GARY MASON

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Politics

What does a potential WGA strike mean for “me”? (And when I say “me” I mean you…)

Acting, Politics, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  On the heels of last week’s discussion of SAG-AFTRA, this week let’s talk a bit about the looming threat of a Writer’s Guild (WGA) strike.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”. What follows applies relatively equally to everyone…but it applies most strongly to union members or those seeking to work on union projects to gain eligibility to join.

What?  A strike?

If you follow entertainment news, you’ll know that all of the major unions are up for negotiation in 2023.  In and of itself, this is not really a big deal because these renegotiations happen routinely every three years.  The renegotiation is normal.  What is rare is when one or more of the collective bargaining units (Unions) have major issues that look like they are unlikely to be resolved during negotiations.  2023 is one of those years, and the WGA in particular has already approved a strike if no agreement can be reached (96% approval to give context).

Who is negotiating?

In the overall scheme of things, there are four main players in this year’s drama.  The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) – the employers, The Writers Guild of America (WGA), Directors Guild of America (DGA, and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) – the employees. Each of the three employee organizations negotiates independently with the employer organization.

The landscape

Just to set the stage the WGA contract, or Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) is set to expire on May 1st.  The MBA’s for the DGA and SAG-AFTRA are set to expire on June 30th.  Not reaching an agreement by the expiration date does not automatically mean a strike – most often the expiring agreement is simply extended to allow for continued negotiations.  If, however, the collective bargaining unit feels there is no way to reach an agreement in a reasonable amount of time, then the members may (and this year HAVE) vote to strike.

Historically

Generally, whichever one of the unions starts negotiations first sets the tone for the other unions negotiations.  In recent years, at least the last three bargaining years, the DGA sat down first, many months before the expiration, to hammer out an agreement.  Not so this year. I can’t find anything definitive about who will be the first to negotiate this year, but I will note that the last time the WGA started negotiations (2007) there was a 100-day writer’s strike.  It seems the WGA has most of the “demands” this year, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they kick off negotiations.

What are the issues?

Like any contract negotiation there are many complex issues, but the major one this year, and the one that seems to be setting up the WGA to strike, is residuals.  In particular, defining how residuals are paid for “new media” or streaming services.  Without going into agonizing detail and turning this into a novella, what has happened during and post pandemic is that residuals for writers (and actors, and directors as well) has decreased significantly because residual amounts were mostly negotiated when shows were on networks.

Changing the landscape

A couple things have occurred during and post pandemic that have changed residuals, not ALL related to streaming.  This is not an exhaustive list but seem to be the major points.  Seasons have gotten shorter (~10 episodes vs 17-20 episodes) and streaming services are dropping entire seasons at one time.  Writing staffs have become smaller, show production timelines have become shorter but contracts committing a writer to a show exclusively have not changed. Basically, fewer writers work for shorter periods but are excluded from working on a second show to make up for it.

Residuals

On top of that, how residuals are paid for streaming services are not well defined…if defined at all.  Do you pay residuals when a show is dropped on a streaming service, or when it’s viewed?   What percentage for either of those?  It’s not in writing, so essentially the writers are not getting paid.  Honestly, neither are the directors or actors…which could lead to strikes by those organizations as well – although there is not presently any talk of that.  I think they are waiting to see how the WGA fares – hence why the DGA and SAG-AFTRA are not jumping up to start negotiations early this year.

Add to all of this…

During the pandemic, streaming services were screaming hot.  It comes as no surprise that while we weren’t allowed to actually go out in public, many people turned to streaming services to pass the time.  I know we did.  Also, during the pandemic, sales at theaters declined dramatically.

But the world is back!

Now that the world has opened up again, streaming has declined (not surprisingly) and theater ticket sales have increased but not enough to offset the loss in streaming revenue.  The net result is reduced revenue overall and share prices for studios declining – all at a time when artists are asking for more residual shares.

To combat reduced revenues

You may have noticed services like Netflix are changing their stance on password sharing and are also reducing the number of titles available on their services.  These are cost cutting measures designed to shore up declining revenue.  These measures are detrimental to artists since fewer views and fewer available titles means less residual income.  It’s like a perfect storm.

All of that to say…

If agreement cannot be reached by midnight May 1st, it is likely the WGA will strike. “So what, I’m an actor!” you say?  Not so fast.  A writer’s strike will have an effect on every part of the industry.  Some parts immediately, and some not…but an effect, nonetheless.

What is the result of a strike?

