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The strike that keep the writers of hollywood grouped in the Writers Guild of the United States (WGA) is receiving the support of figures from the Presidency, such as the former president Barack Obama.
Obama said Thursday that he hopes striking writers get “a fair share of the fruits of their labor.”
“As someone who really supports the union and as someone who believes in storytelling and their craft, my hope is that they are compensated and that the importance of what they do is reflected in any agreement that is reached,” he said. Obama in a virtual chat in which he presented his Netflix series “Working: What We Do All Day.”
The scriptwriters paralyzed the Hollywood industry by starting a strike on May 2 to demand better working conditions from the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), a fair residual payment from their projects, regulation of artificial intelligence , among other requests.
Obama assured that he “understood” the pressure that large studios and “streaming” companies felt from their shareholders due to “excess production”, but He emphasized that these companies “would not exist” without the presence of “writers who create stories that matter.”
“My hope would be that in a time of great technological change, in which there are large mega-corporations that are doing very well, they take into account the creatives that make the product that consumers appreciate and that is exported around the world” Obama noted.
The former president is a presenter, interviewer and producer of “Working: What We Do All Day”, a project that tries to explain the meaning of work and answer questions such as what makes a good job? And what does it take to be satisfied?
To find the answers, Obama visited the homes and workplaces of people of all walks of life.in sectors such as transport, technology, hospital service and domestic work.
The miniseries was directed by Caroline Suh, and arose from the inspiration generated in Obama by the book “Working” (1974), by the American historian Studs Terkel.
The four-part project is now available on Netflix and belongs to the production company Higher Ground Productions, founded in 2018 by former president and former first lady Michelle Obama.
Keep reading:
– The writers’ strike that paralyzes Hollywood and that can delay the premiere of your favorite series or program
– Writers strike in the United States: how the film and television industry will be affected
– Drew Barrymore will not host the delivery of the MTV Movie & TV Awards, in support of the writers’ strike