Cheers were audible all over Los Angeles this week when the 148-day-long writers’ strike finally ended. Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are walking away from their lengthy negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) with meaningful protections, thanks in no small part to the work of the WGA negotiating committee.
Kay Cannon, a writer, actor, producer, and director best known for writing and producing the Pitch Perfect films, served as a member of the negotiating committee, and on Thursday, Vogue caught up with her to talk about how life has changed since a deal was reached, the specific deal win that she’s most excited about, and the importance of showing solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA members who are still on strike.
Vogue: What was your day-to-day looking like prior to the end of the strike, and what does it look like now?
Kay Cannon: Well, you know, in those final days of negotiations, it was very stressful. They were long days. And we were all incredibly optimistic that we were going to get a deal, but…I feel all the emotions right now, because I feel happy and relieved and have so much love for the Guild and our solidarity and how strongly we’re together. And then I’m also angry that it took this long, and that so many people were hurt by this. There’s a whole mix of emotions. I feel like we won, but also, in this fight, we got punched pretty bad, and so we as a group are still going to be there for each other and help each other recover from this.
Is there a win that you’re particularly excited about?
I’ve been doing film and TV for the past 15 years, and I was primarily focused on the screenwriting proposals—there were seven of us who had that as our primary focus. One of the gains that we got as screenwriters was the two-step deal, and that is something we’ve asked for many, many times and that I personally spoke about to the AMPTP in one of our presentations. I was able to say: This is an abuse of power, and the amount of free work that happens when you don’t guarantee a writer a second step [ensuring payment not only for turning in a draft but also for a rewrite] is terrible. I didn’t make the sign, but I had a sign that I carried every single day about two-step deals. It was also that thing of, like, we’re never gonna get it. Early on in negotiations, someone from across the table said, “My bosses will never say yes to that,” and then we got it. It’s really geared toward protecting new screenwriters, because it allows them to have more skin in the game; it allows screenwriters to be able to get another round of notes to course-correct and create relationships with executives, and another chance at getting credited for their work, which of course means everything if a movie gets made and then you get residuals. It’s a process shift, and that’s what was so frustrating; it wasn’t a monetary proposal, and it didn’t cost them more money. It was a process-control proposal, and it’s just giving a little bit of power and control back to the screenwriter, which is pretty great.
Where should the focus be right now for people who want to support those in the entertainment industry who are still waiting for a fair deal?
We obviously could not have gotten the gains that we got without the help of our sister unions, specifically SAG-AFTRA. When SAG went on strike, it was a game changer, and I’m also a member of SAG in addition to the DGA and the WGA, so it’s really important to me. It’s kind of like, this fight is done, now it’s on to the next fight, because SAG is still very much on strike. In our meeting last night, we talked about all the different ways that we could support SAG; you know, since the day the WGA strike began, SAG-AFTRA members were there standing alongside us, so we remain steadfast in our support of them. We’re excited that on Monday they’re going back to negotiations, and we’re having as many WGA members as possible go to the picket lines and keep supporting them the way they supported us. That’s where the work is: on the picket lines. We had more WGA members picketing on the last day of the strike, that Friday before we got a tentative agreement, than we did on day one, and we’re fully aware of the power of that solidarity. We weren’t able to win the contractual rights for writers to respect other unions’ picket lines, but we emerge from this strike committed to repaying our debt to our union siblings in Hollywood when they’re fighting for their rights.
How are you feeling with this fight—or this part of the fight—behind you?
It just really feels good to win. I’m just so happy and proud to be a part of the WGA and part of this union and so thankful for all the other unions that helped. I mean, I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s so emotional; a lot of us have been crying at different times throughout the day. When we got the tentative agreement, there were several days of just bursting into tears.
This conversation has been edited and condensed.
