Reading Between the Lines

By Andrew Garoppo '24, September 29, 2023

Park Post event welcomes alumnae to discuss Hollywood strikes.

The WGA strike lasted nearly five months.

(Photo by Ringo Chiu/Shutterstock)

The Writer’s Guild of America strike officially ended at 12:01 a.m. on September 27. For nearly five months, the strike had not only ground the production of movies and television shows to a halt but cast doubts about what the future of the industry would look like.

Amidst that backdrop, on September 19, the Roy H. Park School of Communications welcomed two alumnae, Juniper Jensen ’20 and Molle DeBartolo ’07, to speak via Zoom to current students about the details of the strike, as well as discuss the potential changes that could be coming to the industry.

“I believe that the best role we can serve regarding the strike is in the same role that we have always served—through educating our students.”

Amy Falkner, dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications.

“The business model of the entertainment industry has fundamentally changed in recent years, and that change requires new ways of thinking about how those who work in it should be compensated,” said Amy Falkner, dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications. “There is much to be discussed and learned by considering the positions of the unions and the studios. I believe that the best role we can serve regarding the strike is in the same role that we have always served—through educating our students.”

The event was sponsored by Park Post, a student group focused on the post-production industry that meets with members of the Post Production student group at Syracuse University.

Jensen is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn who has worked on many shows, most recently as an assistant editor on the docuseries VICE on Showtime. They said that their goal in speaking was to better inform current students.

“Being aware of what is going on in the industry, in both good times and bad, is vital,” said Jensen, who was a film, photography, and visual arts major at IC and is also a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). “Knowledge is power.”

“I think the one thing we as students don’t take account of with this strike is perspective; other departments beyond acting and writing are affected by these strikes.”

Ryan Carty ’24

DeBartolo works for the production company American High at their Liverpool, N.Y., location. One of the things she stressed was that despite the WGA strike — as well as the still-ongoing Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike--is that there’s still plenty of options for students.

“I wanted current students to know that there are opportunities out there for them, whether it be in documentary, un-scripted, narrative, commercial, or corporate fields,” she said. “I also wanted to share how the skills they learn in one field can be transferable into other venues.”

Current student Ryan Carty ’24 appreciated how the talk illuminated the breadth and depth of the strikes.

“I think the one thing we as students don’t take account of with this strike is perspective; other departments beyond acting and writing are affected by these strikes,” he said. “It was very interesting to hear Molle’s perspective as someone who has a lot of experience in the industry. It gave me a better grasp on what’s going on.”