WGA Picket Deliveries: Tony Kushner Hits Studios Greed at Peacock NewFront Presentation

Hours after the WGA’s first strike in more than 15 years, writers took to the streets of New York to record the Peacock presentation on the new front lines.

After starting with a few dozen participants, the crowd at 415 Fifth Avenue grew to nearly 300 and gathered around the block. In the shadow of the Empire State Building, posters waved signs and slogans like “No Script/No TV!” shouted. chanting along with commands from a megaphone, “What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Now! If we don’t get it / Shut it down!” Waiting on the sidewalk was an inflatable rat used by the city’s unions to draw unwanted attention to an employer.

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The strike drew a number of participants, with regular writers joined by some top names, including Tony and Emmy winner Tony Kushner and Emmy winner Danny Strong.

“The heart of this strike is about fairness, and writers need to be fairly compensated for the content they write, which forms the basis of our employer’s bottom line,” Strong said.

Kushner told Deadline he is ready for a long battle with the AMPTP. In 2007-2008, he said: “They said the same thing, but since then they’ve gotten a bit more creative. It’s the short-sightedness and the greed and the absolute indifference to the lives of the people who create the product that enriches them, it’s really appalling. It’s disgusting.”

Meanwhile, in the company’s event room, NewFront attendees checked in at a brightly branded peacock counter after maneuvering between the palace lines. “Well, that’s interesting,” muttered an executive at an advertising agency before heading upstairs for pre-presentation snacks and cocktails.

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