The strike is over and our hosts are back to work. But as soon as they get settled in, they'll be returning with a new post-strike incarnation of United Hollywood Live. Details to come.
And to all the listeners, guests and volunteers who made UH Live - Version 1.0 such a big success, a sincere and heartfelt thank you.
2/13/2008
United Hollywood Live 2.0
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18 comments:
Congratulations!
d.
We absolutely cannot wait! 1.0 was so great, we'll be right there when 2.0 is launched!
-Rubberpoultry
Thank you so much for creating and keeping up this site! It was great to have a source to turn to for information, intelligent opinions, and some gallows humor when everything seemed bogged down and impossible. As an aspiring member of the WGA, I almost got to feel like I was in the trenches. So thanks for that, and even though the strike is over I'll definitely be tuning in to see what you guys come up with next! Thanks again!
Dear United Hollywood Live
My name is Tony Figueroa but you know me on the chat interface as COTV.
Even though I am not a Writers Guild of America member, I am a member of SAG, AFTRA and IATSE. I strongly support my brothers and sisters in the WGA. Whatever you decide in the upcoming vote I will support. Your show has been inspirational, educational and empowering. With the AMPTP trolls and propaganda from the corporate owned media, it was refreshing to hear the truth if only three times a week. I feel sorry for those narrow minded people who could not see that your use of levity on the show was a morale booster. I hope they find a cure soon.
In Solidarity
Tony Figueroa
CHILD OF TELEVISION http://childoftelevision.blogspot.com/
Thank you Eric, Trey, Emperor Jon, Jeff and all the other contributers to UHLive! Thanks for informing. Thanks for entertaining. Thanks for bringing passion, thoughtful discussions, sanity (and insanity at times) making the the message of the Strike understandable and real to me and all the other loyal listeners.
Congrats on going back to work!
Looking forward to anything you guys put together in the future. Know that you have at least one fan that is going to look for your names eagerly in the credits of TV and film alike.
Love from FeyGirl
I'd like to thank all the folks at NowLive and all those at UH, especially Trey and Eric. The show would never have been a success without you two. I eagerly await the show to return
I am proud of the brothers and sisters at the WGA. You have done a good thing for the union movement. The level of solidarity of your unit is a lesson to us all. The use of new media to get your message out should be taken up as much as possible by all unions. The level of strike support by non-WGA members should bring hope to all of our union brothers and sisters.
A strike is never won completely. You can never know for sure when victory is yours. I have seen great contracts signed after a unified strike and the actual strike lost by frittering the way of unity. I have seen mediocre contracts signed in the midst of contentious union in-fighting with the result that the specific union and the union movement as a whole has come away stronger and ready for future struggle. A strike is not won or lost on the day the strike ends. It will be the future that will tell. The results of the future.
So this is what I have to say: Start organizing now for SAG, for the Teamsters, for other Hollywood unions and for your future contract. Don't forget the lessons you learned in this fight. You are writers, you should write those lessons down. Create a collective history so others can see.
I have a few hopes for the future, the future of United Hollywood and the future of the Hollywood union movement that I hope you will discuss. I will list the obvious along with the not so obvious.
1) Most immediately you need to support SAG and the Teamsters in their upcoming contract negotiations. Do not fall asleep on this, especially in regard to the Teamsters.
2) You need to find a way to unite all Hollywood unions in one bargaining coalition. (I do not yet hope that their will be a single industrial wide union but that should be an aim of the most conscious union members.)
3) Is there any possibility that some tech savvy writers might volunteer to help other unions in need? Damn their have been a few organizing drives that I have been involved with recently, and one major strike here in NYC, that your kind of righteous propaganda, use of youtube, picket line interviews, web log-rolling could have helped us to get the news out to the public that we are not "greedy" truck drivers or transit workers, but just brothers and sisters making a living. (Also star power would help.)
4) I would like to know more about rank and file connections between Hollywood unions and other unions in Southern California.
5) I would like to hear some respectful but clear eyed discussion of IATSE and how to incorporate IATSE into a "United Hollywood" movement.
Going forward will prove the success of this strike. Don't let victory slip through your fingers by relaxing. As Verrone said, you must world to build on your unprecedented unity. Organize the unorganized! Join with other unions.
