It’s day 2 of the “Best of 2023” coverage on America’s Work Force Union Podcast. Today’s highlighted interview featured then-vice president, now president, of the Writers Guild of America East, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. She spoke about the WGA strike, which was then in its third month. Takeuchi Cullen explained her journey into the industry and how she found herself as a scriptwriter by accident. Finally, she discussed what a fair, modern contract win involving artificial intelligence would look like and the impact it could have on the entertainment industry.
Cullen found her way into TV and Filmmaking by accident after serving as an international correspondent early in her career. She considered herself only skillful in writing, so after choosing to leave the world of print journalism, she developed new skills as a scriptwriter. Early on, she wrote a pilot that was purchased and made by CBS. Afterward, she joined a group of writers who pitched and wrote shows together. Cullen said she considers herself considerably fortunate to have found this new career.
Each show written served as a year’s wage with a season’s work, and she would receive amazing pay for writing an episode that aired. Unfortunately, with the advent of streaming services, the yearly wage for a season and paychecks for residuals went away, creating the need for the current strike. The studios broke the successful work model, where they paid everyone their fair share. the new model they are using is trying to cut out the writers and not pay them enough to live, Takeuchi Cullen said. The writers on strike sought their fair share of profits from their creations aired on streaming services.
Takeuchi Cullen also spoke about the newfound solidarity between WGA and SAG-AFTRA, which didn’t always exist before. One reason for their improved solidarity came from their joint fight against the adaptation of AI-produced entertainment. Cullen described how studios plan to use AI-developed scripts and AI images and likenesses of actors without paying a human for the work. Not only could the work be considered plagiarism, but AI would likely produce work that lacks diversity and would not reflect the recent changes or inclusion in the industry.
To hear more from Cullen and WGA East, please press play above.