In short, if the WGA strikes that means that for the pendency of the strike there will be ZERO union writers working.  Which means any projects in production are stuck with their scripts and will not be able to adjust for plot holes or changing character arcs.  This is most disruptive for TV series that typically have a staff of writers continuously updating or writing episodes. It affects feature films as well for the same reason, just not as dramatically.

And no writers mean…

In the long run, a writer’s strike will stop or slow productions.  I think we are already seeing this in some small ways as new productions are delaying start till they find out what the WGA will do.  Without writers there are no (or at least fewer) scripts for directors and actors to work on and the ones that are available will not be updated during production.  Either projects will not be made, show runners will have to make adjustments without the benefit of professional writers, or the projects that are completed will suffer in quality.

How does this affect me?

And by “me” I mean you.  And the answer is: It depends.  It depends on a number of factors which we’ll try to explore here, but I caution that each person’s circumstance will be different so take what I say here and apply it to your circumstance.

Non-Union VO artists and actors

Honestly, the idea of a WGA strike affects you the least, unless you are non-union trying to qualify for union membership by working on union jobs. You will still be able to work on non-union independent films during the strike. If you ARE trying to get union work to qualify for membership, expect that to slow to a crawl.  It’s going to take a lot longer for a non-union person to book a union gig.

Union members…

If you are a union VO artist or actor, a slowdown in the number of productions means there are a lot more actors vying for far fewer roles.  Even though the AMPTP is feverishly stockpiling scripts, so work doesn’t stop altogether, new-start productions are going to present a higher-than-normal risk and are less likely to be green-lit. And of course Global Rule 1 prevents you from working the available non-union gigs…unless you decide to go FICORE, which is another discussion altogether.

And it could get worse…

If a WGA strike leads to a DGA or SAG-AFTRA strike as well?  Well, 2023 will be a very bad year for us. I’m not suggesting that is likely, but since the first to negotiate sets the tone, and if the WGA goes first and can’t come to resolution before June 30th…it’s anybody’s guess what could be the result.

I am not Chicken Little…

I’m not running around shouting “The Sky is Falling!”, just discussing what could happen and the potential impacts.  I sincerely hope the WGA and AMPTP can come to an agreement before the deadline and avert a strike, but know how that may impact you if they can’t.

At the end of the day…

Any one of the collective bargaining units deciding to strike will have impacts across the industry and not just for the artists.  Consider everyone who works on a production from the artists to the crew (DP, Gaffer etc) as well as catering, craft services, wardrobe, hair & Makeup, and on and on.  Not to mention consumers who will have no new material to consume! A strike by any of them will be bad for all of them…and all of us.

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Encouragement, General, Politics, Voice Over

Welcome back! This week we talk about: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly…

First, sorry I am posting late this week…it’s been a doozy – long story.  Anyway…

Well, here we are – March 2021 – one year in COVID lock-down. Actually, I remember clearly it was March 17, 2020 when the folks at my “day job” sent us home to work telling us to expect 8-10 weeks of remote working due to the pandemic.  Here we are just over a full year later and even though I retired from that job in December, the people I worked with are STILL working full time remotely.

So, as I look back over the last year and consider what the world looks like today, I have to ponder what has transpired through what maybe for some a different lens.  When I was a kid, I remember a saying: In every dark cloud, there is a silver lining.  I believe that is true, and I believe you can find good in just about any situation; whether that is learning a tough lesson, finding new hope or identifying something new, there is always something positive to come of it.

Without further ado, let’s take a look back over the last year and see if we can find: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Do you hear it?  Wah-ee-ah-ee-ah…wah, wah, wah…).

Let’s start at the end and work our way back so we end on a positive note, shall we?

The Ugly

I could write this section using just two words: Politics and People.  But I won’t.  Let me expound.

Politics seem to ALWAYS be the ugly in this country for some reason.  And in 2020, the politics of COVID were sometimes overshadowed by what was a very contentious Presidential Election.  We won’t talk much about the election, it is “passed and opening” as we say in the navy.  No longer a threat is another way to say it.  But I do want to touch a bit on the politics of COVID and politics in general.

How do national elections really impact you?

Here’s the thing; especially at the national level, and even to a large part on the state level, the politics of the day have very little impact on our daily lives. Local politics is where I pay the most attention, because THAT is where there is an effect. It irks me when politicians politicize events to make themselves look better, usually at the expense of some other person or group.  It is particularly irksome during a global pandemic when people just need to know the truth of what is going on to protect themselves, family and neighbors.

