I Gotta Write about the STRIKE

Time: November 11th, 2007

So I'd planned to continue to go back in time and write about my past experiences as an actor in NYC but I'm taking a detour today. A detour to the present day, that is. You see, I just moved to Los Angeles last week and I've been settling into my new home in the Los Feliz/Silverlake area. I love, love, love the neighborhood -- The Trader Joe's on the corner, La Parilla Mexican restaurant down the road, and the Spaceland music bar a mile away. And to have Griffith Park mere seconds away, equipped with tennis courts, a merry-go-round, a golf course and even a little roller coaster is really more than a girl can ask for! The vibe reminds me of the oh-so-great Austin, where I grew up, and I can definitely see myself staying in my awesome, spacious, rent controlled apartment for a long, long time.

So, let's get down to it. As you've probably already heard, there's a strike going on. The Writer's Guild of America (WGA) began to strike on November 5, 2007 and who knows how long it'll last. Many say that it could last months which would then lead to a SAG strike in the Spring. Yep. Not surprisingly, the first thing many people say to me, a spanking new Los Angeleno actor, is: "What a terrible time to move to the city."

Well, that's one way to look at it. But I choose to look at it differently. I see this time as an opportunity. An opportunity to get acclimated to the city before I start driving to several auditions a day. An opportunity to find a great scene study class where I can keep my skills honed and meet fellow actors. An opportunity to support my fellow artists that are standing on the pickets lines, peaceably fighting for better, fairer wages. Because that's really the long and short of it (or maybe just the short of it.)

The WGA is just fighting for their piece of the "new media" pie. They're standing up for themselves, their families, and every writer,actor, and artist that will come after them, and I applaud and support their efforts wholeheartedly. It takes a lot of guts to have courage in your convictions. Some of the showrunners (people that double as writers and producers) are even being threatened with lawsuits unless they get back to work, but they're standing next to their brethren fighting the good fight. For the sake of all parties involved, I'm hoping that the writers and producers can come to an equitable agreement in the very near future.

That said, so what if I won't be going out much, if at all, this pilot season. I'm here for the marathon, not the sprint, and I know that this is just part of the journey.

So I'd like to dedicate this blog entry to the WGA members on strike. Keep the faith!! I'm rooting for you!