Pencils Down!  The 100 Days of the Writers Guild Strike, an inspiring and important documentary that chronicles the crippling event that shook Hollywood, debuts on digital platforms, including iTunes, and VOD, on November 8, 2016.    Featuring a immersive blend of ground level strike footage, one-on-one interviews with key industry figures, and historical Hollywood footage, the insightful film explores the key issues surrounding the decision to strike, with insight into how it affected those working in the entertainment industry today and in the future.  Outlining the Writers Guild of America (WGA) reasons for striking, including the rapid growth of ‘New Media’ and revenues from it, through the eventual resolution, Pencils Down! is presented chronologically with those events leading up to and during the strike, and the impact that has forever changed the business of entertainment.

In 2007, the use and revenues from content viewing options were limited. The Services that are dominating the entertainment world today– iTunes, Amazon Streaming Videos, Hulu and Hulu Plus, Google Play, Netflix, Roku, even gaming consoles like Playstation and Xbox – were just beginning to enter the exhibition space. The Writers Guild of America saw the potential exponential growth of these new services.  Pencils Down! The 100 Days of the Writers Guild Strike traces the story of the WGA’s tackling the all important question about this new frontier of entertainment accessibility: “What is the industry business model for the internet? “

Pencils Down! features insightful interviews with notables including actors Alan Rosenberg and Justine Bateman; Writers Patric Verrone, John Bowman, Harlan Ellison, Howard Rodman, Christopher Knopf, Ken LaZebnik, Jonathan Fernandez, Kai Bowe, Jason Ross, and Peter Hankoff; Metropolitan Agency President Christopher Barret and Strike TV Founder Peter Hyoguchi.  The documentary also features perspective from industry historian and Emerson College Professor Dr. Miranda Banks, as well as noted entertainment journalists Cynthia Littleton (Variety) and Jonathan Handel (The Hollywood Reporter).

Produced by Lucky Coffee Productions, Pencils Down!  The 100 Days of the Writers Guild Strike was written, produced and directed by Brian S. Kalata and produced by Stephen Andrzejewski.  The film’s Director of Photography is Mathias Fain and was edited by Nathaniel Nose.   Seung-Wan “Sunny” Choi serves as Associate Producer.  Dave Klink and Dr. Marilyn Rall Executive Produce.

Synopsis
In 2007 the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the screenwriters union, hit an impasse in their contract negotiations with the Studios.  At the center of the dispute was jurisdiction over the Internet. Unable to make progress, the WGA called a strike, which brought Hollywood film and television production to a halt for 100 Days.