Kids Send Letters of Encouragement to Writers on the Picket Lines During WGA Strike

WGA on Strike

Photo: WGA

On May 2, members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike for the first time in 15 years. The strike started the day after the previous contract expired, when talks about pay and streaming residuals, among other issues, fell apart. The effect of the strike was immediately felt, as late-night talk shows began showing repeats, and the MTV Movie & TV Awards canceled the live portion of its show after host Drew Barrymore and other presenters backed out in solidarity.

Strikes in Hollywood aren't uncommon, and this is the eighth WGA strike since the 1950s. The last one, which started in late 2007, lasted 100 days and guaranteed that writers would have a stake in revenue when their content hit the internet. The rapid change in how we consume media is also at the heart of this strike, as streaming residuals have been a major sticking point.

The strike has made headlines around the country and has even made its way into the classroom. As shared by film and tv writer Tyler Ruggieri, one sixth-grade class in Los Angeles has learned all about the strike and wanted to send their support.

Ruggieri shared letters of encouragement he and other writers received from students at St. Timothy's private school in Century City. The letters were delivered to the picket line outside of Fox and certainly lifted the spirits of everyone.

Comments ranged from, “Writers rule!” to a very timely and wise, “Hopefully you are seen as superior to AI.” And everyone encouraged them to continue the fight by telling them to “Keep thinking about the goal,” and “Keep going.”

As the strike heads into its third week, the list of productions disrupted by the lack of writers on set keeps growing. It was announced that the final season of Stranger Things won't be filmed until the strike finishes, as the creators shared that “writing does not stop when filming begins.” Other popular shows like Abbott Elementary, Unstable, and Yellowjackets have also either closed their writers' rooms or shut down production due to the strike.

According to Los Angeles Times, the 2007–2008 strike cost the California economy $2 billion, so here's hoping for everyone's sake that everyone can come to the table to create a fair agreement sooner rather than later.

On May 2, 2023, the Writers Guild of America went on strike for the first time in 15 years.

Picket Sign About AI at WGA Strike 2023

Photo: David James Henry via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

A group of students from a local private school delivered notes of support to the picket line.

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Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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