Ken Ziffren on Writers Strike: Tuesday’s Meeting “Did Not Move the Ball Forward”

 

Ken Ziffren on Writers Strike: Tuesday’s Meeting “Did Not Move the Ball Forward”

Ken Ziffren, a veteran entertainment attorney who’s served as Los Angeles’ film czar since 2014, is casting skepticism as to whether negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have progressed. He said that Tuesday’s meeting between the two sides “did not move the ball forward” in a sign that they remain far apart.

“It’s questionable whether the lack of programming for us to view will incent either of the studios or SAG-AFTRA or the WGA to sit down again and keep going,” Ziffren said on Wednesday at an event for media and entertainment lawyers hosted by the Beverly Hills Bar Association.

The AMPTP and WGA met on Tuesday to discuss the counter-offer provided by the studios on Aug. 11, with WGA East leadership traveling to Los Angeles to review the studio proposals. The move suggested that talks have gotten more serious since the Friday sitdown, which served as the first formal return to the negotiating table since the strike was called on May 2. After the meeting, studio sources told The Hollywood Reporter that their takeaway was that a deal wasn’t imminent and that the two sides are still working through issues. The WGA did not send out a post-meeting communication to members.