A priority of the 2023 MBA negotiations was to protect the writers’ room by establishing staffing minimums, minimum duration of employment, and ensuring writers’ involvement in the production process. This guide provides an overview of these provisions. We hope you will find it helpful when staffing your next room. Please contact Mack Harden if you have any questions or need support.
Development rooms (aka pre-greenlight rooms) and regular writers’ rooms for television and HBSVOD series have requirements regarding the minimum number of writers that must be hired and the duration of their employment. In addition, there are production staffing requirement for single-camera series made for HBSVOD and Pay TV that are exclusively filmed in the U.S. and Canada. These new minimum staffing provisions went into effect for seasons where the first episode is written on December 1, 2023 or after.
DEVELOPMENT ROOMS
Staff and Duration
- Development room: defined as 3 or more writers (including showrunner) convened before a series/production order (Pre-Greenlight).
- Minimum staff: 3 writer-producers (including showrunner).
- Guarantee of 10 consecutive Weeks.
Premium Compensation – Up to 19 Weeks
- Development Room Rates (effective 5/2/2025).
- Staff Writer: $7,419
- SE/ESE: $13,835
- Writer- Producer: $15,152
- No crediting of development room fees against episodic fees.
- 20+ Week Development Rooms are treated as regular writers’ rooms.
- For these rooms on first season shows, the minimum staff size is 3 writer-producers (including the showrunner). For these rooms in the second or subsequent season of a show the minimum number of writers is determined by the anticipated episode order.
WRITERS’ ROOM – MINIMUM STAFF SIZE AND DURATION
| Episode Order | Required Writers | Required Writer Producers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 7-12 | 5* | 3 |
| 13+ | 6* | 3 |
- Minimum staff must be guaranteed 20 weeks or duration of the post-greenlight room, whichever is fewer.
- A show for which a single writer (including teams) is employed to write all episodes is exempt from the minimum staffing requirements.
WRITERS IN PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS
- Applies to single-camera series made for Pay TV or HBSVOD filmed in U.S. or Canada.
- 2 writer-producers, along with the showrunner(s), must be employed for 20 weeks of production or duration of production, whichever is fewer.
- Flexibility in Staffing: Required positions and weeks may be allocated to more than 2 writers.
| Flexible Staffing in Production | |
| Let’s say the production period is 20 weeks. The default rule is that at least 2 writer-producers, in addition to the Showrunner(s) must each be guaranteed 20 weeks in the production period. | |
Flexible Staffing Alternative:
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Flexible Staffing Alternative:
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ENFORCEMENT ISSUES
Please contact the Guild if you encounter these MBA violations.
- Freelance misclassification – Closing the room before the writing is done and requiring everyone to keep working but only for their freelance script payment, without receiving their weekly compensation, is a violation of the MBA. Staff writers and Article 14 writers must receive weekly pay and benefit contributions for each week they provide writing services.
- Company failure to pay at least Guild minimums in post – Writers must be paid at least Guild minimums and receive pension and health contributions for their work in post-production.
CONTACT US
If you have any questions or need support please contact Mack Harden.