SAG joined the WGA this week for the first joint Hollywood union strike since the 1960s.

The scale of the strike now ceases all productions as well as critical publicity and marketing from actors for all new and existing Hollywood productions.

At the core of the strikes lie novel questions brought on by new technological innovations in media.

What does writing and acting compensation look like for shorter or varied streaming TV seasons?

How can AI be incorporated into the writing process?

How can actors' likeness, voice, or performances be reproduced by AI?

How will royalties be paid with streaming TV?

For more see Wash Pos deep dive.

Studios and guild members know these new terms will set precedent for decades of entertainment work to come.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (big studios) have collectively decided to wait the unions out as recent run ups of content have given them runway to feed their new streaming platforms.

However, recent out-of-touch, foot-in-mouth comments by media execs David Zaslov and Bob Iger could sour consumers on their brands.

There’s more drama to come. Crack out the popcorn.

3 Stories Dominating Media and Tech Headlines

The SAG-AFTRA-WGA Strike FAQ. Hollywood is at a standstill as actors from SAG-AFTRA have joined writers from the WGA in striking. Movies whose productions have halted include Beetlejuice 2, a live action version of Lilo & Stitch, and the Minecraft movie.

Why it Matters: The previous writers strike in 2008 lasted for 100 days. The strike prohibits writers from working, actors from working and marketing films, and even has stipulations for future SAG members promoting films; i.e. digital creators who want to be actors. 

Wix’s new tool can create entire websites from prompts. ChatGPT is at again, this time designing your new website for you. Wix recently announced a new AI Site Generator powered by ChatGPT, that will allow users to simply enter a detailed prompt to build a new website.

Why it Matters: AI Site Generator can build in ecommerce, scheduling, food ordering and event ticketing components automatically, giving users a high degree of utility, and is another example of the increasingly helpful uses of AI. It’s also a case study in a third-party company’s willingness to license AI products. 

The resilient phone number is still the preferred method of communication. 10 digits, each portion acting as a precise set of coordinates are still so elegant even your grandparents use them. Your area code tells someone where you’re from. 

Why it Matters: Technology quickly becomes obsolete. The phone number has been with us since 1879. With two-factor authentication, the phone number also serves as a second form of identification in the digital age. This thoughtful piece in the Atlantic deserves a read. 

Stat of the Week - Streaming Revenue

One of the major points of contention with the writer’s and actor’s strike in Hollywood is compensation and residuals from streamer’s. 

Many of the major players in streaming are not profitable, with content production putting them billions of dollars in the red. 

Only Netflix earned over $5 billion in profits in 2022. 

Unprofitable streaming services will make the ongoing strike stickier. Studios will not cave to actor’s and writer’s wage demands while their core, new shiny streaming products remain in the red. 

Expect a protracted strike as unions fight over a shrinking pie. 

One Fun Thing - Taco Tuesday Trademark

Everyone can now freely celebrate Taco Tuesday!

Taco Bell helped “liberate” the phrase by filing a lawsuit against Taco John’s, which held the trademark registration for ‘Taco Tuesday' in 49 states across the country. 

Taco John’s has decided to abandon the trademark instead of paying to fight a lengthy and expensive legal battle. 

Tacos for all!