WGA DIVERSITY REPORT HAS "FAMILIAR RING TO IT"

With the exception of female TV writers, women and minority scribes have made little progress of late in seeking fair employment and earnings in Hollywood, according to a report commissioned by the WGA West released Tuesday.

"This year's report has a familiar ring to it," WGA president Patric Verrone said. "While there have been some advances made by women and minorities in some sectors, white male writers continue to be a disproportionately dominant portion of the writing work force."

The "2007 Hollywood Writers Report -- Whose Stories Are We Telling?" was written by Darnell Hunt, director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies and professor of sociology at UCLA. Hunt was the author involved in a similar WGAW-commissioned report in 2005 and also participated in a study of TV employment released by SAG in 2000.

Based on analysis of minority- and gender-based data, the latest WGA report encompasses employment and earning trends through 2005. Minority writers made scant progress in any sector in the study period.

"More than 30% of the American population is non-white, yet writers of color continue to account for less than 10% of employed television writers," Hunt noted in an executive summary of the report. "These numbers will likely get worse before they get better because of the recent merger of UPN and the WB into the new CW Network, which resulted in the cancellation of several minority-themed situation comedies that employed a disproportionate share of minority television writers.

"The situation is grimmer in film," he added, " where the minority share of employment has been stuck at 6% for years."

The report also documented an earnings disparity for minority writers in television that widened by more than $6,000 between 2004 and 2005. The overall median earnings for minority TV writers in 2005 was $78,107, compared to $97,956 for white writers.

The earnings gap increased by almost $2,000 for minority film writers during the same period, with 2005 median earnings of $66,666 for minority writers and $77,537 for white writers.

Among women writers, overall employment and TV employment remained unchanged in 2005 at 25% and 27%, respectively. In a rare report bright spot, women writers "virtually eliminated the television median earnings gap, earning just about $300 less than their male counterparts in 2005."

But between 2004 and 2005, the gender gap in median film earnings doubled to $40,000. Women writers earned a median $50,000 while males earned $90,000.

The report also showed employment share among different age groups from 2001-2005.

TV writers aged 40-50 accounted for a flat 35% of all TV writers in each of three select years -- 2001, 2003 and 2005. TV writers aged 31-40 enjoyed an increase in employment share to 37% from 35%, while writers younger than 31 declined to 7% from 9%.

Film writers 40 and younger represented a majority for the first time in 2004, and by 2005 accounted for 55% of all film writers, according to the report.

Verrone said the report's findings should be taken as "a call to action for all decision-makers" in Hollywood.

"Releasing this report during the TV hiring season provides a timely reminder to those decision-makers to actively seek out and read the work of writers who are women and people of color," the WGA president said. "As part of a unified guild, we must all be allowed to compete for opportunities so that all our stories may have an equal chance to be heard."

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: 12TH ANNUAL SLAMDANCE SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

POSTMARK SUBMISSION DEADLINE: May 18, 2007

Grand Prize: $7,000
Best Short Prize: $500

The Slamdance Screenplay Competition is dedicated to new writers. We accept screenplays in every genre, both feature and short length, on any topic from every country around the world. Our mission is to bring attention to the most talented emerging screenwriters and introduce them to the industry.

"Winning Slamdance was an incredible moral booster and the seal of approval that made the industry stop and take notice."
-Nicole Kassell, 2001 Slamdance 1st place winner and co-writer/director of THE WOODSMAN

http://www.slamdance.com/screencomp

"THE SHORT LIFE OF JOSE ANTONIO GUTIERREZ" OPENS (SAN FRANCISCO)

a film by Heidi Specogna
www.theshortlife-film.com

Marine Lance Cpl. José Antonio Gutierrez was one of the 300,000 soldiers the U.S. military sent to war in Iraq in March 2003. A few hours after the war began, his picture was broadcast all over the world: he was the first American soldier to be killed in Iraq. He was also a so- called 'green-card soldier' - one of approximately 32,000 non-U.S. citizens fighting in the ranks of the U.S. armed forces who would receive U.S. citizenship as compensation for their sacrifice.

The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez tells the moving story of a one-time street kid from Guatemala, who, full of hopes for a better future, immigrated to the U.S, ultimately to die an American hero in the deserts of Iraq. Director Heidi Specogna retraces José Antonio's path - from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States - and meets the people who accompanied him on his journey: his friends from the street, the social workers at a Guatemala orphanage, his sister, his foster family in Los Angeles, and, at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, the marines who were with him at the end.

