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There will not be a Monday Zoom call today due to a scheduling snafu on Julie’s end
In our hour with Romen Borsellino, we learned much about the issues pivotal to the West Coast Writers Guild strike in Hollywood.
Currently, most contract comedy writers are hired for 13-week segments. That means they only have a little over three months of job security. The bosses want to eliminate that contract and be able to hire a writer on a day-to-day basis.
“Most writers are working a fraction of the year,” explained Romen. “If you are lucky, you may get a writers’ room job that will last about half a year if it’s a good, solid sitcom — but that money needs to last you the entire year.”
Out of his earnings, he pays an agent, and a manager, a total of 20%.
He explains that’s why residual payments are crucial. If a show is a rerun, the writer and the content provider are paid for showing their work. And the up and down, feast or famine, the structure of the writer’s life is why those residuals are so important. And, the ‘bad guys’ want to get rid of paying residual payments to writers.
Iowa Caucus Effect
Romen is an example of the ripple effect the Democratic Party’s Iowa Caucus system has had on Iowans. There was a writer’s strike in 2007, leaving Kal Penn (remember Harold and Kumar?) with time on his hands, so he volunteered to help on the Obama campaign for president. The comedian was dispatched to Iowa to work with young people, and Romen was president of the Roosevelt High Students for Obama Organization. Kal became Romen’s mentor and champion and has worked with him on various projects since.
Appleishus
Watching Romen evolve into this world of comedy writing will be fun. Who knows? He spent many August days in his youth staffing the Appleishus stand at the Iowa State Fair. Surely, there could be multiple seasons of comedy gold to serve up from that perspective. Caption this:
Listen to the podcast. It’s fun. And informative.
Due to a scheduling issue on my end, there will not be a Monday Zoom call today.
Here is our current upcoming schedule:
June 19, Matt Richter, University of Okoboji, and the Three Sons Clothing store
June 26, Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press reporter covering the auto industry
July 3, OFF
July 10, Suzanna de Baca, Business Publications and member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
July 17, Liz Garst, Whiterock Conservancy
July 24, TBA
Iowa Writers Collaborative
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What's behind the Writers' Strike?