Hollywood Died and Nobody Noticed

It isn’t just a strike, it’s a tipping point that will define an entire industry forever.

Although this isn’t my typical beat, as a writer, it has personally impacted myself and most of my friends. It isn’t a typical strike, where there is conflict of pay raises or residuals increased due to the sudden rise of the stream wars- this is much bigger and far more monumental than anything that has happened in Hollywood since the McCarthy era that saw hundreds of working actors, writers, directors and producers blacklisted after allegations of supporting communism. Iconic comedian Lucille Ball is perhaps one of the best known stars of yesteryear to face such an accusation head on and win, while other stars languished and eventually vanished into obscurity.

As reported by mainstream industry media, Studio head have confessed that their strategy with regard to renegotiating the Writer’s Guild contract was to let them strike until they lost their homes, vehicles and are swallowed whole by debt as a direct result of being unable to seek gainful employment as signatory members.

Studios have slowly turned up the temperature on writers and actors over the past decade as streaming surfaces usurped typical theatrical releases, with Zack Snyder’s Justice League leading the pack in a 2021 HBO Max release that broke records.

The problem has remained persistent however, in that contracts are outdated and while big name Studios like Warner Bros. and Disney rake in billions, the writers with whom…