Dear Fellow Writer,

Below you'll find my Candidate Statement, which, formatting aside and one typo I caught after the submission deadline, is substantively identical to the Guild's published version. I'll be adding posts to this site in the coming weeks so feel free to come back.

If you'd like to endorse my candidacy, the ENDORSE BUTTON above will redirect to the official form.  Thank you for your support.

Official Candidate Statement

Damn luck of the draw. Assuming the candidate list hasn't changed, and you're not one of those random order people, you've read thirteen Candidate Statements before arriving at mine. Undoubtedly, my fellow nominees have eloquently articulated the hot-button issues we face in the coming years and next MBA negotiation – including but not limited to: Diversity, Sweepstake Pitches, One-step Deals, Cable/Network Parity, Organizing Videogames, Internet/New Media Reuse, Downward Economic Pressure on Pension and Health Contributions, Current MBA Compliance and Enforcement… all critically important to the health and well being of our guild.

However, in the name of brevity, I’ll resist the urge to rehash, and simply state for the record - if elected to the board, I pledge all my energy, passion and creativity to continue the work already begun by the current board – as well as develop new strategies to further advance our cause in these areas. As for my qualifications to do so:

I’m a member of SAG, the DGA, and since 1998 – The Writers Guild. In that time I've worked on non-union children's animation (for which I was paid in inflation adjusted dollars the equivalent of a bologna sandwich), network comedy, premium cable drama, created and run a one-hour basic cable drama, been through the pilot ringer more times than I care to remember, and was once flown to Baltimore to re-write a feature that was two-weeks into shooting - fun. 

Suffice it to say I've experienced the best and worst of our industry’s offerings. But even in the thick of those most challenging times there's never been a moment that I wished I'd chosen another profession – with the possible exception of professional golfer. Which brings me to the reason I'm running for our guild's Board of Directors:

I believe what we do is important. We are important. Writers hold a special place, not only in our industry, but also in society. At our best, we are the sages of our time – chroniclers of past and present – inventors of myriad futures. We spin cautionary tales, provoke thought, elicit tears and laughter–often in the same instance, conjure heroes who inspire us to be better than we are, illuminate truths about our world when all about us is dissembling and politician-speak. Like it or not we carry the torch of our illustrious predecessors. Theirs is the standard we bear and must strive to honor whenever we put pen to paper – and to that end, resist with absolute resolve any and all attempts to make cheap the written word.

This, in my opinion, is not just my pie-in-the-sky ideology, but the key to our collective futures. The devaluing of writers is a cancer on our business that if left unchecked will dispatch it to the same abyss that swallowed the music and newspaper industries. Writers must be educated, empowered and incentivized to say “no” – as well as protected from the fallout of doing so.

One idea for accomplishing this is to implement a rigorous registration program of all material generated by guild members – including pitches –– in conjunction with an aggressive zero-tolerance policy on MBA violations. 

However, while better policing and enforcement are critical to our efficacy as a guild – they must be administered in concert with industry-wide relationship building strategies.

It's no great secret that we are swimming against the tide of both business and legislative trends. Consensus amongst the general population grows more anti-labor with each report of economic strife. The word “Union” has become a pejorative. The WGA is not immune to the additional pressures this brings to bear on future negotiations. But we’re writers, damn it. We can and must do a better job of telling our story – fighting the war of hearts and minds.

As guilds go, ours is in phenomenal shape, and for that we should all be thankful to present and past regimes for their dedication, sacrifice and fiscal management. The challenges we face while considerable are not insurmountable.  Our industry is in the throes of tremendous change. But with upheaval comes opportunity. Old paradigms collapse – new and exiting business models are born. Darwin’s “adapt or perish” has never been more apt. As the most creative group of people on the planet, we are uniquely capable of transforming both ourselves and the suddenly pliable landscape. We need only the courage and resolve to do it. 

Thank you for your diligence in considering all the Candidate Statements.