With the WGA on strike, ATX TV Festival has added a panel about the writer's strike and also announced four shows that have backed out of the festival as a result, including Lucasfilm’s Andor and Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things.
(Lucasfilm/Hulu/ATX TV/Disney)
What’s Happening:
- ATX TV Festival will still be taking place June 1st-4th in Austin, TX, but event organizers have announced some schedule changes as a direct result of the WGA Strike.
- The following four panels will no longer be presented, as the panelists have chosen not to attend to continue supporting strike efforts:
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
- Andor: A Conversation with Tony Gilroy (Disney+)
- Tiny Beautiful Things with Liz Tigelaar and Cheryl Strayed (Hulu)
- Dawson’s Creek 25th Anniversary Screening & Conversation (Sony)
- At this time, Freeform’s panels for grown-ish and Cruel Summer are still on the schedule.
- With this news, the following panels have been added to the schedule:
- WGA on Strike!
- Beyond the Page
- Why Do You Write?
- Queer Stories We Want To See
- …The End
- Panelists have been announced for the “WGA on Strike!” panel, which is moderated by Beau Willimon, WGA East.
- Zoanne Clack, WGA West (executive story editor on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy)
- Greg Iwinski, WGA East, Negotiating Committee (writer on HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver)
- Damon Lindelof, WGA West (co-creator, writer, and producer of ABC’s Lost)
- Julie Plec, WGA West (co-creator, writer, producer, showrunner of The CW’s The Vampire Diaries)
- “WGA on Strike!” panel description: “With fair pay, streaming residuals, artificial intelligence, the size of writers rooms, and on-set experience all on the table, the writers of the WGA have gone pencils down for the first time in 15 years. During this panel writers discuss first-hand the issues at stake, the changes they’re fighting for; and why the strike is necessary to safeguard the future of not just writers, but all entertainment unions and creatives.”
- Festival Badges and Single Tickets are available now at atxfestival.com/attend.
- To view the festival schedule, click here.
What They’re Saying:
- Caitlin McFarland & Emily Gipson, ATX TV Co-Presidents and Founders: “ATX TV Festival has always been a place of celebration and community. It is where important conversations are had about the history and future of television in a safe and inclusive environment. We will maintain these tenets as we believe education and conversation between both Industry and Consumers are needed now more than ever. There wouldn’t be television without writers. They have always been the rock stars of our festival, and though this year will look a little different, it will continue to be a place to showcase their talents and importance. The stories and characters we care so deeply about would not exist without them, and neither would this festival.”