Candidate for Council, Film/TV/Streaming Sector
My name is Suzanne Weber (she/her) and I am running for reelection to Council in the Film/TV/Streaming sector. I am a television writer who, like many of you, has crafted a career out of a combo of development and staffing. I am also an author (under my name and my pseudonym, Anita Liberty), a cartoonist, a screenwriter, and an alternative comedian. I am a wife and a mother. I have a dog named Yoko.
Before being elected to Council in 2024, I served as Room Captain when I staffed on Disney’s Andi Mack and again when I was a Producer on the ill-fated (not my fault) Lizzie McGuire re-boot. After 15 years in LA, I moved back to New York in 2023, joined the WGAE Captain’s Network, and became a regular presence on the picket line (where I got to know our staff, negotiating committee, and members of Council). After the strike, I increased my involvement in our Union, ultimately deciding to run for Council.
What I have learned, after serving for two years, is that some weeks are dominated by Council business, that debating issues with my fellow Councilmembers can be simultaneously maddening and exhilarating, that helping members in both small and big ways is deeply gratifying, and that it’s easy to feel daunted when faced with the kind of existential challenges confronting our industry. But I am more committed than ever to the work of helping to steward our Union. In difficult times like these, I believe it is even more essential that we all do our part to keep the WGAE strong and healthy and to maintain our solidarity. Also, I just kinda love it.
Here are some things I’ve been doing:
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (CO-CHAIR)
- Participates in figuring out how to get non-Union work covered (think YouTube, verticals, video podcasts, etc.) under our MBA, and also in our other sectors
- Workplaces organized during my tenure: Fred Rogers, Futuro, PBS Animation, Radical Media, Spiffy Pictures, Courier, Scientific American, among others
- Has worked to widen scope of Committee to increase internal organizing — building solidarity and coordinating action within membership
- Persuaded Council that WGAE should be a supporter of Hands Off NYC, a group that trains and organizes New Yorkers to mobilize against attacks on free speech and organized labor, as well as authoritarianism, and ICE abuse. This affiliation allows us to communicate citywide actions to members as they arise and to mobilize members swiftly
- Organizes members to turn out for No Kings marches and other labor-related and political protests, rallies, vigils, and events
PIPELINE COMMITTEE (CO-FOUNDER/CO-CHAIR)
- Worked with Victoria Pollack (co-Founder/co-Chair), Michael Rauch (VP of F/T/S), and Michelle Kuchinsky (WGAE Director of F/T/S) to reconsider the scope and mandate of what was formerly known as the Lower-Level Writers Committee
- Plans programming and creates support systems for writers who are “stuck” at a staffing level, unable to find work at all, or confounded by the difficulty of getting a project off the ground
- Considers and implements ways to actively support writers at every level to secure our Union’s health and longevity
- Invited and on-boarded new Committee members with an eye towards a Committee including Councilmembers and nonCouncilmembers, who have various amounts of professional experience, and a diverse range of perspectives
ELECTION POLICY COMMITTEE (MEMBER)
- Works with Sam Wheeler, WGAE Executive Director, to ensure that our elections follow every letter of the law
- Assists in the protection of our Union’s democracy
- Participates in making meaningful changes to our elections, including making it clear when candidates pay for additional email blasts, making election rules/dates easier to access, offering word count suggestions so candidate statements don’t become unwieldy (as I knowingly blow past that word count, due to my love of the parenthetical)
CAPTAIN’S TRAININGS
- Has worked closely with staff and Councilmember Sarah Montana to bolster training so Captains are well-prepared to rally their teams for Union votes, answer questions about Union activities, MBA actions, and the inner workings of our Guild, and keep members informed
BEING A CAPTAIN
- Started my Captain’s journey in 2016 and have been a Captain ever since. Currently have 40ish members on my team (shoutout to the three of you who reliably respond to my correspondence)
GETTING TO KNOW OUR STAFF
- I have learned so much from them. It’s a pleasure when I have a (usually legitimate) reason to bug them during their work day
- They know they can count on me when they need a Councilmember to show up at an event or action, to speak to members, or to facilitate trainings or meetings
SHOWING UP
- Have missed one Council meeting in two years
- Available when Councilmembers are needed for support during sticky negotiations (A&E, PBS, ITV, CBS)
- Facilitates Captain’s Trainings and New Member Orientations
- Attended CUNY class on Worker’s Co-ops, Labor Notes seminars on Organizing, Hands Off strategy calls, Many Hands Art Builds, Committee for the First Amendment meetings, Town Hall on Paramount/WB Merger (with Senator Cory Booker)
- Present at, and helps to coordinate, the marches, rallies, protests, and labor actions that I encourage members to attend
- Attends as many WGAE events as possible (but always the monthly Scripted Forum breakfasts and every rooftop party)
Look, we all got into this Union because of our talent as writers. Some of us have been here for less than a year and some of us have been here for decades. However long you’ve been a member, our Union should listen to you, take your concerns seriously, and provide as many resources and as much support as possible. I was elected two years ago to represent you on Council. I have done my best to fulfill my obligations. Continuing to be an active part of a community of people who are motivated to make things better for each other feels like a worthy use of my time.
As always, please reach out with questions and concerns (staybitter@gmail.com; @iamsuzanneweber). I would love to hear from you. I would really appreciate your vote. I hope to continue to represent you on Council.
Endorsements
JD Amato, Micharne Cloughley, Larry Cohen, Nicole Conlan, Sean Crespo, Lisa Cullen, Sara David, Devin Delliquanti, Emily Flake, Melissa Gibson, Elizabeth Godvik, Carol Hartsell, Liz Hynes, Thomas Kelly, Tom Kemnitz, Jr, Christopher Kyle, Sarah Montana, Michael Rauch, Andrew Rheingold, Susan Rinkunas, Lynn Rosen, Sharyn Rothstein, Erica Saleh, Alana Sanko, Oriana Schwindt, Sasha Stewart, Felipe Torres Medina, Justin Weinberger, Adam Wiesen
WGAW: Betsy Thomas
Endorse Suzanne Weber 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 2026 Election Policy.
