August 9th marks Day 100 of the WGA Strike. The industry has come to a stop, and so many of us are struggling... including the incredible staff who support writers day and night as we create the television shows and movies you love to watch. These are the Interns, Writers’ PAs, Writers’ Assistants, Script Coordinators and Showrunner Assistants who are not yet in the WGA, but standing with us on the picket lines every day fighting the good fight for the future of all writers. I've had friends reach out to see how they can help, so time to put your money where your mouth is... at least 100 of you, anyway... with $100 each. I'd love to be able to provide some assistance to these 10 support staff/rising WGA members who could use some help as our fight continues. MEET JADE Jade is a second career screenwriter who has been a Writers’ Assistant on The CHI, CHERISH THE DAY, and KENAN. She co-wrote an episode of THE CHI but hasn't yet made the leap to getting staffed. She was unemployed for 9 months before she finally got a gig as a Script Coordinator only to be laid off 2 weeks later when the strike began. This strike has affected her mental health and ability to be creative as she's constantly worrying about making ends meet. As someone who is still trying to break in to get staffed, she's concerned about her future in this career. Before the strike, so many rooms weren't even considering lower-level writers and if that doesn't change it will make it even harder for writers in her position to break in. She loves writing and truly feels like it is her calling. Her goals for the future are to get staffed in a drama, sci-fi, fantasy or horror room. MEET LAMONT Lamont worked his way from office PA to Writers’ PA during the first 2 years of COVID on the NBC show KENAN. There he was mentored by some amazing producers and became a Showrunner’s Assistant for PRIMO on FreeVee... until the strike brought that to a crashing halt. His goal is to be staffed on a comedy or dramedy in the next few years. Until then, he'll be on the line fighting for the future of all writers. MEET EMILY Emily worked in retail for three years at the Universal Studios theme park before making enough connections to secure her first support staff job as the Writers’ PA for the final season of CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND on the CW. A few months later, she was hired as a Showrunner’s Assistant on Netflix’s FIREFLY LANE and got the opportunity to co-write an episode that allowed her to become an Associate member of the WGA. Her job ended in July 2024 and since then she has been unemployed. Her unemployment benefits ran out at the end of February 2024 and with the strike looming since January, she's yet to find a job of any kind and needs help with rent, utilities, and health insurance. She wants to establish herself as a queer comedy writer, but with the realities of life in this strike, she's finding it impossible to focus on anything other than money. So this money, any money, would be so incredibly helpful and crucial. MEET WHITNEY Whitney has worked as a Writers’ Assistant for the past 3 years on THE CHI, BLACK MAFIA FAMILY and CLAWS. She recently co-write an episode of THE CHI, but hasn't been staffed yet. Working in the writers’ room is her passion, and she hopes to make the jump to writer once the strike is over. The strike has caused significant financial hardship that has affected her ability to pay for groceries, rent, and medical bills. MEET LOVINGKINDNESS Lovingkindness has worked in television for seven years, educating their way up through the ranks from Intern to Writers’ PA to Script Coordinator. TV has reflected and furthered their understanding of their own identity since they were young. The shows they have worked on,(BLACK-ISH, POSE, RAISING DION, DEAD BOY DETECTIVES and SEND HELP) have all blessed their experience both within the industry and the outside world. They ultimately aspire to work in rooms where they can tell the stories of underrepresented folks, especially in YA Fantasy Drama. Unfortunately, institutional points of contention in the strike such as mini-rooms and a lack of development of writers on staff have stymied the upward movement of many talented writers like themselves. They have not had work since the strike began, and are at the point where their ability to cover rent is a question. They are a big supporter of the strike and would like it to carry on as long as necessary to achieve the collective goals. Though this comes at a great cost to many of us, they hope to rejoin rooms on the other side of the strike in a Hollywood that shows financial and creative value to its writers and actors. MEET TASHA Tasha is a pre-WGA writer in addition to being a wife and mother of 2. In 2024, she quit her full-time job as a LA County Social Worker to pursue her dreams of being a writer. She soon became a full-time Showrunner’s Assistant. Since the strike, it's been difficult for her to provide for her children, and she's experienced hardships like car repossession and difficulty paying rent. But even amid her hardships, she was able to help organize the HBCU Picket on July 11th, curating a space of joy, food and community for over 600 picketers. MEET JAMIE Jamie has worked in TV/film for over a decade, working as a Writers’ Assistant on BETTER THINGS, HAWAII FIVE-O and SCORPION. It’s been as thrilling as she imagined it would be when she was a kid sneaking out of bed to write fanfiction inspired by her favorite shows via AIM with her middle school best friend. She believes strongly in television’s ability to change hearts and minds and hopes that one day she will be entrusted to tell stories that make others feel seen, moved and less alone. Unfortunately, it’s been some time since she's worked in a room and this necessary strike has only extended that. Without union work, she was unable to maintain union health insurance so is now faced with a hefty medical bill on top of day-to-day expenses. She is eager to get back to work, but until then, she's been inspired by her time out on the picket lines connecting with so many working and emerging writers. MEET L.I. L.I. has been a Writers’ Assistant for years. Since the last few shows she's worked on have been canceled, she hasn't been staffed yet and has been stuck in this support-staff-cycle from hell. Her last show ended around December but because of the impending strike, the jobs have been dry all year. So she's been out of work for months, taking small gigs here and there. Her unemployment has run up and she could use some assistance. MEET KAVYA Kavya worked as a Development Assistant at Aline Brosh McKenna's production pod, Lean Machine, and then became the Writers’ Assistant for Aline’s series ALL STARS. She loved working in a writers’ room, and not being able to do the work she’s been dreaming about forever has been devastating. She supports the WGA, their demands, and the strike in general, but the result of this strike has made it impossible for support staff who aren't yet members of the guild to find work relevant to their long-term goals. She’s been getting by on limited savings, but any extra funds would be extremely helpful. MEET ANJALIKA Anjalika has worked in various capacities in production on LITTLE AMERICA, BOO BITCH, WEIRD, KENAN, SOUTH SIDE and DRUNK HISTORY. She stepped down from Line Producer’s Assistant on CRIMINAL MINDS EVOLUTION to become a Writers’ PA because she wants to be a writer so badly. Like so many others since the strike, she has not worked and it has been extremely hard. She’s been applying for non-industry jobs but no luck thus far. She hopes that the strike brings about the kind of change that will better all our careers in the future.
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