Thandi Brewer, the chairperson of the Writers' Guild of South Africa (WGSA) as well as WGSA administrator Thea Aboud have both left South Africa to visit New York to attend the annual general conference of the International Affiliation of Writers' Guilds that will be taking place from 21 to 23 October.
In South Africa TV writers are a crucial link in the value production chain of making and creating local content, yet they are generally disenfranchised in a system where those abused puppies at the SPCA actually receive better treatment. If the writers of Friends, one of the most hugely successful TV shows ever in the world said (although jokingly) that ''Often the only sunshine that comes into the room is when lunch comes through the door'', imagine what the situation is like for South African writers even lower on the production totem pole. And yet they endure.
This is the first time ever that an official South African Writers' Guild has been invited to attend the conference, which this year is hosted by the Writers' Guild of America East. The WGSA protects, promotes and try to help scriptwriters in South Africa's film and television industry.
I'm told that Thandi Brewer will deliver a report on the WGSA at the conference and has also been invited to the auspicious President's Dinner.
At the conference Thandi Brewer will lobby the WGSA's sister organisations overseas for support of the local writers in South Africa. She will also be meeting with American TV and film producers during her time in New York to encourage co-productions with South Africa and to open the doors for South Africa writers to sell their scripts overseas.
As official WGSA spokesperson for the Jameson First Shot short film competition, Thandi Brewer will also meet with actor Kevin Spacey (who will star in the winning SA short film entry) and invite him to become the second international ambassador of the WGSA.
