Meet the Negotiating Committee: Angelina Burnett
Bio: Angelina Burnett has been a proud member of the Guild since 2009, writing television and features. She currently lives in Nashville.
What prompted you to join the Negotiating Committee?
As the daughter of a musician, I had a front row seat to the death of the middle class in the record business. I am passionate about protecting writers from the same fate.
Tell us about a time when you have felt a strong feeling of solidarity with your fellow writers.
I feel solidarity with writers most days, in many ways. In group texts and writers’ rooms, commiserating about industry woes, or solving story problems. In the doctor's office when I don’t have to pay a penny out of pocket. At my desk, running the pension calculator for fun and noodling on the novel I’ll write when I retire. In board meetings, talking through the challenges writers face and what we might be able to do to fix them. In my inbox, replying to emails from writers I’ve never met who need help navigating the Guild’s support systems. I’m so proud of and grateful for all we’ve built together.
What makes the 2023 contract cycle different from past ones that you have witnessed or in which you have participated?
Using power builds power and we’ve used a lot of power these last six years. In my 15 years in the Guild, I’ve never experienced the collective clarity of purpose and commitment to our common cause that is currently evident in meetings and one on one conversations, across the Guild. We’re the most powerful we’ve been in decades. Let’s go get what we deserve.