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Congratulations to Chip Johannessen

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View Chip Johannessen's profile in our Millennium Episode and Credits guide.

Millennium - This is who we are would like to extend its congratulations to respected writer and producer Chip Johannessen on his successful election to the The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) Board of Directors.

Whilst serving in various roles including Co-Producer, Consulting Producer and Executive Producer throughout all of  Millennium's 3 seasons, Chip was responsible for writing and co-writing 13 episodes of Millennium, highlights of which include introducing us to the shows first look at the uncertainty of the approaching millennium with Force Majeure, the outstanding second season episode Luminary  and co-writing the finale episode Goodbye To All That with Ken Horton.

The September 18, 2009 press release from the WGAW:

Writers Guild of America, West Announces Final Results of 2009 Officers and Board of Directors Election

LOS  ANGELES -- The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) has announced the  final results of its 2009 WGAW Officers and Board of Directors election.

The following members were elected to serve as Officers: President – John Wells; Vice President – Tom Schulman; Secretary-Treasurer – David N. Weiss.

"I'm remarkably humbled by the membership returning me to the  Presidency of the Guild.  I look forward to working with the Board  again and to working with David Young and his talented staff to meet  the many challenges that lie ahead,” said Wells.

“My congratulations to John Wells for his success in a hard-fought  campaign. And my congratulations to all members elected to the board.  We writers can be somewhat argumentative and opinionated, as anyone who  has ever sat around a writers’ table knows. This campaign certainly  highlighted some our differences. Now, it's time to pull together and  work for the benefit of us all,” said Elias Davis.

The following nine members were elected to the WGAW’s Board of Directors: Patric  M. Verrone, Howard A. Rodman (inc.), Dan Wilcox (inc.), Linda Burstyn,  Billy Ray, Steven Schwartz, Chip Johannessen, Carleton Eastlake, Ian  Deitchman.

There was a tie for the eighth seat on the Board of Directors. Under the Guild’s constitution, both candidates will be seated.

NUMERICAL RESULTS: President: John Wells (1,191, 52.8%); Vice  President: Tom Schulman (1,204, 55.5%), Secretary-Treasurer: David N.  Weiss (1,114, 53.3%). Board of Directors: Patric M. Verrone (1,364,  10.1%), Howard A. Rodman (1, 270, 9.4%), Dan Wilcox (1,132, 8.4%),  Linda Burstyn (953, 7.1%), Billy Ray (915, 6.8%), Steven Schwartz (914,  6.8%), Chip Johannessen (865, 6.4%), Carleton Eastlake (818, 6.1%), Ian  Deitchman (818, 6.1%).

The Officers and Board members will serve for a term of two years, effective immediately.    

OTHER RESULTS:  Candidates for Officers: President: Elias Davis (1,066, 47.2%); Vice  President: Howard Michael Gould (967, 44.5%); Secretary-Treasurer:  Christopher Keyser (976, 46.7%). Candidates for members of the Board of  Directors: Mick Betancourt (766, 5.7%), Jeff Lowell (745, 5.5%), Jan  Oxenberg (725, 5.4%), Luvh Rakhe (636, 4.7%), David Wyatt (511, 3.8%),  Jennifer Heath (437, 3.2%), Eric Wallace (273, 2.0%), Jed Weintrob  (239, 1.8%).

A total of 2,348 valid ballots were cast, making this one of the  largest election voter turnouts in WGAW history – illustrating ongoing  Guild member engagement. The ballot count was supervised by Robbin  Johnson of Pacific Election Services, Inc., an independent firm.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) is a labor union  representing writers of motion pictures, television, radio and Internet  programming, including news and documentaries. Founded in 1933, the  Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative  and economic rights of its members. It is involved in a wide range of  programs that advance the interests of writers, and is active in public  policy and legislative matters on the local, national and international  levels. For more information on the WGAW, please visit: www.wga.org. 

Below is a pre-election statement from Chip Johannessen, together with a list of his supporters including some very familiar names...

