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UPDATE: Remember how, over a year ago, Reality TV production companies like Next Entertainment (The Bachelor) and Rocket Science (Joe Millionaire) were accused of violating labor laws by a writers’ lawsuit orchestrated by the Writers Guild Of America as a step towards unionizing Reality TV? Well, the question is: Where’s the money? Bad enough the lawsuit claimed the writers were denied overtime pay and breaks and were told to falsify time cards. But I’m told that, so far, writers on the 16 shows covered in the lawsuit fight on and haven’t received one dime. One of the compues sued Rocket Science filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in California back in September 2009 primarily because of the litigation. What is the WGA doing about this now? And in case anyone didn’t notice, production companies continue to put on primetime network Reality TV shows with non-union writing so this legal action didn’t change anything. And the WGA today is strangely silent on the whole situation.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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We all know that reality TV now a days isn’t that real. The people are, and the locations are – but come on… And, these reality creatives still have to come up with 6-22+ episodes of ideas that display either funny, shocking, heartwarming or daring TV each week. Especially the docu-drama formats or shows that have “characters” (cough cough Jersey Shore). The fact that most (if not all) of these shows are clearly “written” by a story producer and team of creatives proves that anybody writing story ideas, act structures, V.O., etc., means the shows are written. Reality TV is cheap and it seems that production companies and TV Studios want to keep it that way by not rewarding those folks who “WRITE” anything with what they deserve… I say give them WGA status and pony up the cash you production companies who don’t want to pay to join as a signatory to the WGA! =)
I have worked in reality TV for nearly a decade. The problem with unionizing and standardizing this niche of the industry is that job requirements for story/segment producers are vastly different from show to show.
Some shows are completely scripted, but then everything can change when they actually go out to film non-actors in those ‘pre-conceived’ situations, locations, etc. And, some shows cannot be written such as Amazing Race and Deadliest Catch. Sure there are pre-conceived events but conversations and unforeseen events on shows such as these just happen as they do in life.
In fact, the only creative job in reality TV that is consistent on every show is that of the editor. That’s the big problem for a guild like the WGA. Reality TV is not consistently written across the industry from show to show. So how can they organize standards for a job that is not standardized – and on some shows it will never be. Most shows simply create outlines of ‘pre-conceived’ ideas and situations to give the network an understanding of what the show will look and feel like. But, once filming begins most of those events change because they are essentially shooting a documentary with a few pre-planned events thrown in – contests, dates, group outings, games, etc. But what happens in those events happens and all they can do is try to catch it on camera. Which is where the editing comes in.
The one thing all reality shows do have in common is that the story is created in the editing room.
In reality TV, as in documentary filmmaking (which is just as pre-planned otherwise there would be too much wasted film), the editors job consists of watching dozens, if not hundreds of hours of footage, of non-actors sitting around talking, idling around, waiting for those few ‘pre-planned’ moments to happen. But, all of that idling must still be edited together and given meaning and significance that they only have after being edited together.
And, on some shows a story/segment producer will help the editor to find those moments. But on many shows…they do not – Again, the problem of an unstandardized, inconsistent job requirement.
So, how can a guild organize and standardize working conditions for a job that is by nature not consistent or standardized to begin with?
I believe that is their biggest problem. I do not think anyone should work without getting paid for their time. But, trying to join the guild is probably not the answer, because a guild’s function doesn’t really fit the inconsistent job title of story producer, segment producer working in a ‘sometimes, sometimes not’ writer capacity for reality TV – depending on which show they’re working on.
The WGA is a freaking joke. The only thing they are competent at is collecting dues. I am embarrassed to be a member of a union with such pathetic leadership
The WGA set themselves back five years by alienating both the reality rank and file (by throwing the Top Model writers who struck under a bus) and reality showrunners (by arrogantly and dismissively treating their work as “totally phony and scripted” instead of gaining a better understanding of how it’s done). If the guild had tried to attract reality showrunners to the guild with health benefits and the eventual potential of residuals, they would be in a very different place right now. The price paid by the guild for these missteps has been a steep one, as reality remains one of the big four’s most formidable strikebreaking weapons.
The DGA handled the situation totally differently, by appealing to high level people, and has made greater inroads. As a member of both guilds, it’s been interesting to see how elegantly the DGA has handled the unionization of reality, and how tragically the WGA has handled it.
Thank you for covering this. Keep digging, there is a story here.
In all fairness, the actual writers of Reality TV are… Editors.
