Daily Digest: Taylor Sheridan Strikes a Nerve
Daily Digest: Taylor Sheridan Strikes a Nerve
➕ WGA West president Meredith Stiehm set to seek re-election
After a well-attended rally that brought thousands of writers and supporters to the La Brea Tar Pits, strikers were back out on the picket lines today as the work stoppage drags on through Week 8. And while scripted TV production stuttered to a halt for the last couple of weeks with zero permits to film, there were three shows with permits for the week ended June 18, according to FilmLA, the county’s office that tracks production activity.
Weekly permit counts are continuing to plummet, with feature film and TV project counts down 56 percent to 160 this year, compared to 363 in 2022, though those figures of course do not include reality TV series or non-union indie films.
In other news, Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan ruffled many a feather this week in his cover interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where he was honored with TV Producer of the Year. The hubbub wasn’t related to the strike itself — he says he is supportive of the Writers Guild’s efforts and isn’t writing at the moment — but the one-man band’s thoughts on staffing minimums quickly made him Enemy of the Week in the public eye among scribes looking to codify the issue in their next contract.
Here’s the part of the exchange that raised hackles:
And then there’s this, where Sheridan appears to be referring to a script coordinator but doesn’t quite nail the support staff job title.
What say you? Does Sheridan have a point about the “unfettered” freedom of the artist, or do his remarks undermine the WGA’s push to create staffing minimums in TV writers rooms? Talk to me: elaine@theankler.com.
Today in Strike News
Billy Crystal’s Apple TV+ series Before is shuttering production until the end of the strike. (Deadline)
Amid all the chaos of the strike, WGA West president Meredith Stiehm has announced that she’ll seek re-election this fall for her second two-year term. (Variety)
Netflix’s newly released “view” metric is seen more as a restatement of information the platform already gives out, rather than what the WGA is hoping for as a part of streaming data transparency. (The Hollywood Reporter)
A writers’ PA and a production coordinator teamed up to form Dean’s Coffee, a cold brew and specialty drinks stand, which often gets sponsorships that allow them to dole out free coffee to picketers. (Thrillist)
This Saturday, writers plan on picketing right outside the Apple Store in Santa Barbara in a bid to put some more heat on the streaming and tech company. (edhat Santa Barbara)
Picket Sign of the Day
Truer words…
Additional reporting by Matthew Frank.