Howard Rodman elected as president of the Writers Guild of America, West
Screenwriter Howard Rodman succeeds Chris Keyser, the creator of the TV series “Party of Five” who served two terms as president and was prohibited under guild rules from seeking a third term.
Screenwriter Howard Rodman has been elected president of the Writers Guild of America, West in an election that highlighted the growing anxieties among writers in Hollywood.
Rodman, the union’s current vice president, easily defeated veteran TV writer Joan Meyerson.
He succeeds Chris Keyser, the creator of the TV series “Party of Five” who served two terms as president and was prohibited under guild rules from seeking a third term.
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Rodman, whose credits include the 2007 movie “Savage Grace” and the 2008 film “August,” campaigned on the economic challenges facing writers, including a reduction in “quotes” and payments for script drafts.
Total employment in feature films last year decreased more than 11%, with earnings over the same period declining 9.9%, according to a recent survey of earnings by the union.
“Today if there is a middle class of working writers, that class is hanging on by its collective fingernails,” Rodman wrote in a campaign statement posted on his Facebook page.
David Goodman was elected vice president, and Aaron Mendelsohn was voted in as secretary-treasurer.
Eight members were elected to the WGAW’s Board of Directors for two-year terms: Billy Ray, Meredith Stiehm, Andrea Berloff, Mara Brock Akil, Luvh Rakhe, Zak Penn, Carleton Eastlake and Ari Rubin.
A ninth board member – Patric M. Verrone – was elected for a one-year term to fill the vacancy created by Mendelsohn’s election to the secretary-treasurer position. Verrone is a former president of the union.
The number of eligible voting members was 8,778, with a total of 2,401 valid ballots cast, representing 27% voter turnout. The ballot count was supervised by Votenet Solutions.
Twitter: @rverrier
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