WHY do people forget that it is THE CASTING DEPARTMENT that FINDS the talent, SELLS the talent on taking part in the show, PRE-PRODUCES the talent via phone to flush out their story, PRODUCES / DIRECTS the talent ON CAMERA BEFORE ANYONE SEES THEM, FINDS THE STORY LINE WHILE INTERVIEWING the talent, EDITS the first “mini episode” alone or w/their casting editor, WRITES the pitch, and then PITCHES to the EP.
THEN, if all that goes well, and the talent is approved, it is casting who has the task of getting the talent to sign their life away by having them fill out copious amounts of paperwork (i.e., background checks, psych exams, release forms, contracts) to take part in the show.
THEN, if the show is a hit, producers get the kudos. If the show goes down in flames, it’s casting’s fault.
Without the hard work of reality casting personnel, there wouldn’t be reality television. We do far more than “casting” … we’re casting directors, researchers, writers, producers, interviewers, editors, photogs, and depending on the show, many of us are therapists!
Producers/writers and other workers in reality TV continue to work hours and hours of overtime without being compensated or even given time off. Budgets and schedules (especially in post) continue to shrink and the unrealistic expectations that many networks and production companies place on their reality trench workers can be inhumane.
In an ideal world, reality producers, editors, assistants, etc., would have their own union, apart from the WGA. Most reality workers would be happy with paid overtime and health insurance. People simply want good working conditions. For the majority, it’s not about residuals.
Amen! A reality union is a great idea, though it would need to pull people with vastly different job titles into one cohesive force. I’m getting sick of the look of shock on my friend’s faces when I tell them the hours I regularly work without overtime – time for a change!
The main issue is that the WGA continues to look down upon reality writers… err, I mean Story Producers. There is no way that reality writers will ever be given equitable pay, when the WGA talks down to them, throws them under the bus, or knocks out their well being during the first round of negotiations. Meanwhile, Story Producers work 16 hour days, have insane turnarounds and get no health benefits, little pay and of course no residuals… while creating a substantial amount of the content for the big four. The WGA should be ashamed.
Have ALL the reality show writers gone on strike to fight for what they believe in? Like the WGA has done time and again.
Why should the WGA be ashamed when these writers won’t do what the WGA membership has done itself in the past?
The membership of the WGA would be ecstatic if these writers got equal pay, overtime, insurance, pensions, and residual payments for their work. In part because it would mean these shows get more expensive and less get made.
But while the reality show writers have taken up most of the WGA membership’s jobs in the last decade, and never have stood up for themselves as a unified group, its hard to ask the WGA to risk what little is left of their futures by going on strike for those who won’t go on strike for themselves.
Get a huge class action suit going. Refuse to work overtime without pay. Once you get into a position of power make sure those below you get the benefits you were denied. Make it clear which shows have more writing (dialogue, hosts’ banter, major event ideas) and take credit for it if you did the work. Don’t let the public go on thinking these shows have no writers.
You misunderstand the intentions and desires of reality writers. Having been consistently dismissed and derided by the WGA and its membership, we aren’t clamoring to join your cozy little club. We know our business is a meritocracy – if we put in long hours, work hard and do good work, we move up the ladder quickly and are soon making great money.
If you want to make a major commitment to unionizing our craft (and, having done both, I assure you, it’s not the same craft as yours, it’s vastly different) and joining forces, we’ll listen. If you want to stick with us and not make us the first cut of your demands – and one would think it would be in your best interests to keep us on your side – maybe you’ll get more support and sympathy from us. But so long as you treat us as the bastard stepchild, we will happily work in a system where you can go from Story Editor to EP in a couple of years if you have the chops.
It boggles my mind that the reality business is allowed, by law, to continue to exist unchecked. No other business in this country has carte blanche like the reality business. Falsifying time cards, abuse of work hours/break, salary abuses, unsafe work environments, etc. are the norm. OSHA ignores work environment laws because filming in a cast member’s house is not considered a work environment like a set or office such BS. I can tell you that a reality show is like the wild west, no laws or oversight. Nobody is protecting the cast or crew. Sometimes you will come across a company that has ethics and morals but most dont and they dont have to because who is going to stop them? Every industry in this country has some sort of workers protection except the reality business. I dont think the answer is the WGA, there are 100′s of other crew members than just the story producers who need protection. Reality business needs a guild that can address it’s specific needs.
La-La-La-La-La
I can’t hear you! Reality TV is Real! There are not scripted Reality Shows!!!
LA-LA-LA-LA
What’s next? Wrestling is fake?
You’d be surprised, krazijoe. I was a writer at WWE for two years. When I go into meetings now, you’d be stunned how many people guilelessly ask, “wait: that stuff’s written?”
For those inclined, there’s an interesting interview on this week’s The Business on kcrw with three reality showrunners that touches upon this issue. They’re pretty honest that the key reason for fighting unionization is concern about continued profitability, and the very real issue of who is actually the “writer” of a reality show (field producer? Story producer? Logger? Editor?). Worth a listen.
