The contract also addresses healthcare benefits, making it easier for writing teams to qualify. The WGA's members have until October 9th to vote on the new proposed contract, which has been unanimously recommended by the guild's leadership. The contract is expected to have a significant impact on the industry, particularly for junior staffers entering the industry and for the future adoption of AI in Hollywood.
Key takeaways:
- The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has achieved a new contract that will make the business of TV and movie making more equitable over the next few years. The contract includes minimum pay increases, the end of TV "mini-rooms", and better residuals and more streaming data transparency.
- The contract also includes provisions for screenwriting second steps and speedy payments, as well as regulations on the use of artificial intelligence tools in writing.
- One of the significant changes is the introduction of minimum staffing requirements designed to roll back the rise of “mini-rooms” in which very small teams would be hired to pen full-sized projects. Now, the number of writers will be determined by the length of a show’s season.
- The new contract also makes it easier for writing teams to qualify for healthcare benefits. All writers will be documented as receiving the team’s full payment, which will make it significantly easier for them to hit the required minimums to receive insurance.