Exclusive: Nrdc (Natural Resources Defense Council), the Black List, the Redford Center, and the CAA Foundation today announced the recipients of the 2024 Nrdc Climate Storytelling Fellowship and the Hollywood creatives who will mentor them. Along with new partner NBCUniversal, the organizations also announced the opening of the submission window for the 2025 cycle of the fellowship.
Now in its fourth year, the first-of-its-kind fellowship supports screenwriters in the revision of their feature or television screenplays that reflect our climate and environmental crises and engage with its impacts.
2024 Fellows, Mentors and Projects
Out of a record-breaking 456 submissions, Elizabeth Chatelain, Marcus Tappan, and writing pair Sasha Stewart and Casey Rand have been selected for their unique and captivating portrayals of the climate crisis. Each fellow, or writing team, will receive a $20,000 grant and be paired with an entertainment industry professional who will provide mentorship and creative support to further develop their screenplays.
This...
Now in its fourth year, the first-of-its-kind fellowship supports screenwriters in the revision of their feature or television screenplays that reflect our climate and environmental crises and engage with its impacts.
2024 Fellows, Mentors and Projects
Out of a record-breaking 456 submissions, Elizabeth Chatelain, Marcus Tappan, and writing pair Sasha Stewart and Casey Rand have been selected for their unique and captivating portrayals of the climate crisis. Each fellow, or writing team, will receive a $20,000 grant and be paired with an entertainment industry professional who will provide mentorship and creative support to further develop their screenplays.
This...
- 4/18/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The TV Academy is being slammed by the Writers Guild of America for apparently making the decision to remove the presentation of the outstanding writing for a variety series/special award from the Primetime Emmys telecast that will take place on Jan. 15, 2024.
In a missive sent on Tuesday to members of the WGA East and West, the guild’s top leadership — including WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and WGA West president Meredith Stiehm — calls the TV Academy’s move a “regrettable decision” and one “without any justification or defensible reason” which “devalues our profession.”
They go on to note that the guild has raised its objections directly with the TV Academy and is “strongly advocating to have the category remain in the primetime televised program.”
The TV Academy and its 2024 Emmys broadcasting partner Fox are presumably facing pressure to deliver higher telecast ratings by making the show shorter and...
In a missive sent on Tuesday to members of the WGA East and West, the guild’s top leadership — including WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and WGA West president Meredith Stiehm — calls the TV Academy’s move a “regrettable decision” and one “without any justification or defensible reason” which “devalues our profession.”
They go on to note that the guild has raised its objections directly with the TV Academy and is “strongly advocating to have the category remain in the primetime televised program.”
The TV Academy and its 2024 Emmys broadcasting partner Fox are presumably facing pressure to deliver higher telecast ratings by making the show shorter and...
- 11/28/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Writers Guild of America is doubling down on the Television Academy’s plans to cut the number of writing awards given out on the main Emmys telecast.
The guild has urged writers to “express your feelings” about the “regrettable” decision to remove the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series/Special from the main primetime awards.
In a memo to members, the WGA said that the TV Academy made the decision “without any justification or defensible reason.”
It comes after the Emmys unveiled the category breakdown this month. Later that day, the WGA told Deadline that the decision to reduce the number of writing categories on the main telecast from four to three was “misguided given the essential role writers play in the creative process of variety series and generating value for this industry.”
The move means that Outstanding Variety Special (Live) will return to the live telecast as Outstanding...
The guild has urged writers to “express your feelings” about the “regrettable” decision to remove the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series/Special from the main primetime awards.
In a memo to members, the WGA said that the TV Academy made the decision “without any justification or defensible reason.”
It comes after the Emmys unveiled the category breakdown this month. Later that day, the WGA told Deadline that the decision to reduce the number of writing categories on the main telecast from four to three was “misguided given the essential role writers play in the creative process of variety series and generating value for this industry.”
The move means that Outstanding Variety Special (Live) will return to the live telecast as Outstanding...
- 11/28/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Writers Guild of America East announced Thursday that Lisa Takeuchi Cullen has officially been elected as its new president after running unopposed to succeed outgoing president Michael Winship.
Takeuchi Cullen is now the third woman and the first person of color to be elected president of WGA East. Secretary-treasurer Christopher Kyle will continue in the same position after also running unopposed.
