Candidate for Council, Film/TV/Streaming Sector
Hi. I’m Andy Rheingold, and I’m running for a Film/TV/Streaming council seat. As a WGAE member with hundreds of hours of live-action and animated television writing credits, I understand what working writers are up against and keenly aware of how critical guild representation is.
What I love about the WGAE is that it brings together writers across so many different formats and genres under one roof — from soaps and late-night to digital, podcasts, and docs. While we all write for a living, our professional and business realities can look pretty different from one sector to the next. That said, we all face many of the same common problems and issues.
A few weeks ago, I produced and moderated a panel at the guild on the legal, financial, and creative impact of AI on the animation industry. What we learned has massive, existential implications for our guild that reach far beyond animation. Is a TV show or feature film produced primarily using Gen AI considered live action? Animation? Something else entirely? The label matters because traditionally, writing for animation has fallen outside WGA coverage. This is one of several issues that surfaced in this panel — and a big part of why I’m running.
Just as important: during this historic industry contraction, I believe it’s imperative that our guild continue the fight against free work especially bake-offs, if-come deals, info-mining open writing assignments, and “producer’s drafts.” The most recent MBA gives us some guardrails, but not enough. Fixing this will require sustained, expansive outreach to writers, producers, agents, and managers alike.
Healthcare is another front. As the broader healthcare system continues to fracture under the current White House administration, the WGA needs now more than ever to bring in as many writers as it can under its umbrella, so we all have health coverage. And we must keep planning ahead to ensure the health fund stays solvent.
As a longtime co-chair of the WGAE Animation Writers Caucus, I’ve helped lead the successful Sesame Street and PBS organizing campaigns, winning animation writers the union representation they’ve long deserved. It’s been a seemingly impossible battle for decades but seeing it pay off was incredible. And now it’s possible! I want to keep that momentum going. I’ll make it a priority to push guild jurisdiction further: not just animation, but non-fiction, podcasts, and video games too. And for our guild to remain relevant and a powerful force for all writers, we need to keep growing and organizing writers where the industry is heading — YouTube, short-form digital, and influencer/creator content.
The industry keeps changing; our solidarity is how we keep up with it.
About me: If you are of a certain TV watching age, I’ve written a chunk of your childhood and teenage years (Phineas and Ferb, Beavis and Butt-head, All That!, CatDog, Codename: The Kids Next Door, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast). I’ve developed a show that hit the zeitgeist (SpongeBob SquarePants), penned feature films (Paramount, Disney) and TV movies (NBC/Universal, Cartoon Network), produced and run series (MTV, WB, Netflix), had overall deals, and written commercials, video games, middle-grade books, comic books, Mad Magazine pages, and even story arcs for wrestling (yes, it’s scripted).
In Solidarity,
Andy Rheingold
Endorsements
Adam Brooks, Larry Cohen, Bonnie Datt, Billy Frolick, Gina Gionfriddo, Carin Greenberg, Amy Jackson, Susan Kim, Christopher Kyle, Robert Mittenthal, Allan Neuwirth, Adam Peltzman, Melissa Salmons, Alana Sanko, William Scheft Jr
Endorse Andy Rheingold 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.
