Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Lower Decks producers show solidarity with The Animation Guild in support of better wages for writers
Star Trek: Prodigy co-creator Kevin Hageman, speaking to The Animation Guild
FEBRUARY 14, 2022 - The Animation Guild, Local 839 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), represents animation and visual effects artists. The Guild is expressing concern over what it sees as compensation disparities between animation writers and their live-action counterparts, and some Star Trek producers are showing their support.
According to the Guild’s website, they are “going into negotiations this year determined to increase animation writer minimums and educate the industry on challenges faced by animation writers.” Under the hashtags #PayAnimationWriters and #NewDeal4Animation, Star Trek: Prodigy executive producer and co-creator (with his brother, Dan) Kevin Hageman, and Prodigy screenwriter and executive producer Aaron Waltke are adding their voices to the cause.
Hageman noted in a tweet on the Animation Guild Writers account over the weekend, “My brother and I have written for film and TV, for live action and animation, and there is no difference.”
Creator of Star Trek: Prodigy Kevin Hageman (@brothershageman) explains that there is no difference between live action writing and animation writing. It's the same job and we deserve the same pay! #PayAnimationWriters #NewDeal4Animation pic.twitter.com/TIizm3EbOp
— Animation Guild Writers (@TAGwriters) February 12, 2022
Waltke also took to Twitter to say, “As demands have grown and stories have only become more complex, wages have fallen behind.”
I’ve written live action and animated projects — I was co-executive producer and showrunner on “Tales of Arcadia”, and currently co-EP and head writer on “Star Trek: Prodigy.”
— Aaron J. Waltke (@GoodAaron) February 13, 2022
Writing is writing. Animated stories are stories. It’s time to close the gap with a #NewDeal4Animation https://t.co/sfp8myo1X6
And last month, Star Trek: Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan also tweeted under #NewDeal4Animation a GIF in support of animation writers, in which T’Lyn, the Vulcan from the season two episode, “wej Duj,” is saying, “It is illogical to ignore something of statistical significance.”
#NewDeal4Animation https://t.co/qdl1JHttEE pic.twitter.com/tZsb4P89Dj
— Mike McMahan (@MikeMcMahanTM) January 16, 2022
Negotiations for a new master agreement between the Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) began last year and are expected to pick up again this year.
You can experience the efforts of these and other animation writers on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy, streaming now on Paramount+ in the US and other selected countries and on Crave/CTV Sci-Fi in Canada.
David is a contributing writer for Daily Star Trek News on the Roddenberry Podcast Network. He is a librarian, baseball fan, and book and movie buff. He has also written for American Libraries and Skeptical Inquirer. David also enjoys diverse music, but leans toward classical and jazz. He plays a mean radio.
