WGAs David Young Defends Chris Keyser, Blasts The Press In Letter To Membership

Its been an emotional day for WGA members, with Deadline and Varietys reports that WGA-Agency Agreement Negotiating Committee co-chair Chris Keyser is pitching a new packaged series with Endeavor Content, sparking a heated debate.

WGAW Executive Director David Young weighed in on the controversy in a fiery email to WGA members Thursday night that unloaded on the press,

He blasted the “histrionic, biased trade press,” calling news stories an “invidious propaganda” and “ad hominem attack” in an attack that multiple writers I spoke with compared to the current political climate where free press has been under assault.

In the email titled “Optics”, Young laid out the backstory of Keysers project at WME-affiliated studio Endeavor Content, which is being pitched now, while the WGA and the Association of Talent Agents are in a standoff over packaging and affiliate production that led to thousands of writers firing their agents. He explained — as we also did in our story earlier today — that Keysers deal with Endeavor Content were made before the Writers Guild cut off ties with the ATA on April 13.

“Should we expect Chris Keyser to breach an existing contract because he has given thousands of volunteer hours to the WGA on behalf of writers?,” Young asked.

He suggested that there may be reports in the works about other possibly conflicted WGA leaders — including himself — and slammed any such stories as “ridiculous.”

“Believe me, if this is going to be our standard, I know a significant group of writers who are in the queue to be hoisted on the same ridiculous charge of being conflicted,” he wrote. “These writers asked me over the last year, knowing the agency campaign was brewing, if they should alone, as individuals, attempt to refuse agency demands for packaging and have their show dropped by the agency, or refuse a deal being offered them at an affiliated studio like Wiip or Endeavor Content.

I always said no, this isnt about one writer, and if we do take action it will be all together, on a date certain, after AMBA expiration. Thats the only way a union can act with power and fairness.

Thats what were doing now, and were succeeding. And we will succeed in overcoming this or any other ad hominem attack on our elected and appointed leadership. Maybe Im next, but at least I get paid to have my morals and intelligence questioned.

I ask you as members to see through the lies and to reject the phony legitimacy of manipulated optics.; Writers are willing to consider any criticism of the Guild, and that is a great characteristic.”

Here is Youngs full email:

From: WGA WEST

Subject: Agency Campaign Update: Optics

May 30, 2019

OPTICS

The WGA is involved in a serious struggle to correct conflicts of interest on the part of agencies. With the implementation of WR23 on April 13th, after a 95% vote, writers were required to terminate agencies that are not franchised.

This is a difficult situation for writers, but not a strike; no writer is asked to leave their job, nor is any writer asked to undo a deal or a packaging agreement that was made prior to April 13th, 2019.

We are now being asked by a histrionic, biased trade press to question if a packaging deal that was in place months or years ago, or a writer deal with an agency-affiliated studio, in place before April 13th, is something that constitutes a violation of WR23, or at least bad “optics.”

This is invidious propaganda, fed in this case by information available only to WME, that attempts to frame WGA member leadership, in this case Chris Keyser.

If the inferences were true, the Guild would be asking every showrunner/creator with a packaging deal in place prior to April 13th to renege on that deal. There is no legal basis for doing that. Should we expect Chris Keyser to breach an existing contract because he has given thousands of volunteer hours to the WGA on behalf of writers?

In this particular case, Chris and another writer, both repped by CAA, started talking about the project nearly two years ago. Well over a year ago, they started talking to Chernin about the project. Chernin made a deal to acquire the book rights, and in July of 2018, negotiated an if/come deal to fully develop a series. Endeavor Content had no creative involvement at the time, but did show up on the deal memo, which was finished last July.

Likewise, there are currently many deals in place for projects at Wiip and Endeavor Content. Writers are either working on these shows, if there is a pickup, or pitching them to various studios in search of a pickup. Shall we allow the agencies to slowly name each of the shRead More – Source