Hours into WGA’s first strike in more than 15 years, writers took to the streets in New York to picket the Peacock newfront presentation.
After starting off with a few dozen participants, the crowd at 415 Fifth Avenue swelled to nearly 300, wrapping around the block. In the shadow of the Empire State Building, picketers waved signs, shouted slogans like “no writing / no TV!” and chanted along with prompts from a bullhorn: “What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Now! If we don’t get it / shut it down!” An inflatable rat deployed by unions around the city as a way of bringing unwanted attention to an employer stood watch on the sidewalk.
The picket line drew a range of participants, with rank-and-file writers joined by some top names, including Tony and Emmy winner Tony Kushner and Emmy winner Danny Strong.
Kushner told Deadline he was ready for a lengthy battle with the AMPTP. In 2007-08, he said, “They said the same things but they’ve gotten a little more creative since then. It’s the shortsightedness and the greed and the absolute indifference to the lives of the people that create the product that enriches them is really appalling. It’s disgusting.”
Meanwhile, inside the corporate event space, NewFront attendees checked in at a colorfully branded Peacock desk after maneuvering through the picketers. “Well, this is interesting,” one ad agency exec muttered before heading upstairs for canapés and cocktails before the presentation.
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