“I am honored to become the next president of the Writers Guild of America East. Even when we negotiate a fair deal with the Hollywood studios — and it is a when, not an if — I know the fight is not over,” Takeuchi Cullen said in a statement. “The fight continues for all of our members, TV and screenwriters as well as journalists and podcasters, to achieve compensation commensurate to the value of our important work. The fight continues for all workers to earn a life of dignity. The fight...
Takeuchi Cullen is now the third woman and the first person of color to be elected president of WGA East. Secretary-treasurer Christopher Kyle will continue in the same position after also running unopposed.
“I am honored to become the next president of the Writers Guild of America East. Even when we negotiate a fair deal with the Hollywood studios — and it is a when, not an if — I know the fight is not over,” Takeuchi Cullen said in a statement. “The fight continues for all of our members, TV and screenwriters as well as journalists and podcasters, to achieve compensation commensurate to the value of our important work. The fight continues for all workers to earn a life of dignity. The fight...
- 9/21/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, running unopposed, has been elected president of the WGA East. Cullen, who until now had been VP of the guild’s Film/TV/Streaming sector, succeeds Michael Winship, who chose not to seek re-election.
In the WGA East’s other officer elections, two other candidates also ran unopposed. Chris Kyle was re-elected secretary-treasurer, and Erica Saleh, a member of the guild’s Council, will be the next VP of Film/TV/Streaming – the post previously held by Cullen.
Votes were cast by 13.3% of total eligible voters for president and secretary-treasurer.
In the guild’s other races, six Council members representing the Film/TV/Streaming sector also elected: Sofia Alvarez, incumbent Josh Gondelman, incumbent Liz Hynes, incumbent Greg Iwinski, Sarah Montana, and incumbent Sasha Stewart.
Three candidates were also elected to the Council representing the Online Media sector: incumbent Caitlin Cruz, Sie Morley, and Samantha Smylie.
In Film/TV/Streaming,...
In the WGA East’s other officer elections, two other candidates also ran unopposed. Chris Kyle was re-elected secretary-treasurer, and Erica Saleh, a member of the guild’s Council, will be the next VP of Film/TV/Streaming – the post previously held by Cullen.
Votes were cast by 13.3% of total eligible voters for president and secretary-treasurer.
In the guild’s other races, six Council members representing the Film/TV/Streaming sector also elected: Sofia Alvarez, incumbent Josh Gondelman, incumbent Liz Hynes, incumbent Greg Iwinski, Sarah Montana, and incumbent Sasha Stewart.
Three candidates were also elected to the Council representing the Online Media sector: incumbent Caitlin Cruz, Sie Morley, and Samantha Smylie.
In Film/TV/Streaming,...
- 9/21/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America East (Wgae) members have elected Lisa Takeuchi Cullen as its new president. Cullen, who was an unopposed candidate for the posititon, takes over for outgoing president Michael Winship, who announced his decision to not seek reelection of his longtime post over the summer.
“I am honored to become the next President of the Writers Guild of America East,” Takeuchi Cullen said in a statement. “Even when we negotiate a fair deal with the Hollywood studios — and it is a when, not an if — I know the fight is not over. The fight continues for all of our members, TV and screenwriters as well as journalists and podcasters, to achieve compensation commensurate to the value of our important work. The fight continues for all workers to earn a life of dignity. The fight continues for all labor to put human rights over corporate profits. As the...
“I am honored to become the next President of the Writers Guild of America East,” Takeuchi Cullen said in a statement. “Even when we negotiate a fair deal with the Hollywood studios — and it is a when, not an if — I know the fight is not over. The fight continues for all of our members, TV and screenwriters as well as journalists and podcasters, to achieve compensation commensurate to the value of our important work. The fight continues for all workers to earn a life of dignity. The fight continues for all labor to put human rights over corporate profits. As the...
- 9/21/2023
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America East has re-elected a host of incumbents and two new leaders in film, television and streaming in its latest council election.
After running unopposed, current vp for film/TV/streaming Lisa Takeuchi Cullen is ascending into the president’s seat after current president Michael Winship decided not to run for re-election. She will be joined by incumbent secretary-treasurer Christopher Kyle, who is retaining the role, and Erica Saleh, a sitting council member who has been elected to the role of vp for film/TV/streaming; both ran unopposed.
Out of the 12 candidates who ran for council seats in the film/TV/streaming sector, six were elected, including incumbents Josh Gondelman, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski and Sasha Stewart and new candidates Sofia Alvarez and Sarah Montana. The new leaders’ terms begin Friday.
Takeuchi Cullen noted in a statement Thursday that she is the first woman of...
