Being A Hollywood Writer Isn't What It Used To Be

#97: "The writer's room is completely being decimated. It's no longer a big room with professional writers. Now it's mini rooms. It's like, you know, four to six people expected to do all the work that 10 to 12, 13 people used to do in the past." - TV writer Rafael Agustin

Being a Hollywood writer these days isn't quite what it used to be.

Writers say everything started to change with the rapid rise of streaming services: Netflix, Amazon, Apple…and ALL those limited series they are known for, like The Drop Out, Inventing Anna, The Queen's Gambit.

These days, folks find themselves writing a whole year worth of episodes in two months – and sometimes these projects aren’t even greenlit. There’s more work but fewer episode guarantees, and THAT equals less pay.

HTLA host Brian De Los Santos gets the T from two TV storytellers. 

Guests: Rafael Agustin, TV writer and CEO of the Latino Film Institute

Caroline Renard, TV writer and Writers Guild Association captain