Meet the Negotiating Committee: Patric M. Verrone
Bio: WGAW member since 1987. President 2005-09, Secretary-Treasurer 2001-04, Board of Directors from 1999-2011, and 2013-22. Writing credits include The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Critic, The Simpsons, Pinky and the Brain, Rugrats, Muppets Tonight!, Disenchantment, Spitting Image, and (currently) Futurama.
What prompted you to join the Negotiating Committee?
This is my sixth WGA MBA Negotiating Committee and the first time I’ve been asked that. Originally, I signed on out of duty to friends and colleagues, and now, I still do, but with a little force-of-habit thrown in.
Tell us about a time when you have felt a strong feeling of solidarity with your fellow writers.
Every day from November 5, 2007 to February 12, 2008 when we were on strike. And every day since.
What makes the 2023 contract cycle different from past ones that you have witnessed or in which you have participated?
This negotiation is about compensation. Other negotiations have focused on the past (righting wrongs like DVD residuals), the present (shoring up the health fund), and the future (jurisdiction over the internet) but this time, the issues affect all three and writers know it.