Charley Feldman
“From YouTube to writing for animation — Double guild member WGA & TAG writer Charley Feldman chats with us about their journey in the writer’s rooms.”
Interview & Photography by Nolwen Cifuentes
Tell me a bit about your background. What brought you to LA and to writing?
I call myself a townie since I was born and raised in Los Angeles, specifically the valley. It’s my dumb joke because when you hear “townie” you think of someone who never left their small town and it’s their destiny to join the local industry. But that’s exactly what I did! I barely left. It’s just that it’s not mining, or manufacturing - it’s entertainment. And I was ferociously confident I’d wedge my way in at some point because writing was so compulsive for me. I have been writing stories and sketches for my friends to perform since I was seven years old. I’ve been trying lately to decouple my obsession with writing for entertainment and my entire personality/will to live, but that’s for my therapist and I to untangle, paid for by my PWGA health care! Solidarity forever!
What kinds of challenges have you faced career-wise?
I think I have been extremely lucky to have found my way into an actual writing career, but a lot of that “luck” has come from my inherent privileges. I could take big swings because my family is nearby, and I could live at home if I needed to. My whiteness generally. My challenge within all of this is that while I’m non-binary, I’m misgendered as a woman constantly. As far as I know, it has yet to explicitly hinder me, but I have my suspicions that most people are like cool, woman-lite, let’s give Charley our female-branded IP to pitch on and call it a day. Glad to be in a room or in the running for projects! Any project! But I yearn for the day people are both given the opportunities to tell our stories, or the stories of people like us, and given outside our perceived silo. That’s why we need more shows! More writers! More opportunities!
What kinds of changes have you seen in the industry from when you began to now?
I broke into mainstream work about seven years ago, but before that I wrote, directed and produced for YouTube companies. Mostly geek/gamer shows, branded content, etc. And all that time I was hustling to make ends meet as a (mostly) freelance worker, I’d look on the other side of the fence at the legit TV and movie world and yearn to have the stability of what those writers got. I thought breaking in meant you stayed in. Or at least union backed pay and healthcare. And when I got my first staffings, it did feel stable. But in the last five I feel like I’m right back to those gig-to-gig days. The AMPTP would love us to follow that YouTube “creator” model. And, having lived that life, it is not a sustainable path. Not for the workers and not even for the studios when you gaze out at the graveyard of dead YouTube companies and MCN’s.
What are some of your biggest concerns around some of the AMPTP contracts? Is it compensation, healthcare, AI, etc?
I truly believe every single item we’re negotiating for is crucial to the survival of our industry. When I look at the numbers, the fractional percentages we’re asking for, I often wonder if we’re asking for too little! If I had to choose, I’m probably most concerned by the size of a writer’s room. I have just been on a show where I was the only writer besides the showrunner. That’s a two person room plus a very wonderful writer’s assistant. We worked our asses off, and I certainly hope people will like what we came up with, but it didn’t have to be that way! The studio only really wanted one writer, and apologies to the rare Mike Whites of the world, but I truly believe the best written shows come from a brain trust of writers from all different backgrounds. More writers catch problems, craft better jokes, and are able to pick up the slack when showrunners or writers have to be elsewhere. It makes a better product if you want to get arch capitalist about it. And the studios are saying the quiet part out loud when they care more about the budgets than the quality of their products.
Do you see any differences in writing for animation vs live action? Any concerns there?
Most of my writing work has been in animation where a lot of what WGA is fighting for and trying to fight off is already happening. For instance, the AMPTP just said they will leave things like room size to a “showrunner,” but there’s no language about who the showrunner is. I know of several shows that have a position called, “head writer.” They are doing all the work of a showrunner, but the final say and all the power will go to an exec who can easily dictate a tiny room, leaving the head writer without the support needed. Mini rooms and story summits, where you are given a couple days sometimes to break (create) an entire season’s worth of story, are very, very common. And that’s just not enough time to do the job well. Again, we want to create the best possible shows. That’s all we want to do here.
Can you tell me more about your experience in "Zoom rooms" post-pandemic?
