Click here for a PDF of Peterson's complete testimony.  

Animation Writing Award 

On November 12, 2009, Emmy-winning writer Stan Berkowitz received the Writers Guild of America, West Animation Writers Caucus’ 12th Annual Animation Writing Award, recognizing his prolific career and creative contributions to the craft of film and television animation writing, as well as his efforts to organize animation on behalf of the Writers Guild. “While Stan has built an acclaimed writing career bringing superheroes to the screen, he’s a real-life superhero to the animation writing community -- not only helping to raise the profile of animation writers through his many creative gifts, but also by playing a lead role in the Guild’s ongoing efforts to organize animation writing,” said WGAW President John Wells.A two-time Daytime Emmy winner (shared for Batman Beyond in 2001 and The New Batman/Superman Adventures in 1998), seven-time Daytime Emmy nominee, and one-time Primetime Emmy nominee, Berkowitz has most recently served as Story Editor for the upcoming animated superhero series The 99.

Berkowitz’s many animated TV writing and/or co-writing credits include Legion of Super Heroes, The Batman, Transformers: Animated, Superman, Spider-Man, Justice League, The New Batman/Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, Ben 10, The Brave and the Bold, and Friends and Heroes, the direct-to-DVD animated features Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and Justice League: The New Frontier. His live-action writing and/or co-writing television credits include Dragnet: The 90’s, Power Rangers: Space Patrol Delta, The New Adam 12, Players, Grand Slam, Houston Knights, Mike Hammer, T.J. Hooker, The Adventures of Superboy, and Cover Up and his screenwriting credits include Street Corner Justice and Acapulco Gold. The WGAW’s AWC Animation Writing Award is given to members of the Animation Writers Caucus or Writers Guild who have advanced the literature of animation in film and/or television and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the animation writer. Recent AWC Writing Award honorees include Brad Bird, Al Jean, Jules Feiffer, Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Michael Reiss, and Linda Woolverton.

American Indian 101

On, November 9, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Diversity Committee and the Writers Guild of America, West American Indian Writers Committee presented American Indian 101. This ATAS-WGAW special event featured a panel discussion on contemporary American Indian life, opportunities and challenges for American Indian creative professionals in the entertainment industry, as well as current and future media representations. The evening explored a number of topics that included: creating more opportunities for American Indian writers and other entertainment professionals to tell all kinds of stories; providing a reliable information resource for writers, directors, producers, actors, and other creative professionals so that they may learn more about American Indians pertinent to any project; and inspire American Indian and other writers to write and/or include these kinds of characters and stories. The evening was moderated by Brian Wescott, co-writer, American Century documentary miniseries, and featured actor Gregory Cruz (Saving Grace), writer Jason Gavin (Royal Pains, Friday Night Lights), showruner Nancy Miller (creator of Saving Grace), and Angela Riley, Visiting Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and Acting Associate Director, UCLA American Indian Studies Center.

From Town Crier to Bloggers

On October 30, 2009, the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) responded to a request from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for information on how journalism will survive the Internet Age. The FTC requested the comments in advance of a series of public workshops and round tables called From Town Crier to Bloggers: How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age?, which are scheduled to be held in December exploring the Internet's impact on the news media and the financial challenges it creates for the industry. Since newswriters comprise part of the WGAE's membership, the WGAE developed extensive "comments" on the issue. For a PDF of the WGAE's comments, click here.

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 Compiled by Ray Morton

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