After running unopposed, current vp for film/TV/streaming Lisa Takeuchi Cullen is ascending into the president’s seat after current president Michael Winship decided not to run for re-election. She will be joined by incumbent secretary-treasurer Christopher Kyle, who is retaining the role, and Erica Saleh, a sitting council member who has been elected to the role of vp for film/TV/streaming; both ran unopposed.
Out of the 12 candidates who ran for council seats in the film/TV/streaming sector, six were elected, including incumbents Josh Gondelman, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski and Sasha Stewart and new candidates Sofia Alvarez and Sarah Montana. The new leaders’ terms begin Friday.
Takeuchi Cullen noted in a statement Thursday that she is the first woman of...
- 9/21/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As The View audience members formed a line along the show’s 66th Street entrance in Manhattan, a dozen Writers Guild of America members marched around ABC Studios holding signs of protest.
When Mikey Day, a Saturday Night Live cast member and former writer (as well as host of the hit Netflix series Is It Cake?), isn’t on the picket lines, he’s occupying his time playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and taking care of his 11-year-old. Day, who filmed the last SNL episode before...
When Mikey Day, a Saturday Night Live cast member and former writer (as well as host of the hit Netflix series Is It Cake?), isn’t on the picket lines, he’s occupying his time playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and taking care of his 11-year-old. Day, who filmed the last SNL episode before...
- 9/13/2023
- by Kalia Richardson
- Rollingstone.com
The ongoing writers strike is taking center stage in the WGA East’s officer and Council elections. In their official candidate statements, released today, they all pledged their support for the strike, vowing to remain on the picket line until a fair contract is achieved. The strike, which began May 2 and is now in its 114th day.
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who is running unopposed to be the guild’s next president, said that she will lead the guild “over the finish line in our epic battle for fair pay,” and that “We will not give up. We will not give in.”
As the current vice president of the guild’s Film, Television and Streaming sector, Cullen wrote that “This strike has meant nonstop, round-the-clock talking with members, meeting with staff, leading committees and coordinating with sister Guilds, politicians and non-members. But I burst with pride at our heroic army of...
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who is running unopposed to be the guild’s next president, said that she will lead the guild “over the finish line in our epic battle for fair pay,” and that “We will not give up. We will not give in.”
As the current vice president of the guild’s Film, Television and Streaming sector, Cullen wrote that “This strike has meant nonstop, round-the-clock talking with members, meeting with staff, leading committees and coordinating with sister Guilds, politicians and non-members. But I burst with pride at our heroic army of...
- 8/23/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
This is Day 99 of the WGA strike and Day 26 of the SAG-AFTRA strike
With “Mics up!” as their rallying cry, fiction podcasters walked a Writers Guild picket line Tuesday outside Amazon’s offices in New York City to spotlight their efforts to unionize.
Although podcasting has the ear of millions of Americans and listenership has boomed since the 2014 true-crime podcast Serial became a phenomenon, writers at the rally said that in their growing corner of the industry — scripted fictional podcasting — workplace protections and guarantees are negligible.
“Because like our colleagues in film and TV, we in podcasting are part of a system that is exploiting us,” podcast EP and writer-director Jenny Turner Hall said in a speech to several dozen rallygoers.
On the scene today at the WGA Audio Alliance rally in NYC...
With “Mics up!” as their rallying cry, fiction podcasters walked a Writers Guild picket line Tuesday outside Amazon’s offices in New York City to spotlight their efforts to unionize.
Although podcasting has the ear of millions of Americans and listenership has boomed since the 2014 true-crime podcast Serial became a phenomenon, writers at the rally said that in their growing corner of the industry — scripted fictional podcasting — workplace protections and guarantees are negligible.
“Because like our colleagues in film and TV, we in podcasting are part of a system that is exploiting us,” podcast EP and writer-director Jenny Turner Hall said in a speech to several dozen rallygoers.
On the scene today at the WGA Audio Alliance rally in NYC...
- 8/8/2023
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen will be the next president of the WGA East, succeeding Michael Winship, who is not seeking re-election.
Cullen, who is running unopposed in the guild’s upcoming elections, will be its third female president and the first person of color to hold the post, starting next month. She currently serves as VP of the guild’s Film/TV/Streaming sector.
Winship said in a statement today that his decision not to run again “was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency. Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Takeuchi Cullen’s bio on the guild’s website...
