Category: WGA Strike

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My letter to Jeff Zucker

[This letter was mailed on November 30]

Dear Mr. Zucker,

I have five words for you: “Image is everything. Andre Agassi.”

It was those five words, spoken by Michael Scott in The Office’s Season 2 episode, “The Fire,” which motivated me to write its author, B.J. Novak, back in late 2005.

To my surprise, B.J. wrote me back: “You are the first to quote the Andre Agassi line! I came up with it on the spot and told it to Steve and was SO proud of it. I thought no one noticed, or remembered the Canon ads. Glad you did!”

Shortly thereafter, I decided to create a fansite for the show. In February 2006, OfficeTally.com was born. It’s been an amazing adventure ever since.

Now running a fansite isn’t always fun. Especially on Thursday nights, when I laboriously transcribe my favorite quotes from that evening’s episode. But even after nearly two years of running OfficeTally, I still react with childlike glee when I load up the quote randomizer with my favorite gems at the end of the evening.

You see, great writing is joyous. Great writing inspires people to create fansites. And great writing deserves fair pay.

Until the contract negotiation is resolved, I will not watch any replacement programming you put in The Office’s place. I will not view or download online episodes.

And OfficeTally’s quote randomizer will go dark.

Because without fair pay, there are no words.

Sincerely,

Jennie Tan
www.officetally.com

—

Okay Tallyheads, go write your own letter.

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A letter from The Office writing staff

To all fans of “The Office,”

Tonight is our last new episode for a while, so we wanted to write a quick note (with tanster’s help) to thank you for the overwhelming support you have shown us, and other writers, in this weird and difficult time.

Every day we wake up and put on red shirts and drive to a hot, unpleasant location in Los Angeles and walk in circles for four hours. It pretty much stinks, and we would all rather be at work (by a factor of like 10,000), but we continue to do it because the things we are fighting for are fair, reasonable, and incredibly important to the future of our industry. They matter to us, to actors, to directors, and to everyone who works on a TV or movie set.

We certainly hope that this will all be over soon. In the meantime, the best way to help (if you are looking for something to pass the time that does not include watching boring non-union reality shows for three hours a night) is to write letters to the CEOs of these companies, and to tell them that you support the WGA and our attempt to secure a fair deal for our work. There is more information here.

The other thing you can do is to stay informed. The blog www.unitedhollywood.com is the best source for non-Mega-Corp-spun information. WGA.org and WGAeast.org also have updates and information, including breakdowns of exactly what we are asking for, as well as what the companies are offering (which is a fun read, if you like intimidating legalese). Nikki Finke’s site (www.deadlinehollywood.com) has become indispensable as well.

Again, we cannot thank you all enough for your support and interest. Stay tuned to OfficeTally for more updates.

Sincerely,

The Writing Staff of The Office

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Call to action: write a letter!

Tori said it in her review. The Office’s Michael Schur and Jen Celotta said it in the chat room. And now I am officially appealing to Tallyheads and Office fans everywhere —

The best thing you can do to support the writers during the WGA strike is to write a letter. Specifically, write a letter to Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of NBC/Universal.

Be articulate. Be polite. Tell Mr. Zucker that you’re an Office fan and you want your show back. That you won’t watch any replacement programming until The Office returns.

Check out various Tallyhead letters in the comments below.

Let’s get the entire Office staff back where they belong, doing what they do best: making our favorite show.

Mail letters to:
Jeff Zucker
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

P.S. The Office staff has heard every other idea that you guys have had — from boycotting DunderMifflinInfinity.com, to not watching The Office online, to turning off your TV altogether. Again, Michael Schur says “we can’t quite figure out what the right move is with digital media stuff for right now, but we do know that writing letters is good.” As for a DMI boycott, I spoke to another Office writer who says, “DMI has nothing to do with the Writers’ Guild strike. The strike is only about scripted content, so keep on participating in DMI and reading the character blogs. It’s all we’ve got right now!”

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Michael Schur and Jen Celotta visit the OTCR

The Office

It was an absolute thrill to welcome The Office’s co-executive producers and writers extraordinaire Michael Schur and Jen Celotta into the OfficeTally Chat Room tonight!

Aside from Mike mistaking Parker for a guy and Jen trying to type replies on a toaster, the chat went very well. They answered questions about the strike and the future of the show.

I talked to Mike afterwards, and he sounded totally pumped about the whole experience. Another chat is a definite possibility for the near future.

A full transcript of the chat after the jump. A few tiny spoilerish tidbits included.

Continue reading “Michael Schur and Jen Celotta visit the OTCR”

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Tori’s Review: The WGA Strike

One Office Fan’s Completely Biased View of the Strike ( … or how you can help the writers of The Office)

Turn off your televisions and get out a pen; or in support of “new media” — write an email.

The people who bring us The Office each week are picketing outside the set, on a vacant cul-de-sac in the middle of nowhere with no media attention. Why? Because the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers can’t come to an agreement about the amount of money the show’s writers should receive from DVD sales, and/or “new media,” a blanket term for shows that are downloaded or streamed on the Internet.

While new media might not seem like a big of a deal right now, it will be in the future. One day, you’ll park your flying car in the garage, float “Second Life”-style to your couch, and have the biggest urge to watch “The Injury.” In less than a second, your home’s central computer will download it to your 200-inch television.

Your DVD player will be rotting in your attic next to your original limbs.

Continue reading “Tori’s Review: The WGA Strike”