As you know, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike at midnight
on November 5th. You can read all about it here:
http://www.wga.org/subpage_member.aspx?id=2204

Brian K. Vaughan, one of my favorite writers, explains the writers' position
in laymen's terms here:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=37507226&blogID=\
325633175

I sympathize with the writers and want them to get what they want and
deserve for two reasons:

1) I am a writer (albeit not a unionized one), and *I'd like to think that I
work in an industry where writers get the respect they deserve*. Very
often, Hollywood will be really deferential to actors, directors, and
producers, but treat the writers like the red-headed stepchildren. It's
really inexcusable, considering that without the writers, the entertainment
industry would be far less entertaining. They're not asking for anything
unreasonable, and they should not be denied the opportunity to earn a living
in this industry that's already making other people so much money.

and

2)* I WANT TO BE ABLE TO WATCH "LOST" IN FEBRUARY!* If the AMPTP doesn't
cut the shennanigans, give the writers what they deserve, and end the strike
in time for the long-awaited fourth season to be written in its entirety,
I'm going to go to L.A. and punch every producer in the face!

Some of you may be members of one union or another. Some of you, like me,
are artists who are not members of a union yet, but hope to be someday. All
of you watch TV and go to movies. I read that the WGA was welcoming
non-union supporters to picket with them. While I don't have time for that,
I thought I would send a letter to the AMPTP expressing my support for the
writers as a viewer. Thought I'd get other interested parties to do the
same.

If the spirit moves you, and you'd like to extend your support, you can
contact the AMPTP here: http://www.amptp.org/contactus.html

You can either:
* Send an e-mail via their online form (quick and easy!)
* Send a letter to the mailing address on the page to the attention of
AMPTP president, Nick Counter (nothing has the knives-out poetry of angry
letters stacked on a desk!)
* Or you can call the phone number on the page and leave a polite message
with Nick Counter's assistant (depending on how concerned you are about the
whole thing).

Your letters don't have to be long. It can be something like this:

*Dear Mr. Counter,

I am a television viewer and movie-goer. It is the job of your organization
to make and keep me happy so that I continue to go out and buy things,
thereby keeping your advertisers happy and those in your industry gainfully
employed (and also happy). What would make me happiest at the moment would
be if you treat the WGA fairly and give the writers what they want and
deserve to successfully end this strike. The entertainment industry needs
its writers. It also needs its audience. The longer we have to sit through
re-runs, the less likely we'll be to keep coming back - especially when we
have On Demand cable, Netflix, and YouTube to keep us warm. I'm writing
this note, as one of the many viewers you are trying to court, to express my
support for the writers. Thank you.

Sincerely,
(your name here)*

Or something like that. In fact, feel free to steal that and alter it for
your own purposes. Feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone you think
might be interested, too, as there is power in numbers. Post the links I've
included in your blogs, on your networking sites, or on any relevant message
boards you visit. I would love the writers to know that it isn't just
fellow union members who support what they do, but average viewers across
the country who enjoy the stories they tell, and want to keep them coming.
Thank you!

--
Teresa Jusino

"My heart's out there, but I don't care, I'll throw it anywhere..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FROM PRODUCER, TERESA JUSINO:

** "Staging Occupation": Stone Soup Theater Arts' Fall/Winter Reading Series
September 2007-January 2008
www.stonesoupkitchen.org

** "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer" - February 2008 as part of
the 10th Anniversary of V-Day

** A Bucket of Chicken - a web experience of extreme proportions!
Fall 2007


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