New Zealand Writers Guild Supports Equity Meaa Proposal

15 December 2004

The New Zealand Writers Guild today announced it supports the MEAA proposal for NZ Actors Equity.

Under the proposal Actors Equity would receive financial assistance from the Media Entertainment Arts Alliance, an Australian media alliance.

"We believe this is a win for both Equity and the local industry," said Guild Executive Director Dominic Sheehan. "The arrangement would enable Equity to become a stronger, more focussed organisation and in turn it will be able to work more proactively on issues of concern in the industry. We are aware that local actors face many of the same problems that local writers deal with, including an inability to negotiate fair minimum pay and conditions. Therefore, anything that gives actors a more influential voice has to be good for workers industry-wide."

Sheehan also discounted some of the misinformation that has been spread concerning the proposal. "I have been personally disappointed at some of the unhelpful talk that has been spread around the industry. I would encourage all performers to contact Equity to get the facts and then make their own informed decision."

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>