Winner
Meredith Stiehm
President, Writers Guild of America West
The Executive Producer Behind the Deal That Ended the Hollywood Writers Strike
In 2023, Stiehm stood on the front lines of the Hollywood writers strike, calling on major corporations like Netflix and Comcast to reject new executive pay packages that totaled $773 million in pay for top Hollywood executives until a fair compensation agreement was reached for writers. After nearly five months of negotiations, a contract was approved by Stiehm and her peers that included significant wins around compensation, length of employment, and size of staff. Under the new agreement, the guild negotiated new residual payments entitling writers to bonuses for being a part of the most popular shows on a streaming platform. Writers also got a guarantee that shows with at least 13 episodes will have at least six writers on staff, and that staff on shows in initial development will be employed for at least 10 weeks. Stiehm told Variety “it’s a shame” that the agreement wasn’t reached earlier as it “really put a burden on writers and crews and anyone who has to work in the industry.”
By Courtney Connley
