Who does the SAG/WGA strike affect?

More than just the writers and actors...

The year is 2023. The film and TV industry has grinded to a near complete hault with both SAG and WGA striking at the same time. What many people don’t realize is how many people this strike really affects.

Yes, this strike affects thousands of Writers and Actors and their families.

This strike also affects millions of crew members and their families.

This strike affects countless vendors, stages, payroll companies, technology companies, equipment vendors and more…

Yes, some film and TV workers are financially set for the next six months or longer but many live paycheck to paycheck. One bad month, and it’s a spiral for many to pay their bills and find alternative work.

Yes, they can apply for unemployment, but this is likely to only cover a very small portion of living expenses.

It’s easy to tell someone in the film industry to go get a non-film job. The issue for many that have worked in this industry for a decade or longer is their resume is often very film specific that other industries may not understand or care to look at.

Yes, some non-film industries may be sympathetic, but they know that if they hire someone who is ultimately a film professional, they may jump ship the moment the strike ends.

The strike affects so many people that it’s really hard to quantify. Everyone from the recent film school graduate who is trying to break in to the seasoned gaffer and costume designer that worked on a studio lot last week.

I don’t disregard the notion that it is imperative for these unions to strike to stabilize a broken system. The SAG president Fran Dresher did a great job of humanizing the story during the press conference on July 13th 2023.

The strike effects more than just writers, actors and film crew. The strike, similar to the pandemic, affects everyone who is connected to these people. It affects kids, spouses, family members, and friends as everyone is trying to pivot and navigate a financial crisis.

Yes some will pivot fine and land that job at a restaurant or Uber for months on end.

Others will quit the industry entirely, as this is the last straw.

Some will deal with depression, loneliness, and loss of work in a way that they have never had to deal with before.

Yes to a strike to fix a system. Yes, to standing up to greedy corporations.

Let’s hope for a quick resolution, as this strike is only going to drain bank accounts, close businesses, and make it really challenging for so many in this industry to overcome this drought.