Alums tell a striking story

As a writer for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," Rob Kutner '94 works feverishly every day to pump out wisecracks about the latest current events. Recently, however, he's been laboring to get a different message out to the public.

Kutner is one of a number of University alumni participating in the ongoing strike by the Writer's Guild of America, which represents 12,000 TV and film writers. The strike, which began Nov. 5, has grabbed national headlines as popular shows including "The Daily Show," "The Colbert Report" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" have ground to a halt. The Guild is demanding that its writers receive four cents more per DVD sold and 2.5 percent of the revenue from Internet videos, for which they currently receive nothing.

Since the strike began, Kutner said, he has been spending his time brainstorming with other writers about ways to publicize their grievances. "Even though I haven't been working," he said, "I feel busier. I'm working harder than I have been in a while."

Kutner said he has specifically been working to get his message out through the websites unitedhollywood.com and fans4writers.com , which will soon list steps visitors can take to help support the screenwriters' cause.

Michael Jamin '92, who is a co-executive producer and writer for the TV show "Rules of Engagement," marveled that so many screenwriters have managed to band together for a common cause. "Twelve-thousand writers agree that we're getting screwed by the studios," he said. "Amazing."

As it is, Jamin added, most writers don't make very much. "I think it's a misperception that we're all multimillionaires," he said. "For the most part, we're just normal middle class people just trying to pay the bills like everybody else."

Josh Berman '91, a consulting producer and writer for the show "Bones," said the strike was a drastic but necessary measure after the studios were unresponsive to requests for better pay. "I'm disappointed that it had to come to a strike when what the writers are asking for is extremely reasonable and equitable," he said.

Jamin agreed, suggesting that the studios know they are being unfair but believe they are in control. "I think they're trying to screw us because they think they can," Jamin said. "They think they can outwait us."

He noted that if writers give up on the strike before the studios agree to their demands, other employees might also face poorer treatment. He added that the studios will probably go after the actors and directors next if they win against the writers.

Fundamentally, the writers' protests stem from the fact that they earn little from DVD sales and nothing when their shows are viewed on the internet. For example, when someone watches a clip from "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central's website, the network earns money, but writers like Kutner get no further payment.

In his blog, "The Artful Writer," Craig Mazin '92 — a screenwriter who co-wrote "Scary Movie 3" — noted that films can be reproduced ad infinitum, but screenwriters don't always benefit from films' increased popularity. In contrast, authors receive royalties when their books are reprinted.

"Movies are a special class of intellectual property," Mazin wrote. "Like music or novels, they can be endlessly reproduced and sold in millions of multiples ... If the seller can endlessly exploit this single, unique product, shouldn't the true authors of that work share in each endless exploitation?"

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Despite the arguments of Mazin and others, some studios have countered that if writers win a greater percentage of profits from shows and movies, other contributors to the process will also want a larger portion of the earnings — possibly including the stars who already earn millions.

No studio executives who are University alumni could be reached for comment.

Welcome to the jungle

Some recent Princeton graduates have also been affected by the strike. Scott Wolman '07, a former writer for the Triangle Club and aspiring screenwriter, lost an internship in Los Angeles for the writing office of the show "Reaper" because of the strike.

"I think it sucks," Wolman said. "I guess I try to sympathize with the studio perspective. I understand that movie-making is a hard business and when you fail, you fail hard. But what the writers are asking is pretty reasonable."

Wolman added, however, that the strike has had an upside for him. Another company he is interning for — a management and production company called Benderspink, which represents actors and writers — is using the strike as a chance to focus on training new writers.

"It's a good opportunity for me to have that time in the womb while also being out here so that I can work on my screenplays," he said. "In the great rush to the market after the strike, I'll be ready."

Ben Fast '06, Wolman's roommate, is also a former Triangle Club writer who wants to be a screenwriter. Though the strike has not directly affected him — he currently attends the film school at USC — he said he has been troubled to see what he considers slanted news coverage of the strike.

"A big problem is the news — they're the same companies that are being struck by the strike," he said. "So they're biased. They're paid by the people that they're covering."

Scribe dreams

Several current Princeton students with Hollywood ambitions said the strike has not quelled their hopes of pursuing a screenwriting career. "I feel like it's an issue that will reach a resolution soon," Dan Eison '08, a current Triangle writer, said. "And if I go into screenwriting, it will be for the love of it, not for the money, though I do respect their right to strike."

Jason Gilbert '09, who is also a Triangle writer, said he respects the strikers' freedom to seek better pay but is upset that his favorite shows are on hiatus. "Obviously, like anyone, I'm sad that 'The Office' is stopping and already 'The Daily Show' and 'Colbert Report' and 'Letterman' have stopped," Gilbert, who is also a columnist for The Daily Princetonian, said.

"I'm no fan of reality TV," he added, referring to fears that such programs will increase as scripted shows go to reruns. "I'm sure my TV-watching will go down if this continues for much longer. NBC can only show so much 'Deal or No Deal' before people stop watching."

Other students also lamented the possibility that their favorite shows would go to reruns. "I would be furious," Megan Weidrick '11 said, referring to the possibility that "The Office" would stop producing new episodes.

If that happens to many shows, the studios "should probably just set a deal," Conor Myhrvold '11 said. "People like those shows and don't want to watch reruns."

Industry predictions are that the strike will either end very soon or will last until spring or summer, affecting next fall's TV lineup as well.

But some students were optimistic about the strike's outcome. Jon Weed '09, who writes for Triangle, took a longterm view of the controversy. "It's a bad deal for the end consumer of TV," he said. "But in the end, it will probably lead to better writing and happier writers, and I think that's important."