Cullen, who is running unopposed in the guild’s upcoming elections, will be its third female president and the first person of color to hold the post, starting next month. She currently serves as VP of the guild’s Film/TV/Streaming sector.
Winship said in a statement today that his decision not to run again “was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency. Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Takeuchi Cullen’s bio on the guild’s website...
- 8/1/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
WGA East president Michael Winship will not be seeking re-election amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
“This is a decision that was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency,” Winship said in a statement sent to guild members Tuesday, just as Wgae revealed the candidates up for officer seats in its upcoming council election this September. “Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Per Winship, “This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them. Now...
“This is a decision that was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency,” Winship said in a statement sent to guild members Tuesday, just as Wgae revealed the candidates up for officer seats in its upcoming council election this September. “Despite having already served five terms as president, from 2007-2017, I agreed to run again in 2021 to help work out issues the guild was facing in terms of constitutional revisions and other membership concerns, but I did say then that it only would be for two years.”
Per Winship, “This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them. Now...
- 8/1/2023
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Writers Guild of America East President Michael Winship will step down from his post in September despite the union’s ongoing strike against Hollywood studios.
Winship, who previously led the union from 2007-2017, said Tuesday in a letter to union members that his name does not appear on the list of candidates for this year’s upcoming elections because he intends to stick with the pledge he made when he returned in 2021 and only serve two years.
“This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them,” Winship wrote. “Now the time has come for me to pass responsibility to the new generation of Guild members and the elected council.”
The news came as the candidates for the next vote were announced, with only Lisa Takeuchi Cullen,...
Winship, who previously led the union from 2007-2017, said Tuesday in a letter to union members that his name does not appear on the list of candidates for this year’s upcoming elections because he intends to stick with the pledge he made when he returned in 2021 and only serve two years.
“This is not a choice that was made lightly, but I have been a member of this union for more than four decades and active in our work for nearly all of them,” Winship wrote. “Now the time has come for me to pass responsibility to the new generation of Guild members and the elected council.”
The news came as the candidates for the next vote were announced, with only Lisa Takeuchi Cullen,...
- 8/1/2023
- by Eileen AJ Connelly
- The Wrap
Though their demands may be different, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are taking one of the core tenants of unionization to heart as they continue to strike. They’re sticking together.
“We’ve been sort of calling this phase two of the strike,” Sasha Stewart, a WGA East council member and strike captain told TheWrap this week during a WrapPRO roundtable on union solidarity. “It really feels like the energy levels are back to the beginning”
Stewart noted that members of SAG-AFTRA have been on the WGA picket lines since “day one,” which started months ago on May 2 and joked that their involvement was a “great rehearsal” for what was to come. Though she wishes that SAG-AFTRA had gotten a “fair contract” with the AMPTP, having two Hollywood unions on strike has made organization easier. And that’s not just because the WGA and SAG-AFTRA now get to take turns when it comes to permit requests.
“We’ve been sort of calling this phase two of the strike,” Sasha Stewart, a WGA East council member and strike captain told TheWrap this week during a WrapPRO roundtable on union solidarity. “It really feels like the energy levels are back to the beginning”
Stewart noted that members of SAG-AFTRA have been on the WGA picket lines since “day one,” which started months ago on May 2 and joked that their involvement was a “great rehearsal” for what was to come. Though she wishes that SAG-AFTRA had gotten a “fair contract” with the AMPTP, having two Hollywood unions on strike has made organization easier. And that’s not just because the WGA and SAG-AFTRA now get to take turns when it comes to permit requests.
- 7/28/2023
- by Kayla Cobb
- The Wrap
When Dylan Guerra, a WGA strike captain who worked on the final season of “The Other Two,” read that the the AMPTP was willing to drag the strike out until October, his initial response was a single question: “What the f–k?”
That degree of shock and outrage has been a common response across both coasts as members of WGA and SAG-AFTRA reacted to a controversial story from Deadline. The report, published last week, quoted an anonymous studio executive who told the publication “the endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” with another insider calling the strategy “a cruel but necessary evil.”
Publicly, the story has been refuted by the AMPTP, which released a statement saying, “These unnamed people named in the Deadline story are not speaking on behalf of our companies who are committed to reaching a...
That degree of shock and outrage has been a common response across both coasts as members of WGA and SAG-AFTRA reacted to a controversial story from Deadline. The report, published last week, quoted an anonymous studio executive who told the publication “the endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” with another insider calling the strategy “a cruel but necessary evil.”
