By Rowan Bernstein ’22
Staff Writer
While much of television and film production shut down during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, animation was able to continue remotely, helping to keep the entertainment industry afloat. As Owen Dennis, creator of the animated series “Infinity Train,” said in a video on the Animation Guild Writers’ Twitter account during the pandemic, “animation pretty much single handedly saved Hollywood.” For some animators, like “The Owl House” creator Dana Terrace, being so heavily relied on by studio executives during such a difficult time was a reminder of just how undervalued animation workers have always been. Over the past few months, artists and writers like Dennis and Terrace have been campaigning for better benefits, improved working conditions and fair pay for animation employees under the digital movement #NewDeal4Animation.
On Feb. 14, the Animation Guild, a union responsible for collective bargaining for animation production employees, reentered negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents production studios in such negotiations. In their revised agreement, the Guild hopes to guarantee fair pay and treatment for union members.
The Animation Guild is using social media to ask for support and to educate fans on the challenges of working in animation. Many animation writers and showrunners have been sharing tweets with the hashtag #PayAnimationWriters, referencing the fact that animation writers make significantly less than their counterparts writing for live action television, despite doing the same work. Staff writers for animated shows earn 42 - 51 cents on the dollar compared to their live-action counterparts. For 2021 freelance scripts, live action shows pay a minimum rate of 22 - 66 percent more per script than animated series. After the money is distributed to agents and managers, writers are left earning about $18.10 per hour, $3.10 above California’s minimum wage. Additionally, writers receive no residual income from streaming or compensation from merchandising.
Dennis sees this as contributing to a lack of diversity behind the scenes. “The entertainment industry keeps saying they strive for more diversity … [but] they’re making it so the only people who can afford to have their voices heard in animation are people who come from more affluent and privileged backgrounds,” Dennis said in a video posted to The Animation Guild Writers’ Twitter account.
With streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max dominating the entertainment industry, newer business practices create even more barriers to fair pay. Animated streaming originals, particularly on Netflix, are often split into seasons with as few as five or six episodes.
According to Bill Wolkoff, developer of the Netflix original animated series “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts,” these mini seasons are actually part of extra large production orders. On Twitter, Wolkoff explained that this model allows studios to produce many seasons of a series using the same team of writers, without providing them the benefits of being rehired each season.
In her #NewDeal4Animation video, Terrace discussed how this practice leaves animation writers feeling cheated out of promotions and raises they would otherwise be earning. “I know too many people who have experienced the same thing,” she said.
In Dennis’s experience, these large production orders are often a factor in shows only getting a few seasons, as renewing the show past the initial order would mean renegotiating contracts. “Writers are stuck without pay raises for several years,” he explained in his own video, “and there is no upwards mobility, because the show has already been canceled by the time the show is up for renewal.”
In addition to promoting hashtags and infographics designed to support the Negotiations Committee, The Animation Guild is asking both union members and the general public to sign a petition meant to “[send] a message to the AMPTP … that animation [workers] all deserve to have their scale rates increased to fairly compensate for the work they are performing in their respective crafts.” The Animation Guild’s hope is that this show of solidarity will not only motivate animation workers but also place pressure on the AMPTP during negotiations.