Over the past three months, we realized that in covering the dispute between writers and media conglomerates, we were also covering the evolution of the entertainment industry. Digital technology is changing how music, television, films and games are created and consumed. Old business models are dying and new ones are being invented. Workers in the entertainment community need an outlet for reliable information on how the digital revolution will affect us. There are incredible risks but also unprecedented opportunities. United Hollywood can help us manage both.
Over on the right side of this blog, you'll see the official U.H. t-shirt and hat. We've partnered with StrikeSwag.com to design and sell them. You'll also notice that we've posted some Google ads. Proceeds from both will help pay for the hosting and bandwidth of an entirely new United Hollywood.
Starting as soon as next week, you'll see a new look and new features here. We are moving off of Blogspot and onto a dedicated server to make this possible. Soon, you'll be able to create your very own page on U.H. to express yourself and share the industry news that matters to you. We'll also be adding forums to discuss all aspects of the entertainment business. Writers, actors, below-the-line crew members, musicians, directors, computer programmers and fans will all have places to interact on our site.
We want to make sure that the server we purchased has all the security, backups and bandwidth necessary to keep U.H. accessible and safe. We went with a reliable, high-end host. Buying some swag or clicking on ads that interest you helps us cover those costs.
We're honored by the way you've turned to us as a source of news and opinion, but there's no way we can cover all the news or capture the range of opinions that need to be heard. We want to empower all of you to build the United Hollywood of the future. By opening up the site to you, we hope to fulfill the promise of our name. Though we may have huge differences of opinion on the WGA strike, we are all in the digital revolution together.
So please buy a shirt or a hat! If you'd like to be among the first to have your own page on the new U.H., sign up to get an email when the community features are up and running.
Subscribe to UnitedHollywoodRedesign
Visit this group
And thank you.
13 comments:
Is there a way to just kick in money for the hosting...I don't need any swag but I do want to send some money (via some means other than PayPal) to support UH Version 2.0?
Thanks :)
Buy Swag? With what? I am out of work because if this strike! This strike needs to end now! ~ 12,000 WGA vs 200,000 non WGA workers are out of work. Yes, the writers are the seed but the studios are the soil. So long as the moguls have the money, they hold the power. They decide what seeds to plant. This is the reality until writers own studios and other platforms. So, make the best deal you can even though it may not be the perfect deal. At this point, we who are not WGA, are finding it hard to be supportive. How can we fight for your future when our futures are hanging in the balance. This strike has to end now!
I say every single person who IS financially hurt by this strike should file a class action lawsuit against the members of the AMPTP and the WGA!
The google ads aren't positioned properly. They appear on the right side with the other stuff. Not in the main post. (and yes i unblock adblock :D).
Anyways, I clicked on every link. It's faster than buying a swag, though it doesn't return as much profits.
@uk: You're right, the moguls have the money, but they don't have all the power -- BECAUSE guilds and unions can stand together against them. I'm not a WGA member, and I don't live in Hollywood or New York -- I live in a small town in the South where workers are regularly kicked around by big corporations. I sympathize with you that you're out of work. I understand the bitterness and resentment of people who didn't choose to strike but are out of work anyway. Still, I think the best chance any single worker has against a huge company is to band together with other workers, because thousands of protesting voices are a lot harder to ignore than one.
I don't know all the details of the negotiations, but I still don't think the WGA is expecting to get a perfect deal. I don't think they want to strike any longer than is absolutely necessary to get a fair deal. And I don't think they've forgotten about people like you who are also affected by the strike. I hope I'm right about all those things. I personally think a victory for the WGA would be a victory for you, too, because it shows the moguls that they can't kick people around like they thought they could. The villain here is the AMPTP for being greedy and unjust -- not the WGA for standing up to them.
Sounds great. I definitely can't wait to see a way for the community to interact with the writers, staff, and actors directly. I can only see good things coming from this :)
UK,
We all feel terrible about the impact of the strike on non-WGA members. Obviously, we want people who are able to support something to give to the ISF before U.H. The ISF helps non-writers affected by the strike to get some help.
And believe me, we just want the best deal we can get. There are no perfect deals. No one (at least no regular contributors to U.H.) is kidding himself about the perfect contract. It's a negotiation. All we want is something that's fair.
The ongoing mission of U.H. will include helping ALL members of the community, above the line and below the line, take charge of the future.
vdovault,
Hello! I'm sure there will be eventually. I think so long as the strike is going on, we'll probably hold off. But if that changes, we'll spread the word.
@ uk:
I sympathize.
Writers are not going to take a potential 90% pay cut on residuals, though.
It is irresponsible for United Hollywood to be soliciting help for post-strike anything when I'm trying to get people mobilized to picket on Monday.
Shame on you.
@ Ashley Gable:
UH asking for people to help continue the site post-strike, shouldn't hurt your ability to get people to picket now, should it? Everyone hopes there's an end in sight, and when it gets here, it might be nice to have some idea of what to do next. And it's not as though they're forgetting there's still a strike on -- every time I'm here I see the same messages repeated: Solidarity. Keep the pressure on. Stay on the picket lines. Stay strong.
Everyone's tense. Some people are losing patience. I get that. But if you all self-destruct now, you have zero chance against the AMPTP. They have the luxury (literally) of not even liking each other, if they happen not to. You guys don't, because the only power you have against them is solidarity. You all have the same goal, whether it's getting people to the picket lines every day or building a community of people to figure out where the industry is going in the future. So work together. It's your best (only) chance.
Sounds like a great idea and I registered.
And for those who think it irresponsible to support this while so many are out of work, I've personally donated over $500 throughout the strike to the industry support fund. (And I'm BTL in my own company)
Thanks, UH, for the opportunity.
That's great news! I have really come to depend on this site.
We will be continuing "Adopt A Writer" too. (Though still on good old free WordPress.)
My suggestion is that when the strike comes to an end, you should produce shirts saying "I survived the Writers' Strike of 2007-08" or something like that. They would probably sell like crazy.
Stephen... how about "I Went On Strike For 3 Months and All I Got Was a Fuckin' T-Shirt. No, Seriously. This T-Shirt You're Reading Is ALL I GOT! Thanks, WGA!"
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