Publicly, the story has been refuted by the AMPTP, which released a statement saying, “These unnamed people named in the Deadline story are not speaking on behalf of our companies who are committed to reaching a...
- 7/17/2023
- by Kayla Cobb, Loree Seitz and Andi Ortiz
- The Wrap
As one of reality TV’s royal family crossed the line, striking film and television writers joined forces on Wednesday in New York City with another group of culture workers involved in a pay dispute: musicians.
While a five-piece band played bopping brass and percussion music, members of the Writers Guild of America, in their fifth week on strike, joined in solidarity with musicians, music-industry workers and their supporters in Midtown Manhattan.
Their meet-up spot on the curb was outside the headquarters of Penske Media Corporation, owner of Austin-set South by Southwest aka SXSW. The conference is facing criticism for how it compensates bands. (Pmc also owns Deadline and other media- and culture-focused publications including Rolling Stone and Billboard.)
Musicians returned the gesture by joining the writers at another rally on Wednesday afternoon outside the headquarters of Paramount Global.
Outside Paramount, a queen of stage and screen was on the line.
While a five-piece band played bopping brass and percussion music, members of the Writers Guild of America, in their fifth week on strike, joined in solidarity with musicians, music-industry workers and their supporters in Midtown Manhattan.
Their meet-up spot on the curb was outside the headquarters of Penske Media Corporation, owner of Austin-set South by Southwest aka SXSW. The conference is facing criticism for how it compensates bands. (Pmc also owns Deadline and other media- and culture-focused publications including Rolling Stone and Billboard.)
Musicians returned the gesture by joining the writers at another rally on Wednesday afternoon outside the headquarters of Paramount Global.
Outside Paramount, a queen of stage and screen was on the line.
- 6/1/2023
- by Sean Piccoli and Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Late-night comedy shows were shut down on the very first day of the ongoing Writers Guild’s strike, but many of their now out-of-work writers are banding together to put on a weekly YouTube Channel show alternately titled “Picket Tonight” or “The Jokes You Love from the Picket Signs but We’re Saying Them Out Loud.”
“Whatever it’s called, this is where two striking WGA writers sit at a desk and tell you jokes,” said Greg Iwinski, a former writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, who co-hosted the inaugural episode along with Sasha Stewart, a former writer on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.
Lampooning studio bosses for refusing to pay writers an additional sliver of their companies’ profits, Stewart quipped, “Come on. That’s not a lot of cash. It’s what the studio heads would normally call ‘pocket yacht money.
“Whatever it’s called, this is where two striking WGA writers sit at a desk and tell you jokes,” said Greg Iwinski, a former writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, who co-hosted the inaugural episode along with Sasha Stewart, a former writer on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.
Lampooning studio bosses for refusing to pay writers an additional sliver of their companies’ profits, Stewart quipped, “Come on. That’s not a lot of cash. It’s what the studio heads would normally call ‘pocket yacht money.
- 5/18/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
The first picket line of the 2023 writers strike took over an entire New York City block Tuesday afternoon, with the WGA work stoppage official, and union strike plans in full effect.
Hundreds of writers representing all parts of the WGA East’s membership marched on 5th Avenue, between 37th and 38th streets, blocking the entrance to the Newfront presentation for Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service.
“This is viewed as an existential moment for writers,” writer, actor, producer and director Danny Strong told The Hollywood Reporter on the picket line. “I think that we are very dug in, and I think that what we’re asking for is fundamentally right and it is a basic sort of fairness. There’s more content than ever and yet writer salaries have gone significantly down because all these revenue streams have been eliminated.”
“We feel like the current financial model towards streaming in particular is unfair,...
Hundreds of writers representing all parts of the WGA East’s membership marched on 5th Avenue, between 37th and 38th streets, blocking the entrance to the Newfront presentation for Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service.
“This is viewed as an existential moment for writers,” writer, actor, producer and director Danny Strong told The Hollywood Reporter on the picket line. “I think that we are very dug in, and I think that what we’re asking for is fundamentally right and it is a basic sort of fairness. There’s more content than ever and yet writer salaries have gone significantly down because all these revenue streams have been eliminated.”
“We feel like the current financial model towards streaming in particular is unfair,...
- 5/2/2023
- by Alex Weprin and Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Samantha Bee has lined up her first post “Full Frontal” project: She and former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien are creating a comedic docuseries about the crisis in women’s healthcare in the U.S., O’Brien confirmed to TheWrap on Monday.
