General
- Exclusive: The AMPTP YouTube Video the Writers Don't Want You to See
- Give Peace a Chance
- Hollywood Actors - What Now?
- Hollywood Labor: What’s Up with the Actors?
- Jay's Probably Not Okay
- On the Internet, Everyone Knows You’re a Hyphenate
- Handel in Daily Journal
- Handel Named Adjunct Professor
- Handel Named to Daily Journal Top 100 List
- Handel on Today Show
- Handel Quoted in NY Times
- L.A. Times re DGA
- The WGA will achieve an increase in the home video royalty base (currently 20%) to 25% or 30%, though not to the 40% that the guild seeks
- The guild will ultimately abandon its attempt to extend jurisdiction to reality programming
- Little increase is likely in the minimums and residuals for the CW network
- The term of the contract will probably be three years (not four, as the studios propose), in order to keep the contract's expiration aligned with the DGA and SAG agreements
News
International Media Seek TroyGould for Comment on Hollywood Labor Issues and Other Matters
Entertainment and digital media attorney Jonathan Handel has been called by domestic and international media to comment on the Writers Guild of America (WGA) negotiations and strike, and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) negotiations, as well as other matters related to new media, entertainment, and technology.
Handel, a former associate counsel at the Writers Guild, has been quoted concerning those matters over 400 times in outlets such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, New York Post, Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg News, and including multiple appearances on the Today Show, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, CNBC (and a second video here), Bloomberg television, Fox Business News, Los Angeles Channel 4, Los Angeles channels 2, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13, HDNet News, Canadian national television (CBC and CTV), BBC Radio, NPR, and other U.S. local and national radio.
The wire service stories have been reprinted in several thousand different newspaper print editions and newspaper and TV station websites, including newspapers in Taiwan, China, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Russia, Canada, England, and various European countries.
Handel has also written an Op-Ed piece for the Los Angeles Times, several articles for the Daily Journal (here, here, here and here) and two Op-Ed pieces for the Los Angeles Business Journal (here and here), and several hundred blog articles for the Huffington Post, AlwaysOn and jhandel.com, all cross-posted at jhandel.com, concerning various subjects, including to the Hollywood labor negotiations and strike. Handel's blog is also syndicated on IMDb, and has been linked to or reprinted on other blogs hundreds of times.
In addition, Handel has conducted live video interviews of candidates for the SAG Board and a live video interview of the National Executive Director of AFTRA.
Handel's media appearances, in reverse chronological order, are as follows (the appearances relate to Hollywood labor issues unless otherwise noted:
2010
January 1: Inside Counsel (re Novelis and Vernor copyright infringement cases)
2009
December 31: Digital Production Buzz podcast (look ahead at upcoming year).
December 30: KFWB (re dispute between Fox TV and Time-Warner cable)
December 29: KPCC (re dispute between Fox TV and Time-Warner cable)
December 24: Digital Production Buzz podcast (year-in-review).
December 18: Reuters (re the business potential for 3-D movies)
December 6: LA Times (re video game labor issues).
December 1: SAGWatch (re AFM agreement).
November 21: "Labor Law with J. David Sackman" (Cal State Univ. Dominguez Hills distance learning cable TV program).
November 12: CNN.com (re role of Facebook status update as alibi for criminal suspect), Examiner.com (same).
November 2: LA Business Journal (re banks suing celebrities who default on loans).
November 1: Above & Below the Line (monthly newsletter; re SAG).
October 27: The Register (re DMCA).
October 26: LA Business Journal (profile; see also Amazon.com), PFF blog (re LA Times review).
October 25: The Register (re DMCA).
October 24: UCLA Law School website (re LA Times book review).
October 23: LA Times (review of recent book by Google's senior copyright counsel).
October 6: KFWB (executive changes at Universal),
October 5: KFWB (runaway production), KNX (executive changes at Universal),
October 2: Metropolitan News-Enterprise (LA daily legal newspaper).
September 29: Showbiz Sandbox (podcast).
September 26: KNBC ch. 4.2.
September 25: KFWB.
September 24: AP.
September 19: SAGWatch.
September 13: SAGWatch.
September 13: SAGWatch.
September 7: KCRW (SAG and WGA elections).
August 21: SNL Kagan (re relations between Redbox and the studios).
August 12: SNL Kagan (re reality television contestants).
August 7: KFWB (dispute between guilds and Television Academy over Emmy award telecast)
July 29: Back Stage magazine.
July 27: KFWB (re formation of new media company to be run by Ben Silverman)
July 24: Hollywood Reporter (article by JLH regarding revising the guild residuals system).
July 22: KFWB.
July 21: Daily Journal (op-ed re the historical origins of copyright infringement on the Internet) (available in slightly different form on the Huffington Post).
July 15: Digital Production Buzz (re depiction releases).
July 7: Handel's article Is Content Worthless? was discussed in the book Free (2009), pp. 140-42, by Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired.
June 18: KFWB, Century City Lawyer (e- newsletter).
June 15: LA Business Journal (op-ed re the struggle between content and technology).
June 11: Variety (op-ed re the future of the film industry).
June 10: KPCC (podcast and print recap), Metro Networks radio.
June 9: KFWB, BBC World Service, Reuters, The Wrap, Filmnut online video show, Daily Journal (op-ed re the struggle between content and technology), TVWeek (same).
June 8: KFWB.
June 3: Reuters.
June 1: Quasi-Glamorous Life podcast for actors.
May 29: KFWB.
May 26: KFWB.
May 21: KFWB (regarding piracy), Digital Production Buzz podcast.
May 20: KFWB, Century City Lawyer (e- newsletter), SAGwatch.
May 14: KFWB.
May 13: KFWB.
May 8: KFWB (live).
May 4: AP Radio (regarding U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction").
April 27: LA Business Journal (and here); KFWB (re William Morris – Endeavor merger) and Reuters (re same).
