Writers Guild of Canada

Last updated
Writers Guild of Canada
AbbreviationWGC
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario
Location
Members
2500
Key people
  • Victoria Shen, executive director
  • Bruce Smith, president
Affiliations IAWG
Website www.wgc.ca OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) is a trade union representing professional writers working in film, television, radio, and digital media production in Canada. Members of the WGC write dramatic TV series, feature films, Movies of the Week, documentaries, animation, comedy and variety series, children's and educational programming, radio drama, as well as corporate videos and digital media productions. The organization administers the annual WGC Screenwriting Awards.

Contents

On behalf of its members, the WGC negotiates, administers and enforces collective agreements, setting out minimum rates, terms, and working conditions for all English-language productions in Canada. The central collective agreement, the Independent Production Agreement (IPA), is negotiated between the WGC and the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA), the association representing independent producers in Canada. In addition to the IPA, the WGC also has agreements in place with the APFTQ, CBC Radio, CBC Television, CTV, the NFB and TVOntario. The WGC is formally recognized as the official bargaining agent for English-language professional screenwriters under the federal Status of the Artist Act and Quebec's Status of the Artist Legislation.

The WGC is also a member of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds. Its current president is Bruce Smith. [1]

History

The Association of Canadian Radio Artists was established in 1943 to advocate for better working conditions and wages for radio performers. Over time, writers also joined the organization, leading to its transformation into the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) in the following decade.

In 1984, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) was formed to encompass other areas of the broadcasting industry. From ACTRA, several guilds emerged and developed, notably the ACTRA Performer's Guild, Writers Guild of Canada, and ACTRA Media Guild. In 1993, the Writers Guild of Canada left ACTRA to become an independent union.

In February 2023, Victoria Shen was named as the WGC's executive director, replacing executive director and CEO Maureen Parker. [2] During the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, the WGC expressed its support for the WGA and urged its members not to accept work on struck projects. [3]

Governance

The WGC is governed by a seven-member council of its members, which receives input from a fifteen-member national forum. Members of council and the national forum are elected from five regions (Atlantic, Quebec, Central, Western and Pacific), and serve two-year terms. The national forum meets annually with the council and the executive staff. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine O'Hara</span> Canadian and American actress (born 1954)

Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her comedy work on Second City Television (1976–1984) and Schitt's Creek (2015–2020) and in films such as After Hours (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and the first two installments of the Home Alone franchise: Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). Her other film appearances include the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest: Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006).

The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television and radio industries. Organized and presented by the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, which represented performers, writers and broadcast journalists, the Nellie statuettes were presented annually until 1986. They were the primary national television award in Canada until 1986, when they were taken over by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to create the new Gemini Awards, although ACTRA continued to present Nellies in radio categories.

The Earle Grey Award is the lifetime achievement award for television acting of the Canadian Screen Awards, and its predecessor the Gemini Awards. It can be presented to an individual or collaborative team, and may be presented posthumously.

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is a Canadian trade union representing performers in English-language media. It has over 30,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media. The organization negotiates, safeguards, and promotes the professional rights of its members. It also works to increase work opportunities for its members and lobbies for policy changes at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels.

The Directors Guild of Canada is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assistant directors, location managers, production assistants and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Comedy Awards</span> National awards for performed comedy

The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Writers Guild of America, East</span> Labor union formed in 1951

The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is a labor union representing writers in film, television, radio, news, and online media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Writers Guild of America West</span> Labor union formed in 1954

The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 members.

Patrick Massett is an American screenwriter and producer.

John Zinman is a film and television writer and producer. He has worked on the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights. He often works with writing partner Patrick Massett. He has been nominated for four Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards for his work on Friday Night Lights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Gable</span> American screenwriter and producer

Ashley Gable is an American screenwriter and producer who has worked on a variety of well-known television series including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Person of Interest. She was an executive producer on the CBS crime drama The Mentalist for its first four seasons.

Lawrence Joseph Zahab, known professionally as Lawrence Dane, was a Canadian actor and film producer, best known for his role as Lt. Preston in Bride of Chucky.

The Gordon Sinclair Award is a Canadian journalism award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for excellence in broadcast journalism. Originally presented as part of the ACTRA Awards, it was transferred to the new Gemini Awards in 1986. During the ACTRA era, the award was open to both radio and television journalists; when it was taken over by the Academy, it became a television-only award.

The 7th Canadian Comedy Awards, presented by the Canadian Comedy Foundation for Excellence (CCFE), honoured the best live, television, and film comedy of 2005 and was held on 27 October 2006 in London, Ontario. The ceremony was hosted by Debra DiGiovanni.

The 8th Canadian Comedy Awards, presented by the Canadian Comedy Foundation for Excellence (CCFE), honoured the best live, television, and film comedy of 2006 and was held on 12 October 2007 in London, Ontario. The ceremony was hosted by Ryan Belleville.

Eric Tuchman is an American producer and screenwriter. He is known for writing the Animation Adaptation for the 20th Century Fox animated movie Anastasia as well as his work on the television series The Handmaid's Tale as a writer and Executive Producer. He was also the showrunner of the TV series Kyle XY.

References

  1. ↑ Townsend, Kelly (2024-05-09). "Writers Guild of Canada council elects Bruce Smith as president". Playback. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  2. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (2023-02-21). "Writers Guild of Canada Names Victoria Shen as Executive Director". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  3. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (2023-05-02). "Writers Guild of Canada Tells Members to Not Cross Picket Line During WGA Strike". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  4. ↑ "How We Work". Writers Guild of Canada. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.