Here’s how the writers’ strike could affect Georgia’s economy

ATLANTA — It has been nearly two weeks since the national writers’ strike began.

The unanimous call to strike, led by the Writers Guild of America, comes after a six-week negotiation with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount, and Sony. WGA said the companies’ business practices “slashed” their compensation and “undermined” their working conditions.

Since May 2, writers across the country have refused to work.

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“We’re not asking for a lot. We’re asking for less than 2% of what’s being made, which isn’t a lot, Kaypri with WGA-East said.

Kaypri said many writers work hard for these TV shows and movies but can barely pay their bills.

“For example, if you have a show where people see a lot of it, they watch it constantly, and it’s a big hit. The writers aren’t getting a piece of that,” Kaypri said.

She said this strike is having an economic impact in Georgia now that many productions are shutting down.

“It’s all the below-the-line workers. The wardrobe, the makeup, the costume, production design, it’s not just the writers, and actors, and the directors. It’s a lot of people,” Kaypri said. “So it’s affecting people, especially in Atlanta, which is such a heavy production town. You take the production out; that’s majority of the economy here.”

Georgia’s $4 billion film and television industry is also bracing for the unpredictable suspension of productions. It could ultimately affect tens of thousands of crew members and others supported by the industry.

Now those in the industry that still dream big are struggling to keep that dream alive.

“Got my start working at TNT and TBS as a production assistant. I worked my way up to Associate Producer doing a lot of live production,” Sean Bartley said.

During that time, Bartley said he learned the most about the business he loves.

He produced a TV Show called ‘Connect the Series’ and a short film titled ‘Inner Turmoil.’

Bartley said his ultimate dream is to become a writer for a large production.

“I decided to move out to LA because it’s always been a dream of mine. To really get into the entertainment world or the scripted narrative world and be a sponge and learn as much as I can, to get into a writers’ room,” Bartley said.

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But he said getting that big opportunity is on pause.

Kaypri said the impact goes beyond current writers as well.

It affects future writers.

There won’t be any internships, and this strike may discourage future writers.

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Bartley said that he’s not giving up on his dream.

“There’s definitely a pause put on trying to look for work and possibly getting into a room, but at the same time, you have to stay and remain a student of the craft. Still, write your scripts,” he said.

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