James Harvey
03-06-2002, 11:26 AM
Last week, Toon Zone reported that Alan Burnett was awarded by the Writers Guild of America for his work in television on such shows as The New Batman/Superman Adventures and Static Shock. Toon Zone was able to get a comment from the writer on his award.
"It was a tremendous honor to have gotten this award and to receive it at the 54th Annual Writer's Guild Awards. I have worked in this industry for over twenty years and have always felt that the proper organization to represent my profession was the Writers Guild of America and not the Screen Cartoonists Union, which I and my colleagues have been forced to join. Even though there is nothing we do in writing animation that is in any way different from what writers do in live action, we've been saddled with a union whose overwhelming membership consists of artists, and which cares not one wit for writers' issues. In fact we are not even referred to as "writers" in our union contracts, but as "story persons." (It used to be the sexist term "story men" until a few years ago.) In recent times the Writers Guild has gotten into the fight of bringing our work into its fold. One of the reasons the Guild presented an animation award at their annual event this year was as a symbol of its seriousness and involvement in this endeavor. It may take time, but with the Guild's backing, I think this is fight we can at last win."
Once again, congratulations to Alan Burnett!
"It was a tremendous honor to have gotten this award and to receive it at the 54th Annual Writer's Guild Awards. I have worked in this industry for over twenty years and have always felt that the proper organization to represent my profession was the Writers Guild of America and not the Screen Cartoonists Union, which I and my colleagues have been forced to join. Even though there is nothing we do in writing animation that is in any way different from what writers do in live action, we've been saddled with a union whose overwhelming membership consists of artists, and which cares not one wit for writers' issues. In fact we are not even referred to as "writers" in our union contracts, but as "story persons." (It used to be the sexist term "story men" until a few years ago.) In recent times the Writers Guild has gotten into the fight of bringing our work into its fold. One of the reasons the Guild presented an animation award at their annual event this year was as a symbol of its seriousness and involvement in this endeavor. It may take time, but with the Guild's backing, I think this is fight we can at last win."
Once again, congratulations to Alan Burnett!