Are Hollywood writing jobs the next frontier for gig work? Here's what a striking writer says.

By Levi Sumagaysay

'There have been reports that companies are offering showrunners incentives to not hire a writers' room at all,' says comedian Adam Conover, creator of 'Adam Ruins Everything'

As thousands of Hollywood writers strike, the union and writers have warned that studios and streaming companies are trying to turn writers' livelihoods into "gig work."

In an interview with MarketWatch this week, Adam Conover, a comedian and writer on the Writers Guild of America's board and negotiating committee, said the companies are trying to change the structure of writers' jobs.

For example, he said, companies are going after the norm for television shows, which is that writers are hired for "writers' rooms" for a number of months and paid a weekly rate during production of a show. During this time, writers are on set, watch production and make adjustments to the script as needed, he said.

"There have been reports that companies are offering showrunners incentives to not hire a writers' room at all, or to farm out scripts to freelancers," said Conover, the creator of Netflix's (NFLX) "The G Word with Adam Conover" and TruTV's "Adam Ruins Everything." That appears to be an attempt by the companies to try to make these jobs more like gig work, he said.

Related:With writers on strike, would Hollywood call on AI to fill in? That day may not be far away

In a statement Monday, the WGA negotiating committee said "the companies' behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce."

The companies have pushed back on this narrative, saying writers' pay and benefits are far from those of app-based gig workers who drive for Uber (UBER) or Lyft (LYFT), or deliver food for DoorDash (DASH). The gig companies consider ride-hailing drivers and delivery workers to be independent contractors, not employees.

The pay difference between Hollywood writers and app-based gig workers is vast. Writer-producers on streaming series can earn six figures for up to half a year's worth of work, while app-based workers' earnings vary depending on how many hours a week they work and whether they receive tips.

Writers are typically hired an average of 20 to 24 weeks for a streaming show, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the trade group responsible for negotiating most union and guild contracts in the entertainment industry, said in a fact sheet after MarketWatch sent a request for comment. The AMPTP represents studios like Paramount Pictures (PARA) and Walt Disney Pictures (DIS), and streaming companies including Netflix, Apple (AAPL) and others.

In addition, "writing jobs come with substantial fringe benefits that are far superior to what many full-time employees receive for working an entire year," such as employer-sponsored healthcare, pensions and paid parental leave, the AMPTP said.

But Conover said indicators suggest that companies are "on track to eliminate the writers' room over the next few years," so the union wants staffing requirements written into the contract.

On comedy and variety shows and late-night talk shows, where Conover has worked, writers are hired on 13-week contracts, which is "already a pretty precarious existence," he said. Now companies are offering a day rate and no 13-week guarantee, he said.

"If they do that, it would turn writing into a gig job," he added. "It would destroy comedy writing as a profession."

The median weekly pay for writer-producers has also fallen 4% over the past decade, according to a WGA contract bulletin published in March -- a 23% decline after adjusting for inflation.

From the archives (July 2021):The rise of the gig economy spells the end for these workers: 'We're the vestiges of the old system'

The AMPTP said in its fact sheet that the companies have offered to establish what the group called an "unprecedented" minimum weekly rate for SVOD (subscription video on-demand) series.

Conover lamented that the "gig-ification slide has happened in so many industries," citing as an example supermarkets replacing unionized delivery drivers with DoorDash workers. He also sees the companies' pushback against the guild's demands as a way to try to break the writers' union, he said.

But he also expressed optimism about the writers' chances. "The guild voted 98% in favor of strike," he said. "We're tremendously united."

From the archives (January 2022):'Uber for nurses?': Initiative targets healthcare for a 'gig work' law

In-depth:'There's no retirement in this job,' gig workers say

-Levi Sumagaysay

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05-06-23 1206ET

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