April 23: KFWB.
April 21: SNL Financial.
April 20: CNBC, KFWB, AP Radio, Reuters, and TelevisionWeek.
April 19: KNBC Ch. 4, KNBC digital Ch. 4.2, and KNX.
April 18: Kansas City Star's TVBarn blog.
April 17: KNBC Ch. 4, KFWB (three times, twice live), KNX (live), Metro Networks radio, Reuters, AP, MarketWatch, and Twitter (and again).
April 14: KFWB.
April 12: Variety.
April 10: KFWB.
April 7: Daily Journal (Op-Ed).
April 6: KFWB and Back Stage magazine's Blog Stage.
April 2: NY Post.
April 1: Reuters and KFWB.
March 31: KFWB (twice).
March 27: KFWB, regarding the state of the entertainment industry.
March 26: Digital Production Buzz.
March 25: KFWB.
March 24: Daily Journal (Op-Ed).
March 21: AP radio.
March 18: KFWB radio and Radio Business Report / Television Business Report.
March 17: KFWB radio.
March 15: Radio Business Report / Television Business Report.
March 11: Kansas City Star's TV Barn blog.
March 10: Reuters.
March 9: KFWB radio.
March 2: San Fernando Valley Business Journal and KCRW's The Business.
February 26: KFWB radio.
February 24: KFWB radio.
February 23: Marketplace and Reuters, and appeared as a panelist on an in-person panel sponsored by Zocalo.
February 22: KNX radio.
February 21: KNX radio.
February 20: KFWB radio, Agence France Press (AFP) wire service, The Wrap blog, and the Contact Music blog.
February 19: KFWB radio and The Wrap blog.
February 18: Reuters.
February 17: KFWB radio.
February 16: KFWB radio and CNN Radio network.
February 13: KFWB radio.
February 9: KFWB radio.
February 7: KNX radio.
February 5: KFWB radio (three times), KNX radio, Reuters, and Digital Production Buzz.
February 3: KFWB radio (four times), Back Stage magazine, and Backstage Magazine's Blog Stage.
February 2: CNBC, KNX radio (twice), and Home Media Magazine.
January 30: Fox News (local affiliates across the country).
January 29: KFWB radio and Digital Production Buzz.
January 27: KPCC radio's AirTalk (podcast, streaming), a KPCC news report, an SNL Kagan report, and MarketWatch.
January 26: KFWB radio, Reuters, the Associated Press, Los Angeles Business Journal and PRWeek Magazine.
January 24: BBC Radio 5.
January 23: KPCC radio's AirTalk, KNX radio, the International Herald Tribune and Media Life Magazine.
January 22: the Associated Press and KNX radio.
January 20: Radio Business Report / Television Business Report.
January 18: Entertainment Weekly's blog and TVWeek Magazine.
January 17: the Kansas City Star.
January 16: Back Stage magazine's BlogStage and the Kansas City Star's TVBarn blog.
January 15: Ninety-Nine seats, discussing SAG and other legal issues for actors.
January 14: KPCC radio's AirTalk.
January 13: KNX radio, KNX again, KFWB radio, Reuters, Radio Business Report / Television Business Report, Back Stage magazine's BlogStage, and the Kansas City Star's TVBarn blog (and again).
January 12: local television Channels 11 and 13, KNX radio, and KPCC radio.
January 9: Reuters.
January 4: KNX radio.
January 3: KNX radio.
January 2: the Kansas City Star's TV blog.
January 1: Digital Production Buzz's look forward to 2009 and SAGWatch.
2008
December 31: KNX radio.
December 28: the London Daily Star.
December 27: BBC Radio 5.
December 25: Digital Production Buzz's recap of 2008.
December 23: Bloomberg, KNX radio, and KFWB radio.
December 22: the Los Angeles Business Journal.
December 20: the Kansas City Star (also posted on their blog on December 22) and Multichannel News, and BBC Radio 5.
December 19: Google News.
December 18: presented an investor conference call on SAG for RBC Capital Markets (the investment bank division of Royal Bank of Canada). The call was covered in Reuters (carried as far afield as China), the Kansas City Star's TV blog, and the Vallywood and SAGWatch blogs.
December 17: the New York Times.
December 16: KNX radio and MarketWatch.
December 15: KFWB radio, Reuters (carried in, among other places, the Washington Post and as far afield as the UAE, Singapore, Hungary, Switzerland and Argentina), the Kansas City Star's TV blog, and SAGWatch, and was linked to on the Defamer.
December 12: Bloomberg.
December 11: NPR's Morning Edition.
December 10: KNX radio and KFWB radio, and was mentioned on KPCC.
December 8: Channels 4 (relating to Jay Leno's new primetime series) and 11 and on KFWB.
December 3: Media Life Magazine.
December 1: KNX radio.
November 24: KNX radio, the LA Biz Observed blog, and an SNL Kagan report.
November 20: Reuters, Multichannel News, KFWB radio and KNX radio.
November 19: Associated Press.
On October 25 and 24, Handel appeared on KNX radio.
On October 23, Handel appeared in Reuters and on KNX and KFWB radio.
On October 21, Handel appeared twice on Fox Business News.
On October 20, 19 and 17, Handel appeared on KNX radio.
On October 7, Handel appeared on KFWB radio.
On October 2, Handel appeared in a Bloomberg story and on an Entertainment Weekly blog.
On September 30, Handel appeared on KFWB radio
On September 25, Handel appeared on KNX radio and in Back Stage magazine.
On September 24, Handel appeared in Variety.
On September 19, Handel appeared on the HDNet cable network and on KFWB and KNX radio.
On September 18, Handel appeared on KFWB and KNX radio and in Bloomberg and Reuters articles.
