WGA STRIKE UPDATE: Limon Forms Co., Inks WGA Deal

Producer, Director Forms New-Media-Production Co. Jackson Bites

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/17/2008 5:16:00 PM

Doug Limon, theatrical producer and director (Bourne Identity) and former TV producer (The O.C.), created a new-media-production company, Jackson Bites, and already signed a deal with the Writers Guild of America, which is currently on strike against most producers.

Limon got some promotional pop for his new company out of that side deal, with the WGA essentially serving as press agent, putting out a release announcing the creation of the company as the headline then pointing to the deal with the Guild, the sixth such side deal.

"If the last strike is best remembered for the studios attempting to show that they could create programming without writers, this could be the strike where the writers show that they can do it without the studios," he said in the WGA release.

Limon is looking to produce TV-style content for the Web, cell phones and other new-media platforms. One of the key issues in the standoff between producers and writers is how and how much the latter will be compensated for new-media airings of their work.

The WGA reached similar interim deals with Worldwide Pants, MRC, the Weinstein Co., Spyglass Entertainment and United Artists.

For full coverage of the strike, click here.