There are LIVES at stake!

The politics of COVID have been particularly ugly, likely thanks to the contentious election.  People are getting sick, people are dying…this is not the time to take advantage of the situation to get people to give you money and get you into office.  Now is the time for levelheaded, fact-based reporting so people can do what they need to do.  The politics of COVID have been particularly ugly if just for the fact that the dichotomy of positions puts people at risk.

And the government in general?  

Having been employed for many years (40 plus) by the Federal Government, one thing I know is that the government, the bureaucrats, need to look to the public as though they are knowledgeable and taking the appropriate actions – even when neither of those is true.  Early on in the pandemic, government officials stated as fact thigs that were really no more than theories. Come on people…it’s fully OK to say, “This is what we know for sure, this is what we think, and this is what we have no clue about”.  Our government never does that.  We have much better information today than we did a year ago, and that early misinformation, in large part I believe, leads to the next “Ugly” thing: People.

I love individuals, but dislike people.

Have you heard the term “herd mentality”?  Yeah, me too.  And herd mentality SUCKS…especially since there are multiple herds all with different mentalities.  It’s bothersome that there has not been clear, concise, truthful information about this pandemic (among other things.  Some people still believe the earth is flat).  I’ve seen people on my social media feeds who have been long-time friends arguing about transmission rates, death statistics and everything else about this disease.  If it weren’t so serious, it would be comical.

For some, the death rate is 100%

Here’s the thing.  The death rate for at-risk people who contracted this disease and passed away is 100%.  Their families are dealing with it 100% of the time.  It is horrifying to diminish the loss of those people by pointing out that overall the death rate is some smaller number.  As I just googled the death rate in the US, it is true that out of the total population of roughly 331 Million people the death rate is just less than .2%.  However, that statistic (remember, there are lies, damn lies, and statistics) compares everyone, even those who did not contract COVID, against the number of deaths (539, 659 as of the time of this writing).  It’s a bit higher if you only look at the number of deaths compared to the people who HAVE contracted the disease (29, 664, 869).  THAT number is TEN TIMES that national average at just under 2%.  And the infection rate is just under 10%.

It seems small, but put another way…

While these numbers appear low, remember that they represent real lives and real families.  10% of the US population (and I am just focusing on the US here, the numbers are different world wide) is THIRTY MILLION PEOPLE.  And the 2% of those people who died is just under 540, 000 people.  The operative word here is” PEOPLE.  Real people with families and friends they left behind.

For a given person…

Yeah, your chance of not getting COVID is greater than your chance of getting it (and I wonder what those odds would be WITHOUT mandated precautions? We’ll never know, so anything anyone says is conjecture).  And your chance of dying if you do get it is pretty small as well, for those people who died from COVID, those small numbers mean absolutely nothing.  Have some compassion people!  There are more than half a million people suffering unimaginably and you are arguing about statistics.  Stop, please. I hate the mask, and not being able to throw a whopper of a party, but I hate people dying even more.  Wear the mask and distance yourself from others, if not specifically for YOU , for the people you come in contact with.

So, yeah, politics and people are the ugly part of the last year.

The Bad

Many bad things happened this year.  What follows are just the things I can think of off the top of my head, and I am sure there are many more.

Social Distancing

The first thing that comes to mind is the social distancing aspect of this pandemic.  Sure, no parties, no family gatherings…those are bad but not THAT bad.  What is really bad is people going through rough times all alone.  I think of the people I know who lost a loved one last year (not due to COVID) and who could not see them in the hospital in their final days.  And then to add insult to injury their funerals and memorial services could not be attended.  I know several people who are affected by this, you may as well, and many are putting off a memorial till the pandemic is over.  It’s sad when a person’s life cannot be honored and celebrated as it should.  It’s horrendous that some people have to go through hospital stays or being home bound without the physical support and encouragement of family and friends.

Bad for business…

Next, I consider how many small mom and pop businesses have had to close up shop as a result of the pandemic.  So many, particularly public facing, businesses have closed, dashing the hopes and dreams of the proprietors.  It is horrible to consider the people who worked and saved and worked some more to open their own business, only to have it ripped away by a virus you can’t even see.  I sincerely hope at least some of the people in this situation can re-open and flourish once the pandemic is behind us.

Vacations…

This one is somewhat related to the last bad thing, and that is vacations.  While things are now starting to open back up, with appropriate safeguards, places to go where you can unwind and take a break from the daily grind are still few and far between.  I personally have had two vacations cancelled in 2020, and now our rescheduled cruise is rescheduled once again for 2022.  I know…first world problems.