On September 17, Handel was named to a list of the top 100 lawyers in California by the Daily Journal, a legal newspaper published in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The listing cited his work in commenting and blogging on Hollywood's labor troubles over the past year. He also appeared on SAGWatch.
On September 15, Handel published an Op-Ed piece in the Los Angeles Business Journal on the Screen Actors Guild's stalled talks and toxic politics.
On September 11, Handel was interviewed on Digital Production Buzz, an online radio show, regarding SAG and AFTRA.
On September 10, Handel conducted a streaming video interview of Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, the National Executive Director of AFTRA. The interview was reported and summarized on SAGwatch.
On September 5, Handel conducted streaming video interviews of independent SAG candidates. In the next several days, the interviews were reported and summarized on IMDB and the SAGwatch blog (and here).
On September 4, Handel was quoted in Back Stage magazine and on Google News and Mediabistro's fishbowlLA blog.
On September 2, Handel was quoted in the San Fernando Business Journal.
On August 27, Handel conducted streaming video interviews of SAG candidates from two slates. In the next several days, the interviews were reported and summarized on Blog Stage (and here), IMDB (and here, here, here, here and here), Deadline Hollywood Daily, SAG Actor bulletin board, SAGwatch blog (and here, here, here, here and here), SAG Watchdog, and ContactMusic, a UK entertainment site.
On August 19, Handel appeared on KNX radio.
On August 18, Handel appeared in Reuters and on KFWB and KNX radio.
On August 13, Handel appeared on KNX radio.
On August 7, Handel was quoted in Back Stage.
On July 31, Handel appeared on Digital Production Buzz, an Internet radio network.
On July 28, Handel appeared in the New York Times and on KCRW's The Business and on KNX.
On July 27, Handel appeared in a Bloomberg story. Two days earlier, he appeared on KNX.
On July 24, Handel appeared on KNBC's digital channel 4.4. In an unusual twist, he was interviewed from his home office via webcam. The same day, he appeared in Reuters and was blogged on Back Stage Magazine's Blog Stage blog and Mediabistro's fishbowlLA, a blog about the Hollywood creative community and L.A. media.
On July 23, Handel appeared on KNX radio and in the Associated Press regarding the slate of candidates that emerged to challenge the hard line faction of the SAG board.
On July 21, KNBC's digital channel 4.4 aired a commentary video that Handel created regarding the stalled SAG negotiations.
On July 17, Handel appeared on KNX radio and in a Bloomberg story. The previous day, he appeared in SNL Kagan Media and Communications Report.
On July 15, Handel appeared on BBC 5 Live radio and KFWB radio, and was quoted extensively in SNL Kagan Media and Communications Report. Four days earlier, he appeared on KNX radio. Four days earlier, he appeared on KNX radio.
On July 10, Handel appeared on KFWB, KNX and AP Radio, and in SNL Kagan Media and Communications Report, the Daily Journal, the Los Angeles Business Journal, and Media Life Magazine.
On July 9, Handel was quoted in the Los Angeles Times, Marketwatch and InformationWeek regarding the ratification of the AFTRA deal.
On July 8, Handel appeared on KFWB in the morning and again twice in the evening, and on Forbes.com. The previous day, he appeared on KFWB.
On July 3, Handel appeared on HDNet; on Digital Production Buzz, an Internet radio network (where he alluded to labor issues briefly, but spoke mostly about copyright fair use); and on Backstage Magazine's Blog Stage blog.
On July 2, Handel was quoted in the Hollywood Reporter, where he discussed SAG's campaign against the AFTRA deal by noting that "[SAG National Executive Director] Doug Allen comes from football, and this (anti-AFTRA) strategy is a Hail Mary pass." He added that "SAG has backed itself into a corner," a quote which then set the theme of the article's headline. That same day, Handel appeared in Adweek and on KNX; CNBC's Media Money blog; Blog Stage; Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider blog; the Vallywood blog; and Portfolio magazine's blog, and presented an investor conference call for Wachovia Capital Markets.
On July 1, Handel appeared on Bloomberg television, in a Reuters story, in Les Affaires (French Canadian) and China Hubei, and on Marketwatch, Blog Stage, Sina (China), and the Kansas City Star's TV Barn blog.
On June 30, Handel was cited in Bloomberg and Associated Press stories (and a second Bloomberg story), and on Entertainment Weekly's blog and Blog Stage, and appeared on KNX, all regarding the "final offer" from the AMPTP (studio alliance) to SAG.
On June 29, Handel appeared on KFWB, and on June 28, on CTV.
On June 27, Handel appeared on NPR's Morning Edition discussing the state of the SAG negotiations, and on multiple ABC affiliate local news programs, including KABC Los Angeles.
On June 26, Handel appeared on San Francisco radio KCBS, discussing the actors negotiations, and was quoted on Slate.com. The previous day, he appeared on KFWB, discussing the conflict between SAG and AFTRA.
On June 24, Handel was quoted in an AP story regarding the SAG talks and the ongoing dispute between SAG and AFTRA. The previous day, he appeared on KNX, discussing the SAG negotiations and the possibility of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming involved.
On June 20, an Op-Ed by Handel regarding the SAG negotiations appeared in the Daily Journal. Also that day, Handel was quoted on Time Magazine's blog.
On June 19, Handel was mentioned in the Chicago Tribune's TV blog.
On June 17, Handel was quoted in a story on Portfolio.com regarding SAG's contract demands.
On June 13, Handel was quoted on Back Stage magazine's Blog Stage blog.
On June 10, Handel appeared on radio station KNX regarding the latest developments in the SAG talks, which included release of a statement by the AMPTP highly critical of SAG.
On June 9, Handel appeared on radio stations KNX (twice) and KFWB, and was quoted in the AP, all regarding SAG's rally that day and the Guild's campaign to defeat the AFTRA deal.
