past few weeks, getting UTA to break ranks with the other Big Four agencies by signing the guild’s franchise agreement and hammering out a new three-year film and TV contract with management’s AMPTP. And WGA West president David A.

David Robb, Nellie Andreeva Now that UTA has signed the WGA’s franchise agreement after lengthy negotiations, speculation is mounting over which of the other Big Four agencies – WME, CAA or ICM Partners – will be the next to sign.Sources tell Deadline that WGA West president David A. Goodman told members at a captains meeting Tuesday night that the guild is close to a deal with another major agency, and if that comes to pass, the era of packaging fees – money the studios pay agencies to bring together the creative elements of their films and TV shows – could soon be on its last legs.Goodman’s remarks triggered a guessing game as to which agency he might be referring.

By David Robb

By David Robb

By David Robb