The ongoing writers’ strike has interrupted quite a few industry shindigs since it began on May 2, and the latest is one that hadn’t even been formally announced. On Tuesday night, the Critics Choice Association told members that a planned Celebration of LGBTQ+ movies and TV has been postponed indefinitely.
“Please note that the labor dispute now underway has forced us to postpone the inaugural Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television to a date TBD. Thanks for your understanding and patience,” the Critics Choice Association board wrote in an email to members, obtained by TheWrap.
A representative for the Critics Choice Association confirmed to TheWrap that the event hadn’t yet been announced to the public. No details about what was planned for the event have been disclosed.
It’s just the latest industry event to be impacted by the writers’ strike, which is now in its second week. Hit particularly hard is the television business, which in addition to dealing with numerous postponed TV shows was also fast approaching Emmys voting season.
On Sunday, WGA informed studios that it is canceling all advertising of For Your Consideration (FYC) events. “After deliberation with our legal department, all FYC production is now suspended,” WGA leadership said in an email to studio awards teams obtained by TheWrap. “We understand that this may be frustrating and that you have media already planned, but due to the strike rules, we cannot continue.”
The guild has offered to reimburse people who have paid for ads, or offer them credit for future campaigns.
The writers’ strike comes at a pivotal time. Both the Directors’ Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA have contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers that expire on June 30. DGA will begin negotiations with AMPTP on May 10, while SAG-AFTRA will begin theirs on June 7.
Should the groups join the WGA in a strike, it would almost certainly bring business in Hollywood to a halt. The effects would reach far beyond the entertainment industry or the economy of Los Angeles.
WGA writers are striking to reverse practices, particularly at streamers, they say have caused what amounts to a “gig economy” for creatives in Hollywood, and are seeking better pay and job security.
AMPTP rejected WGA proposals unilaterally and didn’t make a counteroffer. The group says guild demands amount to “a one-size-fits-all solution to shows that are unique and different in their approach to creative staffing.”