On June 5, Handel was quoted in the Hollywood Reporter regarding SAG's reported plan to seek to persuade dual cardholders (members of both SAG and AFTRA) to vote against ratifying the deal recently agreed to by AFTRA. The story also appeared the previous day on Blog Stage.
On June 4, Handel appeared on CNBC discussing the Screen Actors Guild negotiations, and an Op-Ed piece by Handel appeared in the Daily Journal regarding the negotiations. He was also quoted that day in Back Stage magazine (carried also in Adweek) regarding the negotiations.
On May 30, Handel was quoted on Blog Stage. The previous day, he was quoted in the Hollywood Reporter regarding the deal reached the previous day between AFTRA and the studios and again in Blog Stage.
On May 28, Handel was interviewed several times on KNX and KFWB radio, and was quoted in Associated Press and Reuters stories, and on the New York Times TV Decoder blog and Portfolio.com (the blog of Portfolio Magazine), all regarding the AFTRA deal.
The previous day, Handel was interviewed on KNX radio regarding the actors negotiations.
On May 26, Handel published an Op-Ed piece in the Los Angeles Business Journal in which he analyzed the state of the actors negotiations and criticized both parties for failing to keep their eyes on the competitive threat posed by Silicon Valley.
On May 18, Handel was interviewed on BBC World Service regarding the actors negotiations.
On May 15, Handel was quoted extensively in a Hollywood Reporter article on the studios' proposal that they be allowed to use clips of actors' performances without seeking consent from the actors. That same day, an article written by Handel appeared in the Daily Journal (cited the next day in Studio Briefing), discussing how the actors negotiations might play out.
On May 6, Handel was quoted on Portfolio.com, blog of Portfolio Magazine, regarding the collapse of the talks between the AMPTP and SAG. The previous day, he was interviewed on KNX and KFWB radio, and quoted in a Reuters story, regarding the same subject.
On May 2, Handel was quoted in the AP and interviewed twice on KNX radio regarding the decision by the studios and SAG to continue their negotiations several more days.
On April 24, Handel was quoted in the Hollywood Reporter, where he analyzed the sparse information available from SAG and the studios, and inferred that SAG had taken its DVD and new media demands off the table. (He was quoted to similar effect the previous day in Reuters.) Also that day, Handel was quoted in an AP story regarding the difficult position SAG finds itself in, commenting that, "The actors now are the caboose. They're taking up the end of the train and they look around and there's no one else left to support them."
On April 23, Handel was quoted in a Variety article about a letter released by the WGA that urged that writers who went fi-core – allowing them to cross picket lines – should be “held at arm’s length” by other writers. Handel criticized the Guild letter, and argued that the Guild was skating close to the line of legality by urging that writers be shunned.
The same day, Handel was quoted in an AP story regarding the decision by the AMPTP (studios) and AFTRA to delay negotiations by an additional week, to allow AMPTP-SAG negotiations to continue. In addition, that day, the May/June issue of Script Magazine appeared, with an article by Handel on the WGA deal reached with the studios.
The previous day, Handel was quoted in an AP story and interviewed on KFWB radio, both concerning interim deals, known as guaranteed completion contracts, signed by SAG and a number of independent film productions.
On April 18, Handel was quoted on Marketwatch regarding the SAG negotiations, commenting that AFTRA (a rival actor’s union) "has really put SAG under the gun" by scheduling separate negotiations two weeks after SAG’s talks started. He went on to analyze possible outcomes of negotiations and the possibility of a strike.
On April 15, Handel was quoted in the Hollywood Reporter regarding the SAG negotiations, which started that day. Discussing SAG’s last minute offer to AFTRA, in which the unions would jointly negotiate the motion picture and primetime TV contract – a position that AFTRA had already rejected – Handel commented, "It's definitely a Hail Mary pass kind of move and not at all what you expect if the union felt it had the leverage it needed." He added that "I think AFTRA has checkmated SAG by setting up negotiations in two weeks."
The same day, he was interviewed regarding the same subject, on KNX radio, BBC Radio 4, and on WNYC radio in New York.
On April 11, Handel was interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live regarding a petition by SAG members to institute “qualified voting,” in which SAG members would be permitted to vote on strike- and contract-related issues only if the member had worked at least one day in a year.
The previous day, Handel was quoted on the same subject in a Bloomberg story, and was interviewed by Bloomberg Radio.
On April 8, Handel was quoted in a Reuters story about an “open letter” released by the studios warning that the Screen Actors Guild should adhere to the framework of the new media deals reached by the writers, directors and AFTRA. Handel commented of the studios that “They said in a press release what they could have said in a sentence, which is: ‘We're not giving any more in new media than we already gave.’” Handel also noted that AFTRA’s decision to negotiate separately from SAG undermines SAG’s leverage.
On April 4, Handel appeared in Entertainment Weekly’s online site EW.com, discussing the rift between SAG and AFTRA.
On April 2, Handel was interviewed live on LA radio station KFWB, concerning the SAG talks.
On March 30, Handel was quoted in a Bloomberg story regarding the decision by SAG and AFTRA to negotiate separately with the studios. He noted that production is already slowing in anticipation of a potential strike, and that “[t]he contract expiration is starting to bear down.”
On March 28, Handel was quoted in an AP story (picked up as far afield as Kuwait) regarding the upcoming SAG-AFTRA negotiations, commenting that the two SAG leaders "are equally as assertive as the writers guild leadership," and noting that AFTRA is more willing to compromise.
On March 13, Back Stage West newspaper quoted Handel regarding the upcoming SAG-AFTRA negotiations.
On March 10, the Daily Journal published an article by Handel summarizing the new media provisions of the new Writers Guild agreement.
On March 4, Handel was quoted on Wired Magazine's Underwire blog, regarding the WGA deal. The previous day, he was a guest on an online talk show, "Insight on Coaching," which was broadcast on Voice America, discussing the WGA strike.
On February 27, Handel was quoted in an Associated Press story regarding the WGA ratification of the new agreement.