The Good…

And so, here we are at the silver lining.  What good came of this pandemic? Keep reading.

The Vaccine…

It goes without saying that the vaccine, which appears to be pretty effective, has been released (OK, not released in 2020, but developed in 2020 to allow release early in 2021).  And that’s a good thing.  But what is REALLY great is that the government pretty much got out of the way and let the scientists develop and release it quickly.  Regardless of how you feel personally about vaccines in general, and what negative side effects they may have, I don’t think anyone can argue there is much empirical evidence that they facilitate herd immunity and reduce or remove altogether the odds of contracting a disease.  Think of Polio, measles, mumps and more.  My hope is that as they roll out the vaccine, conditions will improve to start getting things opened back up again.

Remote work…

One enormous thing we learned, and which I consider a good thing, is that corporations learned that much of the work they do can be done by their employees remotely, away from a traditional office.  I know my former employer, the Federal Government, is considering sweeping changes to their telework policy to allow employees to work remotely a significant amount of time.  In some cases, even allowing employees to move to a different location VERY remote from the office and work remotely full time.

Perhaps this will mean we need less dedicated office space (and therefore lower corporate costs) which could lead to lower prices for some goods and services (let’s hope) and maybe it means there will be a lot more empty office space (which means cheaper leases) for those who just get started after the pandemic.  Only time will tell, but I consider this good.

Home based business…

Home based businesses have flourished in 2020.  If you have a service or product that can be done from home and either delivered online or through the mail, chances are you have seen an increase in business this year.  For me, I’ve had the opportunity to open a voice over business that is done completely online and from the comfort of my home.  And while I see this as a “good” for me and others, there is also a lot more competition in the last year.  Anyone thinking of getting into voice over had the perfect chance to get started in 2020.  Maybe this one is two sides of the same coin.

Voice Over…

The voice over industry had moved online long before the pandemic, but with COVID precautions in place at studios around the country, the online voice over industry has flourished.  Where once large jobs were being recorded in professional studios by a small percentage of working artists, the big name, the industry has really opened up to allow lesser known artists to start competing for this work.  While this area of voice over is much more competitive, I believe it has given some very talented, unknown people a chance to compete (and sometimes win!) with the big boys.

What about you?

If you have been negatively affected by COVID then I am sorry you are struggling right now and my hope is that things will brighten up for you soon.  If you have experienced a positive affect then I am happy for you and hope that you recognize (and capitalize on) the opportunity to thrive in the face of so much bad.

In either case, I hope this post finds you well, and with luck, in line for the vaccine!

Now may be the time for you to start your own home-based business.  If voice over seems to interest you, why not either check out my earlier blog posts or head over to Amazon and pick up my new book “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Getting Started in Voice Over But Didn’t Know Who to Ask”.  Or, if you are being frugal, just subscribe to this blog and I’ll send you a link to a free copy!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything!

We interrupt this broadcast to bring you…

Politics

A minor political rant….

Not your usual blog post from me

 No, this is pretty atypical, as I usually try to stay away from all things political, but in the wake of “The election that never ends” I just have to wade in.  This MAY tick some folks off, and that’s OK, because, hey…social discourse and all.

Trigger Warning:  Potential unpopular opinion here!

 If you are easily offended, you MAY want to stop reading here, as what follows could be considered less than popular.  If you are an adventurous sort, please join me below.

Why do politics cause us to hate each other?

I mean, really!?

Let’s talk about Bob.  Who is Bob you might ask?  Well, Bob is your fictional next-door neighbor. (Your ACTUAL neighbor may or may NOT be named Bob).  You and Bob have been friends for years.  Your wives are friends, and your kids go to school and play together.  You and Bob like to sit out in each other’s back yards on a Friday evening by the fire, share adult beverages and maybe smoke a cigar.  You are both in a group that gets together once a month for a friendly poker game, and Bob coaches your son’s little league team.  You really like Bob.

Enter the 2020 Presidential election (and actually, this is not the first hotly contested election, but it IS 2020 so, humor me).  You and Bob each put signs in your yard for your favorite candidate.  Uh-Oh…it seems there is ONE thing at least you disagree on…Bob is for “The Other Guy!”.

So how do you respond?  You steal Bob’s yard sign (and he steals yours), you trash talk him to the other neighbors and call him “stupid”, “uninformed” and “unpatriotic”.  No more backyard fires, no more family dinners, you pull your son from little league.  Maybe you stand in front of his house and loudly proclaim all the evil things Bob stand for.