July 20, 2009 Chip Johannessen

"If the Writers Guild didn't exist we'd have to invent it."

Sid  Sheinberg said that at the height of the 1988 strike, when he was head  of Universal. But that was before Universal was sold to a Japanese  electronics manufacturer, who sold it to a Canadian distillery, who  sold it to a French bottled water company, who sold it to General  Electric, the fifth biggest corporation in the U.S. That was before the  only "independents" in town were called SONY and Warners. You think if  the Guild didn't exist that anyone at these mega-companies would  consider inventing it?

Our strike in 2007 was unwanted, and brutally painful, but it was necessary to guarantee that the WGA doesn't vanish as our work moves to the internet. The companies'  strategy was to side step us entirely as distribution changes, but  there we are. Now we need to stay strong for the negotiations ahead.

OUR LEVERAGE - UNITY

The more united we are, the more leverage we have.

We're  an odd union. Members don't make the same hourly wage. One member  worries about free rewrites, another about bad cable residuals. And  seniority is a mixed blessing. We came together for the strike, but  there is much that divides us, and those divisions were apparent by the  time the strike ended. Even more sobering, in the last year we've seen  SAG's fractured negotiations play out as a cautionary tale about what  disunity can wreak.

Going into the next round of negotiations I  believe we should focus on a short list of items that unite us. Not  only because that's what concerns more of us, but because it makes us  stronger. Issues not germane to the entire membership (I vaguely  remember mandatory premiere invitations for screenwriters making the  cut 5 years ago) weaken our hand at the bargaining table.

Here's  my list and I'm eager to hear yours. First: enforcement, making sure we  are actually paid what is due. The companies were already ducking  payments from the 2004 agreement, let alone what we won in 2008. In a  future where everything is fragmented and streamed, we'll be empty  handed unless we lock down enforcement now. Next: health and pension,  which are suddenly in play given the national health care discussions  going on in Washington. Finally: residuals, but how about focusing on a  number that affects us all. Electronic sell through is essentially the  much hated DVD formula. Let's make some progress on that.

Coming  off a successful strike, for the first time in decades we're serious,  we have heat. We don't want to squander it by battling each other  instead of the companies.

THEIR LEVERAGE - CONSOLIDATION

The bigger they get, the less leverage we have.

It  took thirty years of litigation for the media companies to turn the  airwaves from a public trust into their own private property. The  internet could go overnight. "Who owns the internet" is not just a  political question. Mainly it's decided in the courts, and it affects  us profoundly.

I spent a lot of time in law school studying the  sad history of media consolidation, and along the way met the public  interest lawyers who attempt to rein in the companies. As a board  member, I would reach out to these people as natural allies. I'm not  saying we should bring lawsuits or hire lawyers. We shouldn't. But we  can protect our interests by making sure that attorneys know how media  consolidation threatens our creative and financial positions, by  offering testimonial support and even, on occasion, an amicus brief.

Our  work is migrating to the internet, that's what our strike was about. We  have a real stake in the litigation that is sure to come and I think  our voice should be heard.

EYES ON THE PRIZE

We've been  through a lot the last couple of years, and we want to make sure that  it brings us more than a $2.00 internet residual check. I think I can  help. Because I'm a lawyer, but more importantly because I'm a working  writer.

I've freelanced and staffed and had pilots made, gotten  overalls and been given shows to run, been fired and force majeured.  For nearly two decades I've had the privilege of sitting in second rate  conference rooms with first rate people, talking and writing about all  kinds of amazing things.

The fact I was fairly compensated for  this I owe to the Guild. It's impossible for me not to have the best  interest of this organization at heart.

I'll do my very best to  build on what this Guild started back in 1933 and what the current  leadership continued when they landed us safely on the internet. I'm  asking for your vote.

CHIP'S BIO

Chip Johannessen is a television writer and showrunner whose credits include 90210, The  X-Files, Millennium and 24. He graduated with honors from Harvard  College where he wrote for The Harvard Lampoon and recently earned a  J.D. from the UCLA School of Law. Right now, he's happily on 24.