On February 24, Handel appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live's Oscar show, discussing the strike and its aftermath.
On February 18, Handel was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article discussing media coverage of the strike.
On February 14, Handel was quoted regarding the new WGA contract in The Economist, Entertainment Weekly magazine, and Reuters (picked up as far afield as Qatar).
On February 13, Handel was quoted extensively in the Los Angeles Times, remarking of the writers: "They successfully faced down six multinational media conglomerates and established a beachhead on the Internet. When you consider what they were initially offered and the enormous odds they faced, that's quite an achievement." He summarized the agreement by saying "It's a good deal but not a great one." That same day, he appeared on CTV (video available via link in right-hand column) and KFWB, and in the AP and Bloomberg News.
On February 12, a New York Times story (reprinted in the International Herald Tribune) quoted Handel's evaluation of the strike: "I think that you would have to say that the strike was a qualified success, if for no other reason that they kept solidarity among the show runners and the rank and file." The same day, a Hollywood Reporter story quoted Handel on whether the WGA could have gotten the deal it did if had not gone out on strike. (His conclusion: No.) That same day, he appeared twice on KNBC television (ch. 4) and in the AP and on EW.com.
On February 11, Handel was a guest on the Fox Business Network (FBN cable network) program "Money for Breakfast" and appeared on CNBC, KFWB radio, KNX, USC TrojanVision, Bloomberg wire service and Marketwatch, discussing the writers deal. In addition, the National Law Journal's LA LegalPad blog linked to a blog article on Handel's blog analyzing the new deal.
On February 10, Handel appeared on FBN, Fox 11, NPR, KFWB radio, CBC, BBC World and the Chicago Tribune's TV blog, discussing the deal.
On February 9, Handel appeared on two network news programs simultaneously – the CBS Evening News (audio also carried by CBS News Radio) and ABC Nightly News – as well as AP Radio, AP wire service (and a second AP story), and BBC Radio 4 (at 8:22 in the clip), discussing the impending writers deal.
On February 8, Handel was quoted extensively in the Hollywood Reporter regarding the upcoming WGA membership meetings about the tentative deal with the studios. He explained that "negotiations are not a shopping spree, and you don't get everything you want," adding that WGA leadership " can also tell the members that the DGA deal wouldn't have been as good as it was without the writers strike, which I believe is true. And they can also say they've managed to get some improvements in those terms."
That same day, he was the subject of an extended interview in EW.Com (from Entertainment Weekly magazine). He also appeared on CBC (Canadian national television), KFWB radio, and BBC World Service.
On February 6, Handel was quoted in a New York Post story, where he discussed the WGA negotiations and their relationship to the DGA deal: "To make this work, the studios have to be giving [the WGA leaders] something to take back to the members and give them some cover," he said, adding "I think when the studios negotiated the DGA deal, they left themselves headroom in order to give the writers something better."
On February 5, Handel was quoted in an AP story regarding the relationship between the directors deal and the emerging details of the writers deal. There, he said that the studios probably left room to sweeten the terms of the directors guild deal as part of a deal with writers: "Studio negotiators obviously were sophisticated and realized the writers guild leadership has to be able to bring some bacon home to seal the deal with members."
On February 4, Handel appeared on KNX Radio and was quoted in a Bloomberg story regarding the apparently-impending writers deal.
The previous day, he appeared on the NBC Nightly News, CTV and BBC Radio 5 Live Morning Report regarding the same subject and likewise on February 2, on AP Radio and CTV.
On February 1, Handel presented an investor conference call on the strike for RBC Capital Markets (the investment bank division of Royal Bank of Canada) (summary transcript). There, he provided a history of the strike, and assessed current prospects for settlement and the effect on the market for media stocks.
On January 30, an AP story about ongoing informal talks between the studios and writers noted that a desire to preserve the upcoming Academy Awards was one motivation for the talks. In the article, Handel explained the importance of those awards: "There's no day, other than the Super Bowl, that's bigger for American advertisers and therefore for American networks than the Oscars," he said, adding that "Both the studios and networks have an enormous amount riding on a successful Oscarcast."
On January 29, the Hollywood Reporter (reprinted in TV Week) quoted Handel on the status of negotiations and the likely issues under discussion.
On January 28, Handel was profiled in Forbes.com, which described him as "one of the most-quoted sources on the strike."
On January 27, Handel appeared on the CBS Evening News (text summary), where he discussed the possibility of dual writers and actors strikes: "That would really bring the industry into a state of full-on civil war," he said. "If the [writers] strike doesn't settle by the Oscars, we're facing a potential nightmare scenario."
On January 25, Handel appeared in a Bloomberg article, where he commented on signs of productive relations between the studios and writers.
On January 24, an article in the Deseret Morning News quoted Handel on the strike and its effect, or lack of effect, on studio acquisitions at the Sundance Film Festival.
On January 22, Handel was quoted in a Bloomberg story about the Directors Guild deal with the studios. That same day, he appeared on KNX Radio on the same subject.
On January 21, an article on Entertainment Weekly's blog described a panel that Handel moderated that day at the Sundance Film Festival concerning the WGA strike. (Video of the panel, in several parts, can be found here, here, and here.) That same day, an article in the Los Angeles Business Journal quoted Handel regarding upcoming State Senate hearings on working conditions in the reality TV industry; the hearings were prompted by a report released several months earlier by the WGA.
On January 18, Handel was quoted in stories on the AP, Reuters (picked up as far afield as the Khaleej Times in the United Arab Emirates) and Bloomberg wire services and in Marketwatch, Media Life and a Chicago Tribune blog regarding the Directors Guild deal.
On January 17, Handel was interviewed by KNX radio and appeared in Reuters and Forbes.com stories on the Directors Guild deal.