Bee, whose TBS series was cancelled in June after seven seasons, devoted several segments to abortion rights on “Full Frontal.” O’Brien has produced and hosted CNN documentaries such as “Black in America,” which touched on the fact that Black women in America are three times more likely to die due to pregnancy complications than white women.
According to Deadline, which first reported the story, Bee’s Swimsuit Competition and O’Brien’s Sob Productions were already developing the series when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In the far-reaching wake of the historic judicial decision, the two decided to also host. The still untitled series will be...
Bee, whose TBS series was cancelled in June after seven seasons, devoted several segments to abortion rights on “Full Frontal.” O’Brien has produced and hosted CNN documentaries such as “Black in America,” which touched on the fact that Black women in America are three times more likely to die due to pregnancy complications than white women.
According to Deadline, which first reported the story, Bee’s Swimsuit Competition and O’Brien’s Sob Productions were already developing the series when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In the far-reaching wake of the historic judicial decision, the two decided to also host. The still untitled series will be...
- 8/22/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Samantha Bee and Soledad O’Brien are teaming to tackle the women’s health care crisis in the U.S. Deadline understands that the pair are to front a comedic docuseries on the topic.
It marks familiar territory for both Bee and O’Brien: Bee regularly covered the topic, including abortion rights, on her TBS show Full Frontal, and former CNN anchor O’Brien has hosted and produced several documentaries that touch on the subject including the CNN special Black in America.
The project marks Bee’s first since Full Frontal was canceled at TBS following the creation of Warner Bros Discovery.
Bee’s Swimsuit Competition and O’Brien’s Sob Productions were already developing a series about woman’s health that was to be hosted by others when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and they decided to front it themselves. They are looking to mix journalism and comedy in the untitled series,...
It marks familiar territory for both Bee and O’Brien: Bee regularly covered the topic, including abortion rights, on her TBS show Full Frontal, and former CNN anchor O’Brien has hosted and produced several documentaries that touch on the subject including the CNN special Black in America.
The project marks Bee’s first since Full Frontal was canceled at TBS following the creation of Warner Bros Discovery.
Bee’s Swimsuit Competition and O’Brien’s Sob Productions were already developing a series about woman’s health that was to be hosted by others when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and they decided to front it themselves. They are looking to mix journalism and comedy in the untitled series,...
- 8/22/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Michael Winship, running unopposed, has been elected president of the WGA East, the guild said Tuesday, but his running mates for seats on the guild’s council took a drubbing. Seven candidates on the opposition’s Solidarity slate were elected to the council, compared to only four on Winship’s Inclusion & Experience slate.
Winship, an award-winning news and documentary writer, led the guild during the tumultuous 2007-08 writers strike, serving as president for five consecutive two-year terms – starting just before the strike and ending in 2017. His running mates this time were Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who was elected vice president, and Chris Kyle, who was elected secretary-treasurer. They too ran unopposed.
Their slate, however, came out on the losing end of what amounted to a referendum on the future of the guild. They supported a pause in the guild’s five-year-long campaign to organize digital newsrooms, arguing that so many digital...
Winship, an award-winning news and documentary writer, led the guild during the tumultuous 2007-08 writers strike, serving as president for five consecutive two-year terms – starting just before the strike and ending in 2017. His running mates this time were Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who was elected vice president, and Chris Kyle, who was elected secretary-treasurer. They too ran unopposed.
Their slate, however, came out on the losing end of what amounted to a referendum on the future of the guild. They supported a pause in the guild’s five-year-long campaign to organize digital newsrooms, arguing that so many digital...
- 9/15/2021
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Digital writers made big gains in the WGA East’s contentious election for officers and council members that govern the union that represents TV and film writers west of the Mississippi.
The election results unveiled Tuesday confirmed that the guild’s governance will be split among scribes in opposing camps. The union has faced division over WGA East’s aggressive campaign to organize the many digital news outlets on the East Coast and numerous large unscripted production companies.
Some WGA East members fear the influx of digital writers, who typically have far lower income than TV showrunners and screenwriters, as the nature of the work and compensation formulas is very different. There’s concern among many longstanding WGA members about the potential that the new members will tax the pension and health plan benefits available to all union members.
The election drew a strong turnout of about 30% of eligible voters,...
The election results unveiled Tuesday confirmed that the guild’s governance will be split among scribes in opposing camps. The union has faced division over WGA East’s aggressive campaign to organize the many digital news outlets on the East Coast and numerous large unscripted production companies.
