Candidate for Council, Film/TV/Streaming Sector
My name is Larry J. Cohen. I’m a television and feature writer, currently serving as your WGAE Council Member and co-Chair of the A.I. Task Force.
Two years ago, I ran as a voice of reason to represent our membership in the middle of massive change and upheaval happening across our industry. And while I promise I’ve always tried to be a most reasonable council member, time and time again it would seem the rest of our business has been more interested in going down a different path.
So I’ll admit to very reasonably shouting, cursing and stumping to make sure your voice was heard on council, in committees and at events inside and out of the Guild. I’ll even cop to rationally telling politicians, lawyers and executives that some of their policies and positions, especially when it comes to Generative A.I., were not only irrational but exploitative and self-destructive. I can tell you I’ve made every good faith effort to debate and advocate on your behalf, but unfortunately, logic and reason are not enough to help our industry right now.
Thankfully, unions are more than just bully pulpits. They’re built for organizing collective action to make real change. And that’s why I’m running again for the opportunity to do more than just be reasonable or pragmatic but to push our union to innovate for and with our members.
If elected for a second term on council, my focus will be on —
- The legal, economic and creative sobriety of A.I. in the entertainment business.
- Investigate and report on independent equity models for development and production.
- Organize in new formats like modular storytelling (yes, I refuse to call them micro dramas),
- And continue to build an even stronger WGAE community to share critical information about how our business is and isn’t working for writers at every level.
My experience working with staff, leadership, council and members across the Guild is a record I’m proud to run on:
As Co-Chair of the A.I. Task Force and Council Member:
- Educated members on the limits and liabilities of artificial intelligence.
- Co-authored an op-ed calling to enforce copyright protections against LLM training.
- Passed an A.I. moratorium on A.I. promotion and endorsement within the Guild.
- Developed tools and technology so writers can protect their work from GenAI.
- Helped pass the NY FAIR News Act requiring news outlets to label GenAI written articles.
As a member of the 2026 Negotiating Committee:
- Preserved the integrity and solvency of our Health Fund.
- Won new gains on Formats, Page One Rewrites, and If/Come Deals.
- Prevented rollbacks on our historic A.I. protections.
- Secured direct funding for the WGAE’s own Showrunner training program.
If you can’t tell by now, I care deeply about our union, our membership and our sacred profession of filling blank pages with ideas that can take on a life of their own. But I am running to represent you. As always, please reach out to me at larry@larryjcohen.com to share what matters most to you.
I hope I can count on your support.
Endorsements
Ali Barthwell, Adam Brooks, Jamie Chan, Micharne Cloughley, Nicole Conlan, Lisa Cullen, Sara David, Kevin Deiboldt, Devin Delliquanti, Christopher Gethard, Liz Hynes, David Jaher, Thomas Kelly, Susan Kim, Christopher Kyle, Sarah Montana, Michael Rauch, Andrew Rheingold, Susan Rinkunas, Lynn Rosen, Sharyn Rothstein, Benjamin Rubin, Melissa Salmons, William Scheft Jr, Oriana Schwindt, Sasha Stewart, Suzanne Weber, Adam Wiesen
Endorse Larry J. Cohen 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.
