Meet The TV, Film Writers Picketing At LIC's Silvercup Studios

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — The threat of artificial intelligence. A concern for early career writers. The ever-increasing rent in New York City.

These were some of the worries looming over the minds of television and film writers picketing outside Long Island City’s Silvercup Studios on Tuesday as the union enters its eighth day on strike.

Writers chanted outside the studios located on 22nd Street, near Queens Plaza South, alongside allies including Tina Fey, Fred Armisen, and Seth Meyers. Television and movie writers are demanding major production companies increase wages, implement transparency in program views, and regulate the use of artificial intelligence, among other requests.

Picketing has taken place across studios in New York City, including Peacock NewFronts and Netflix's headquarters in Manhattan, as well as Broadway Stages in Brooklyn. Silvercup Studios is the city's largest film and TV production venue and is home to shows including Succession, 30 Rock, The Sopranos, and Sex and the City.

On Monday, President Joe Biden called for major studios, compiled under the umbrella Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, to come up with a “fair deal."

“Nights like these are a reminder of the power of stories, and the importance of treating storytellers with dignity, respect, and the value they deserve,” Biden said. “I sincerely hope the writer strike in Hollywood gets resolved and the writers are given a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible.”

Patch spoke to some of the writers who have worked on some of the shows shot at the studios.

Mike Flynn

Shows he's worked on: Power Book III: Raising Kanan, East New York

"There was a song that came out where somebody used Drake's and The Weeknd's voice and it sounded exactly like them. If they can do that with music, we should get in front of that and make sure that they're not grabbing previous stuff that we've created an using it to generate new content without a writer's consent."

Laura Eason

Shows she's worked on: Three Women

"We're facing an existential crisis in terms of writing for television and film being able to be a career where people can support their families and live in New York City. We are all seeing the number of hours a week that we get hired to work shrinking and shrinking. Our episodic fees stretch over a longer period of time."

Tess Morris

Shows she's worked on: Only Murders in the Building, Casual, The Great

"I've done this job for 20 years, and I feel that it has become a job that I can't do like I used to do it. People who are starting out below are going to struggle in it."