First of all, hopefully J Wells is making positive changes to our weak writers union.
Second, keep suing the producer pricks in Reality. Eventually, they’ll realize it’s just better business to pay writers as true professional writers.
And let’s really hope that the WGA does NOT give Reality a contract that allows lower salaries than “scripted” TV.
Finally, as a WGA member, I sure wish the Reality writers would grow spines, pull together and strike to force the Reality producers to become signatories. We did it. You can, too.
Love it when ‘Writer in LA’ writes “Finally, as a WGA member, I sure wish the Reality writers would grow spines, pull together and strike to force the Reality producers to become signatories. We did it. You can, too.” This sort of ‘us and them’ attitude is exactly what previous posts convey and how this ‘union’ isn’t at all interested in supporting artists who’ve carved out so much primetime real estate for themselves. There’s no ‘union’ there at all. For reality professionals, the solution lies elsewhere. Good luck to all the WGA scribes out there paying your hefty dues to an organization that let reality story producers twist in the wind. We’ll continue to collect our (relatively healthy) paychecks and work long hours while we continue to encroach on your lives. Then we can talk about who’s got the stiffer spine.
There is one man behind the shambles that is the WGA organizing effort right now, and why he still has a job is a mystery to us all. He is the so-called “Head of WGA Organizing:”
JEFF HERMANSON.
Of course, he really should be called the “Head Up His Ass of WGA Organizing.” He has mismanaged the campaign from minute one, repeatedly ignored warnings and advice from WGA members working in these genres, and alienated literally thousands of non-fiction, game show, competition and alternative writers.
And yet he still continues to receive a big, fat paycheck from the Guild, while hard-working writers still have no health, no pension, no settlement from the lawsuits they stuck their professional necks out to file. Nada.
I just want to set the facts and record straight on this lawsuit. There were actually two law suits, which the court conjoined. The first was against Next and the networks it partners with (ABC, TBS, etc.); the second is against Rocket Science Laboratories (RSL) and Fox. Both were class actions and both were settled. The Next plaintiffs received their money last year. But even though RSL had agreed to the settlement, it decided to file for bankruptcy, almost certainly as a means to avoid paying its share of the settlement. So the plaintiffs in the RSL/Fox case continue forward with their suit against both RSL and Fox.
Thanks for clarifying, Lowell. I hope Nikki reads your post and updates the above story.
Lowell: My understanding is that the dozen or so named plaintiffs that filed the Next suit have already received a small portion of the settlement, and that they and the dozens of others specified in the class are still awaiting payment of the balance. So you are almost correct.
Also, for the curious, the “Sharp v Next” suit was filed way back in June of 2005. PDF of the original complaint from their attorney’s website:
http://www.rsgllabor.com/pdf/Sharp_Complaint.pdf
the reality business is a highly competitive industry where the best writers/producers/editors/ executives are in demand and rise through the ranks and in title and pay from show to show. This is the exact opposite environment that a union needs to form and grow. A talented writer or producer can become a EP and showrunner in a few years with hard work and great shows. Its tough for the lazy and untalented to advance, which coincidentally are the only ones hoping for a reality union.
Right now in reality tv there is just too much business and too much promise of success based on hard work and creativity.
You have to be kidding me?? Most talented?? I have worked with the most untalented people in TV on a majority of reality shows. So many untalented people move up fast and flourish because there is such a demand for reality programming, anybody can do a reality show. Companies such as 51 Minds, 495 Prod, Next, True, Magical Elves (docuseries) have the most untalented producers in the industry who dont know what they are doing yet they continue to work. A union would weed out the glut of untalented producers. I would not call producers of The Bachelor “hard working and creative.”
To say that a ‘union’ (you actually mean Guild) would weed out the untalented and unmotivated is very naive.
It would actually guarantee job security for everyone in that guild regardless of their capacity and ability to execute a show. Obviously, guilds do many great things such as standardize payment schedules, and rates, and working conditions. All necessary things for anyone working in a job.
But don’t think for a minute that it would weed out anyone who is not qualified for the job. In fact, it would automatically make the most qualified very expensive, so the least experienced might actually be hired more often anyway to save money.
It’s important to remember that the WGA put to its members a vote: more DVD residuals or organized reality writers? The Guild went for the DVD money. Not that I blame them. But the ‘strength in numbers’ idea for this antiquated establishment is passe. It now appears that when the WGA comes to swell its ranks by inviting the growing number of reality professionals like myself to fight its battles against the networks, the voting membership will be greeted simply. By my middle finger.