Usually I write about film-related subjects, but I just spent a happy weekend devouring David Pollock’s biography Bob and Ray: Keener Than Most Persons (Applause Books) and feel impelled to spread the word about this wonderful and exceptionally well-written book. An Emmy Award-winning comedy writer (with his longtime partner Elias Davis), Pollock clearly spent a great deal of time preparing this thorough and empathetic volume, which not only charts the durable careers of Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding but paints a vivid picture of the broadcasting world in which they thrived—first in Boston, then in New York, and across the country in the waning days of network radio. ...
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- 8/5/2013
- by Leonard Maltin
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
At its recent annual general meeting the Writers Guild Foundation elected Barbara Corday as its new President. Corday, who with her writing partner Barbara Avedon co-created the groundbreaking television series Cagney & Lacey, was the first woman to become president of a major television production entity (Columbia Pictures Television); she later become head of prime-time programs at CBS, again the first woman to do so. Most recently she was chair of the Film and Television production arm at the USC School of Cinema and Television. Corday replaces Chris Brancato, who has served the maximum number of terms. The board also elected seven new trustees to the board. The new trustees are: publicist Craig Bankey, screenwriter Lowell Ganz, agent Nancy Josephson, and television writer-producers Marta Kauffman, Bill Lawrence, Jan Oxenberg and David Shore. Trustees are elected for three year terms. Most Foundation trustees are members of the Writers Guild of America, west.
- 6/21/2011
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline Hollywood
There are surely more conflicts to come, but the Screen Actors Guild membership on Thursday night settled a big one: Ken Howard has been elected the union's new national president.
Running mate Amy Aquino beat two-time incumbent Connie Stevens in the race for secretary-treasurer. Howard and Aquino will serve two-year terms beginning Friday.
For the moment, at least, the outcomes indicate that a winning 47.2% of the voting segment of SAG's roughly 120,000 members prefers the less strident approach of the self-styled moderate wing of the party represented by Unite for Strength.
Howard collected 12,895 votes, or 3,989 more than MembershipFirst candidate Anne-Marie Johnson, who received 32.6% of the 27,295 votes cast. Independents Seymour Cassel and Asmar Muhammad garnered 17.7% and 1.5%, respectively, in their bid for the presidency.
Ufs came together last year in opposition and in January led a boardroom coup at SAG, installed new negotiators and salvaged a deal with Hollywood producers nearly a...
Running mate Amy Aquino beat two-time incumbent Connie Stevens in the race for secretary-treasurer. Howard and Aquino will serve two-year terms beginning Friday.
For the moment, at least, the outcomes indicate that a winning 47.2% of the voting segment of SAG's roughly 120,000 members prefers the less strident approach of the self-styled moderate wing of the party represented by Unite for Strength.
Howard collected 12,895 votes, or 3,989 more than MembershipFirst candidate Anne-Marie Johnson, who received 32.6% of the 27,295 votes cast. Independents Seymour Cassel and Asmar Muhammad garnered 17.7% and 1.5%, respectively, in their bid for the presidency.
Ufs came together last year in opposition and in January led a boardroom coup at SAG, installed new negotiators and salvaged a deal with Hollywood producers nearly a...
- 9/24/2009
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
John Wells was announced the new president of the WGA today, defeating treasurer Elias Davis, the candidate endorsed by exiting president Patric Verrone. Wells, the executive producer of Southland, previously held the post from 1999-2001, and is considered far more moderate than Davis, who, as a key adviser to Verrone's Writers United coalition, was instrumental in mobilizing the strike of 2007-08. Among Wells' critics are hardliners who feel he slept with the studio-friendly DGA enemy during the strike, and that he won't push hard enough for gains in new media, home video and cable when the contract is up for renegotiation in May 2011. [Variety]...
- 9/19/2009
- Movieline
Michael Winship re-elected Wgae president
Signaling that it is ready to strike out in a new direction, the WGA West has elected John Wells president. Wells, who earned 52.8% of the vote, ran against the Writers United slate, headed by presidential candidate Elias Davis, which was committed to following the path set by outgoing president Patric Verrone.
