This podcast takes you behind the scenes of the current Hollywood strike. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike in 2007-2008 brought the entertainment industry to a halt. Now, in 2023, history is repeating itself and Hollywood is once again in the midst of a major labor dispute. Join Billy Ray, Academy Award nominated writer/ director/ showrunner, and Todd Garner, a former studio executive turned producer, as they explore the causes and consequences of the strike.The duo will chat with writers, producers, and other industry insiders to provide a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on the situation. Throughout the strike, Billy and T...
Fri, April 26, 2024
In an election year filled with political spin, Billy and Todd chat with MIKE MILLER OF IATSE: the most direct, no-nonsense, spin-averse voice in all Hollywood, to discuss the issues facing his membership - and how he plans to remedy them in negotiations with the AMPTS. There's also a pretty cool story about Central Park! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, April 12, 2024
Billy and Todd return with the head of Teamsters Local 399 Lindsay Dougherty - and a plea to Hollywood's CEOs not to inflict another two strikes on our town. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, January 05, 2024
Billy bids a fond farewell to StrikeTalk in a conversation with the person who made StrikeTalk happen , Deadline Co-Editor In Chief, Mike Fleming. They discuss labor in Hollywood, mergers, the epic failures of the AMPTS, and what's to come in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, November 24, 2023
In Strike Talk's penultimate episode, Billy Ray and co-host Todd Garner speak with the presidents of SAG-AFTRA and WGA West, Fran Drescher and Meredith Stiehm, about the challenges of negotiating with the AMPTS and their visions for the Hollywood labor movement's future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, November 10, 2023
Billy is joined by California State Senators Anthony Portantino and Dave Min to discuss the role of state government in supporting the labor movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, November 03, 2023
Billy sits down with Mandy Walker, Jeff Ford, and Adam Merims -- three vital collaborators from his directing debut, Shattered Glass -- to discuss what has happened to our business since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, October 27, 2023
Billy is joined by John Ptak and Marc Evans to discuss falling in love with the movies, how the business is changing, and the importance of collaboration between writers, producers, and agents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, October 20, 2023
Billy is joined by Steve Schmidt (founder of The Warning newsletter, YouTube channel, and podcast) to investigate the economic roots of America's current state of disruption. Steve and Billy dissect why trust in institutions is at an all time low, the isolating impact of technology, and how the ongoing SAG strike fits into the larger American labor movement. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, October 13, 2023
Billy checks in with actors Ashley Nicole Black, Clark Gregg, and Robert Wisdom to discuss the ongoing SAG strike, solidarity in their union, and the essential next steps for performers to protect their work. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, October 06, 2023
Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, September 29, 2023
Billy sits with WGA Neg Comm Co-Chairs David Goodman and Chris Keyser to learn what happened inside the room during the negotiations and what gains were made in the deal struck with the Alliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, September 22, 2023
Three journalists talk about where the business is going, how we got here, and what Fritz Lang would have thought about Starbucks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E20 · Fri, September 15, 2023
Two veterans of the business - an exec and a columnist - take Billy through the history of the companies’ decision to chase the Netflix streaming model, and the calamitous results of that choice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, September 08, 2023
Two Congressional lions of labor discuss the necessity of unions, and what government's role should be in protecting them. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, September 01, 2023
Producers don't need an Alliance. They need a UNION. This week's guest, Jennifer Fox, explains why. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E17 · Fri, August 25, 2023
This week, the General Secretary of British Equity and the former Political Director of the AFLCIO discuss the state of labor globally, and how workers - in America and abroad - are finally reclaiming their power... and thus saving the world. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, August 18, 2023
Two legends join the podcast this week to discuss why the AMPTP should go by a different name. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, August 11, 2023
Billy Ray and Todd Garner reteam to learn about “Ethical A.I.,” which may very well stop Hollywood from destroying itself. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, August 04, 2023
What happens when you take three famed storytellers and ask them how they'd solve the strikes and heal the business if THEY were AMPTP CEO's? That's Episode 14 of Strike Talk, in which Lilly Wachowski, Craig Mazin, and Jason Blum assume the role of corporate executive as they discuss where our industry is, and where it's going. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E13 · Fri, July 28, 2023
He's baaaaaaaaaaaack. AI. Round Two. But this time he's speaking in the voices of Morgan Freeman, Emma Watson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Chris Rock. The future is here. And it's scary as hell. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, July 21, 2023
