How the End of the Writers' Strike Impacts Creators 🤝
The writers call off their strike after winning new protections for its members
Hannah Doyle & Nathan Graber-Lipperman
September 27, 2023
Good morning. Christian Tom, the Director of the White House Office of Digital Strategy, will be giving a keynote address at VidCon Baltimore this week.
Why the focus on reaching (and working with) creators? “Our efforts to reach all Americans online are rooted in meeting people where they are,” Tom said in a statement.
P.S. Nate here. Who’s headed to VidCon Baltimore this weekend? I’m hosting a panel Friday afternoon and would love to meet any readers going. Reply to this newsletter so we can coordinate—see ya there!
Hollywood Writers Secure New Creative Safeguards
Hundreds of showrunners gather for group shot at Showrunner Solidarity Day at Fox Studio on September 12 / J.W. Hendricks
On Sunday, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) reached a tentative agreement with major Hollywood studios for a new, three-year contract that will end the writers strike that began in May.
“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional—with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership,” the WGA told its members on Sunday.
Here’s what they won:
Minimum writers rooms. Series longer than six episodes per season are required to hire at least six writers.
Improved streaming residuals. The “success-based bonus” will pay writers extra for hit shows on platforms like Netflix and Hulu.
Artificial intelligence guardrails. AI-generated material can’t be used to undermine a writer’s credit on a project.
Why it matters: Creator economy experts have differed on their stances since the strike began.
Some saw the benefits of less competition for eyeballs, while others suggested that the WGA was fighting for precedents that will benefit all entertainment industry workers.
So what comes next? Now that the writers’ strike has concluded, all eyes are on the actors to reach a deal—one that will ensure both parties can return to work in full.
For creators, this means that the expectation to stand in solidarity (and not promote struck companies) remains, as creator attorney Tyler Chou explained to us in July.
This Week in AI: ChatGPT Talks Back
Chat GPT, Getty Images, and Spotify announce their latest AI innovations / Illustration by Moy Zhong
A slew of platforms announced new generative AI tools that could help maximize creators’ reach and efficiency, from language translation to photo captions.
The highlights:
ChatGPT can now see, hear, and speak in response to prompts. Beyond text, users can send images and ask for captions—as well as information about a given image. Fair warning: they are still working out kinks, as not all images infer the right information.
Getty Images is launching a tool that lets users create images using Getty’s library of licensed photos. Getty will also pay creators if it uses their AI-generated image to train current and future versions of its AI.
Spotify is piloting a feature which translates podcasts into alternate languages, while keeping audio in the creator’s voice. Dax Shephard, Lex Fridman, and Trevor Noah are some of the first hosts to enable the feature on their episodes.
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Party Shirt Releases a Cookbook
Nick “Ivy” Iavarone (left) and Xavier “X” Di Petta (second from left) released their wacky and snacky cookbook (right) / Lindsay Kreighbaum, ABRAMS Books
After two years of recipe testing, photoshoots, and editing, TikTok creators Party Shirt released their first cookbook, titled “The Party Shirt Cookbook: 100 Recipes for Next-Level Eats.”
Context: Party Shirt, ran by friends Xavier “X” Di Petta and Nick “Ivy” Ivarone, has been reviewing TikTok food trends over the last three years for their 20 million followers. The cookbook is an extension of their “snack or yack” adventures, with unconventional recipes like Chocolate Ramen Crunchies and Cheeto Omelets making appearances
Big picture: Despite a 14.5% decrease in cookbook sales last year, TikTok creators are bucking industry trends and breathing new life into the market.
One example: Vintage recipe creator B. Dylan Hollis has sold over 165,000 copies since his New York Times bestselling cookbook dropped in July—more than double the sales of the average competitor.
🔥 Press Worthy
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The Sidemen sign with UTA for representation in North America.
TikTok creators in Kenya fear a government crackdown on adult content.
The Editing Podcast dives deep into the post-production workflow of The Bear with two editors from the hit TV show.
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