A Reality Writer Responds to the AMPTP

This letter was submitted anonymously by a working reality writer. He/She requires anonymity, because otherwise, he/she fears being fired for writing this.

Dear AMPTP,

Today, I read on your website, �thousands of people in reality and animation have chosen not to join the WGA.�
This statement is false.

As a writer (aka "Supervising Producer", the name I'm given to get around having to give me a WGA contract) who has worked in reality television for over three years and who knows many people on the reality circuit, I can tell you that reality writers desperately want to be part of the WGA.

Why wouldn�t reality writers choose to join the guild? Because we don�t want health insurance? I can assure you, we want health insurance. You think we don�t want to join the guild because we do not want to be paid for overtime? You think we enjoy working 70-80 hour weeks and being paid for 40?

We are good, smart, hard working people who don�t like knowing our employer is breaking California (and other) labor laws. Our salaries are cut in half because in many cases we work twice as many hours as we are paid. We want to be paid for overtime.

We cannot join the guild until we meet the qualifications of the WGA and that means being called a �writer.� Because of this, you refuse to call us �writers.� You give us many other titles like "segment producer," "consultant," anything that does not have �writer� in the title. Yet, that�s what we do in reality television. We write.

We write and create storylines, develop characters, character arcs, structure scenes, write entire series plotlines before and after the show is filmed, write host copy, write dialogue (yes it�s true!), write questions, write narration -- the list goes on and on and on.

You know that what we're doing is writing. That's why you hire writers to do it. This name game is just that -- a game. It's a game to avoid paying pension or health benefits, to avoid paying overtime, to exploit writers. If we speak up, tough, we get fired. If we get sick, tough, we pay the bills ourselves, and if we take too much time off, we get fired.

Reality writers want to join the WGA. I challenge you to find one overworked, underpaid reality writer who wouldn�t want to join the guild right now and receive the same just and fair benefits given to other members of the entertainment unions like IATSE, SAG, WGA, and DGA.

I write this on behalf of all my friends and colleagues who are currently working seven days a week to get a show out for a big network -- but are not getting paid for the weekends. Or the overtime. Who aren't receiving health benefits. Or... you get the picture.

I can't sign my name, because there is a very real threat my employers will fire me. But I can still call myself what I am: A writer.