Mike Scully thinks out loud about the DGA deal

Mike Scully has been a staunch supporter of the WGA and its leaders during the strike. As a veteran showrunner ("The Simpsons") and writer, a dad extraordinaire and an all-around good guy, his opinion matters to the WGA faithful.

In a post on United Hollywood, Scully sez he's got some hope regarding about the groundwork laid by the DGA, but urges members to hang tough until the WGA leadership has had the chance to parse the details. He's got a number of unanswered questions in three areas:

1. The 17-day "promotional use" window for streaming of TV shows. "In my opinion, promotional use should have a limit of 3-5 minutes of program content, just enough to get the viewer to sample the show. However, if an entire episode is going to be made available, it should not contain any ads and should be limited to a window of no more than 48 hours. If they are being paid for promotional use, so should we."

2. "How will the Internet be policed? "The Simpsons Movie" is currently the number one download rental on iTunes, but I have no idea if that means it's been downloaded five thousand times or five million times (and I'm one of the writers and producers of that film). How will we get accurate figures so we know we're being paid correctly?"

3. "$250 for a year’s use of a TV episode was a shockingly low offer. $1200 for a year is an ever-so-slightly-less shockingly low offer. Also, if $1200 is for a one-hour show, is it 50% less for a half-hour? Regardless, I don't think these payments will replace residuals immediately as some are predicting, but over the next five years, a huge negative impact on TV writer residuals seems inevitable."

Scully he wants to go back to work, mentioning that he has four kids in college, but asks that members stay patient with the WGA leaders for now.

"However, unless you have the answers to the above questions and understand every other aspect of the DGA agreement, we should not be encouraging our leadership to approve or reject the deal," he said. "We simply don’t yet have the proper information to form a knowledgeable opinion. We’re certainly entitled to ask questions (and have been encouraged to do so by our leaders), but we can’t make critical long-term financial decisions based on bullet points, or the overzealous recommendations of those who may have something personal to gain by us settling quickly."

Scully concludes the post with a shout-out to the WGA brass, SAG and DGA. He urges members to stay unified and predicting that doing so will pay off.

"Our leadership has done a great job of unifying a divided, demoralized guild that was so used to coming up short in negotiations that we had started to accept it as a way of life. They have brought pride back to our profession and shown us that we have the power to improve our lives. Aligning us with SAG was a brilliant and empowering move, and we should not make any deal without consulting SAG first because they have been so supportive of our cause.

The DGA benefited by our stand and, to their credit, hesitated before they started negotiations. When they finally went in, they were aware the outcome would be scrutinized by everyone in town and I think they did a good job making gains in areas where they wouldn’t have been allowed to without the actions taken by the WGA and SAG.

Every union starts a strike strong and unified, but it's even more important that we finish strong and unified. Three years will go by quickly, and we will be back at the bargaining table again. If the AMPTP’s last memory of us is that of a fractured guild, filled with dissension and in-fighting, that’s how we will be treated in all future business dealings. If we are patient and continue to display the solidarity that’s been so impressive to me, while our leaders resume bargaining with the AMPTP, it won’t be long before we're all back to work doing what we love: complaining about how much we hate writing and asking "Where the hell is lunch?!"

Comments

[Fi Core]

Solidarity ? Do u mean side deals like lionsgate?or letterman?weintein?the soaps? opps!! I said it agian

[Fi Core]

I better run 4 cover here come all the shill comments,but its the truth and i guess the truth hurts !!! showrunners coming back are next

[Kitty]

FiCore,

The WGA members are quite pleased at the side deals, and the soap "scabbing" is not quite the prevalent saga you seem to think it is. And the showrunners I've talked to, who've been out on the lines every day, have no intention to undercut the leadership. But thanks for your... um... thoughts?

[Jeff]

Count me another WGA writer very happy about the side-deals. If the soap producers are dumb enough to hire scabs to destroy their shows' credibility and coherence ... Wait a second, did I use the words "credibility" and "coherence" in the same sentence as "soap"?

I can't speak about what's going on LA, but in New York I've seen nothing but solidarity and enthusiasm for the principled stand of the leadership. Writers have a tendency to be skeptical bordering on cynical. What's been heartening has been to see these crusty, grumpy people respond to this situation with genuine expressions of idealism. The debate in Washington was wonderfully funny, by the way, and reminds us of what TV comedy can be when it's written by people who know what they're doing.