On January 16, Handel wrote an Op-Ed piece for the Los Angeles Times concerning the ongoing Directors Guild talks and their possible effect on the WGA strike. His conclusion: the directors need to take the writers' and actors' interests into account if they want to end the strike.
On January 15, the Hollywood Reporter quoted Handel on the subject of interim deals the WGA was making with various production companies and smaller studios.
On January 13, Handel appeared on the Today Show and, later, on the NBC Nightly News, explaining that the WGA and studios were at an impasse because the writers want eight to ten times what the studios are offering and because the lead negotiators on each side almost literally hate each other.
On January 11, Handel was asked by Bloomberg whether Hollywood stars would attend the Golden Globes, recently demoted from an awards show to a press conference by the strike. Handel was skeptical, asking rhetorically "What are they going to do, sit in designer dresses and designer tuxedos and watch a press conference?" He was interviewed on KNX radio the same day on that subject as well.
On January 10, Handel was quoted in a New York Post article (which, in turn, was quoted on a Reuters blog) regarding studio layoffs resulting from the strike.
On January 6, Handel was quoted in a Bloomberg story regarding an interim deal the WGA was negotiating with United Artists.
On January 4, Handel appeared on KNX radio and BBC 5 Live radio regarding SAG's decision to recommend that actors not attend the Golden Globes. That same day, a Hollywood Reporter story (picked up by Reuters) quoted Handel regarding negotiations between the DGA and the studios.
On January 3, Handel was quoted in the AP and Bloomberg regarding Jay Leno's alleged violation of the WGA strike rules.
2007
On December 31, the Daily Journal quoted Handel extensively on the strike.
On December 28, Handel appeared on KCRW's To the Point (MP3), where he discussed the WGA strike and upcoming negotiations between the studios and the DGA. He was also quoted in a Bloomberg story (which ran again several days later in revised form), and interviewed on KNX, both regarding the deal between David Letterman's company (Worldwide Pants) and the WGA.
A week earlier, on December 21, Handel was quoted in a Bloomberg story, and interviewed on KNX, both regarding the effect of the strike on late night programming.
On December 19, Handel was the subject of an interview in Media Life, where he offered his thoughts on the anticipated length of the WGA strike, roadblocks to negotiation, and the viewpoint of other unions. He was also interviewed on KNX regarding the effect of the strike on the People's Choice Awards, which will be presented in a magazine format (pre-recorded clips) rather than live, because actors were expected to refuse to cross the picket lines.
The same day, Handel was quoted in the Chicago Tribune, where he explained that the studios will not restart talks with the WGA until concluding their deal with the DGA.
He was quoted December 17 in a Reuters story explaining why the return of late-night talk show hosts to the air might be good for the WGA: "I think when they go back on the air, they're going to be tweaking the noses of their corporate bosses over the strike," Handel said. He was also interviewed that day on KNX on the same subject.
On December 14, Handel was quoted in a Variety story on the WGA's unfair labor practices filing that seeks to force the AMPTP to return to the bargaining table. He criticized the filing, on the grounds that it probably eliminated any possibility of back-channel efforts to restart talks. In an AP story that same day, he criticized the Guild's filing as "ill-considered" for the same reason.
He was also quoted that day in MarketWatch. There, he put the new media issues in a broader context, noting that "There's a technological approach to entertainment that's sweeping into Hollywood from Northern California, challenging the old-line companies." He added: "The Yahoos, the Googles, the YouTubes ... they are all much more nimble than these studios that have been around for 70, 80 years. So there's an enormous fear, because the studios have not had much success countering that." He also dismissed the notion that the writers' demands would destroy new media, and also commented that the studios should not have broken off negotiations regardless of their concerns.
On December 12, Handel was quoted in BusinessWeek.com, where he explained that the studios have leverage in the negotiations, because they could "walk away from one table and walk toward another one" — i.e., commence negotiations with the DGA, which is expected to drive a somewhat easier bargain on new media residuals.
On December 11, Handel was quoted in a Hollywood Reporter story discussing the role of the DGA in the strategic maneuvering over the writers strike. The DGA had yet to start its negotiations, but "I think the DGA's just about done waiting," Handel commented. Those negotiations would not bode well for the writers: "The DGA is not going to be as aggressive on residuals at the writers guild," he noted. "About 40% of the DGA is below the line and get practically nothing from residuals, and the prominent feature directors get so much up front that they rely on residuals a lot less than the writers do." Summarizing the hard place the writers find themselves in, he said "I do think they've been outmaneuvered."
The previous day, Handel appeared on LA radio station KNX, on which he discussed the strike's effect on pilot season (the studios and networks may use the strike to restructure the pilot process completely) and the unlikelihood that the WGA will gain jurisdiction over reality and animation programming.
On December 7, Handel was quoted in the Associated Press discussing the collapse of negotiations and the mutual finger-pointing as to why this occurred: "I think the producers are displaying their leverage quite publicly and aggressively and the writers know it and are fighting back," he commented, adding that "At the end of the day, the companies have the leverage because they have the money." He also explained that the producers can try to reach a deal with the DGA, undercutting the WGA, and setting a "pattern bargaining" template the writers would be pressured to follow.
The same day, Handel was quoted by the Bloomberg wire service on the same topic. After noting that "There never was any momentum for early substantive talks and that's why we find ourselves where we do," he then described the possibility of a DGA deal by commenting that "The writers are facing a squeeze play."
On December 4, Handel was quoted in a Reuters story commenting that the part of what makes the negotiations difficult is the evolving size and nature of markets created by new entertainment technologies: "The degree of uncertainty here is frightening for both parties," he said, adding that this "makes it very difficult to even agree on the landscape that's being discussed."
The previous day, Handel posted a YouTube video (later cross-posted on Wired magazine's Underwire blog) calling on the parties to release the full text of their proposals.
