On March 5th, 2023, Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) held the 75th Annual Awards ceremony at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel. After a two-year respite due to Covid, the nominees and honored guests walked the red-carpet adorned in gowns and tuxes as the paparazzi flashed and video cameras rolled. The excitement was palpable, creating a celebratory atmosphere for the nominees who would be honored for outstanding writing in film, television, new media, news (broadcast and digital), radio/audio, and promotional categories.

The evening was hosted by Janelle James comedian/actor (Abbot Elementary). The Honorees awarded were: Television creator/showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser (Living Single) recipient of the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement; Acclaimed writer, director, producer, and author Charlie Kaufman, screenwriter of the Writers Guild Award and Academy Award-winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, recipient of the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement; and acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz recipient of the Paul Selvin Award in recognition of her adapted screenplay She Said.  

Agenda was on the red carpet and in the press room interviewing the winners, nominated writers, and celebrity presenters. Here are some of those interviews.

Interview with Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (winners of Best Original Script) Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Sheryl Aronson: Besides being an entertainment journalist. I’m also a psychotherapist. I was able to appreciate your film from both aspects. Your film is about generational trauma being passed down in families. Please talk about how you wrote the script that incorporates a spiritual and psychological message. 

Daniel Kwan: Oh my God, thank you so much that’s a sweet compliment.  I love that you’re a psychotherapist … that’s amazing. I have more questions for you about our next movie. Writing is such a confusing process. You never really know how you’re going to get to the point. There was a lot of twisting and turning in the script where we were nailing the themes of spirituality and the generational narrative. Slowly, we built the script piece by piece, draft by draft, taking our time.  It’s like anything that you engineer … it takes time, perseverance, and a lot of mistakes.  

Sheryl Aronson: The film did a thorough psychological examination of the relationship between mothers and daughters, about self-esteem, about loving oneself. It was beautifully done.  Plus, the pace of the film was fast, never letting up on the tempo.

Daniel Scheinert: Thank you. We had to live up to the title of the movie. It was also stressful to direct because of that constant fast pace. Your comments make me think about how we read books about depression, relationships, and families. We had started out making a Kung Fu movie and slowly over time made a movie about the themes you stated above. We poured ourselves into the script because that’s what writers are supposed to do, and it was scary yet gratifying that the film moved so many people. 

Daniel Kwan: I want to shout out Joan Tewksbury of the Sundance Institute. She was one of our advisors who encouraged us to put ourselves into the script. Joan made us write scenes from the movie, then scenes from our life, then scenes from the movie, then scenes from our life … a paragraph on each and examine how those two elements intertwined. 

 Sheryl Aronson: The film also explores the theme of male and female energy and how that is expressed in each of the characters. The Mother in the story is learning how to embody the male energy of toughness while at the same time surrendering to the female energy of self-love. She learned to be strong, but she had to learn how to be loving and accepting of herself, her daughter, and her husband. 

Daniel Kwan: I think we’ve been reflecting a lot lately on this subject. Both of us grew up in non-traditional houses where our mothers were the leaders and displayed more masculine energy and our fathers tended to be more in the background. Growing up we didn’t feel like we fit into any of the gender norms. I grew up getting mistaken for a girl all the time because of the way I dressed, and Daniel loves Drag.  I think our work isn’t intentional … we look at the world where everything is a gradient, everything is spectrum. It’s fun to poke at these themes and celebrate people who don’t fit nicely and neatly into the masculine /feminine definitions that our culture has dictated. 

Interview with Rebecca Lenkiewicz recipient of the Paul Selvin Award in recognition of her adapted screenplay She Said.

Sheryl Aronson: You’re being honored tonight for writing the superb script, She Said. Congratulations. Please talk about how you went about writing this movie.

Rebecca Lenkiewicz: Jeremy Kleiner and Dedee Gardner asked me to write the movie, which was daunting, but exciting. I went to New York, and I met the New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.

Sheryl Aronson: Talk about the process you went through from meeting them to completing the script.

Rebecca Lenkiewicz: The article was the starting point and then a lot of research around Jodie’s and Megan’s lives. I spent a few days in New York at their homes, and then, as I started writing the screenplay, they were finishing their book. From reading the book, I had a wonderful amount of material.