[Andy Gordon]

Mike makes some good points, of course, but here's what I want to know: at what meeting was it decided that outloud was one word?

[Stuart Creque]

Jeff: "Count me another WGA writer very happy about the side-deals."

Solidarity runs both ways. The side deals are an attempt to fracture the solidarity of the AMPTP, and the more there are, the less weight the AMPTP has on its side of the bargaining table. It's a very good strategy for the WGA to pursue.

[Common Sense]

I don't know Mike personally but have indeed heard that he's a great guy. And I think most of what he writes is entirely reasonable...yet I have to say, it's pretty easy to be of the opinion that the writers should remain "steadfast and patient" when you are RICHER THAN GOD.

For those of us who didn't run "The Simpsons" for a dozen years, it's a little different.

That's no knock on the guy, just a plain fact.

[Fi Core]

Hmmmmmm lets c here the talks breakdown,more force mejuer cuts,t.v. season scrapped,working showrunners terminated,more reality t.v.,more actors out of work,directors out of work,production managers out of work,etc. etc. naaa never happen,but the wga new name !!! weak guild of america!!!!Hey what happened to that bold statement "we will have anamation in our next contract"O.K. u can start calling me a shill now,just had 2 say the truth

[God]

Common Sense, trust me, Mke Scully is not richer than I am. He's done wel, but it's not like he's created a show that's gone into syndication or anything. This strike and its issues are important to him. I know, I hear him whining about it all the time.

I kid! I love Mike!

[independant producer]

I've enjoyed reading all the comments pro and con on these blogs. Mike's is no exception. The one thought I'd add is that these side deals are of no significance to the AMPTP. I've heard that first hand from the powers that be. They are independent producers who don't add a significant amount of work for writers compared to the film studios. And they have no relevance to television except for a few minor exceptions.

The studios are where the bulk of development and employment for feature writers are. Probably 95%....and of course the networks which provide probably 90% of the employment.

Just my .002.

[Andy Gordon]

I'd like to state that at some point this afternoon, the words out and loud were separated just enough to make my earlier post baffling. I am, in a word, enraged.

[Kitty]

Common Sense,

As a writer who's decidedly NOT RICH, I support my leadership despite the fact that I don't have deep pockets. This strike and these negotiations are about the future, and unfortunately we have to make sacrifices now to secure that future for ourselves and for the writers who hope to make a living ten years from now.

[Joe]

Kitty,

Yes, and everyone else must make sacrifices so that you can make more money, too, right?

Just like you folks made sacrifices the last time the Teamsters and BTL workers went on strike, right? Wait ... no you didn't.

My mistake.

[Shill Spotter]

You're right, Joe, the WGA are hypocrites -- after all we're getting such wonderful support from BTL people like you. Thanks a bunch!

[Kitty]

Joe,

Sorry you're so bitter that I'm not willing to, say, give up my health insurance and pension plan in order that you not lose any time at work. And I'm sorry that you're not actually here to engage in a discussion, but instead to promote your view of BTL workers and Teamsters as innocent victims of greedy writers. I think your anger might be better directed at the AMPTP, which has prolonged this strike deliberately, than at most WGA writers who are just hoping to keep making a living. Because, guess what -- if we can't make a living, neither will you. Because if they bust our union... yours will be next.

Good luck.

[justasking]

This can't go on much longer. How many showrunners are on the lines? How many blog? The ones that do are the hardliners, most are not on the lines and do not blog. They are frustrated and are ready to go back to work. If this lasts much longer the ones I've talked to feel they will lose more than they will ever gain in their lifetime with any contract. We are past that tipping point. If you think the studios really care about the Oscars as a drop dead date you're wrong. They will figure some way to do make the show work. Did you watch Conan last night? It's a struck show yet he was reading off of cue cards and had Barack Obama and George Wendt on. Didn't seem to hurt him.

[Archie Berman]

Hey Just Asking,

What exactly is your point? That the writers should just give up now, regardless of whether the deal is fair or not? It's a very mean-spirited post. I'm not sure where you're coming from.

[Bob]

His point is you may have to face the facts that sooner or later, regardless of whether or not we get a good deal, it's not going to matter. For us, at least. After a certain point, the amount lost will be so great, the next two generations will be paying for it.