The Writers Guild of America West (WGA) is looking beyond Hollywood’s soundstages — way beyond — toward the buzzing, bite-sized world of vertical dramas, YouTube content, podcasts, and the ever-expanding creator economy.
With traditional film and TV jobs shrinking fast, WGA West members’ reporting earnings dropped 24.3% last year, and TV writing jobs were down a staggering 42%. Some candidates in this year’s guild election are pushing for a bold pivot. Incoming president (and current VP) Michele Mulroney calls it like it is: “We are sitting on a shrinking iceberg.” Incumbent board member Adam Conover takes it further, declaring YouTube “the future of television.”
It’s not a new tactic for the union’s East Coast sibling, WGA East, which has been organizing digital writers, podcasters, and nonfiction TV scribes for over a decade. But for WGA West, which rode the streaming boom without leaving its comfort zone, it’s a potential paradigm shift.
The road won’t be easy. The creator economy is massive but fragmented — for every Dhar Mann with a studio staff, there are hundreds of solo creators grinding for limited ad dollars. Video game writing is another untapped market, though other unions, like the Communications Workers of America, have already made inroads there.
Then there’s the wild west of vertical dramas on platforms like ReelShort and DramaBox — fast, cheap, and trend-driven, more “fast fashion” than prestige TV. But as big media players sniff around the space, the opportunity for higher-quality scripted work grows.
Board member Molly Nussbaum sees the writing on the wall: “I cannot count how many folks are currently working on vertical shorts, video games, podcasts or writing influencer content.” For a union built on protecting storytellers, the next great labor battleground might just be on a smartphone screen — not a soundstage.
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