The Madness Before the Deadline

Strikegeist is here. And the stories we are hearing are wild

(credit: Nadya Ustyuzhantseva/ iStock/ Getty Images Plus)

It's getting real out there.

Just a quick note today to welcome everyone to Strikegeist, The Ankler's new free newsletter devoted to all things labor unrest as Hollywood grapples with the seemingly more-than-likely disruption coming.

It's our hope that this newsletter will become the leading source of information and insights to guide you through these perilous and uncharted waters. We'll be sending out dispatches with reporting from The Ankler team, along with commentary and perspective from the smartest voices in the community.

We hope this newsletter and its comments section become a great hub of spirited (and respectful) conversation and debate. Depending on which way things swing, we may add podcasts, conference calls and live meet-ups with experts. We'd love to hear your what you'd like. Let us know in the comments or drop me a line at richard@theankler.com.

Also, if you have tips and information, or overheard or saw something interesting, email us at strike@theankler.com. Confidentiality 100 percent guaranteed.

We've got three days to go until the deadline. The possibility of a last-minute breakthrough is always there, but right now, there’s not a lot of optimism. For comparison's sake, at this point in the last WGA negotiation, my Ankler oddsmaker put the chances of a walkout at a mere 20 percent. This time, I think you'd have to flip that and put it at 80 percent or above. So here we are.

As the clock ticks down, we're hearing reports from writers across town who have been out feverishly pitching, in a frenzy for last-minute deals from panicked buyers trying to stock the cabinets before winter; others whose writers rooms are racing to finish seasons before pencils down. It's possible that today will set a Hollywood record for Most Words Written.

For some color, this dispatch was sent to me:

One writer currently staffed on a comedy show tells me, “It’s an absolute frenzy.” This writer tells me the impending WGA strike deadline is all anyone can think about. Meanwhile, that writer’s friend has been instructed that he needs to deliver the entire season order of a show he’s been writing before the May 1st deadline, which means writing four half-hour long scripts over the next three days. He told me, “Imagine how shitty that guy’s weekend is going to be.”

One executive told me that in this frenzy, pitches and specs are being sold for well below what they would have gone for had there not been this deadline. This executive said they bought a project for almost $100,000 less than it would have gone for if the writer hadn't been facing the deadline.

So how's your frenzy going? And if you're on the studio side, what's it like trying to get the coffers filled before the very end? Let us know at strike@theankler.com.

And what do you think of strike prospects? If you're a writer, are you resolute, fearful or both? If you work elsewhere in the industry how are you feeling about the prospects of a shutdown? Let us know too.

One word about community before we begin. We want Strikegeist to be a place where people on all sides in this dispute can share their experiences and their thoughts without fear. Although things seem likely to become heated in the days ahead and tempers will flare as people rush to their corners, we're determined to keep this a place of civil conversation for all. Hate-filled, malicious or threatening comments — as determined by the editors — will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be banned. Vigorously debate each other's thoughts and ideas and refrain from attacking each other's motives. Please.

That disclaimer stated, we'd love to hear from you. Let us know what you're doing as we enter the final countdown in the comments below.

And please pass this issue along. The whole community is welcome and wanted in this free newsletter from your friends at The Ankler.