Some WGA East members fear the influx of digital writers, who typically have far lower income than TV showrunners and screenwriters, as the nature of the work and compensation formulas is very different. There’s concern among many longstanding WGA members about the potential that the new members will tax the pension and health plan benefits available to all union members.
The election drew a strong turnout of about 30% of eligible voters,...
- 9/15/2021
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
After a month-long debate over the future of digital media organizing in Writers Guild of America East, the guild’s council elections saw seven of the 11 open seats being won by the pro-organizing Solidarity Slate, though the top officers will come from the opposing Inclusion and Experience Slate after running unopposed.
In this year’s elections, six freelance seats and three staff seats were up for grabs on the council, as well as two seats vacated by incoming guild president Michael Winship and incoming vice president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. All three staff seats, which are allocated to news writers, were won by Solidarity Slate along with four of the six open freelance seats, which are allocated to film and television writers. Council members are elected to terms lasting two years.
Winship and Cullen’s seats will be taken for one year by Inclusion and Experience candidates David Simon, creator of “The Wire,...
In this year’s elections, six freelance seats and three staff seats were up for grabs on the council, as well as two seats vacated by incoming guild president Michael Winship and incoming vice president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. All three staff seats, which are allocated to news writers, were won by Solidarity Slate along with four of the six open freelance seats, which are allocated to film and television writers. Council members are elected to terms lasting two years.
Winship and Cullen’s seats will be taken for one year by Inclusion and Experience candidates David Simon, creator of “The Wire,...
- 9/14/2021
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
After a heated contest that raised questions about the future of digital journalists in the union, the Writers Guild of America East has unveiled the results of its latest Council elections.
Filling six open freelance seats are Josh Gondelman, Sasha Stewart, Liz Hynes, Lauren Ashley Smith, Benjamin Rosenblum, Tracey Scott Wilson, David Simon and Tian Jun Gu and filling three open freelance seats are Kim Kelly, Sara David and Hamilton Nolan, the union revealed Tuesday. Former WGA East president between 2007 and 2017 and current Council member Michael Winship was elected president, Council member Lisa Takeuchi Cullen was elected vice president and ...
Filling six open freelance seats are Josh Gondelman, Sasha Stewart, Liz Hynes, Lauren Ashley Smith, Benjamin Rosenblum, Tracey Scott Wilson, David Simon and Tian Jun Gu and filling three open freelance seats are Kim Kelly, Sara David and Hamilton Nolan, the union revealed Tuesday. Former WGA East president between 2007 and 2017 and current Council member Michael Winship was elected president, Council member Lisa Takeuchi Cullen was elected vice president and ...
- 9/14/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
After a heated contest that raised questions about the future of digital journalists in the union, the Writers Guild of America East has unveiled the results of its latest Council elections.
Filling six open freelance seats are Josh Gondelman, Sasha Stewart, Liz Hynes, Lauren Ashley Smith, Benjamin Rosenblum, Tracey Scott Wilson, David Simon and Tian Jun Gu and filling three open freelance seats are Kim Kelly, Sara David and Hamilton Nolan, the union revealed Tuesday. Former WGA East president between 2007 and 2017 and current Council member Michael Winship was elected president, Council member Lisa Takeuchi Cullen was elected vice president and ...
Filling six open freelance seats are Josh Gondelman, Sasha Stewart, Liz Hynes, Lauren Ashley Smith, Benjamin Rosenblum, Tracey Scott Wilson, David Simon and Tian Jun Gu and filling three open freelance seats are Kim Kelly, Sara David and Hamilton Nolan, the union revealed Tuesday. Former WGA East president between 2007 and 2017 and current Council member Michael Winship was elected president, Council member Lisa Takeuchi Cullen was elected vice president and ...
- 9/14/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former WGA East president Michael Winship, running unopposed, will be the guild’s next president, succeeding Beau Willimon, who’s not seeking re-election after four years in office. House of Cards creator Willimon led the guild through the WGA’s historic legal battle that reshaped the talent agency business.
Winship, an award-winning news and documentary writer, led the guild during the tumultuous 2007-08 writers strike, serving as president for five consecutive two-year terms – starting just before the strike and ending in 2017. He returned to guild politics in 2018, winning a seat on its Council. He won an Emmy and three WGA Awards writing for three different Bill Moyers shows, as well as the WGA East’s Richard B. Jablow Award for service to the guild.
