The world of entertainment finds itself at a point of contention as members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) remain on strike. Writers across television, film and other entertainment vehicles continue to push for equitable pay, benefits and treatment while viewers wait to see how studios will respond. In the meantime, the production of shows like Stranger Things and films like Blade has come to a screeching halt. Amid the ongoing strike, Alex O’Keefe, best known for his contributions to The Bear, stopped by The Dan LeBatard Show to talk about what’s going on in Hollywood.
“Episode seven of The Bear is one of the best episodes of television that I have ever seen. The tension is palpable. It should be noted….because when we talk about this humanity…forgive the indelicacy of this question Alex, but I want people to understand what you’re fighting for here. The Bear won the WGA Award for [best] comedy series. He, Alex, went to the ceremony with a negative bank account and a bowtie that he had bought on credit. There are agency fees and taxes involved in Hollywood work. [For] this profoundly great work of art that you made, how much did you end up getting paid for your work on season one of The Bear?” LeBatard asked.
“When my manager first called me, I was unemployed. To send in a spec script and get hired is basically unheard of these days, so I was grateful. He said, ‘They’re going to pay you maybe $43,000.’ I said, ‘$43,000! Oh my God! That’s amazing!’ He said, ‘Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Alex, hold up. That’s not all your money. This is how Hollywood works. You’ve got to pay me. You’ve got to pay your agent. You’ve got to pay your dues. You’ve got to pay into the union. Because I was working in New York, I had to pay New York taxes. Because they were working in California, I had to pay California taxes. The federal government wants a piece. You’ve got to pay them too. By the end of it, I probably would have made more money actually working in the restaurant The Bear is based on than working on the television show,” he answered.
Unfortunately, O’Keefe is not the only writer to experience these financial hardships. Moving forward, O’Keefe says writers are looking to obtain 2% of Hollywood’s profits.
“We’re not able to survive in between our gigs and we’re not seeing any percentage of our success. All we’re asking for is 2% of Hollywood’s profits. That’s all we’re asking for,” he continued.
“If all of our demands were met, [it would be] 2% of Hollywood’s profits and that’s too much for them. We’re asking for…For every writer from Marvel to The Bear, if you paid every writer in America what we wanted, it would cost less than like three of the CEO’s salaries put together.”