WHY?

What has really changed about Bob?

 The simple answer is: Nothing.  Bob is the same guy who, three months ago, you considered one of your best friends.  But now suddenly you hate him. You see, BOB hasn’t changed, YOU have.

Another case study.

 Now let’s talk about Rick.  Who is Rick?  Rick is yet another fictional character in your life, but this time you know him through social media (let’s just say Face Book, although it could easily be any other social media site).  Like Bob, you liked Rick, enjoyed the memes he posts and frequently exchange messages with Rick on Face Book.  You were planning a family vacation to a city near where Rick lives (before COVID of course) and had started planning to get together for a beer with Rick and his wife.

And then…(Cue dramatic music) Da Da Da!, Rick posts a meme that indicates that, like Bob, he supports “The Other Guy!”.

Your response: Similar to Bob.  You begin to respond in a very aggressive, negative way to everything Rick posts to his timeline.  You denigrate him publicly, call him names, threaten to unfriend him and generally become a PITA toward him online.

And again, what has really changed about Rick?  Nothing.

We really have to stop this

 Look, I get it…you feel passionately about “Your Guy!” and his position/policies; so do Bob and Rick.

Here’s the rub though:  You are damaging or severing relationships over the resume of a couple guys who are applying for a job.  A BIG job, to be sure, and one that can have an effect on the nation and your life.  But really, how MUCH of an effect?  Enough to trash friendships and (potentially) business relationships?  Is it enough of an effect to react in a way that raises your blood pressure and puts you under a lot of stress?  I, for one, say no.

What I’ve learned in 60 years on this planet

 Here is the thing:  Politicians come and go.  Administrations come and go.  Congressional representatives and Senators come and go (although much more slowly than Presidents).  And at the end of the day, what REALLY changes?

Not much.  All of them have a desire to control your life in some way.

Politicians are like buttholes, everyone has them, and they all stink. (Yeah, I know, that’s supposed to be about excuses).

Sure, taxes sometimes go up, sometimes go down, sometimes remain the same.  Regulations change (and later change back again).  The economy gets better, the economy gets worse.  Inflation rises…well, inflation ALWAYS rises, so maybe that’s not a good example.

The point is: It doesn’t really matter who gets elected IN THE LONG RUN.  They are eventually going to be replaced, probably by someone you actually agree with.  Over the course of your lifetime, they are going to change-out politicians over, and over, and over again.

One other thing I’ve noticed

 No one, and I mean NO ONE, is purely either R or D (or L I suppose).  Everyone is somewhat of a mix of ideologies, and there are as many different mixes as there are people to represent them.  Yes, even those great people you are voting for are not purely one or the other (or the other).  They just associate with what most closely represents how they think and feel about a RANGE of topics.  Think about the administrations you have lived through.  Do you agree with EVERYTHING that happened during their administration, or every policy they supported?  Probably not.

Believe me, no matter who it is, or who they support in any given election, there are things they believe that (SHOCKING!) you actually AGREE on!

At the end of the day…

 None of these politicians are worth losing friendships over.  It’s OK to agree to disagree.  It’s OK to have a passionate discussion about how you feel about a given topic, but remember nobody is “binary” or even solely about a single topic.

Remember, these guys are saying the things they think you want to hear so they get elected.  This is nothing more than a job interview on a national level with a HUGE interview panel.

It kills me to see the level of angst and anger between people during this election cycle.  It kills me to see families breaking apart over politics.  It kills me to see business relationships dissolve over an election.  Next year at this time, when the political ads are over, and all the yard signs are gone, we still need friends, families and business associates.  We still need to keep moving forward in our lives.  Don’t let politics damage these relationships.

Remember:

 Don’t lose friendships (or business relationships) over men and women who don’t even know your names.  It’s OK to have different political views and still be OK with each other.  Bob is still Bob, the same guy you liked a couple months ago.  Rick is still Rick and will start posting funny memes you enjoy again soon.  Just don’t be a Dick, because THAT guy…well…

If you agree with this, great.  If you don’t…also great…I still like you.  I’d still like to be able to work together.  If you are my family (I HOPE they read these!) I still love you.  I’m happy to debate you about things if you’d like, happy to hear your opinion (even if I don’t agree).

PLEASE, Let’s all STOP hating on one another!

We now return you to your regular blog programming.

 

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!

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