Minn. film & TV writers excited by new contract
Shawn Lawrence Otto wrote the screenplay for the movie the "House of Sand and Fog." While he works with Hollywood, he lives in the Twin Cities.
Otto is a Minnesota strike captain for the Writers Guild of America, and he said he's pleased with the tentative three-year contract on the table.
"Before this, I and other writers were really looking at a downward spiral as far as our income goes, and our capacity to make a living at this," Otto said. "So this really protects that and it protects generations to come."
Up until now, writers have received nothing from the Internet distribution of movies and TV episodes.
The entertainment industry has agreed to share 2 percent of the profits.
Members of the Writers Guild vote Tuesday on whether to accept the contract. If they do, they could return to work as early as Wednesday.
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