In the fight for better contracts and rights, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) began to strike on May 1st (Deadline). Quickly following the announcement, many within the industry came to support the movement and took to social media to share their voices. In an act of solidarity, users on Twitter changed their profile picture to be of an image with the phrase: “Writers Guild on Strike.” There were also promises to immediately begin picket line protests on May 2nd.

The strike was brought to fruition when the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) had unsuccessful negotiations with the WGA regarding a new film and  TV contract. Historically, this is the first strike the WGA has had since 2007.

Bill Wolkoff, a writer who worked on such notable projects as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, wrote: “We’re on strike… We have the whole town behind us. And we have our work. They don’t. We’ll emerge with a fair deal.”

Beyond support, many writers shared their reasoning for engaging in the strike, such as Ashley Nicole Black who wrote, “Wow. This is scary. But a future where we accept what the companies are trying to do— low paid, freelancer writing gigs with no job security— is much scarier. You can’t make good art that way. And writers generate far too much profit for them to accept it. So, I’m on strike!”

Wow. This is scary. But a future where we accept what the companies are trying to do— low paid, freelancer writing gigs with no job security— is much scarier. You can’t make good art that way. And writers generate far too much profit for them to accept it. So, I’m on strike! https://t.co/1WK88spKEl

— Ashley Nicole Black (@ashleyn1cole) May 2, 2023