A call for fair payment of Hollywood screenwriters

Former President of the United States of America Barack Obama (2009-2017) positioned himself in favor of the strike currently led by the Writers Guild of America and assured that he hopes to receive “a fair share of the fruits of his labor.”

“As someone who truly supports the union and as someone who believes in storytelling and their craft, I hope that they are compensated and that the importance of what they do is reflected in any deal that is reached,” Obama said in a virtual chat in which presented his series “Work: What we do all day”.

Since last May 2 screenwriters They paralyzed the Hollywood industry by going on strike demanding better working conditions from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), fair payment of residuals from their projects, regulation of artificial intelligence, among other demands.

Obama assured that he “understands” the pressure that big studios and companies”streaming” they felt from their shareholders for “overproduction”, but stressed that such companies “would not exist” without the presence of “writers who create stories that matter”.

“I hope it will be in the big time technological changesin which there are large mega-corporations that do very well, think about the creatives who make a product that consumers value and that is exported around the world,” he said.

The former president is a presenter, interviewer and producer “Work: What we do all day”, project that tries to explain the meaning of work and answer questions like what makes a good job? and what is needed for satisfaction?

To find the answers, Obama He visited the homes and workplaces of people at all levels in sectors such as transport, technology, hospital services and domestic work.

He directed the miniseries Caroline Suh, and it arose from the inspiration that the book “Work” (1974), by the American historian Studs Terkel, produced in Obama.

The four-chapter project is now available at Netflix and belongs to the production company Higher Ground Productions, which was founded in 2018 by former president and former first lady Michelle Obama.