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who has served on the Council since 2016 — and was last year’s recipient of the Richard B. Jablow Award — will be the guild’s next vice president.
Winship, an award-winning news and documentary writer, led the guild during the tumultuous 2007-08 writers strike, serving as president for five consecutive two-year terms – starting just before the strike and ending in 2017. He returned to guild politics in 2018, winning a seat on its Council. He won an Emmy and three WGA Awards writing for three different Bill Moyers shows, as well as the WGA East’s Richard B. Jablow Award for service to the guild.
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who has served on the Council since 2016 — and was last year’s recipient of the Richard B. Jablow Award — will be the guild’s next vice president.
- 6/22/2021
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
The subtitle for “Amend,” the new Netflix documentary series, is “The Fight for America.” It’s an apt description in many ways, both in the evolution of the U.S. Constitution that the six-part season describes — and in how those advances are understood in the present day.
Hosted by Will Smith, “Amend” presents a concise history of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. Ratified in 1868, its first section spans just 80 words, but contains provisions for due process and equal protection that have become an engine for change across any number of areas of American life. To help make an overview of those shifts both powerful and accessible to the wide variety of potential Netflix viewers, figuring out how exactly to approach this expansive timeline was one of the project’s core challenges.
“Let’s say you’re a high school freshman and you’re watching this. We wanted you to be...
Hosted by Will Smith, “Amend” presents a concise history of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. Ratified in 1868, its first section spans just 80 words, but contains provisions for due process and equal protection that have become an engine for change across any number of areas of American life. To help make an overview of those shifts both powerful and accessible to the wide variety of potential Netflix viewers, figuring out how exactly to approach this expansive timeline was one of the project’s core challenges.
“Let’s say you’re a high school freshman and you’re watching this. We wanted you to be...
- 2/22/2021
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
On Tuesday, Netflix announced its forthcoming six-part docuseries “Amend: the Fight for America,” hosted by Will Smith.
Executive produced by Smith and Larry Wilmore, the project “enlightens, entertains and challenges what Americans know about the Fourteenth Amendment” — which grants equal protection under the law to all U.S. citizens — “and the unwavering fight for equality.”
The series features Mahershala Ali, Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson, Pedro Pascal, Yara Shahidi and more stars performing speeches and writings by supporters and foes of the amendment, including Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Andrew Johnson.
“Amend: the Fight for America” premieres Feb. 17. Watch a trailer for the series above.
The project is produced by Westbrook Studios, The Documentary Group, Wilmore Films and MakeMake Entertainment, and was created by Robe Imbriano and Tom Yellin. Kenny Leon and Reinaldo Marcus Green direct from a script by Sasha Stewart. Will Smith,...
Executive produced by Smith and Larry Wilmore, the project “enlightens, entertains and challenges what Americans know about the Fourteenth Amendment” — which grants equal protection under the law to all U.S. citizens — “and the unwavering fight for equality.”
The series features Mahershala Ali, Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson, Pedro Pascal, Yara Shahidi and more stars performing speeches and writings by supporters and foes of the amendment, including Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Andrew Johnson.
“Amend: the Fight for America” premieres Feb. 17. Watch a trailer for the series above.
The project is produced by Westbrook Studios, The Documentary Group, Wilmore Films and MakeMake Entertainment, and was created by Robe Imbriano and Tom Yellin. Kenny Leon and Reinaldo Marcus Green direct from a script by Sasha Stewart. Will Smith,...
- 2/2/2021
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
As Women’s History Month comes to an end, VH1 is celebrating the achievements of black women in the world of comedy with a new documentary.
All Jokes Aside: Black Women In Comedy features a host of talented ladies—including Martin’s Tichina Arnold and Insecure‘s Yvonne Orji—discussing how they deal with racism, sexism and the lack of representation in the industry.
“As a black person, it’s hard,” Arnold says. “Black female comedians channel their anger through the comedy. We’re not complainers, which is why I think people put that ‘Angry Black Woman’ tag on us.
All Jokes Aside: Black Women In Comedy features a host of talented ladies—including Martin’s Tichina Arnold and Insecure‘s Yvonne Orji—discussing how they deal with racism, sexism and the lack of representation in the industry.
“As a black person, it’s hard,” Arnold says. “Black female comedians channel their anger through the comedy. We’re not complainers, which is why I think people put that ‘Angry Black Woman’ tag on us.
- 3/30/2017
- by Brianne Tracy
- PEOPLE.com
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