Hi, I’m Rob Forman. There’s obviously a lot going on in the world, so thank you for joining tonight.
There’s a chance all you know about me is I ran for Board last year. When it became clear that election was a referendum on the agency action, I bowed out. I’m proud of what I did… but I promise, I’m more than just a quitter.
I joined the Guild in 2012, after years as a writers assistant. I’m a member of the LGBTQ+ Committee — and I’m the only candidate this cycle who self-identifies as queer. Since 2017, I’ve served the Guild as a Captain. I started volunteering because, after some time not on staff, I was feeling disconnected.
See, I primarily work in TV, but for the last few years, I’ve been a “TV writer in development.” My life is a lot like a Feature writer’s — it’s pitching and spec-ing and hustling… and occasionally even being paid. I’ve had insane periods where I was balancing multiple projects, but it was all free work, so I lost my health insurance.
My experiences are increasingly common, especially among our less established members, but they are not represented on the Board.
Now, I know from speaking with Feature writers there’s a feeling of being marginalized, and disappointment about issues not being successfully addressed in MBA talks. I won’t promise to have the magic bullet, or to know the ins-and-outs of every Features issue. But I’m listening. And I’m ready to fight hard for Features writers in 2023.
Not only that, but I can communicate why Features issues should be important to TV writers. I’ve had a front row seat to how streaming, short orders, and small rooms are making TV careers more irregular, itinerant, and feast-and-famine. In short, these issues are coming for us, too.
But… the term of anyone elected this cycle does not include an MBA negotiation. I’ve developed a reputation as someone who has a plan for everything. While I can’t get into every detail in these three minutes, here’s some big ticket items I want to tackle:
- Let’s establish best practices for showrunners: this means inclusive staffing — I like to say “it starts with the first hire” — workplace accountability, assigning freelances to support staff, and actually listing openings on the Staffing Submission System.
- Let’s put this town on notice about unacceptable, entrenched practices in Features, like endless free work and the lack of inclusive hiring. And let’s wage this war in the press, not just every three years in MBA talks. I have a marketing background… I believe the court of public opinion is how we move this needle.
- Let’s better educate members on Guild staff and services. If you follow me on Twitter, just today I helped a writer learn she’s owed interest over late weekly paychecks. The studios rely on us staying ignorant or staying silent. If it’s happening to you, it might be happening to another writer. The Guild can play the heavy.
- Let’s make members’ lives easier by automating quarterly dues declarations based on submitted contracts, so writers don’t have to go through the byzantine process of categorizing earnings. And let’s update Find A Writer to accurately reflect all work covered by a WGA contract, regardless of whether it was produced.
- Finally, let’s renew our push to organize video games. This entertainment sector is massive, growing, and not-yet-unionized. Game writing is already a path to WGA membership, and for current members to maintain healthcare, but only on a by-project basis. Let’s push MBA signatories with game studios to sign a broad WGA gaming contract, so all their projects are covered.
Thank you, again. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.
