Writers Guild of America (WGA)
The union for screenwriters and television writers in the American entertainment industry
Overview
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) represents writers working in film, television, news, and new media. It negotiates minimum compensation, credits, residuals, and working conditions for screenwriters and television writers across the industry.
Membership requires accumulating a specific number of units of WGA-covered work within a qualifying period. The initiation fee is $2,500, with quarterly dues based on a percentage of WGA-covered earnings. Many actors also write and may qualify for WGA membership.
How It Works
The WGA gained significant public attention during its 2023 strike, which reshaped compensation structures for streaming and addressed AI use in writing. These negotiations affect the entire industry, including the types of projects available to actors.
The $2,500 initiation fee is payable in installments, and quarterly dues include a base amount plus a percentage of covered earnings. Writers must maintain their membership to continue receiving WGA protections and residuals.
Who Uses It
Understanding the WGA is valuable for actors who write their own material or aspire to create content. Many successful actor-writers maintain dual guild membership in SAG-AFTRA and WGA. Notable actor-writers include Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (who won the Oscar for writing Good Will Hunting), Mindy Kaling, Issa Rae, Donald Glover, and Michaela Coel, all of whom leveraged their writing abilities to create projects specifically tailored to their acting strengths. The WGA's jurisdiction covers screenplays, teleplays, story material, and increasingly digital content including certain streaming series, demonstrating the guild's evolution to cover new media. For actors frustrated by the roles available to them, writing your own material under WGA protection ensures you retain creative ownership and can negotiate from a position of strength.
Pricing & Plans
WGA membership requires accumulating a specific number of units within a three-year period, with different types of writing assignments earning different unit values — a screenplay earns 24 units, a story for a feature earns 8 units, and a week of television employment earns varying units depending on the type of show. The $2,500 initiation fee can be paid in installments, and quarterly dues consist of a base amount of $25 plus 1.5% of WGA-covered earnings. The guild negotiates minimum compensation that varies significantly by project type — as of 2025, the WGA minimum for an original screenplay for a high-budget theatrical film is approximately $125,000, while television story and teleplay minimums range from approximately $28,000 to $42,000 depending on program length and budget. These minimums represent floors, not ceilings, and experienced writers routinely negotiate well above minimum. The guild also secures residual payments when written work is re-aired, streamed, or distributed in secondary markets.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
The WGA provides its members with robust benefits including access to pension and health plans, a credit arbitration process that protects writers' screen credit rights, and free legal consultation on contract matters. The guild's 2023 strike resulted in landmark gains including minimum staffing requirements for television writers' rooms, restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence in writing, and improved compensation structures for streaming content — these protections benefit every WGA member working in the evolving media landscape. The WGA also operates educational programs, including panel discussions with showrunners and writing workshops, and provides members with access to a library of produced scripts that serves as an invaluable learning resource. For actor-writers, the guild's contract enforcement ensures that producers cannot exploit the dual nature of your contribution by paying less for writing when you are also acting.
What Could Be Better
The WGA's limitations are worth considering before pursuing membership. The guild's jurisdictional rules mean that once you become a member, you cannot write for non-signatory productions, which can restrict opportunities in independent film and emerging digital content spaces where many actor-writers get their start. The qualification requirements — accumulating sufficient units of WGA-covered work — create a chicken-and-egg problem for aspiring writer-members who need WGA work to join but find it difficult to get WGA work without membership. The guild's focus on film and television writing means that playwrights, who are covered by the Dramatists Guild (a professional association, not a union), operate under different protections and agreements. Additionally, the WGA's history of strikes, while ultimately beneficial for members, can create periods of work stoppage that affect actor-writers who depend on both their writing and acting income.
Our Recommendation
Actor-writers who are actively selling or optioning scripts, staffing on television shows, or developing projects with WGA-signatory producers should pursue WGA membership as soon as they qualify, as the guild's minimum compensation rates and residual protections significantly increase the financial value of your writing work. If you are earlier in your writing career and have not yet sold WGA-covered material, focus on building your portfolio through spec scripts, independent projects, and playwriting while working toward opportunities that qualify for WGA coverage. Consider the WGA's diversity initiatives and fellowship programs, which provide pathways for underrepresented writers to gain access to television writers' rooms. If your primary creative outlet is theater writing, the Dramatists Guild is a more appropriate organization, as the WGA does not cover stage plays.
Pro Tips
Write consistently and prolifically — the actors who successfully transition into writing treat it as a daily discipline, not an occasional hobby when inspiration strikes. Attend WGA Foundation events and panels even before you become a member, as many are open to the public and provide invaluable insight into the professional writing landscape and networking opportunities with working writers. If you are developing an original series or film, consider packaging yourself as both writer and star, as this dual attachment significantly increases your leverage in negotiations and demonstrates to producers that you bring both creative vision and marketable talent. Study the WGA's minimum basic agreement so you understand your rights and compensation minimums before entering negotiations, and always have an entertainment attorney review any writing contract even if you also have an agent. Build relationships with other writer-performers through organizations like the WGA's committees and SAG-AFTRA's diversity initiatives, as this community becomes your support network for navigating the unique challenges of dual-guild membership.