How Do I Join?: Minutiae

Effective January 1st, 2011, the Guild is offering a limited-time incentive to digital screenwriters. Under this incentive, any Canadian resident screenwriter with at least two digital contracts signed within the past two years with any Canadian producer is qualified for membership in the Writers Guild of Canada.

What Does That Mean?

It means that if you are a Canadian screenwriter with two contracts with a producer, you can join. It doesn’t have to be a signatory producers, though we recommend all screenwriters work with IPA signatory producers if they are able.

It also means that if you are a Canadian screenwriter and you are your own producer, and you have two contracts, you can also join.

However, in both cases, once you have joined you are obligated to work only with Signatory Producers going forward.  If you are your own producer, then it’s simply a matter of signing the adherence letter (that is, you promise to officially treat yourself fairly)!

There are no fees to become a Signatory Producer, and in doing so, you have officially declared your production company to the Guild.

This way you can also easily hire other WGC writers for your current or future projects.

And the good news for digital projects is that there are no obligatory minimums, so that the IPA obligations for producers become flexible and very easy to navigate. This is especially beneficial for digital projects, as the WGC knows that many are made with very minimal budget.

We want to be as flexible, understanding, and helpful as possible – if you have any concerns or questions, there are always agreement administrators available to speak with, either over the phone, by email, or in person.  Our job is to make your job easy!

For non-digital projects, the IPA also provides low-budget provisions.

Definition of “Contracts”

A contract covers an engagement for a webseries (entire series, or per episode), or a single game, a film, or anything else that is considered a unique, stand-alone script.

Waiver of Initiation Fees

During this incentive the Guild is also waiving the initiation fee for any writer who qualifies for membership with a digital contract signed within the previous two years, under any WGC collective agreement.

There is no expiry date for this incentive at this time.

Contact the Guild's Member Services department for more information or clarifications.