On November 30, Handel was quoted in Forbes.com regarding the producers' contract proposal. Noting confusion surrounding the proposal's specifics and the guild's reaction, he described the situation as "very Alice in Wonderland." Similarly, in an AP story, he described the situation as confusing, adding "None of this computes. It's very difficult to analyze this in any rigorous way." He suggested that both sides could end the confusion by publishing full details of their proposals. He made a similar point in an invited post on Google News. Likewise, in a Bloomberg interview, he said "You can't tell whether we're heading for a crash and burn or if it's still possible we're soaring toward the clouds on the wings of a deal."
The previous day, Handel was interviewed on NPR's Morning Edition concerning the producers' organization's failure to use YouTube videos to communicate its message, in contrast to the writers' effective use of such videos. His Huffington Post piece on residuals was cited in the Chicago Tribune's blog that day (and again on December 3).
On November 28, Handel was interviewed on radio station KNX concerning the talks. In addition, he was quoted extensively in the Hollywood Reporter's entertainment law blog in a story (later cross-posted on Wired magazine's Underwire blog and Broadcasting & Cable magazine's blog) discussing whether TV writers can continue to write for their shows' blogs during the strike (Handel concluded not). He was also quoted extensively on Cinema Without Borders in an article about demonstrations across the world by international writers guilds, discussing the reasons for the demonstrations and the likelihood that the strike would be resolved before the end of the year.
The previous day, Handel was quoted in a Forbes.com story on the resumption of talks between the producers and writers. He expressed hope that the talks would be productive, remarking that "The two parties wouldn't have agreed to come back to the table if there wasn't reason for optimism." He also explained that the writers faced the risk that the directors would do a deal with the producers first, preempting the Writers Guild's more hard line position.
On November 26, Handel appeared on CNBC, where he explained that, if the talks between the writers and producers stalled, and the Directors Guild (DGA) were to preemptively make a deal with the producers, the WGA would come under enormous pressure to accept the same deal; Handel also pointed out that the DGA deal would be more favorable to the studios than the deal the writers would prefer.
Handel was also quoted in an L.A. Times story on resumption of negotiations. Noting the distance between the parties on various issues, Handel commented, "They've got a lot of work to do. It's time for both sides to buckle down in order to put this town back in business."
In addition, he was quoted in a Variety story on the re-opened talks. There, Handel observed that the resumption of producing duties by some showrunners is putting pressure on the WGA. He also observed that the DGA might soon begin negotiations with the producers (which would undercut the WGA strike effort), commenting that "The DGA's not going to wait forever, particularly if there's no significant movement on tough issues at the WGA negotiations."
Also that day, Handel was quoted in a Bloomberg wire service article. He commented that the parties faced hard work in seeking to reach agreement. He also noted that companies were more affected by the strike than they had claimed would be the case, noting: "A lot of the spin on the management side, that they had stockpiled scripts and wouldn't be affected by a strike, is coming undone. We're seeing television shows go dark much faster than we were told. We're seeing movies canceled much faster than we were told." He was also interviewed on LA radio station KFWB about the resumption of talks.
The previous day, Handel gave a live interview to BBC Radio's Weekend Business program. He described the major issues in the negotiation, the television programs and motion pictures affected by the strike, and the reason that writers receive residuals at all, given that studios are the ones who risk the capital.
On November 19, Handel was quoted in a Bloomberg wire story about the planned resumption of talks between the guild and the studios. He noted that the parties may finally be ready to break the impasse, and added that he hoped the resumption was the beginning of the "triumph of sense." That same day, a weekly Variety article examined possible long-term scenarios if the upcoming talks were not immediately successful; asked whether the strike might last as long as July 1, 2008, with actors then going out on strike as well, Handel said he doubted that showrunners (writer-producers) would stay out on strike that long.
Several days earlier, on November 15, Handel was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article discussing the possibility that the Directors Guild would soon begin negotiations with the producers even as the writers remained out on strike. "The directors do have a bit of a dilemma," Handel commented. "They want to make a deal, and it's to their advantage to be the leaders. By the same token, directors don't want to appear opportunistic and look as though they're swooping in on the Writers Guild during their hour of distress and cutting the legs out from underneath the strike." He was also interviewed on two Detroit radio stations, WJR and WWJ, about the current status of the strike and the effect on television programming.
The previous day, Handel was quoted in Daily Variety responding to the charge by the producers' lead negotiator that the WGA's monitoring of strike-breaking activity amounted to 1950s-style blacklisting. Handel dismissed the analogy, commenting that the negotiator's statement was "as fanciful and outdated as assuming the moon has anything to do with green cheese."
Also that day, he was quoted in Media Life, discussing the likelihood that the producers will attempt to do an early deal with the Directors Guild and undercut the WGA strike. The previous day, he was interviewed on radio station KNX, where he discussed the concept of "financial core," a status that allows union members to withdraw their membership but retain union benefits such as residuals, thereby avoiding union discipline if they cross picket lines.
On November 12, Handel was interviewed on CBC about the current status of the negotiations and strike. He commented that the parties are at an impasse, and also that, already, nine primetime television shows have halted production.
On November 9, Handel was interviewed on WHYY in Philadelphia (aired nationally on Sirius satellite radio) and KFWB in Los Angeles. In both interviews, Handel explained the basic issues in the strike – which include residuals related to DVDs, downloads and streaming, as well as jurisdiction over new media – and described the current impasse in negotiations.
On November 8, Handel was asked in a Daily Variety article about the WGA's "script validation program" – a strike rule that requires that writers file copies of their work in progress with the guild at the commencement of the strike. The purpose of the rule is to allow the guild to ensure that writers do not write during the strike. The studios object to the rule, arguing that they own the material. Handel noted that this is not always true, pointing out that optioned scripts do not become studio property until the option is exercised. However, Handel also criticized the rule as over-reaching and intrusive, and commented that "The writers are rightly upset over [the rule]."