I was in a writer’s room at Henson when the pandemic lockdowns started in March 2020. That work continued on Zoom, which led to Fraggle Rock on Zoom, which led to now THREE YEARS OF ZOOM!!! I haven’t gone into an office despite working in rooms on X-Men ‘97 and Fraggle Rock’s second season during this time. I don’t think doing the work over Zoom has diminished the quality, and the flexibility has allowed me to travel and work at the same time. The thing I miss most, especially for animation, is the cross-disciplinary camaraderie. At Disney, I really loved talking with editors, production staff, character designers, etc. I loved seeing everyone’s work evolve in real-time and gaining an even larger respect than just seeing the end result at reviews. Feeling that teamwork and humbling yourself that you are just one part of making something special. Or stupid. I love being part of something just stupid. But, I also love napping with my dog at home during lunch breaks. It’s a hard call!
Can you talk about the differences between TAG & WGA, in your experience?
The Animation Guild (TAG) is a separate, and more varied union than WGA by design. TAG represents ALL aspects of animation, and writers are just a small fraction of its membership. WGA is focused on writers, with the vast majority being live-action. That focus is one reason why WGA has successfully bargained for better, more lucrative contracts with these (like script fees for its writers). I easily make more than twice as much on WGA shows as I do on TAG shows despite being in senior positions on animated shows. It’s not fair. There is also a gross misconception that WGA writers are superior to TAG writers, despite the overlapping members (hi! Hello! It’s me and my friends!) and the fact that, at least for scripted animated shows, the work is almost exactly the same. And don’t even get me started on the extremely talented, multi-disciplinary wizards that are storyboard artists who not only have to be great artists they also have to be writers, comedians, directors, and more while making a fraction of what any kind of union writer makes.
I think most TAG writers wish they were covered by WGA. And, recently, WGA has made a lot of noise that they would like more animated shows to be covered by WGA. These are not necessarily the same goals since this might not mean WGA leaders want to fold TAG writers into their ranks, just get the contracts that are normally in their purview. But who knows? My hope is that the WGA will welcome TAG writers in outright, and not build a wall around the current membership, excluding current TAG writers who have more expertise in this medium. All boats rise on a dying, literally flooding planet! Or something!
What’s it like being both Animation Guild and WGA?
You will find WGA members writing for animation, usually for adult animation — The Simpsons, the Bobs Burgers of the World. Those are under WGA contracts, and that was penciled down months and months ago. The Animation Guild is completely different. You'll have [story]board-driven, outline-based shows like SpongeBob or Adventure Time. When I worked on Adventure Time, that was board-driven. Then you get scripted shows like Owl House. Those jobs are the exact same writing experience as a WGA show. You’ll write an outline, you write a script, and it becomes animated. Just as if you were going to a set, you would instead give it to a board artist. They're different contracts. WGA cannot step on another union's feet, even though The Animation Guild has been extremely supportive of the WGA every month — I think there's a solidarity protest that The Animation Guild goes out and supports. They asked dual members like me, “Hey, we can't tell you not to take these jobs or these meetings or these pitch sessions, but we would like you to stop because work stoppage should be a work stoppage.” Some people have, and some people haven't. I don't judge those who do. It's tough out there. It’s hard to live in LA.
I was hoping TAG and IATSE would strike the last time we were doing contract negotiations because if you think it's bad with WGA — Animation Guild has been really bad. The studios abuse animation writers and storyboard artists, who I also consider animation writers — plus they're magicians. They write, and they draw, and they're comedians, and they're directors, and they're lighting artists because they have to light the scenes in certain ways. Yet, you are paid a fraction of a fraction of what even animation writers get. I think we get paid more on average, and that's bullshit. I hope there's a serious conversation after this about making sure board artists and animation writers get a better deal.
What does equitable compensation look like for WGA members?
I am definitely not a numbers guy, but to me it’s a number that allows all of our members to at least be able to live in Los Angeles without taking second and third jobs. Meet healthcare hour requirements. And get themselves a little treat sometimes.
What do you want folks outside the industry to know about the strike?
It took the AMPTP one hundred plus days to come back to the table, and we have been ready every single one of those days to find the deal. To get back to work. The negotiations happening now should have happened months ago. They have caused so much needless suffering to our members, actors, production staff, assistants, crew, catering, and all of Los Angeles - my industry hometown! I am angry. But mostly, I just want to get back to writing. And I know that’s the majority of us out here.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Thank you to every WGA captain out there! For keeping us safe. For finding ways to keep our spirits up with special themed days. You’re the dang best and should get a lifetime of free snacks sent to you.
✦