But in something of a split vote, the guild also elected two members of the Writers United slate, Tom Schulman and David Weiss as vp and secretary-treasurer, respectively. Schulman pulled 55.5% of the vote, while Weiss collected 53.3%. They triumphed over two members of Wells' slate -- Howard Michael Gould, who ran for vp, and Chris Keysor, who was up for secretary-treasurer.
Verrone moves into a board seat, along with Howard A. Rodman, Dan Wilcox, Linda Burstyn, Billy Ray, Steven Schwartz, Chip Johannessen, Carleton Eastlake and Ian Deitchman. The officers and board will serve two-year terms,...
Signaling that it is ready to strike out in a new direction, the WGA West has elected John Wells president. Wells, who earned 52.8% of the vote, ran against the Writers United slate, headed by presidential candidate Elias Davis, which was committed to following the path set by outgoing president Patric Verrone.
But in something of a split vote, the guild also elected two members of the Writers United slate, Tom Schulman and David Weiss as vp and secretary-treasurer, respectively. Schulman pulled 55.5% of the vote, while Weiss collected 53.3%. They triumphed over two members of Wells' slate -- Howard Michael Gould, who ran for vp, and Chris Keysor, who was up for secretary-treasurer.
Verrone moves into a board seat, along with Howard A. Rodman, Dan Wilcox, Linda Burstyn, Billy Ray, Steven Schwartz, Chip Johannessen, Carleton Eastlake and Ian Deitchman. The officers and board will serve two-year terms,...
- 9/18/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday and Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Deborah Stokol
Tensions should mount at the Writers Guild of America West's headquarters tonight as candidates gather for an annual town hall election forum.
Called "Candidates Night," the meeting will be held at the Guild's Fairfax District office and will allow members the chance to get to know those running for lead positions.
Six candidates have their sights set on the three officer positions, and 17 candidates look to fill eight seats on WGA's board of directors.
The officer candidates are as follows: President -- John Wells, Elias Davis; Vic...
Tensions should mount at the Writers Guild of America West's headquarters tonight as candidates gather for an annual town hall election forum.
Called "Candidates Night," the meeting will be held at the Guild's Fairfax District office and will allow members the chance to get to know those running for lead positions.
Six candidates have their sights set on the three officer positions, and 17 candidates look to fill eight seats on WGA's board of directors.
The officer candidates are as follows: President -- John Wells, Elias Davis; Vic...
- 9/2/2009
- by admin
- The Wrap
Voting results for both guilds will be unveiled in September.
By Deborah Stokol
September will be a month fraught with guild drama.
SAG ballots were mailed on Tuesday, while WGA ballots were mailed out last week.
Members will be voting for new WGA leadership on Sept. 17, with the guild announcing the winners on Sept. 18; SAG's results will be revealed on Sept. 24.
Vying for WGA West president will be John Wells and Elias Davis (both pictured, left); for vice presid...
By Deborah Stokol
September will be a month fraught with guild drama.
SAG ballots were mailed on Tuesday, while WGA ballots were mailed out last week.
Members will be voting for new WGA leadership on Sept. 17, with the guild announcing the winners on Sept. 18; SAG's results will be revealed on Sept. 24.
Vying for WGA West president will be John Wells and Elias Davis (both pictured, left); for vice presid...
- 8/25/2009
- by Michael Speier
- The Wrap
With the industry still struggling through an economic hangover, Hollywood execs and talent alike soon should get a strong sense of the mood and direction of the rank and file.
Ballots go out to SAG members on Tuesday to elect a new president, additional officers and several board members by the end of September. WGA West and East ballots follow Wednesday, as writers fill like positions on a similar timeline.
In the race for SAG president, Anne-Marie Johnson -- first national vp and an ally of outgoing president Alan Rosenberg -- is running against Ken Howard, a relatively new player in SAG politics. Seymour Cassel and Asmar Muhammad also are running but are considered longer-shot candidates.
