Candidate for Council, Film/TV/Streaming Sector
Hello, hello! I’m Victoria Pollack, a TV Drama writer running for WGAE Council in the Film/TV/Streaming sector to represent you.
Why? Because I want to ensure the future of storytelling is sustainable and human-led.
You may recognize me as that redheaded picket chick with the megaphone. Or you may have encountered me through one of the technicolor @WGAStrikeUnite infographics I made as its co-founder. Even if we haven’t met yet, thank you for being here.
As a member of WGAE Council, I would bring a grassroots get-it-done energy and years of experience as a fly-on-the-wall to conversations with CEOs, studios, networks, and writers as a showrunner’s assistant turned staff writer. I know that the success of our industry depends on the health of the entire ecosystem—from support staffer to showrunner to studio exec—and right now, our guild needs to be abundantly nimble to keep pace with the rapidly evolving landscape.
We need:
- Staff writer safeguards to protect the pipeline;
- Continued AI protections and education, informed by counsel from AI intellectual property legal experts and research into generative versus traditional AI;
- Community development through a bolstered captains network, conversation-driven programming, and improving event accessibility for parents and caregivers;
- An employment audit to assess how much of our membership is currently working and how those members are actually getting work, so we develop data-informed policies and programming that alleviate current challenges;
- Revamped writer resources that foster creative community and are attuned to writer survival during turbulent times;
- Solidarity with our fellow entertainment unions—particularly WGAW.
I worked my way up from showrunner’s assistant to staff writer on network dramas, and have been a proud member of WGAE since publishing my first freelance script in March 2020. My involvement in the Guild took off during the strike. In anticipation of a long and challenging strike and aware that maintaining public support would be essential to a victory, I took the mic and asked our negotiating committee: “We’re a union of 11,500 people. We have hundreds of millions of viewers. What are we doing to leverage that collective power in our favor and empower our audiences to support us?”
That “little” question led to me co-founding @WGAStrikeUnite, a grassroots collective that amplifies industry data and rank and file member stories in service of a stronger entertainment industry. Since May 2023, I have spent countless hours researching the state of the industry, looking at the numbers, dynamics, and processes that influence our livelihoods. I have spoken with members from all walks of life about their experiences, and know how raw the strike and post-strike experience has been for too many writers.
I took in the information and I took action. I created hundreds of informational posts and calls to action. I developed strike-affected worker resource documents. I led the WGAE “Busting the Myth of Being ‘Just’ a Writer Panel” to help writers identify and leverage transferrable skills in pursuit of survival employment. I co-produced the Sunday Solidarity Brunch, the only east coast food support event open to all entertainment workers which provided over 700 individuals with free access to professional development and an abundance of survival resources like groceries, gift cards, and food. And, as a strike captain, I have walked the walk—literally.
Along the way, I have forged relationships with our sibling union members and leaders in pursuit of reciprocal solidarity. I’ve partnered with Guild staff on events and programming as a participant and a producer. I’ve strategized with Strike Captains and WGAE Councilmembers. I’ve benefitted from programs like the Staff Writer Bootcamp and the enjoyed the camaraderie of the Women’s Salon. I’ve fallen in love with our membership. And I’ve become aware of our blind spots.
If the strike taught us anything, it’s that we need proactive programming and policies. We need to anticipate the needs of membership to best support a sustainable path in the arts. We need to prioritize community engagement. We need to solicit industry data to effectively assess the health of our industry and our members. Most importantly, we need our council to be ferociously curious as we prepare for the next round of MBA negotiations.
We’ve got work to do and I’m ready to do it.
Learn more about my proposals at https://www.victoriapollack.com/forwgaecouncil.
I’d love your vote • Polls open August 27th through September 19th
Onwards!
Victoria Pollack
Endorsements
Hilary Bettis, Justin Carter, Micharne Cloughley, Patrick Coker, Jamie Conway, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Sara David, Nicholas Davis, Justin DiLauro, Kathy Dobie, Eric Drysdale, Nicholas Evangelista, Brendan Feeney, Kevin Fox, Sheli Frank, Tian Jun Gu, Denis Hamill, Jim Hart, Don P Hooper, Monet Hurst-Mendoza, Liz Hynes, Cerstin Johnson, Tom Kemnitz, Jr, Starlee Kine, Christopher Kyle, Warren Leight, Julie Martin, Candice McFarlane, Sarah Montana, Nicole Najafi, Anna Park, Joseph Randazzo, Sung J Rno, Celine Robinson, Benjamin Rubin, Erica Saleh, Kadia Saraf, Madhuri Shekar, Sasha E Stewart, Katie Tibaldi, Louis Venosta, Noelle Vinas, Suzanne Weber, Justin Weinberger, Adam Wiesen, Aaron Yoo
WGAW: Chloé Hung, Mia Katherine Iverson, Jasmine Swift
Endorse Victoria Pollack for Council
Note: WGAW members who wish to endorse a candidate may follow the process outlined in section G.1.B of the 2024 Election Policy.
