Gene Maddaus

Popular on Variety David Young, the longtime executive director of the Writers Guild of America West, is stepping down, the guild announced on Friday. Ellen Stutzman, who served as chief negotiator through its 148-day strike this year, will take over as executive director. Young was initially expected to lead this year’s negotiations, but surprisingly took […]

Popular on Variety UPDATED: The studios told SAG-AFTRA on Saturday that they have made their “last, best and final” offer, as they seek an end to the 114-day actors strike. The offer includes an enhanced residual bonus for high-performing streaming shows. Under the proposal, actors who appear on the most-watched shows on each platform will […]

SAG-AFTRA may take another day to respond to the studios’ “last, best and final” offer, as the union’s negotiating committee continues to weigh its next move. The studios last talked to union leadership on Saturday afternoon, when a large group of CEOs sought to make clear that they will not make further concessions. After that […]

SAG-AFTRA delivered its response Monday morning to the studios’ “last, best and final” offer, as Hollywood waits for a resolution to the 116-day actors strike. In a message to members Monday afternoon, the union said it was working to end the strike “responsibly,” but that the two sides still have differences. “There are several essential […]

Popular on Variety SAG-AFTRA‘s top negotiator has never done this before. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland has worked for the union for most of his adult life. In that time, he has become a master of the details. He taught himself Spanish to work on an international treaty on intellectual property. Then he bargained with Telemundo, switching between […]

Popular on Variety SAG-AFTRA‘s top negotiator has never done this before. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland has worked for the union for most of his adult life. In that time, he has become a master of the details. He taught himself Spanish to work on an international treaty on intellectual property. Then he bargained with Telemundo, switching between […]

Popular on Variety SAG-AFTRA negotiators have approved a tentative agreement that will end the longest actors strike against the film and TV studios in Hollywood history. In an announcement Wednesday, the union said the 118-day strike would officially end at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday. The union’s negotiating committee approved the deal on a unanimous vote. […]

SAG-AFTRA had settled dozens of issues, ranging from pension and health contributions, to page limits for self-taped auditions, to pay for background actors. But there was still the small matter of zombies. The union was worried that studios could use artificial intelligence to reanimate dead actors, or to create a digital Frankenstein out of the […]

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher on Monday scolded “naysayers” and “contrarians” who have criticized the union’s new contract. Drescher defended the agreement during a Zoom meeting for SAG-AFTRA members on Monday morning. “Sadly there have been some naysayers who have exploited this momentum of ours,” Drescher said, appearing from her home. She said that throughout the […]

Two members of the SAG-AFTRA board said they voted against the new contract because it does not do enough to protect actors against artificial intelligence. The negotiating committee unanimously approved the deal last Wednesday, ending the 118-day strike. The national board approved the deal on Friday, with 86% of the weighted vote in favor, and […]