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Something about working in Hollywood that people outside the industry don't really understand is — way more often than not, what you work on will never see the light of day.
But... just because something wasn't *produced* doesn't mean you weren't working. https://robsforman.blogspot.com/p/issue-listing-unproduced-credits-on.html
But... just because something wasn't *produced* doesn't mean you weren't working. https://robsforman.blogspot.com/p/issue-listing-unproduced-credits-on.html
The WGA has a fantastic database called "Find A Writer," which is a directory of members searchable by name and filterable by self-identified diversity attributes. It's awesome. Use it! You'll never have to say "I couldn't find a ____ writer" ever again. https://directories.wga.org/
Currently, the only credits listed on FAW are those that get produced. Even when a contract is submitted to the Guild, dues are paid on income earned, and employers make contributions... the only way for a writer to include unproduced work is in a personal statement.
For instance, look at my FAW page. A quick glance would make you think I haven't worked since 2015. Which (thankfully) is very much not true!
https://directories.wga.org/member/82bbae24-3a4d-4822-aaf7-5516079169fb
There are even writers whose FAW pages are blank, as the work that gained them Guild membership didn't get made.
https://directories.wga.org/member/82bbae24-3a4d-4822-aaf7-5516079169fb
There are even writers whose FAW pages are blank, as the work that gained them Guild membership didn't get made.
For better or worse, Hollywood is a town where perception is reality. Everyone asks: "What are you working on?"
Work begets work. And the mere appearance of not working can make getting that next job, or a rep, more difficult.
Work begets work. And the mere appearance of not working can make getting that next job, or a rep, more difficult.
I believe this is a small change we can make to help members answer that question in a way that more accurately reflects their careers. This affects feature writers, TV writers in development, and anyone who has ever been in a mini-room for a project that didn't wind up filming.
Our current system simply does not reflect the actual work WGA writers are performing for signatory companies. We can't control outside things like IMDb. But we can control FAW. It would be great for members to steer people to FAW when an exec or producer wants to look at credit.
(To be clear, this proposal is *not* about interfering with or going around the Guild's arbitration process to determine credits on studio features where multiple writers performed rewrites... that's a vastly different, way more complex issue).
This is an easy, cheap change. Beyond more accurately portraying a writer's Guild-covered work, it may encourage writers to send their FAW profiles to producers or executives, inviting our creative partners to use FAW (remember: never say "I can't find a _____ writer" again!)
If you are a WGAw "Current" member and like this idea, I'd be thrilled to have your support and your endorsement in this campaign as I run for Board of Directors.
(Twitter seems to be broken right now, but you can find the link at my blog, in the first tweet of this thread.)
(Twitter seems to be broken right now, but you can find the link at my blog, in the first tweet of this thread.)
