Who's Write?

When the WGA announced it was entering the 'unscripted' world of reality TV last year, many of my colleagues cheered. "It's about time!” they said. And I wholeheartedly agreed.

Last September, I had the pleasure of meeting with NBC's new NY Development Exec Katie O'Connell (now in LA) to introduce her to the PGA East. During our conversation Ms. O'Connell stated flat out:

"Producers come in with ideas all the time and I've seen them all in some shape or form, but unless a writer puts a script together there is nothing to produce."

On the dramatic side of things, O'Connell is pretty accurate. That's why producers hire screenwriters to put ideas on paper before going into production on a $100 million film. But documentary and factual programming is entirely different. On this side of the aisle, producers come up with the ideas, do the research, outline what the story is, go out and shoot it, and then write/edit the program. Here, the idea drives the production, not the script.

And this is where 'reality' producers are getting run over by the networks.

As a member of the Producers Guild of America, I know that we do not have the power of collective bargaining that the WGA and DGA have. This is due to the layered membership of the PGA, which includes members at the very top of the studio and network echelons. To put it simply, the PGA can't represent members on both sides of the table. For now, the PGA can only suggest ideas to the WGA while reality producers who want a fair deal must work with the Writers Guild as their only hope.

In the year or so since the WGAW announced its foray into the 'real world’ they have filed lawsuit after lawsuit against networks and prodcos on behalf of whom they call "producer-writers" on reality programs.

Nothing has come from the PGA camp.

Now "America's Next Top Model" faces a walkout by staff producer-writers looking to bring in WGA representation. I can't wait to see what happens on this front. It would be nice to reverse the downward spiral in staff salaries and working conditions. For an industry that claims that programming costs keep rising (just ask any network exec), it amazes me that networks continue to pay less for staff costs which have been flat - or worse - for the last 5 years!

I hope the PGA steps up to the plate to join the WGA in this battle. After all, every primetime dramatic series is run by 'producers' who are really writers. In fact, being a writer is the only way you can sell a dramatic show to the networks.

Steven Bochco, David E. Kelley, Aaron Sorkin, Michael Crichton...all writers.

Their screen credit: PRODUCER!

The WGAW is right on target opening the reality front. If WGA writers are the producers and showrunners on the dramatic side, then producers who put together factual programming should enjoy the benefits of WGA membership and representation too!

The PGA must step up to help its lower level members earn a living wage in the 'real world'. This does not mean that these producers cannot also be members of the PGA. If you look at the PGA's biggest names, you'll see that many are also WGA and DGA members. Why should factual program producers be any different?