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I have learned that Sony late last night presented a new financial package to the WGA writers of Sit Down, Shut Up! — but it still keeps the animated series an IATSE show. A Sony insider tells me that if the WGA writers won’t agree to it then “the show won’t go forward”. There have been some other interesting developments since I first broke the news about the turmoil behind-the-scenes of this show scheduled for midseason on Fox in the coveted 8:30 PM time slot between The Simpsons and Family Guy. Remember how I told you that the WGA writers worked without a contract or paycheck based on lies from Sony that Sit Down, Shut Up! would be a Writers Guild show? Well, Sony/IATSE rushed out checks on IATSE time sheets to the writers’ agents hoping to resolve the stand-off through such an all-too-obvious ploy. But rather than deposit the checks, the writers instructed their agents to mark them “Return To Sender”.
Meanwhile, the WGA found what it considers a loophole in the IATSE Local 839 contract that also could have resolved the standoff: a provision that if workers appropriate to the task at hand cannot be found within IATSE then the show can subcontract the work with no penalty as long as the deals made are the same or better than IATSE’s. “It’s a fully legitimate solution which provides Sony a fig leaf by letting them call this an IATSE show even though the writers are hired under the WGA,” another insider tells me. “But Sony doesn’t want to do it. The studio would rather flush away some of the best animation real estate on TV.” The reason is that Sony keeps telling the WGA that the studio can’t fire the 14 IATSE writers in order to hire the 14 WGA writers without being sued. But the WGA keeps responding, “Of course you can. They’re the same people.” This has turned into one of the “back and forth crazy mindfucks” most of the participants have ever experienced, which is why many of the WGA writers are already looking for other work.
- UPDATE: Now Breach Of Contract Letters
- SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, NOW WALK OUT! WGA Writers Stalk Off IATSE TV Toon; Sony Kept Lying It Would Be WGA Show
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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If they never had contracts they were never actually hired ……. Or am I missing something.
it’s the lawyers as usual making a mess of everything
they need to back off and let the people who actually contribute something to the world do their work
seriously, this is why nothing gets done in Congress either — too many lawyers
shakespeare had it right.
Welcome to the new Hollywood business model: write for cheap or don’t write at all.
Talking with another writer friend the other day (he also belongs to SAG), we both came to realization that the plan all along is to eliminate every expensive WGA/SAG deal and eventually break the collective backs of both unions.
This is the yet another shot in the continuing war.
I don’t know if it’s just me, or does Sony and Fox seem more interested in scuttling the show before it even airs, or what?
I mean what’s the point of making the work environment so toxic, that the show is doomed to failure, and makes money for no one. Union switcheroo might be seen as a money saving scheme, but if it prevents the show from airing and potentially profiting, then it really ends up costing more in the end.
Maybe someone at Fox figured they could make a 1/2 hour reality show to fill that slot cheaper once they saw the budget and tried to sink it in a way that they can blame on others.
no it isn’t the same thing. there are 14 IATSE writers out there willing to work on this show, then they must have a chance first. Unless the wga slugs join IATSE.
The word inside Sony is that they aren’t really happy with the show’s look or direction. They will largely use this as a way to let it die.
The more I think about it, the more I wouldn’t mind not seeing this show. It could be great but it could also be crap.
Let Mitch work on the Arrested Development Movie that has been heating up the past few days. That would be a more satisfactory solution.
Dear #44,
Why would you post such a comment? Nobody — including Sony — is disputing that the writers WORKED for two months.
Except you.
What’s your angle? You stupid douche.
After I posted last week that Sony is in violation of California labor law and exposing themselves to tens of thousands of dollars in penalties because of their refusal to pay wages for work already done, Sony goes and sends out checks to the agents.
That was clearly intended to eliminate that exposure. But of course they send them as IATSE checks knowing the writers won’t cash them.
Now I’ll tell you all something else. There are only two possible outcomes here. 1) Sony and Fox want the show to happen, tried to ram IATSE down WGA members’ throats, but will really have no choice but to cave to WGA inclusion in the end. 2) Sony doesn’t want to continue with production of this show.
Look, all the other Fox primetime cartoons are WGA, thus the problem here isn’t Fox. They’re not drawing any line here. Sony either wants to continue the show or does not. But all Sony is achieving here is showing how anti-WGA a studio they are.
I have already heard talk of screenwriter groups meeting to discuss taking a stand against Sony in response. The plan is to not offer any scripts to Sony first, EVEN IF sony has first look deal. Apparently, lawyers see a way around this and it’s not a problem for the writers.
There are also showrunner groups communicating about not bringing any more TV to Sony. Sony is alienating the entire WGA community for a few dollars a week. Why would they do such a thing? Well, the feeling is that this is what IATSE asked for as payment for attaching itself to the hip of the AMPTP during the strike.
Big price for Sony to pay though. Could mean the end of Sony as a major studio. Maybe MGM will get back their lot when Sony Japan decides to cut their losses and merge the studio w/ MGM.
Hey, noses have been cut off to spite faces in this town before, so… ho-hum.
