Michael Schur and Jen Celotta visit the OTCR

22:30:36 mg714: When (hopefully) something can be negotiated with the writers, will that help with the contract negotiations with the actors and directors that I believe is going to be coming up too?
22:30:43 Lara: Will do!
22:31:08 Elisabeth: Wow, I sound like the chat room arsonist…how about chalk in his eyes?
22:31:28 JenCelotta: Hey, there’s a video called “Why we fight” on Youtube and it’s a great, simple explanation for why we felt we had to strike. I recommend sending that to people who want to understand the issues better.
22:31:50 tanster: i will link to that, jen, thanks
22:31:53 JenCelotta: I think I typed “why we fight” and writers into the youtube search thingy and found it…
22:32:00 tanster: a little behind today …
22:32:04 MichaelSchur: mg714 — yes! Absolutely! part of the reason this is such a big deal, is that every time the WGA, SAG, and DGA contracts expire, the first guild to negotiate sets the precedent for the other tow. Whatever we get, the other unions will get. So we can’t roll over, because then, the actors and (to a lesser extent, for some boring reasons) the directors will have to roll over too.
22:32:23 Denise (ddker): Jenna said in a blog that she wrote today that they cleaned out her trailer and sent her stuff to her. Are you suprised that they did this sort of thing after only a few days?
22:32:59 Elisabeth: I will be spreading the word on my blog…100 % behind y’all
22:33:09 MichaelSchur: Thanks Elisabeth.
22:33:23 Parker: So I understand they are going to program reality shows. How long will that last. Ugh
22:34:15 tanster: What happened to the ‘Writers’ Block’ vids that were posted on nbc.com?
22:34:38 JenCelotta: No, that’s the just what would happen — they’re renting their trailers and they needed to pack everything up — it doesn’t mean anything about the duration of the strike — nobody can know that right now… we’re all hoping for a speedy resolve to this - to get back together with the best cast and crew in the world and start making episodes.
22:35:20 Elisabeth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ55Ir2jCxk&
22:35:31 MichaelSchur: Parker — it will last forever, unless they decide that the people who write and act in scripted shows like ours are worth paying for. Again, they are taking you people for granted. They don’t care about the content of the programming, they only care about the bottom line. If more people watch two hours of goats being milked than watched the office, you would be watching “America’s Milkiest Goats” every Thursday at 9:00.
22:36:02 tanster: wow
22:36:08 Rayne: mmm milk
22:36:20 [Action] Jim Mosby: is craving feta cheese all of the sudden
22:36:30 MichaelSchur: So the only way to stop it is to let them know that you are not easily-led dummies who will watch whatever pablum they throw onto their networks.
22:36:39 JenCelotta: It’s a perfect example — they just put up the Writer’s Block video WITH ADS and they were making money from our appearance in Scranton. It’s just extra content that they put on the website and make money off of and at the same time they’re crying poor.
22:36:47 tanster: pablum. wow i need a dictionary
22:37:10 Elisabeth: No pablum for oil!
22:37:23 Elisabeth: I thought that said America’s Mike Gravel…I would watch that show
22:37:30 JenCelotta: Elisabeth, you made mike laugh.
22:37:40 tanster: *nice*
22:38:24 DestroyPhone: Did either of you write my user name? (the text to Dwight’s phone from Benihana Christmas)
22:38:35 MichaelSchur: I did!
22:38:39 MichaelSchur: I wrote that tag.
22:38:40 JenCelotta: go mike!
22:38:42 MichaelSchur: Glad you liked it.
22:38:52 KKras (GMMR): I’ve been reading up on all the issues and trying to share with others as best I can, but can you explain more about the internet generated revenue. The other side claims they don’t know how they are making money and therefore can’t pay the writers? They clearly are, so what is their argument?
22:39:12 MichaelSchur: They have no argument.
22:39:18 Elisabeth: that’s one of my favorite tags!
22:39:19 MichaelSchur: here’s the deal — and this will take a second to type out.
22:39:27 JenCelotta: I will vamp.
22:39:37 JenCelotta: so, where’s everybody from?
22:39:38 saraadx3: literally one second
22:39:50 Elisabeth: texas
22:39:53 Parker: Tustin, California
22:39:56 Denise (ddker): Omaha, Nebraska
22:39:59 Rayne: Oregon
22:40:03 CH: southeast tennessee but i’m in school at BC
22:40:06 KKras (GMMR): Boston!!!!! Home of half The Office peeps it seems!
22:40:10 mg714: Chicago
22:40:13 andilynn: central Illinois
22:40:16 Clare: Toronto
22:40:20 saraadx3: philly
22:40:23 mickeyrandy3: Glen Carbon, IL (20 mins east of STL)
22:40:26 Lara: Connecticut, but currerntly at college in Wellesley Massachusetts!
22:40:30 attackwithnorth: massachusetts originally
22:40:33 domzor: california
22:40:37 Angelica: Hot Hot Hot Phoenix
22:40:40 attackwithnorth: boston here as well
22:40:40 JenCelotta: wow. All over. Very cool. yeah, a ton of us lived in boston at one point or another.
22:40:43 DestroyPhone: green bay, wi
22:41:06 MichaelSchur: The internet is huge. Huuuuuuuge. They know it better than anyone, because everytime they have a shareholder meeting or report their earnings on Wall Street, they brag about how much money they are making from the internet, and how much more they are going to make. There are thousands of quotes from these guys about how the internet is the future. Then, when they get into the negotiating room, they say, “Gosh, it’s just so new. We have no idea what it will be like. You guys should work for free…
22:41:19 JenCelotta: Paul wrote AttackwithNorth’s user name.
22:41:47 JenCelotta: Moguls constantly say “gosh.”
22:42:03 tanster: lol
22:42:17 Angelica: I just want to take this oppurtunity to say thank you to both of you. The fact that you are taking the time to reach out to the fans of your show on a personal level like this to bring us to an understanding of why this is going on is amazing. Thank you so much.
22:42:25 MichaelSchur: …to learn what is going on.” It’s insane. They wouldn’t be putting up such a fight if they didn’t know exactly how much money was at stake. In short, it is worth it for them to drive us into a strike, and shut down all the shows in town, because they know that every tenth of a percent they can squeeze out of us in this deal is going to be worth untold millions of dollars down the line. They are betting that we are going to cave, but for the first time in a long time, we are standing our ground.
22:42:43 MichaelSchur: And keep in mind…
22:43:15 JenCelotta: Angelica, we feel so lucky to have such great and supportive fans. We wanted to make sure people had a chance to ask us about the issues and explain why we had to do what we did.
22:43:41 [Action] tanster: leads a group hug
22:43:53 [Action] Angelica: joins group hug
22:43:59 [Action] Jim Mosby: offers OTCR huggy hugs
22:44:02 [Action] attackwithnorth: joins the hug
22:44:05 [Action] Rayne: joins
22:44:07 JenCelotta: We’re very sad to not be at work right now and we can’t wait to get back and talk to our fans about comedy!
22:44:09 MichaelSchur: they have not, as of yet, done anything close to “negotiating.” We talked to people who have been in the actual “negotiating” sessions, and they said that they just sent a bunch of lawyers, and sat around with their arms crossed, and never even began to address any of the WGA’s main issues. They waited us out, assuming we would cave, and when we went on strike like we said we were going to, they had a pre-written press release that they walked outside and read and then went home.