Imagine Dragons performs outside the Netflix building during writers strike
The Imagine Dragons joined the picket line to perform a few songs for writers striking outside of the Netflix building in Hollywood.
The video posted on Twitter by Gennefer Gross lead singer Dan Reynolds belted out the band's song "Radioactive" while standing on a bus bench.
The Writers Guild of America and its 11,500 members walked out of their jobs after reaching an impasse with the studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The major sticking points stopping the two sides from reaching a deal surrounded streaming residuals, staffing, increased pay and protections from the rapidly-developing technology behind artificial intelligence.
The AMPTP claimed that it has extended a "generous" offer to writers and is willing to improve it — something that the WGA vehemently disputed, claiming it is "wholly insufficient."
Since May 1, studio productions, including ones controlled by Netflix, Disney, Apple, NBC Universal and Paramount, have ground to a halt and the entertainment industry is bracing for what could be a protracted work stoppage. The nearly two weeks of striking have shut down major productions such as Netflix's "Stranger Things" and the late-night talk shows such as "The Late Show," "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and "The Tonight Show."
Amid the strike, President Joe Biden expressed his support for the WGA, calling for a "fair deal" for writers.
"I sincerely hope the strike gets resolved, and writers are given a fair deal as soon as possible," Biden said at a White House screening of "American Born Chinese" in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. "This is an iconic, meaningful American industry and we need the writers -- and all the workers -- to tell the stories of our nation, and the stories of all of us."
The Milken Institute, a think tank, said that the 2007-2008 writers strike, which lasted 100 days, cost California economy $2.1 billion.
Many KCAL News producers and writers are WGA members. However, they are on a separate contract. Paramount Global, which owns CBS and KCAL News, is part of the AMPTP.
