Screenwriters are Job Creators

The protection of audiovisual creators’ rights is a moral obligation that represents a tangible investment in culture across the world. But there is also a significant economic aspect that makes the encouragement of new works all the more important.

By recognising and protecting the rights of the author, screenwriter or director, lawmakers enable these creators to make a living and continue their work. In doing so they begin a chain reaction of economic activity that supports hundreds of other trades, services and companies.

This is the subject of an editorial written by renowned screenwriter James V. Hart and published last week in The Hill; the USA’s premier source for policy and political coverage.

Hart is the screenwriter behind some of the world’s best loved films including Steven Spielberg’s “Hook”, the Francis Ford Coppola production of “Bram Stoker's Dracula” and the Robert Zemeckis adaptation of Carl Sagen’s “Contact”. He begins the article with the assertion that screenwriters are essentially job creators.

No director, no actor, no cinematographer, no set designer, costume designer, sound mixer, no SFX guys, no editor, no caterer, no driver, nobody, nobody has a job until [the screenwriter] types THE END

This value chain extends from the staff at the production office, through the merchants in the locations where productions are filmed or performed, to the stores that sell licenced products after the release. Crucially, none of this value would exist were it not possible for the writer to earn a living from their work.

This value creation effect is particularly important in developing regions of the world which is why Writers & Directors Worldwide and its members dedicate so much effort into the promotion of global rights and international cooperation.

You can read the entire article at The Hill or learn more about our work here.