, he makes a persuasive case that workers both in front of and behind the camera are in need of protections that a union might be able to provide.
A: Exactly. There was a movement back in the 2000s when the WGA was trying to incorporate story producers as writers. Story producers don’t write scripts, of course. But they assemble footage and create stories out of existing material. And what happened in the last writer’s strike is the WGA went in with the intention of unionizing reality TV story producers, but then dropped it as a concession. That is the last formal industrywide attempt that I am aware of.
But it’s just as complicated, maybe more so, than scripted TV. As one story producer described it, it’s like taking pieces of shattered glass and having to turn them into a beautiful mosaic. Because you have all this material to work with, but you can’t control it or change it the way a writer on a scripted show can.
A: For the crew especially, it’s a freelance business and the workers have very little protection. So a lot of times they just need a job and will accept certain unfair conditions, like working long hours without getting paid overtime. People feel like they’re being taken advantage of but there are no external standards set by a union that shows have to abide by. So as crew, they feel like they can’t push back because they’re relying on referrals to get their next job.