Johnson is a leader of MembershipFirst, a SAG faction that's taken a harder line against studios and networks in recent contract talks; during film and TV negotiations, Johnson campaigned unsuccessfully for a strike-authorization vote of members.
Ballots go out to SAG members on Tuesday to elect a new president, additional officers and several board members by the end of September. WGA West and East ballots follow Wednesday, as writers fill like positions on a similar timeline.
In the race for SAG president, Anne-Marie Johnson -- first national vp and an ally of outgoing president Alan Rosenberg -- is running against Ken Howard, a relatively new player in SAG politics. Seymour Cassel and Asmar Muhammad also are running but are considered longer-shot candidates.
Johnson is a leader of MembershipFirst, a SAG faction that's taken a harder line against studios and networks in recent contract talks; during film and TV negotiations, Johnson campaigned unsuccessfully for a strike-authorization vote of members.
- 8/24/2009
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
What do they think this is, a health-care town-hall meeting?
Two weeks before ballots go out to members, the WGA West fall election battle had a major flare-up Thursday. A letter from longtime Wgaw member Larry Gelbart endorsing presidential candidate Elias Davis and criticizing Davis' opponent, John Wells, made its way to the Internet.
In the open letter, Gelbart champions Davis as a new standard-bearer for the Writers United party, led by outgoing president Patric Verrone, which, as he sees it, fought hard for worthy gains in the WGA contract. By contrast, Gelbart described Wells' previous presidential term from 1999-2001 as leading to the WGA becoming a "timid and obsequious" organization.
Additionally, Gelbart leveled other charges against Wells, calling him a duplicitous showrunner on "The West Wing," a weak negotiating committee member in previous bargaining cycles and an interloper during the strike in 2008.
"I really think it's sad if we're...
Two weeks before ballots go out to members, the WGA West fall election battle had a major flare-up Thursday. A letter from longtime Wgaw member Larry Gelbart endorsing presidential candidate Elias Davis and criticizing Davis' opponent, John Wells, made its way to the Internet.
In the open letter, Gelbart champions Davis as a new standard-bearer for the Writers United party, led by outgoing president Patric Verrone, which, as he sees it, fought hard for worthy gains in the WGA contract. By contrast, Gelbart described Wells' previous presidential term from 1999-2001 as leading to the WGA becoming a "timid and obsequious" organization.
Additionally, Gelbart leveled other charges against Wells, calling him a duplicitous showrunner on "The West Wing," a weak negotiating committee member in previous bargaining cycles and an interloper during the strike in 2008.
"I really think it's sad if we're...
- 8/13/2009
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ray helmer Taylor Hackford was elected president of the Directors Guild of America over the weekend, replacing Michael Apted and thus setting one-third of the players who will duel with the studios when the next round of union contract negotiations begins in 2011. The Writers Guild and SAG are running a little hotter with their own races, with John Wells battling hardliner Elias Davis on the writers' side and Anne-Marie Johnson taking over Alan Rosenberg's post atop the Membership First slate. Play nice, all! [THR]...
- 7/27/2009
- Movieline
SAG’s upcoming elections have been getting some attention, but the WGA West is having an election this summer as well. The ballots go out sometime in late July or August, and are apparently due back September 17. Current WGA West president Patric Verrone is running for one of the open board seats, but not for president (I believe there are term limits). Instead, the candidates for president are John Wells and Elias Davis. For more details, see the press release below.
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WGA press release:
Writers Guild Of America, West Announces Candidates...
———————
Subscribe to my blog (jhandel.com) for more about entertainment law and digital media law. Go to the blog itself to subscribe via RSS or email. Or, follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, or subscribe to my Huffington Post articles. If you work in tech, check out my new book How to Write LOIs and Term Sheets.
———————
WGA press release:
Writers Guild Of America, West Announces Candidates...
- 6/22/2009
- by jhandel@att.net (Jonathan Handel)
The WGA West announced Monday the initial list of candidates for its 2009 election of officers and board of directors, and it includes a familiar name: John Wells.
