Striking Writers Turn to Web Biz

Dozens of striking film and TV writers are creating new companies that would bypass Hollywood studios and present original video entertainment directly on the Internet. Three groups of writers are working on ventures similar to United Artists, the production company created by Charlie Chaplin and other stars who wanted to break from the studio system, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Other networks of writers are negotiating with existing sites, like Facebook, to supply original entertainment content. "It's in development and rapidly incubating," said a guild board member involved with a group of film and TV writers. "We're creating an alternative place for distribution, with more control over our content." (More Writers Guild of America stories.)