Danielle Sanchez-Witzel Voices Concerns on the Future of Writing in the Wake of a Massive Strike
Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, a notable comedy writer and producer for Netflix, has become a prominent figure in the recent writers protests in Hollywood. Due to the unprecedented rise of streaming in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, various jobs in the entertainment industry, such as writers, have suffered from low pay and long working hours. Sanchez-Witzel has been representing the movement as a member of the Writer’s Guild of America’s (WGA) negotiation team. The WGA, through discussions with The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, has tried to secure a deal that would drastically increase the wages of writers in the industry. These demands were recently denied, leading to the largest writers strike since 2007. Sanchez-Witzel’s expertise in the entertainment industry has made her one of the most prominent figures of the recent protests, and through various interviews and actions has been at the forefront of the movement.
Being the largest writers protest in over a decade, the WGA’s recent demands represent a pivotal moment in the future of writing as a career. Sanchez-Witzel has stressed the importance of this recent movement, saying that it’s not an ordinary negotiation, but a struggle for “writers economic survival and the stability of our profession.” Sanchez-Witzel is extremely passionate about the movement as she herself faced mistreatment from streaming companies in 2022 when she was producing shows for them. During this time, she tried to get the attention of her employers by issuing complaints of her low wages, but they refused to listen.
One of the largest problems facing writers, the WGA negotiating committee said, was the lack of residual fees. Residual pay is granted to writers when a show is broadcast on other networks, and used to account for a large part of a writer's income. With the rise of streaming, however, residual fees have all but disappeared.
In a recent interview with Deadline, an industry blog, Sanchez-Witzel shared her experience in the negotiation room as the WGA failed to secure a deal with the AMPTP. Sanchez-Witzel worded it simply: “we didn't get a fair deal”, showing that the guild is dedicated to standing by their demands. Sanchez-Witzel’s ultimate goal is to get the AMPTP to value writers, but through their rejection of the demands and outright refusal to discuss AI, Sanchez-Witzel believes that the value of writers has been diminished in the eyes of corporate Hollywood.
Similar to the current situation, the rise of the internet in the early 2000’s also resulted in lower pay for writers. When the Hollywood writers strike of 2007/2008 happened, Sanchez-Witzel was a new writer. Even though she had not been in the industry for long, she found a great feeling of solidarity in the movement, something she has once again found in the recent movement. Through protest, Sanchez-Witzel hopes to achieve reform in the industry that she couldn’t accomplish on her own.
Sanchez-Witzel is insistent on the idea of a strike and the power it would afford writers in their fight against the industry, saying that “the companies have never taken our issues seriously without at least the threat of a fight”. As of now, negotiations between the two parties have failed, leading to a strike. With many late night shows being postponed and new seasons delayed, the goal of creating pressure has proved successful, but whether or not that pressure will force the industry to give into the WGA’s demands remains to be seen.
By Christopher Eckl