For the first time in 60 years, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are striking. The WGA and SAG Strike completely ground film and TV production to a halt, as writers and actors demanded to negotiate a better contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for better wages, parameters around AI technology, and more stable working conditions. But for influencers watching from the sidelines, you might be wondering how best to support the strike.
Those in production (and the greedy execs that make millions a year off their hard work) are far from the only parts of the entertainment ecosystem. Though internet and print outlets exist to cover the overarching narrative surrounding television and movie releases, it’s influencers that have become the engines to fuel speculation and hype.
“The streaming bubble is bursting, and it’s time actors, writers, and other crew receive fair pay and job security,” Johnny O’Dell, a movie reactor who runs the 116,000-subscriber YouTube channel J20, told Passionfruit over email. “The studios and their execs have been cartoonishly evil, looking more and more like the villains in their own movies than the heroes.”
Since the last Hollywood union strike happened before everyone had an iPhone and sharing on social media was the norm, the rules about what is or isn’t allowed online are a little blurry. Creators wanting to show solidarity probably have a few questions, so we collected as many answers as we could on how to “influence” without scabbing. …