Chilling, thought-provoking, and profound, José Antonio's story is no adventurer's tale. It is the story of a young man's attempt to survive - on both sides of the world.

"An illuminating story"
- David Ansen, Newsweek

"A well researched, graceful film"
- Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

by exclusive engagement

May 9-13, 2007; and May 16-18, 2007
The Victoria Theatre, San Francisco
(415) 863-7576

CALL FOR ENTRIES: FILMAKA ONLINE FILMMAKING COMPETITION

Filmaka’s aim is to encourage and inspire filmmakers (a.k.a. filmakas) from all around the globe with its upcoming May competition.

Our new theme is “The Game”. Following the incredible response to our first five competitions, we are excited to see how filmakas explore this new challenge.

The deadline for all uploads is midnight (PST) 30th of May. Film entries must run between 1-3 minutes in length and can be in any language (English subtitles are encouraged).

Each month the top 15-20 filmakas win cash prizes and the chance show their filmmaking talent to our award-winning jury. We are honoured to have industry professionals such as Colin Firth, Werner Herzog, Neil LaBute, John Madden, Paul Shrader and Wim Wenders as part of our jury. They have been very impressed by the quality of the work they have judged thus far.

Our jury picks three winners every month. There are more prizes and all three are allowed to compete in our ‘Filmaka of the Year’ contest at the end of 2007, where one Director wins a feature film deal.

Entry is free to all students. Simply email us from a valid school/university email address at - collegeregistration@filmaka.com

Please visit http://www.filmaka.com for further information. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Best regards,
Bindia
bindia.filmaka@gmail.com

TEEN FILMMAKERS SCREEN TWO SHORT DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT LATINO LEADERSHIP IN ESCONDIDO

Media Arts Center San Diego’s Teen Producers Project in partnership with San Diego County Office of Education’s Migrant Education Program (Region IX), is screening Poder Escondido: Stories of Latino Civic Engagement in Escondido, a two-part documentary series produced by local youth from Escondido. Students from Orange Glen High School participated in the Teen Producers Project, an after-school video production, education and training program, to produce two short documentaries that focus on Latino civic engagement in North County, San Diego. Carmen Miranda, former candidate for Escondido City Council, Consuelo Martinez, student and grassroots activist, and Bill de la Fuente, businessman turned community organizer, are spotlighted in these two films for their leadership and commitment to social change. The films will be screened Thursday, June 7th at 6:30 PM at the Performing Arts Center at Orange Glen High School. Orange Glen High school is located at 2200 Glenridge Road in Escondido. Youth producers and video interviewees will participate in a Q & A after the screening. The screening is free and open to the public.

Descriptions of the films:

Poder Escondido/ Hidden Power
Two Latina women make a difference in the city of Escondido, empowering their community. Carmen Miranda and Consuelo Martinez embark on a grassroots campaign to better Escondido for all.

The Story of Bill de la Fuente
After a terrible shooting in his neighborhood in the 90s, Bill de la Fuente was moved to action. The businessman turned community organizer has become an influential community leader in North County, advocating on behalf of Latino communities, youth, and local businesses.

Funding for the project comes from Las Patronas, Stuart Foundation, California Arts Council - Youth Education in the Arts, and the Community Technology Foundation of California.

For more information about Poder Escondido: Stories of Latino Civic Engagement in Escondido, contact Kate Trumbull, MACSD Education Coordinator for the Teen Producers Project at 619-230-1938 x 102/ ktrumbull@mediaartscenter.org

TOP MEXICAN DIRECTORS TEAM UP

May 7, 2007 - (Variety) - The Three Amigos are looking to convert their recent clout into a five-picture deal for them and two Mexican compadres. Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - the Mexican directing triumvirate who made a splash on last season's awards circuit - have banded together with Cuaron's younger brother, tyro helmer Carlos, and "Passengers" director Rodrigo Garcia to shop the slate at Universal and other studios. Each helmer would direct one project; the combined budget totals $100 million. Universal would seem to have the inside track given its relationship with the trio. The studio released Cuaron's "Children of Men" last year and will release del Toro's "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" next year; its Focus Features arm distribbed Inarritu's "21 Grams." During the kudos season, del Toro enthused about working with U production prexy Donna Langley. Full Story here

SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE

May 8, 2007 - LOS ANGELES (Los Angeles Times) - When Alex Pels was growing up in Argentina in the 1970s and '80s, he recalls, "there was not really a lot of choices in terms of how you got access to pop culture." "Once in a blue moon somebody would bring, like, a Rolling Stone [magazine] that somebody had brought from the United States, and it might be 8 months old, but for you it was the latest thing," says Pels, general manager of the Universal City-based mun2 television network. "So you had to keep your antenna open." What a difference a couple decades has made. Today, Pels suggests, the challenge for young Latinos in the United States isn't to keep their antennae open (or "up," as the case may be), but to keep them from being overloaded by a deluge of new cultural options. "It's not about being defined by a particular style" Pels says, "it's more about being empowered to create your own menu." Those entrees are lavishly on display in Los Angeles, which is steadily emerging as the creative hub of a new type of bilingual and English-language television aimed at young Latinos who feel equally at home in both the Spanish- and English-speaking worlds. Full Story here

LATV HIT NATIONAL AIRWAVES

May 7, 2007 - LOS ANGELES (PRNewswire) - LATV Networks, the nation's first bilingual music/entertainment network distributed via digital multicast, announced today that its pioneering method of delivering its network signal coast-to-coast is a success as it premieres its programming lineup today. In a concurrent announcement, the 24/7 network announced six new affiliates. They are: WSJP (CW) Puerto Rico; KVIA (ABC) El Paso; KRNV (NBC) Reno; KYMA (NBC) Yuma/El Centro; KFDA (CBS) Amarillo; and KWES (NBC) Midland/Odessa. Full Story here

HISPANIC AD SPENDING ROSE 14%

May 3, 2007 - NEW YORK (Mediaweek) - Advertising spending across Spanish-language media continues to outpace general market media, increasing 14.4 percent last year to nearly $5.6 billion, according to a Nielsen Monitor-Plus analysis of spending across six media segments. While network and local TV got nearly 79 percent of the dollars, spot radio (based on data from 68 radio stations) had the largest gain, up 30 percent to almost $740 million. Spanish-language cable TV had the second-largest growth, up 20.3 percent to more than $125 million, followed by national magazines, up 14.7 percent to $143 million. Newspapers had the most modest growth, up 4.3 percent to $110.4 million. The top 20 Spanish-language advertisers were responsible for nearly a third of all advertising on Spanish-language media. Combined, the top 20, including mainstream advertisers such as Procter & Gamble, AT&T, Verizon Communications and McDonald's, increased Spanish-language budgets by 4.7 percent. Full Story here

LATINOS' BATTLE WITH BURNS TAKEN TO "WAR" SPONSORS

May 3, 2007 - (Washington Post) - Latino advocacy organizations upset about filmmaker Ken Burns's forthcoming PBS documentary on World War II have stepped up their campaign against the film, pressuring two corporate sponsors to remove their support. Leaders of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, an umbrella organization of 14 groups, on Tuesday asked representatives of General Motors Corp. and Anheuser-Busch to disavow their sponsorship and remove their corporate logos from Burns's "The War," a 14-hour documentary scheduled to be shown on PBS stations in September, coincidentally during Hispanic Heritage Month. "Our message was very simple," said Manuel Mirabal, the association's chairman. "They should not be associated with this documentary. If they plan to do so, to put it bluntly, they will not be held harmless." Full Story here

SCRIPT SUPERVISOR AND PRODUCTION DESIGNER FOR FEATURE FILM

Gorilla Wagon Production Company is in search of a Script Supervisor and a Production Designer for an independent feature length film.

Start date will be May 28th 2007.

Rate will depend upon experience.

TO APPLY: email your resume and any links to your work to Katie Junge at:
KJsnay9@yahoo.com
OR
Call (818) 531-5618

OPPORTUNITY: SCRIPT READING SERVICES

I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Geoff Harris. I am a former, longtime NBC executive who, among other things, was in charge of the network's Story Department. Today, I am a freelance writer and a teacher/mentor to Latino writers who participate in the NBC/ABC Hispanic Writers Workshops. In fact, one of this year's NALIP writing fellows is Conrad Gomez, who participated in one of my Workshops.

Most importantly, I have a script reading/notes service and would would like to make your readers aware of it by posting the paragraph below on your website. Essentially, I provide copious, detailed notes on screenplays, TV scripts and pilots at reasonable rates -- $375 for screenplays, $275 for hour-long dramas and $225 for half-hour comedies.   

Geoff Harris
geohar23@aol.com