David Zaslav had an awkward Sunday. The Warner Bros. Discovery The CEO gave a commencement speech at Boston University, but it was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
As he reflected on his career, members of the public shouted “shut up Zaslav” and “we don’t want you here”.
The problem: His speech came during an ongoing strike by Hollywood writers, who want better salaries, new contracts for the streaming era and protection from artificially generated content. “Pay your writers!” was another chant headed his way.
Zaslav gets hit with a Pay Your Writers chant in Boston. It’s so good. pic.twitter.com/00pL4ahAqZ
—Mike Scollins (@mikescollins) May 21, 2023
“Writers Guild members are on strike because the companies, including Discovery of Warner Bros.refused to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, attempted to pivot late-night writers to daytime rates, stuck on free work on script reviews for screenwriters, and even refused to discuss our proposal on the existential threat AI poses to all writers,” the guild said in a statement later. according THE Hollywood journalist.
Sean Penn actor supported the writers this week, saying, “There are a lot of new concepts being thrown around, including the use of AI. It seems like human obscenity to me that the producers are against it.”
“Some people will be looking to fight,” Zaslav told the students, prompting boos and cheers. “But don’t be the one they find him with.” Focus on the qualities of good people. In my career, I’ve seen so many talented people lose opportunities or jobs because they couldn’t get along with others. You can’t choose who you work with. Figure out what you like about a person – there’s always something there – and do whatever it takes to meet their challenges. We all have them.
Some students laughed at the sentiment. Vanessa Barlett, a senior graduate who helped lead a writers’ strike solidarity event at the university, said THE Hollywood journalist: “I am in the same college as a lot of children from cinema and television. I’m friends with a lot of people from the College of Fine Arts, people who are in the theater arts program, so having a sense of togetherness is very important to me.
Zaslav also angered an audience member when he spoke about his financial success as a lawyer, saying, “I was making a lot of money, I felt really good.” This prompted boos and groans.
Zaslav later said in a statement, “I am grateful to my alma mater, Boston University, for inviting me to be part of today’s debut and awarding me an honorary degree, and , as I’ve often said, I’m hugely supportive of writers. and hope the strike will be resolved soon and in a way that they believe recognizes their worth.