P.O.V., public television’s premiere showcase for independent non-fiction film, seeks submissions from all perspectives to showcase in annual PBS series. P.O.V. welcomes all subjects, styles and lengths. Unfinished films may be eligible for completion funds. Open Call guidelines are available for review at www.pbs.org/pov/forproducers
The submission arrival deadline is June 27th
Questions? Call P.O.V. at 1-800-756-3300 ext. 380
Washington D.C. – The Writers Guild of America, West continues to take a strong stance on the principle of “net neutrality” as necessary public policy to preserve internet freedom. Speaking on behalf of the Guild, three-time Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Steven Peterman testified in support of HR-5353, the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, at today’s U.S. Representatives’ Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet hearing.
A longtime member of the WGAW, Peterman is executive producer of The Disney Channel’s Emmy-nominated hit series Hannah Montana, whose other TV writing credits include Murphy Brown, Suddenly Susan, State of Grace, and Becker. His appearance before the House of Representatives marks the latest chapter in the WGAW’s ongoing efforts to back HR-5353 and promote net neutrality. WGAW President Patric M. Verrone appeared before the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on April 22 to publicly voice the Guild’s position in favor of the principle of net neutrality.
During his testimony, Peterman outlined the pervasive rise of media consolidation and vertical integration that has come to define the entertainment industry and impact creative artists: “When I began my writing career 20 years ago you could watch Roseanne, Cosby, Cheers, The Wonder Years, and the series on which I was lucky enough to be one of the original writers: Murphy Brown. These shows were all considered smart, funny, sometimes touching and even thought provoking – and they were all made by independent production companies. Unfortunately, over the years since, those companies have disappeared. The unraveling of the financial interest and syndication rules, a process that began in 1992, has allowed for the greatest consolidation of media we have ever seen. Instead of a rich marketplace of ideas, today we have seven conglomerates controlling nearly all of the information and content we see,” he told the Subcommittee.
WHAT: In a hearing to discuss HR 5353, the Internet Freedom and Preservation Act, three-time Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Steven Peterman will testify tomorrow, Tuesday, May 6, before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.
WHO: Peterman, a member of the Writers Guild of America, West, is a writer and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated Disney Channel hit series Hannah Montana. His other television writing credits include Murphy Brown, Suddenly Susan, State of Grace, and Becker.
WHEN: Tuesday, May 6, 2008
9:30 A.M. (EST)
WHERE: Rayburn House Office Building
Room 2322
Washington D.C.
2008 Awards honored the best of the best in Canadian screenwriting. Travis McDonald receives Best Feature Film for NORMAL.
FOR THE COMPLETE LIST GO TO REELot.com
LOS ANGELES – Award-winning screenwriter and Writers Guild of America, West Board of Directors member Tom Schulman is set to receive the WGAW’s prestigious Valentine Davies Award, recognizing both his writing legacy and valued service to the WGAW, the entertainment industry, and community at large. He will be feted, among other honorees, at the Guild’s 2008 Honorary Awards Luncheon on April 23 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.“Tom is a friend and colleague whose tireless work for our Guild and its Foundation has built an unprecedented bridge between writers and the community at large. His service is a perfect blend of an individual who can’t stop helping and organizations that can’t stop asking,” said WGAW President Patric M. Verrone.
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SACRAMENTO — The California State Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 1765, the Fair Market Value Bill. It was introduced by Senator Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles) and coauthored by State Senators Darrell Steinberg, Gloria Romero, Carole Migden, Elaine Alquist and Assembly Members Fiona Ma, Sandré Swanson, and Mike Davis. The bill would end the practice by some major studios of “underselling” television series or movies, thus shortchanging the talent community as well as production workers. The bill can now move to the full Senate for consideration and then to the State Assembly.“Studios should not be allowed to undervalue their products in sweetheart deals with their own parent company and cost creative talent and crewmembers their rightful share in residuals and contributions to health and welfare funds,” said Senator Sheila Kuehl.
“This bill is good public policy because it ends a long-standing Hollywood accounting technique that has cost the talent community, both above and below the line. We thank the Senate Judiciary Committee for their affirmative vote, and we will continue our efforts to help this reasonable bill become law,” said Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, West.
Read More at REELot.com
On Tuesday, April 8, workers from some of TV’s top reality shows, including American Idol, Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?, and American Inventor, will gather at the Van Nuys office of the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) to file claims alleging that the producers of these shows owe them unpaid overtime and penalties that could total over $500,000.
Despite the huge profits made by the companies that produce these shows, many of the workers – including writers, production assistants, contestant coordinators, craft services, and office workers – work long hours without receiving overtime compensation or being allowed to take proper breaks.
According to Harsh Reality, a study released last fall by the Writers Guild of America, West, reality TV workers report widespread violations of wage and hour law, including failure to pay overtime, provide meal periods, and maintain accurate payroll records. The study also revealed that many of these workers do not receive any form of health care or pension benefits.
For Press Conference & Additional Info go to REELot.com
Athens, Ga. – Thirty-five recipients of the 67th Annual Peabody Awards were announced today by the University of Georgia`s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The winners, chosen by the Peabody board as the best in electronic media for 2007, were named in a ceremony in the Peabody Gallery on the UGA campus.
The latest Peabody recipients reflect great diversity in content, genre and source of origination. Recipients included The Colbert Report, Comedy Central`s cable-news satire, and A Journey Across Afghanistan: Opium and Roses, a documentary from Bulgaria`s Balkan News Corporation (bTV). Whole Lotta Shakin, the Texas Heritage Music Foundation`s rollicking public-radio series chronicling the 1950s heyday of rockabilly music received the award, as did Univision`s Ya Es Hora, a public-service campaign that taught legal aliens how to apply for American citizenship.
FOR THE COMPLETE LIST OF RECIPIENTS go to REELot.com
LOS ANGELES — Acclaimed television writer and The Sopranos creator David Chase will receive the Writers Guild of America, West’s coveted 2008 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television, honoring lifetime achievement for outstanding writing, at the WGAW’s upcoming Honorary Awards Luncheon on April 23 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.“We had to give this award to David Chase following the remarkable run of The Sopranos. Not doing so would be to deny him the closure that -,” said WGAW President Patric M. Verrone.
Whether contributing his diverse talents as writer, director, or producer - and often all three - Chase has been the creative force behind some of the most ground-breaking, indelible programming ever broadcast on network and cable television, including one of the most critically and commercially successful TV series, HBO’s The Sopranos.
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LOS ANGELES — Screenwriter Robert Eisele and his story collaborator Jeffrey Porro are slated to receive the Writers Guild of America, West’s prestigious 2008 Paul Selvin Award, celebrating written work that embodies the spirit of constitutional rights and civil liberties, for their thought-provoking screenplay for The Great Debaters.Both writers, along with other Guild lifetime achievement and service honorees, will be feted at the WGA West’s 2008 Honorary Awards Luncheon on April 23 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.
“This screenplay is a profound story of the power of words and collective resolve, two things which writers are always willing to employ and embrace,” commented WGAW President Patric M. Verrone.
Read more at REELot.com
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