Ousted Head of Writers Guild Gets $298,450

Directors of the Western office of the Writers Guild of America said Tuesday that they have settled the contract of ousted Executive Director Brian Walton, authorizing a lump-sum payment of $298,450 and allowing him to serve as a consultant through January 2001.

Walton, who plans to formally step down Sept. 1, will continue to collect his regular salary, currently $368,085 annually, while serving as a consultant. He will also get fringe benefits. Walton’s contract was to have expired in 2002.

Walton’s payment includes severance and accrued vacation and sick days. He will also receive relocation expenses as well as financial assistance for office space and staff.

Walton was forced out of his job earlier this month after 13 years as the top administrator representing Hollywood TV and film writers on the West Coast.

The move came after an unusual referendum in which writers were asked to vote not only on the guild’s strategic direction, but also on an early-termination clause in Walton’s contract.

Walton and other guild leaders believed it was important to get a mandate from writers because the guild is starting talks with producers over the delicate issue of whether writers deserve a bigger cut when their work runs on cable TV or in foreign markets.

Instead, the vote backfired and became a personal referendum on Walton. He lost, and directors decided to reach a severance agreement with him.

In an interview, Walton said he has no long-term plans.

“I had expected that at some point in life I would leave the Writers Guild. In typical Writers Guild style, this ending was a surprise. I didn’t sense it would be happening right now,” he said.

Directors also approved a Walton tribute and scheduled it for Tuesday at the Writers Guild Theater.