What’s at stake in the actors and writers strikes?

Faculty who work as actors, writers, directors, and producers have answers about some the issues at the heart of the labor actions that have shuttered the American film and television industry.

The American entertainment industry ground to a halt this summer, after some 116,000 members of Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, an actors’ union known as SAG-AFTRA, went on strike on July 14.

The actors joined 11,000 members of the Writer’s Guild of America, who have been picketing since May 2. Last week, the 2023 Emmy Awards were postponed.

Contract talks broke down because the issues at hand are far more complicated than increased pay and benefits. The industry has experienced seismic changes in recent years, as technological advances, changes to consumer behavior, and after-effects of the pandemic have dramatically altered operations.

Both sides—the unions and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers—are trying to protect their interests, adjust to current trends, and predict the future, especially around questions about how artificial intelligence and other tech advances will evolve over the coming years.

Below, a panel of faculty from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University who have worked in film and television as actors, writers, directors, and producers dig into the issues around the strike. Eleanor Burgess is a television writer and an adjunct professor in the dramatic writing department. Brandon J. Dirden is associate arts professor in graduate acting and a professional actor. Andrew Goldman is a producer and adjunct professor in the film and television department. Peter Newman is a producer and head of the MBA/MFA dual degree program in graduate film. Joseph Vinciguerra is chair of the dramatic writing department and Richard Wesley is a professor in that department.

Here, they explain what led to the strikes, the key issues being negotiated, and how they might be resolved:

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