I’m sure this won’t be a popular comment here, but Sony TV’s drama development people have been stellar and honest in all their dealings with me and my writing partner. So whatever problems the animation writers may be having with Sony, don’t paint all Sony execs with the same brush. I’m sure Sony has a-holes, but I also know first hand they have good people.
Oh… to whoever labels me a studio shill for writing this (as comments around here turn nasty real fast)… I’m not.. hard as that might be for you to take. I’m a writer who walked the picket lines – unlike most of the WGA, which sat home and wrote specs.
Sony had Mitch Hurtwitz– one of the best comedy minds out there — develop an animated show which was then awarded Sunday 8:30 — the holy grail of animated timeslots — and they screw the pooch because they mislead the writers to save a few bucks? PEOPLE MUST BE FIRED!!
Those Sony comedy idiots cost their corporation hundreds of millions of dollars in potential profits. (quick — what was the last animated show on Fox to fail in the last 20 years? NONE!)
If I was a stock holder, I’d be pissed.
Either Zack Van Amburg or his idiot apprentice should be fired ASAP.
Of course, they won’t. These bureaucrats always protect their own — at the expense of the stock holders.
Boycott Sony. Misleading pricks. Let the Sony Execs write the show. We’ll let them think they’re getting IATSE pay but then we’ll send them Nike child labor money instead.
You know what Ron, you may be right, and Sony is having a case of buyer’s remorse after buying the rights to the Australian show without really understanding it.
Though I still can’t understand not at least trying to make money off it once you’ve gone to all this trouble, and I mean trouble.
Once again it becomes clear that IATSE will do anything to put the studios needs over those of individuals.
I can’t wait for them to one day give up their hold over animation writers so those writers can join a union that actually fights for them.
I worked on 18 episodes of “The Ellen Show”. Mitch Hurwitz was the show runner. Everybody liked Mitch.
The show never really “found its voice” but it was a great show to work.
Sony on the other hand is becoming the studio, where talent, including writers AND actors, prefer not to work. IATSE animators should not be doing prime time. That is WGA turf. AFTRA should not be doing pime time. That is SAG turf. At Sony all the new TV for actors is AFTRA. SAG members are about as happy about working AFTRA, as WGA members are about working IATSE.
P.S. Between my wife and I, we are members of IATSE, SAG and AFTRA. Love SAG, hate AFTRA and IATSE.
Joe Brown wrote:
“IATSE animators should not be doing prime time. That is WGA turf.”
Joe, what union should prime time animators be in? The WGA has never offered to let artists in. Hell – the DGA won’t even let prime time animation directors in their union. Think about that …there have been directors working on The Simpsons for almost 20 years. Their episodes air non-stop in syndication and sell tons of DVDs. They don’t see a dime of it.
>>>IATSE animators should not be doing prime time.
then you have no prime time animation. ta-da!
WGA/DGA member,
I’m sure you’re right. None of the writers (or at least this is my sense) have negative feelings or ill will toward the TV execs at Sony — we think they have had the best intentions all along, and from what I can tell still do. All the crazy maneuvering seems to be talking place above them or on some more corporate level. Nothing but good will toward the decent individuals who happen to be caught in this situation too…
At the same time, if the environment at Sony is one where the “good execs” do not have the power to make things right, then Sony is still not the best place to do business.
Tricky situation. There are plenty of good people doing there best to resolve this, but it only takes literally one dishonest person to muck it up for everyone else and make it difficult to resolve.
I took Joe Brown’s comment to mean that primetime animation should be written by WGA members, not IATSE members. Currently it is WGA turf, at least on broadcast networks including Fox (and I believe the upcoming “Goode Family” on ABC). Obviously the people doing the animating would not be WGA.
Hey, everyone! Here’s an idea! How about holding open auditions for the funniest people(s) to write the show, the funniest people(s) to act and draw the show, and then put that on the air! How does that all sound? Doesn’t that sound like a good way to make a tv show?
re: “Doesn’t that sound like a good way to make a tv show?”
Sounds more like a good way to get screwed.
Sony is scum. All this b.s. is coming from the gal who heads their legal dept. She wants to make a name for herself, but it aint working out the way she hoped.
Dear Remember When You Came From:
You should follow your own advice. And in case you can’t remember, the answer is: special ed.
The viewers just didn’t flock to Mitch’s show. He got a lot of promotion and was a critic’s darling. Even with all of that, the public didn’t care or think him a genius. I’m sure FBC fell all over themselves to be in business with him even though the animation looked bad and the script he turned in wasn’t funny. Maybe they thought by bringing in Bill and Josh they could still use the Mitch Hurwitz name, but get some people in there with animation experience. But Bill and Josh aren’t the best show runners either. This was bound to explode. Good show runners would DEMAND WGA representation and put it in their contract! Either Mitch, Bill and Josh are green or don’t care about anyone else getting benefits but themselves.
I hope they’re just stupid and green. In which case guys – wise up! You’re the show runners. Make it clear you will not do an IATSE show. So SONY either steps up or you step out. If indeed Sony mislead you all, or worse lied, file a class action suit against them. They’re not the only ones who can tie everything up in a big, legal mess.
I hope you get a nice buy out from Sony. They’re such idiot scum.