The strike captains I read from on this website and the ones I met on the picket line in New York were the backbone of this strike. Don't let anyone tell you that this strike wasn't yours because you made it yours. In my 30 years of involvement in the union movement I have rarely met a more motivated group of strike and line captains. They made it a pleasure for me to show up at the picket line in cold, rain, and sleet. I want to thank them.
I want to thank your leadership and your rank and file for giving the union movement a win that can be built upon.
Jerry Monaco
This is really fantastic news, and I'm very excited by what I read in the reporter. As a writer and filmmaker with extensive experience in indie film finance, as someone who is producing and directing their own work in the new millenium, and as an advocate for alternative business models in film (simultaneous to preserving the theatrical experience, thank you very much) this is the online community I've always wanted! Where have you been all my life?
My gosh, I have such high hopes for this, and I very much want to be involved. You just made my day, United Hollywood! Ha! I was so afraid that creative folks would sink back into complacency once the deal was struck! Please, contact me at tennyson@8sidedfilms.com and let me know how I can pitch in. You're playing my song, and you know I'll bust out a fiddle solo!
I would like to personally thank all involved at United Hollywood and the WGA for allowing us this place to meet, vent, and give opinion. (despite my many times wanting to launch my laptop across the room in frustration…LOL)
Reflecting back upon the past three months, I was surprised to learn from this strike was how far apart some of our guilds are. And conversely how the WGA and SAG working together are significant templates in how we should do this in the future. I truly hope UH 2.0 will continue this trend, and will make some long term plans to encourage and begin a dialogue where an actual United Hollywood exists not far down the road. I would like to see a UH where all our guilds can work together in an alliance of mutual respect, strategy, and goals…………the way it should be.
And finally, if the NY Times article is even a bit accurate, I give you a standing ovation for bringing the sides back together during this very challenging time, it won’t be forgotten.
I thank you.
YES!
So glad to hear UHL will stick around. It's a great place to exchange ideas.
I can identify with quite a bit of the sentiment in the preceding commentary. This has been quite the experience, and we all look forward to using this as a stepping stone toward a brighter future for everyone in the industry.
Kudos, and I'll see you on the other side.
To my fellow Rumpus Room (ie UH Live Chat Interface) regulars:
We are still meeting at the more or less traditional times (Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays at 3pm Eastern, 12 Noon Pacific) and chatting about the last days of the strike as well as working on some post WGA actions that may prove useful to future entertainment industry labor negotiations (that means you SAG & AFTRA). If you want to come socialize, trade industry gossip, upload videos and artwork or just talk about the news, stop in and say hi.., we will likely keep this up until UH Live relaunches and then Trey Eric Jeff and Emperor Jon can participate as they are available :)
See you in the chat interface aka The Rumpus Room!
-vdovault
Jerry said:
"You need to find a way to unite all Hollywood unions in one bargaining coalition. (I do not yet hope that their will be a single industrial wide union but that should be an aim of the most conscious union members.) "
Jerry, this process was started a couple of years ago. The LA County Federation of Labor has had a committee of Motion picture/TV industry guilds which has been delving into the issues you bring up. The WGA chose not to join in with the LA County Fed unions prior to the strike, perhaps they will revisit that decision now.
Yay! This is so great to hear!!! You guys have done some a wonderful job...it is the went to find out about strke info, and the only place I trust when I see news from other sources.
VDO...thanks for letting us know about the tri-weekly chats. I didn't know about that! I'll have to try to stop by on Friday. I miss my "Rumpus Room" buddies!!!
Thank you United Hollywood!
I forgot to thank Eric, Trey, Jeff, and Jon! And also NowLive. And most importantly, how could I forget to congratulate the writers on getting back to work?!!! ALL HAIL! ;)
thanks to Eric, Trey, Jeff, and Jon and also all the folk in the Rumpus Room ...er Chat Interface.
If I can find the link tomorrow, I will be there - even if only in the count in white on grey at the top of the page ;-) (i.e. work permitting)
I have way too many disorganized bookmarks now, so finding it should be an adventure... (whenever I try to organize my drives, they either die or I accidentally delete all my neatly sorted files. I've given up)
Pam, the widget is still on the UH site (the last time I looked). Perhaps it'll take us to the site? If not, would anyone be so kind as to put up the URL?
jerry monaco: hear, hear! Exactly right!
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