AI “democratizes” art the way printing counterfeit $100s democritizes money.

Remember that you are no less of a creator or creative person if comics art/writing/whatever isn't your full-time occupation. Ignore that bullshit. It's a distraction. There's no shame, no marks on your permanent record. The work's important, what you get out of it, not what your job description is.

If you had a pitch meeting scheduled with WB right now, why would you *not* cancel?

Aside from the yuk factor, "we have to pay you to use your face if you're alive, but not if you're dead" is the *very definition* of a perverse incentive.
I'm not an actor, but I'd be very unlikely to sign anything that made it cheaper for the other party to kill me than keep me alive.

A few high-profile members are pressing SAG-AFTRA negotiators to take a deal.

A unique challenge for Hollywood unions is that some members think success in *individual* negotiations makes them experts in union negotiations.

If anything, the opposite is true. Here’s why:🧵

In a union negotiation, the company or companies literally wish the union did not exist and will do everything in their power to destroy it.

So the rules about relationships and tone go out the window. They’re never gonna like you. Your job is to make them respect you.

FICTION:
“Everyone is suffering because actors are being so selfish!”

FACTS:
CEOs could end the strike today by negotiating a fair deal that their companies — which make $30B/year in profits — can easily afford.

Someone’s being selfish here, but it ain’t the actors.

www.technologyreview.com/2023/10/23/1...

This thread.

Heard a rumor circulating among SAG-AFTRA members that the WGA “finally figured out their deal when writers put pressure on the union to find a solution.”

This is 10000% WRONG.

And this rumor is unionbusting b.s. Here’s why:🧵

She's an icon! Pun intended. You can also buy great limited edition prints of some of her incredible Macintosh pixel art. kareprints.com

Just got an email that reinforces something young writers need to remember, at least for TV -- writers hire writers. I assure you, as good as your spec is a) There are ten in my pile just as good b) it will not weigh as heavily as former writer co-workers vouching for you.

Nobody ever pronounced a name they encountered in a book wrong. They just might have pronounced it differently to other people.

With the WGA strike over, a lot of writers, myself included, are looking for work. That’s stressful. It’s okay to be freaking out.

But don’t try to tell me the same stubborn, picket-line-walking MF you just became doesn’t have what it takes to find that next job. You got this.

Nice breakdown of the tentative WGA agreement compared to what AMPTP was "offering" before. You can see why the WGA negotiating committee was excited about the deal www.wgacontract2023.org/wgacontract/...

A lot of new writers have joined Bluesky this week. Are you one of them? Looking for readers? Looking for other writers to collab with? Post below who you are and what you write, then surf the thread to find new folks to follow and share with.

How you know Elon announced a new feature on Twitter

Gaiman's Law. It's just the universe.

in a bit of good news...

Last year, Matthew Allen placed first in the Colorado State Fair for his AI art, but the piece has been embroiled in a precedent-affirming copyright dispute. Now, the US government has issued its final decision: AI art is not eligible for copyright.