CHIP'S ENDORSEMENTS

WE SUPPORT CHIP JOHANNESSEN:

A WRITER WITH A LAW DEGREE

We're television and feature writers who urge you to elect Chip to the WGA Board. He's been a force in one hour television for nearly twenty  years, from story editor to show runner, so he understands what we face  as working writers. He also brings with him an in-depth knowledge of  many of the legal issues that affect our future as a union. He's smart,  informed and he's passionate about building on the gains we worked so  hard to win.

Chip Johannessen will be an invaluable addition to the Board.  Please give him your vote.

         
Adam Belanoff

       Al Jean

       Al Septien

       Alex Gansa

       Alfredo Barrios, Jr.

       Andrea King

       Andrea Newman

       Anne Cofell Saunders

       Art Monterastelli

       Bert Salke

       Bill Oakley

       Billy Kimball

       Brannon Braga

       Brian Studler

       Bryan Miller

       Carroll Cartwright

       Charles Rosin

       Charlie Tercek

       Chris Brancato

       Chris Carter

       Chris Easterly

       Cliff Olin

       Dan Dworkin

       Dan Fesman

       Dan Greaney

       Daniel Sinclair

       Danny Strong

       Dave Andron

       David Fury

       David Greenwalt

       David Hudgins

       David X. Cohen

       David Zabel

       Diane Ademu-John

       Erin Maher

       Evan Katz

       Gavin Harris

       Genevieve Sparling

       Geoffrey Nauffts

       George Meyer

       Howard Gordon

       Ian Maxtone-Graham

       James Duff

       Janine Sherman Barrois

       Jason Cahill

       Jason Wilborn

       Jay Beattie

       Jeff Martin

       Jenna Bans

       Jennifer Flackett

       Jennifer Levin

       Jessica Klein

       Jill Blotevogel

       Jim Leonard

       Joan Rater

       Joel Cohen

       John Brancato

       John Frink

       Jon Feldman

       Jonas Pate

       Jonathan Collier

       Jonathan Mostow

       Jordan Hawley

       Jose Molina

       Josh Pate

       Joy Blake

       Juan Carlos Coto

Julia Swift

       Julie Auerbach

       Julie Siege

       Kay Reindl

       Ken Horton

       Ken Keeler

       Ken Martin

       Kevin Curran

       Larry Mollin

       Laurie McCarthy

       Lawrence O'Donnell, Jr.

       Loren Segan

       Maiya Williams

       Manny Coto

       Mark B. Perry

       Mark Levin

       Mark Wilding

       Matt Selman

       Max Pross

       Melissa Blake

       Melissa Rosenberg

       Meredith Stiehm

       Michael Alaimo

       Michael Foley

       Michael J. Cinquemani

       Michael R. Perry

       Michael Rowe

       Mike Berchem

       Mike Ferris

       Mike Reiss

       Moira Kirland

       Molly Newman

       Nancy Miller

       Natalie Chaidez

       Neal Baer

       Nell Scovell

       P.K. Simonds

       Patrick Harbinson

       Pete Nowalk

       Peter L. Chen

       Phyllis Strong

       Rene Echevarria

       Rick Muirragui

       Rob LaZebnik

       Ron Hauge

       Ron Koslow

       Sam Humphrey

       Sarah Goldfinger

       Shannon Goss

       Sherri Cooper

       Shintaro Shimosawa

       Stacy McKee

       Stephanie Ripps

       Stephanie Sengupta

       Steven Kane

       Stewart Burns

       Ted Mann

       Thomas Wheeler

       Todd Hughes

       Tom Gammill

       Tony DeSena

       Tony Phelan

       Trevor Munson

       Valentina Garza

       Vince Gilligan

       Walon Green

       Zoanne Clack

My thanks to Mark Hayden and Libby for highlighting this news.

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View the original article at millennium-thisiswhoweare.net

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