For president, Elias Davis, who is the current secretary-treasurer, is running against Wells, who held the president post from 1999-2001. Despite the absence of "ER," Wells has a robust slate of TV and film projects as a producer, many of which are set up at Warner Bros., where his production company has a home.
Board members Tom Schulman and Howard Michael Gould are running for vp, and Christopher Keyser and David N. Weiss, who is the current vp, are running for secretary-treasurer.
Additionally, 16 candidates have been nominated for eight open seats on the board of directors. Those include Luvh Rakhe, Linda Burstyn, Mick Betancourt, Jan Oxenberg, Eric Wallace, Jed Weintrob, Chip Johannessen, Andrea King, Steven Schwartz, Jeff Lowell, Billy Ray, Carleton Eastlake and David Wyatt,...
For president, Elias Davis, who is the current secretary-treasurer, is running against Wells, who held the president post from 1999-2001. Despite the absence of "ER," Wells has a robust slate of TV and film projects as a producer, many of which are set up at Warner Bros., where his production company has a home.
Board members Tom Schulman and Howard Michael Gould are running for vp, and Christopher Keyser and David N. Weiss, who is the current vp, are running for secretary-treasurer.
Additionally, 16 candidates have been nominated for eight open seats on the board of directors. Those include Luvh Rakhe, Linda Burstyn, Mick Betancourt, Jan Oxenberg, Eric Wallace, Jed Weintrob, Chip Johannessen, Andrea King, Steven Schwartz, Jeff Lowell, Billy Ray, Carleton Eastlake and David Wyatt,...
- 6/22/2009
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Organizing, video-on-demand and residuals are leading topics of this fall's WGA West election as several candidates believe the union is at a crossroads. Many of these candidates insist that the top priority is organizing, as witnessed by the ongoing campaign to unionize reality TV storytellers. This camp includes presidential candidate and current secretary-treasurer Patric Verrone and his running mates, David Weiss for vp and Elias Davis for secretary-treasurer. "Union power is collective power, and it is directly proportional to the percentage of the workforce the union controls," Verrone said in a candidates' statement sent to members in recent days. "Without market penetration, we are a toothless dog. We can growl and bark, but when the time comes to strike, our bite is almost meaningless."...
- 8/31/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The WGA West has confirmed the final list of candidates for its election of board members and officers. The two first-time contenders vying to succeed Daniel Petrie Jr. for a two-year term as president of the guild are Ted Elliott and Patric Verrone. David N. Weiss will challenge incumbent Carl Gottlieb for vp. Irma Kalish and Elias Davis are the candidates for the secretary-treasurer post currently held by Verrone.
- 7/27/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Two first-time presidential candidates will compete for the top elected spot in the fall election of the WGA West, a contest that also will determine vp, secretary-treasurer and eight board seats, the union announced Thursday. The office of president will pit current secretary-treasurer Patric Verrone against board member Ted Elliott. Verrone is running on an as-yet-unnamed slate that includes vp candidate David Weiss and Elias Davis for secretary-treasurer. Elliott said he is not politically aligned with any of the other officer candidates, who include Carl Gottlieb for vp and Irma Kalish for secretary-treasurer.
- 6/24/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Victoria Riskin has been re-elected to a second two-year term as president of the WGA West, defeating newcomer Eric Hughes. Also re-elected was WGA East president Herb Sargent. And while the guild decided not to publicly release the results of the voting -- a break from recent WGA election protocol -- it was revealed in the "members only" section of the WGA Web site that Riskin received 846 votes, while Hughes received 425. A total of 7,600 ballots were sent out, with 1,378 returned. Also re-elected to the WGA West leadership were vp Charles Holland (905 votes) and secretary-treasurer Patric Verrone (693 votes). Elected to the WGA West board of directors were Elias Davis (691 votes), Irma Kalish (664 votes), Peter Lefcourt (663 votes), Melissa Rosenberg (519 votes), Tim O'Donnell (466 votes) and incumbents Robert King (672 votes), Don M. Mankiewicz (500 votes) and J.F. Lawton (483 votes).
- 9/22/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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