The Writers Guild of America is ripping into Boston College after BU picked the chief of Warner Bros. Discovery to be this month’s commencement speaker amid the Hollywood writers’ strike.
Following BU’s “poor determination” to have Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav as commencement speaker on Might 21, the Writers Guild of America is warning that picketers could descend upon the ceremony at Nickerson Subject.
“Boston College shouldn’t give voice to somebody who needs to destroy their college students’ potential to construct a profession within the movie and tv trade,” a Writers Guild of America, East, spokesperson said in an announcement to the Herald.
“The College ought to anticipate college students, Writers Guild members, in addition to different unions and neighborhood teams to picket Zaslav’s graduation handle,” the spokesperson added.
BU has been coping with heat as a result of the school ultimate week launched that Zaslav, a BU Legislation alum from 1985, could be the commencement speaker.
Zaslav is pictured on a viral guidelines of eight Hollywood CEOs who collectively made larger than $773 million in 2021, based mostly on the writers’ guild. Zaslav took dwelling $246 million that yr, the guild posted on-line.
“College students at Boston College’s prestigious movie and tv program, together with Writers Guild of America members in Boston, have expressed their deep disappointment with the College over its poor determination to platform Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav,” the Writers Guild of America, East, spokesperson said.
“Writers Guild members are on strike as a result of Firms together with Warner Bros. Discovery refused to ensure any stage of weekly employment in episodic tv, tried to pivot late night time writers to a day charge, stonewalled on free work on script revisions for screenwriters, and refused to even talk about our proposal on the existential menace AI poses to all writers,” the spokesperson added.
Zaslav was requested regarding the writers’ strike all through a TV look ultimate week.
“Everyone deserves to be paid pretty,” Zaslav said on CNBC. “So our primary focus is let’s attempt to get this resolved. Let’s do it in a approach that the writers really feel that they’re valued, which they’re, they usually’re compensated pretty, after which off we go. Let’s inform nice tales collectively.”
Final Thursday morning, BU tweeted about Zaslav inside the commencement announcement, “He oversaw the launch of a few of the fastest-growing networks within the US and the rise of common channels, corresponding to Animal Planet, HGTV, Meals Community, & TLC.”
The school has not responded to numerous requests for comment regarding the criticism of the speaker resolve.
