WGAE Signs VH1’s ‘Best Week Ever’ To Guild Contract

VH1’s ‘BEST WEEK EVER’ GETS WRITERS GUILD CONTRACT

NEW YORK CITY–Writers on the VH1 comedy series “Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins” are joining  the growing ranks of New York comedy writers covered by a Writers Guild contract. The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the production company producing the show for VH1 signed contracts covering the show under the Guild’s “Minimum Basic Agreement.” All of the show’s writers will be WGAE members.

Under the agreement, writers will see gains in their compensation and also receive pension benefits for the first time. The contract also provides Guild-sponsored medical benefits and residual payments. Best Week Ever’s annual special will also be covered under this contract.

"We are all proud of the new shape our show, Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins, has taken, and really gratified that we were able to use our re-launch as an opportunity to join the Guild,” said Cassie St. Onge, a writer/producer on the show.  “As a writer with a family, health and pension were always on my mind, but this contract is about more than just great benefits and fair compensation. It’s about belonging to this amazing professional community and getting some recognition for the work we do. It’s about sharing in the growing success of our show." 

“We’re excited to welcome these writers into our Guild and happy they will now be able to work under the same union protections and benefits as others in the New York comedy/variety community,” said WGAE Executive Director Lowell Peterson. “Despite a challenging economic climate, this new contract demonstrates that it is possible for companies to give writers the protections they deserve and also to be successful. VH-1 wanted to do the right thing for its writers, even within a limited budget.”

“We are expanding our organizing efforts, and hope Best Week Ever is the first of many more new contracts in the near future,” Peterson continued.

The Writers Guild of America, East is a labor union representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, new media, and broadcast news. The WGAE conducts programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to, and on behalf of, writers. In addition, it represents writers’ interests on the legislative level.  For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit www.wgaeast.org.