For months, even after the WGA was forced to strike, Hollywood was looking to SAG, and that union's negotiations with the AMPTP. ' Would the actors strike? Could they? ' Turns out they can. And they have. On Episode 12 of StrikeTalk, they tell us why. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, July 14, 2023
Three Wall Street experts join Strike Talk to examine the AMPTP itself. Is it still serving the goals of its widely-disparate corporate members? Has it outlived its usefulness? (Hint: No and yes.) Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, July 07, 2023
Writers' rooms are the pipelines of talent that turn rookies into SHOWRUNNERS. On episode 10 of Strike Talk, Billy hears the stories of Courtney Kemp, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, Sera Gamble, and Greg Berlanti to learn how growing up in a writers' room turned them into the profit-generating superstars they are today. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, June 30, 2023
This week STRIKETALK introduces you to Lindsay Dougherty, leader of the Hollywood Teamsters, as Billy explores Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, and an ancient connection between writers, truckdrivers, and laborers everywhere. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, June 23, 2023
Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, June 20, 2023
Today, Billy talks with AI, specifically CHATGPT4, designed - by its own admission - to "replace screenwriters." Be afraid. Be very afraid. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, June 09, 2023
Today, our guests are Congress Members Becca Balint of Vermont and Ro Khanna of California - joining for a conversation about where the WGA strike fits in a larger conversation about the struggles of labor in America. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, June 02, 2023
This week, STRIKETALK looks at the role of independent producers, and how producers - often pitted against writers by the companies- are actually the writers’ natural allies. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, May 26, 2023
Our guest this week, Bill Mechanic, tells us what CEOs actually think of writers and the WGA - and answers the question "Does a corporation OWE anything to the public at large?" MUST LISTEN. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, May 19, 2023
In this episode of 'Strike Talk,' Billy Ray and Todd Garner continue their coverage of the WGA strike, and delve deeper into one facet of the negotiations: AI's intrusion into creative fields, and the potential consequences. To shed further light on the economic implications of the technology, the hosts welcome Simon Johnson, an esteemed professor, and expert in entrepreneurship from MIT. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, May 19, 2023
In this episode of 'Strike Talk,' Billy Ray and Todd Garner continue their coverage of the WGA strike, and delve deeper into one facet of the negotiations: AI's intrusion into creative fields, and the potential consequences. To shed further light on the economic implications of the technology, the hosts welcome Simon Johnson, an esteemed professor, and expert in entrepreneurship from MIT. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, May 12, 2023
In the second episode of "Strike Talk," we delve deeper into the ongoing battle of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) as they continue their strike against the major studios. Screenwriter John Wells, best known for his work on television series such as ER, Third Watch, The West Wing, Southland, and Shameless, joins Billy and Todd to share his perspective on the unfolding drama. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E1 · Fri, May 05, 2023
This podcast takes you behind the scenes of the current Hollywood strike. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike in 2007-2008 brought the entertainment industry to a halt. Now, in 2023, history is repeating itself and Hollywood is once again in the midst of a major labor dispute. Join Billy Ray, Academy Award nominated writer/ director/ showrunner, and Todd Garner, a former studio executive turned producer, as they explore the causes and consequences of the strike. The duo will chat with writers, producers, and other industry insiders to provide a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on the situation. Throughout the strike, Billy and Todd will be bringing you stories and insights from behind the picket lines, uncovering the struggles and experiences of those involved in this pivotal moment in Hollywood history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Trailer · Wed, May 03, 2023
Introducing "Deadline Strike Talk with Billy Ray and Todd Garner," the new podcast that takes you behind the scenes of the current Hollywood strike. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike in 2007-2008 brought the entertainment industry to a halt. Now, in 2023, history is repeating itself and Hollywood is once again in the midst of a major labor dispute. Join Billy Ray, Academy Award nominated writer/ director/ showrunner, and Todd Garner, a former studio executive turned producer, as they explore the causes and consequences of the strike. The duo will chat with writers, producers, and other industry insiders to provide a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on the situation. Throughout the strike, Billy and Todd will be bringing you stories and insights from behind the picket lines, uncovering the struggles and experiences of those involved in this pivotal moment in Hollywood history. Tune in to "Deadline Strike Talk" and stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the strike, while gaining a deeper understanding of the issues at play. Don't miss out on this exclusive look at the inner workings of Hollywood during this crucial time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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