The previous day, Handel was quoted in Forbes.com, where he commented on the high stakes in the negotiation: "If the guild does not succeed in cutting an effective deal, it loses leverage, stature and will suffer continued erosion." He was also quoted in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, explaining that new media lawyers will be examining whether to recommend that their clients perform work for non-signatory new media companies during the strike (new media is not currently under guild jurisdiction, although the WGA is seeking in the current negotiations to extend its jurisdiction to this area).
On November 5, Handel was quoted in Daily Variety explaining that a strike would trigger force majeure clauses in contracts between studios and producers, potentially allowing studios to terminate producer deals if the strike persists at least four to six weeks.
He also appeared on CTV, in which he discussed, among other things, the potential effect of the strike on U.S. production in Canada. Later that day, he was interviewed on the KCRW radio show Which Way LA?¸ in which he discussed the importance of both DVDs and new media as sources for writers' residuals.
A day earlier, Handel was quoted in the AFM Daily edition of Variety. Assessing the situation as the federal mediator prepared to convene a last-minute meeting with parties, Handel stated that the best outcome to be expected from the meeting would be a short delay of the strike. He explained that the mediator, who joined the negotiations only a few days earlier, "has not had enough time to build up the trust from both sides to convince them that he fully understands their positions." That same day, Handel was interviewed on LA radio station KNX and CBS Radio, again explaining that a short delay was the best outcome that could be expected. He also explained that any increase in the DVD residuals for writers would be mirrored by increases for the directors and actors as well. Later in the day, Handel was the guest at an audio teleconference, answering questions about the strike from several dozen writers. He was also quoted in an Associated Press wire service story, characterizing the negotiations as "a bare knuckle fight and a chess game," adding that if the producers circumvented the WGA by making an early deal with the DGA, the effect would be "to cut the legs right out from under the strike."
On November 2, just prior to the WGA's strike announcement, Handel was interviewed on CNBC, and then by five local Los Angeles channels and CBS radio in an impromptu press conference (related story), in front of the WGA headquarters at Third and Fairfax in Los Angeles. On CNBC, he noted that "there isn't even a level of basic trust" between the parties, explaining that the WGA had refused at one bargaining session to provide enough chairs for the producers' representatives. He added, "If they can't even figure out how to sit at the table, they can't do a deal across the table either." Later in the day, he appeared live on CTV for a five-minute interview.
The same day, Handel was quoted in the Wall Street Journal explaining one reason the WGA was taking a forceful position: unlike in the 1990s, Handel explained, "[t]his time, the writers want to lead the industry and show they can make the deal and the directors and actors will be in their debt, not the other way around." He was also quoted by the Bloomberg News wire service regarding the possibility that viewers will abandon movies and television and opt for new forms of entertainment instead. The strike, Handel noted, "[is] going to have an enormously damaging effect. You're going to see more people watching things on the Internet. Viewing habits will change." (The quote ran in a followup story the next day as well.)
The previous day, discussing the timing of a strike, a story in the Los Angeles Times quoted Handel explaining that "[t]he guild would look completely unreasonable if it struck immediately [after its contract expired]." That same day, an AP story quoted Handel to similar effect; and another AP story the next day had Handel remarking that "Whatever deal gets struck for new media is going to be set in stone for the next several decades if history is any guide." The stories were carried by numerous print newspapers, and thousands of newspaper and TV station websites across the country and internationally, including the New York Times online, CNN.com, International Herald Tribune, USA Today, Forbes, MSNBC, Time, IMDB, Miami Herald, China Daily, the Russian newspaper Pravda, the Taiwan News, the Taipei Times, the Defamer, and various blogs. He was also quoted in Advertising Age and, previously, in PRWeek Magazine.
In addition, that day, Handel was interviewed by CBC News Today, BBC Radio Five Live, and local radio stations KNX 1070 in Los Angeles and WPHT 1210 in Philadelphia on his perspectives on the negotiations and impending strike. The host on KNX closed by asking whether an old-time Hollywood legend like David O. Selznick, the producer of Gone With The Wind, would recognize the technological entertainment industry today. Handel responded that he probably wouldn't, and then added that the writers' fear is that their residuals might be gone with the wind as well.
On October 30, Daily Variety quoted Handel extensively. On the subject of timing of a writers' strike, Handel suggested that the guild was unlikely to strike just a day or so after the contract expires, as this would make the guild appear not to be operating in good faith, and would prompt the federal mediator assigned to the negotiations to "read [the guild] the riot act." He compared high-profile labor negotiations to high-profile litigation, noting that both play out in the public arena.
The story went on to discuss some of the issues on the table, offering Handel's opinions on several of them, namely:
A Daily Variety story on October 22 also quoted Handel on these issues. Noting a proposal from the studios that would have eliminated residuals on a film until the producer recouped its costs – turning residuals into a form of net profits – Handel commented that "[t]he only word dirtier in this town than 'net profits' is 'casting couch.' " He also noted that the negotiation over DVD residuals might yield a royalty base of 25% or 30%, an increase over the current 20% figure.
On October 20, a Los Angeles Times story on the subject included quotes by Handel. In discussing the results of the guild's strike authorization vote – 90% in favor of allowing guild leadership to call a strike at any time after Nov. 1 – Handel explained that, "The guild made a bad deal 20 years ago [on home video residuals] and they've been angry ever since and they don't want to do it again." He added that for that reason, the WGA has "drawn [a line] in the sand."
A month earlier, on September 18, Handel was quoted in another Daily Variety story (excerpted in the Defamer) about the negotiations. There, he expressed skepticism about the studio proposal to reformulate residuals: "I interpret the AMPTP position as a negotiating ploy more than anything else," he said in the article, adding that, "The studios are aware that eliminating residuals is a nuclear option that would most surely trigger a strike." Not surprisingly, the proposal was later withdrawn.
