It would seem that the current dispute between the Writers Guild of America and the talent agencies of Hollywood is one that could continue to go on for some time now. At the heart of this talent agency and WGA dispute is the practice that agencies have of packaging tv shows. The dispute also extends to the fees that writers have been subject to as a result of these packaged tv deals. This is an issue that has been ongoing for some time now but tensions hit a new high some seven months ago when thousands of the writers of Hollywood went and fired their agents in protest of a situation that they feel is continually detrimental to their profession and their ability to earn their true market value.
At the heart of this disagreement is the long-standing phenomenon of Hollywood talent agencies creating television packages that are sold to studios. This has often been done purely between the agencies and studios and without the input of writers even though writers are often a part of the overall packaged deal for these television shows. With the latest development of thousands of WGA writers dropping their agents, the agencies are simply continuing in this business practice but without adding writers as a part of the package deal. They are getting around this by simply repackaging intellectual property such as foreign language tv shows and popular books that have already shown an ability to sell. This way, these agencies have been able to keep up with the rate of packed tv program sales even though writers are absent from these deals.
One of the key points made by officials from the WGA is the fact that there have historically been many issues with creating packed show deals that don't include professional writers as a part of the process. This is a practice that has seen the light of day to a large degree in countries such as the United Kingdom and it has had the effect of stifling creativity. The organization further points out that talent agencies going directly to networks without having writers onboard has the effect of hurting the storytelling process in general. This practice is not new at all but has usually involved the writers as well. This has certainly changed over the past seven months as this dispute has escalated.
One point that is also worth noting is that the amount of packed shows being put forward has not decreased amid this controversy. One of the notable talent agencies currently active on the Hollywood scene has noted that seventy-five percent of its recent sales have been in the category of packaged deals. This is despite the current struggle that is ongoing between the Writers Guild of America and the talent agencies of Hollywood. These agencies are having quite a bit of luck at selling these packed show deals without having writers from the guild as a part of the equation.
Although these agencies are having success as selling these shows, leaders at the Writers Guild of America have steadfastly pointed out that the writer's art is central to the creative process of television show creation and should not be something that is minimized in terms of its importance to the industry. This is a major reason why the organization is pushing for a ban on representation fees when agencies participate in packaging up shows for sale to networks. The organization feels strongly that the elimination of this factor will help these writers to make the market value that they deserve due to their contribution.
