The Writer's and Actor's Strike

Dreams of making it big in Hollywood are not a new concept. Many people at some point in their lives dream of seeing themselves on the silver screen or glamorously walking on the red carpet. It seems almost too good to be true that pretending to be a superhero can earn you millions of dollars. But in reality, only 2% of actors earn enough money to make a living. And 90% of that 2% are in some way considered a nepotism baby (children of famous people from the entertainment industry). Along with the actors in Hollywood,  the writers also deal with the same issue. Even writers who are considered to have “made it” work for minimum wage. After years of suffering through unfair wages, unions for both screen actors and writers issued a strike. The Writers Guild of America started their strike first, on May 2nd, 2023, and was authorized by 97% of the guild. The WGA demanded increased minimum compensation, increased residuals, appropriate compensation for TV series writing, increased contributions to pension and health plans, strengthened professional standards, and overall protection for writers. Not long after the writers went on strike, the actors followed. The Screen Actors Guild issued their strike on July 14th, 2023. Both the writers’ and actors’ strikes have caused Hollywood to come to a standstill. Many famous productions have halted  with no actors to star in productions, and no writers to draft the scripts. This strike is bringing to light the idea that Hollywood is so much more than designer dresses and fortunes. A large portion of the industry struggles to make enough to live. As of now, no agreement between studios and unions has been reached, and the strike will not end  until wages are increased.