DGA Deal With Hollywood Studios Reaction: “WGA Takes A Stand, DGA Reaps Rewards”
Reaction is coming in after the Directors Guild and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached a tentative deal on a new three-year contract late Saturday night. Striking writers express some disappointment in their sister union while showing resolve in their own fight for a fair deal with the studios. And, with the Succession finale still fresh in everyone’s mind, many are using memes from the saga about corporate intrigue and backstabbing to illustrate their social media reactions.
“I wasn’t around in ’08, but this feels like that from what I’ve heard,” a writer working on streaming series told Deadline Sunday. “The WGA takes a stand, the DGA reaps the rewards.”
A veteran showrunner assessed the impact of the DGA pact while also looking ahead to the SAG-AFTRA strike authorization vote which concludes Monday.
“The two guilds have a lot of different issues this year, that’s a fact, but no one can say this deal doesn’t change things, the momentum,” a veteran showrunner told Deadline today. “The outcome of that SAG-AFTRA vote is the next big hurdle. If they vote against a strike … well, I don’t know, it’ll be hard.”
Added another WGA member, “We went on strike because the studios were devaluing us. From what I read this morning, the DGA agreement only touches on residuals for us. Otherwise, I think its impact won’t be much.”
Another writer had a slightly different take on how the DGA deal would impact the WGA.
“I mean, I just want to get back to work. This is the DGA’s deal — sucks, but I get they did it,” the person said. “It’s not going to change much for us. Actually, it will change something for us: make us more determined to fight for a fair deal for us.”
Here’s a sampling of Twitter reaction from striking writers and their supporters talking about the DGA-AMPTP deal:
It's helpful to remember a little history: the DGA tried bargaining back in Feb and got nowhere.
So they called it off. Then they went back to bargaining once they had the leverage of writers on the picket lines.
The headline on their deal right now should be "Strikes Work" pic.twitter.com/B1iazGAtK6 — Mike Royce (@MikeRoyce) June 4, 2023
Amy Berg posted a multi-tweet thread that began with, “Thrilled that the DGA was able to use the power of the WGA’s labor action to secure a deal that works for them.” She added: “We proposed a number of these terms… before the AMPTP cut off negotiations in order to hand a deal to the DGA. They will continue to not speak to us, offering them next to SAG. But we have needs in areas they don’t, and will secure a deal that works for us. This isn’t it.”
Oscar and Emmy winner Travor Free tweeted: “As a DGA member this deal looks great. As a WGA member, this deal is proof the AMPTP just doesn’t respect writers. The fact that you can make an historic deal with the people who can’t even do their jobs until writers do theirs screams all you need to know about the AMPTP.”
Amy Thurlow, president of dick clark productions, also posted a thread Sunday morning. Hers began with: “Just a reminder they made a deal with the DGA in hopes of pitting us against each other. Don’t fall for it. The enemy is not the DGA it’s the AMPTP.”
DGA sent us to war with a “we’re right behind you” then made a deal behind our backs. We should add to our list of demands & include “writers must go to set” to remind them of our hard won battle scars that they claimed heel spurs or whatever instead of joining us on the lines. pic.twitter.com/IOuBaGdkwB — Julie Benson (@TheJulieBenson) June 4, 2023
There were quite a few Succession-themed reactions:
Behind the scenes of the DGA deal. pic.twitter.com/WpxwR5nSkr — Gennefer Gross (@Gennefer) June 4, 2023
Me when it’s time to ratify the DGA deal: pic.twitter.com/Krbm49Rkdy — Natasha Rothwell (@natasharothwell) June 4, 2023
And the tweets kept comin’:
Welp. It happened. The thing we knew would happen happened. I hope every writer/director straddling both guilds votes a big effing no on this undercutting deal https://t.co/EH4YpjuihS — Luke Kalteux (@LukeKalteux) June 4, 2023
Now that the #DGA has a deal, in part due to the leverage from the #WGAStrike, it would be classy if some of their members showed up on our picket lines with signage in support of their sister unions getting a fair deal. #WGAStrong 1/3 — James C. Oliver (@JamesOliverInLA) June 4, 2023
I'm sure the #DGA membership wants everyone to go back to work. We want that too. The best way for the DGA to make that happen now would be to stand with the #WGA and #SAGAFTRA in solidarity, rather than allowing the companies to use them as a tool to divide us. 3/3 — James C. Oliver (@JamesOliverInLA) June 4, 2023
I don’t know about the rest of you, but this DGA “historic deal” only makes me fired up to strike until we get every damn thing we asked for. I’ll strike for years. I’ll strike with a sign in my cold dead hand from my coffin at 100. It’ll say, “I’d rather die than rewrite AI” pic.twitter.com/UtowrUApeU — Allison Sanchez (@_A_Sanch) June 4, 2023
The DGA telling the WGA they’ve reached a deal. pic.twitter.com/V2zufLg1SW — David Gross (@davidgrossTV) June 4, 2023
As a member of both, my vote will be a resounding no. https://t.co/HQ6QWWXfux — Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) June 4, 2023
Earlier in the morning, veteran writer-director DeKnight (Spartacus, Daredevil) wrote about the DGA deal on Twitter, “We expected thus. Changes absolutely nothing,” followed by several clinched fist emojis.
Just a reminder they made a deal with the DGA in hopes of pitting us against each other. Don’t fall for it. The enemy is not the DGA it’s the AMPTP. Mini 🧵 — Amy Thurlow (@athurlow) June 4, 2023
The Good Wife franchise and Evil co-creator Robert King was a little more optimistic about the DGA’s deal as it relates to the WGA:
Source: Deadline
