Television writer Lisa Takeuchi Cullen is making history, and she’s not thrilled about it.
Cullen, 52, who was elected president last month of the East Coast branch of the union representing Hollywood writers, becomes the first person of color to lead the organization in its nearly 70-year history.
With members currently voting on whether to ratify the tentative deal reached with Hollywood studios after an arduous five-month strike, Cullen, who’s worked as co-executive producer of NBC’s “The Endgame” and as a consulting producer on “Law & Order: SVU,” reflected on the significance of her leading The Writers Guild of America East.
“Our guild has existed for 69 years, and I’m only the third woman to be the president? And I’m the first person of color? That is nonsense to me. Just pure nonsense.”
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen
For her, being a “first” is reflective of what she says is the stubborn pace at which progress is being made in the industry.
“Our guild has existed for 69 years, and I’m only the third woman to be the president? And I’m the first person of color? That is nonsense to me. Just pure nonsense,” Cullen, who ran unopposed, said in a phone interview, incredulously. “The fact that it took this long does say a lot, not necessarily about our guild, but really about our industry and how it continues to remain dominated by a certain demographic.”
Cullen’s new role came amid a contentious monthslong back and forth between Hollywood writers, who protested for pay increases and artificial intelligence regulations, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers — the trade association that bargains on behalf of Hollywood studios, television networks and streaming platforms. (The association represents NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.)
Cullen, who grew up in Japan and moved to the U.S. to attend Rutgers University, has developed pilots for Apple, Netflix and ABC among other networks in her 12 years in…
Read the full article here
