Candidate for Council, Film/TV/Streaming Sector
My most notable victory as a WGA member is that I once hosted a talk show on public access television that I eventually flipped to three seasons on two different cable networks. We managed to unionize first with our sister union SAG-AFTRA, and then eventually gained WGA coverage for the show. That show got multiple young writers their entry into the union. This is a major point of pride in my twenty-five year long career.
On top of my years with that show, my WGA path includes a stint guest writing at Saturday Night Live, a WGA credit for writing my HBO comedy special, a screenplay deal, and some pilot deals (one of which is currently up and running).
Currently, my professional life is an increasingly common combination of gigs, piecing together a career that pays the mortgage and takes care of my family: podcasting, live touring, picking up union writing work whenever possible, booking occasional acting gigs, and finding work in the non-profit world to supplement my living in the arts.
In some ways, I’ve felt hesitant to pursue union leadership, as I’ve never walked the traditional membership path of consistent screenplay sales or long stretches in television writers’ rooms. That being said, it’s become clear to me that more and more union members are walking a path similar to mine, and perhaps council representation of this cobbled together artists’ life is of value. My hope is that stepping up in this way might help many artists who feel out on this type of fringe feel like they have a seat at the table.
I’d be honored to do the work. Being out on the strike lines was massively motivating to me. Between my wife and I, there are five union cards active with paid up memberships in my household. My union status is a point of pride, and being in leadership would be an incredible way for me to try to give back after decades of benefiting from guild membership.
That being said, there are so many qualified candidates running this year, and if there are six badasses out there whom membership sees as better puzzle pieces for the council, I feel in very safe hands looking at this slate. I have nothing but confidence that our union will remain strong in the coming years.
Responses to Candidate Questions
1. What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the Guild and what steps will you take to address it?
One of the most obvious involves the current attack on free speech that we see affecting late night shows, news organizations, and media companies. I’m glad our union is taking an early stand against it and hope we continue that fight. As someone with a long career in New York comedy, I know people in most of the late night rooms and would be honored to help strategize the long term plans to keep late night healthy, vital, and free from oppressive government muzzles.
On top of that, AI remains an issue we need to stay on top of. Making sure it is certified as a tool and not a replacement will not just help our industry, but set a standard for other unions fighting the same existential threat.
Less chattered about: I think we need to spend more time discussing the further decentralization of our industry and how that’s being used to shift financial burdens from companies to artists. We went from broadcast to cable, cable to streaming, and we’re now seeing careers springboard off of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and podcasts. Those areas are relatively wild west, and in comedy we’re seeing a massive shift of companies that used to pay for production now telling artists to spend their own money and then hope for a licensing deal. “Go produce your own stand up special to Netflix’s standards and if we like it we’ll buy it – if not, you can just throw it on YouTube.” Democratic entry points to art? Very good. Companies using that as a way to shift the financial burdens of production to artists? Not good at all.
We can’t allow the democratized, wild west nature of algorithmic media to become a lazy zero dollar investment development room that only benefits the billion dollar companies while forcing artists to financially cripple themselves by playing this licensing lottery. I have friends who make a decent living making sketch comedy on TikTok. That’s amazing. It also doesn’t count towards any health insurance or pension. That’s bad. We have to start talking more about the union’s relationships with these tech based platforms and young creators. This issue isn’t going anywhere and we need to get ahead of it.
2. WGAE is divided into three sectors: Film, Television, and Streaming; Broadcast, Cable, and Streaming News, and; Online Media. How will you work with and represent all Guild members, including those outside of your own work sector?
I’m a very modern WGA member in that I bounce between these areas. I’ve had both screenplay and television pilot development deals. I’ve been in charge of a late night writers’ room for a cable show. I also make most of my money these days through a podcast and wouldn’t survive without keeping very in touch with the trends of online media. In the future, most of us – from all sectors – are going to have some combination of traditional jobs, a podcast, a Patreon, and a substack. I’m already there and have been for a few years. I don’t know how many people with 25 years’ worth of experience are letting their guards down and talking about this being the state of things. I’m happy to be open and honest about it – I think it’s where a lot of us are headed and I’m pretty uniquely positioned to help the exact types of members heading in this direction. My guess is that the walls between these areas of the WGAE are going to blur more and more in coming years, and my lived professional experience is ahead of the curve regarding that blurring.
3. What qualities or characteristics do you look for in a Guild leader?
Someone who puts their head down and does the work, has the attitude that this is a job done in the service of others, and doesn’t use it as an excuse to have a power trip or sniff their own farts.
4. What do you think WGAE’s role should be in the broader labor movement?
I think many of us suspect that a general strike might be brewing in the next few years. We need to be ready and willing to be central to that effort if and when the time comes. I also know that when we strike, members of other unions rush to stand shoulder to shoulder with us on our picket lines. We should encourage our membership to be more willing and able to return that solidarity during times when the heat isn’t on us.
I’m not a histrionic saber rattler. I also don’t think we should shy away from being part of broader fights, and should have our long term strategies in place well ahead of a larger labor action that connects unions across many industries.
Endorsements
Johnathan Appel, Kyle Bradstreet, Larry Cohen, Nicole Conlan, Alyssa DiMari, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Jo Firestone, Kaitlin Fontana, Joshua Gondelman, Tian Jun Gu, Liz Hynes, Dru Johnston, Barry Julien, Michael Kayne, Matthew Klinman, Mark Kramer, Todd Levin, Carley Moseley, Michael Rauch, Seth Rosenthal, Katherine Sidley, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux, Felipe Torres Medina, Kate Villa, Alison Zeidman
Endorse Chris Gethard for Council, Film/TV/Streaming Sector
Note: WGAW members who wish to endorse a candidate may follow the process outlined in section G.1.B of the 2025 Election Policy.
