More on the Strike - Misconceptions Cleared Up

More from Emmy Award winning "Days of our Lives" writer Tom Casiello:
Our biggest demands in this strike are 1) That we get a SMALL (under 3 percent) residual of all Internet money the studios/networks get (right now, we get NOTHING... so every time a show is downloaded on iTunes or on nbc.com or wherever, they get advertising revenue, but the actors, writers and directors get ZERO) and 2) That they raise the FOUR CENTS we get from a $28.95 DVD sale to EIGHT CENTS.

I just got back from a strike captain's meeting, and one of the things they suggested we do was boycott buying DVD's for Christmas presents this year, should the strike continue into the holidays.

Now DVD's don't really affect soap writing. But I think it's a fantastic idea... so I'm asking that in support of the writers, actors and directors who are being robbed blind, if everyone could put a halt on buying DVD's (of TV shows or movies) not only as Christmas presents for their friends and families, but also for themselves, until this strike is over.

It's a small thing, but if enough people stop buying DVD's for just a couple of months, it'll definitely be a blow to the studios' pockets. (Plus, you can save some money and then splurge when the strike is over! It's not like the DVD's won't be there...)

Apparently there are some misconceptions out there, which I totally understand. But I need to clear some things up.

1) We are NOT all millionaires. In fact, we're mostly middle-class.

2) We're not raking in the dough. Before the strike, 48% of the guild was UNEMPLOYED, and ONLY able to live off of residuals... residuals they are getting from basic cable re-runs (which is something we had to fight for in a previous strike). And NOT residuals they're getting when people download old episodes of shows they wrote on the internet.

3) There seems to be a general opinion that the writers are being "greedy". Sure, I can see that. Especially if you think we're all cashing in six-figure checks. But let me ask you this - Would you steal a book from a bookstore because the author has already "been paid for it"? Would you think the author of a book has a right to a percentage, no matter how small, if you were to buy the book on tape, or as a PodCast? Of course you would.

What we're fighting for is new media. New media that hasn't been policed, and that EVERYONE (the directors and actors and producers as well) deserves a percentage of, the way they got a percentage of syndication and basic cable.

Phew... thanks for letting me get that off my chest. The Internet is here, and it's time the people writing both original content for the Internet got their due. As the creators of the Office said in their brilliant video "We won an Emmy... for original Webisodes we never got paid for in the first place."