Sheryl Aronson: How do you feel about Harvey Weinstein finally being convicted for these terrible acts against women?  How satisfying is it to see the result of the hard work and struggles it took to write the story?

Rebecca Lenkiewicz: It’s very satisfying, but I don’t think it’s closure for a lot of people. However, it’s a good outcome.

Sheryl Aronson: What does writing this movie mean to you?

Rebecca Lenkiewicz: Writing She Said has meant a lot to me because films about women experiencing sexual violence aren’t made often.  Unfortunately, it happens in one’s inner circle more than we care to imagine, and the shame that women feel is unjust.  I felt She Said was an incredibly important film to write. 

Interview with Joe Robert Cole (writer of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Sheryl Aronson:  Black Panther was an inspiring film.  How challenging and rewarding was your experience as a writer?

Joe Robert Cole: Inspiring is a great word. We were coming out of the first film where there had been a powerful response, and we were excited to jump into the writing of the second film. We were two drafts into a version of the film with Chad, however, his passing caused us to pivot and recalibrate our approach. We had to figure out how to pour what we were dealing with into the new story, and I would have to say that I’m tremendously proud of our script and the work of the entire cast and crew.

Sheryl Aronson: The film works on many levels. The story is exciting and dynamic like a Marvel movie, but it explores the themes of defending one’s people or choosing peace, the shift of power when a King dies, dealing with the grief of a beloved one, and how going to war affects the world.  

Joe Robert Cole: It was incredible to take all these characters that we knew and explore their different points of view – responding to the loss of their King, the threat to Wakanda, and coming together as a nation. Then we’re introduced to Telecon, an entirely new nation, with a different point of view, and how all the characters responded to the differences in philosophy in running the world. 

Sheryl Aronson: I think Black Panther talks about our world today, race relations, and how we treat one another. 

Joe Robert Cole: I don’t think we approached the film trying to deliver a deliberate message but were exploring human themes. We were able to address events that are happening in our world today.

Interview with Yvette Lee Bower (Producer/Writer, Showrunner -Living Single, A Different World) recipient of the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement

Sheryl Aronson: You are being honored tonight. Congratulations. Your career in the industry has been impressive and significant.  Talk about some of the highlights! 

Yvette Lee Bower: There are so many highlights – launching my very first series at age 27, Living Single. I created a show that became a part of the culture and the #2 show on television, A Different World. I’ve been blessed on this journey.

 Sheryl Aronson:  Talk about your challenges and inspirations as a female and a woman of color in the industry. 

Yvette Lee Bower: The people who I worked with were my family on each show and have been inspirations. We have pulled each other through the trenches because there’s been a tremendous amount of adversity.  I’ve chosen to use it as fuel, and I’ll be speaking about this in my acceptance speech.

Interview with the Dan Erickson (Creator/Executive Producer/Writer) of Severance (Winners of Television Best Drama Series and Best New Series)

Dan Erickson: Our win came down to the writers in the room and the people who had faith in us. Ben Stiller, who produced and directed several episodes, protected, and elevated the content of the series. He used his clout in the industry to guarantee the

storyline didn’t get watered down.  It was my first time in a writer’s room and to be supported and lifted by this group was one of the best periods of my life. It was the most fun I’ve ever had and so winning the award is icing on the cake in a great way. Congratulations everybody!

Interview with Thomas Schnauz, Writer of Better Call Saul (Winner of Best Episodic Drama)

Thomas Schnauz: I’ve been on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul for the better part of 13 years now and am very sad to see it all come to an end.  It’s nice to bring one of these back with me. 

Interview with the Writers of The Bear (Winners of Best Comedy Series)

We focus on what’s funny in the actual world between people and the moments living their lives.  The kitchen at the restaurant is the family that’s our central focus.  We felt that in the writer’s room we’re all family too.  While writing the show, there was a mixture of zoom-rooms and in-person rooms. 

We’re appreciative that we can lift the stories of working people.  To receive this award for the show is such a privilege. We’re grateful for the showrunners and FX.

Interview with Writers of Hacks (Winner of Best Episodic Comedy)

We wanted to step outside of ourselves and reach for something abstract. Writing is central to the show, and we were proud to be a part of this union. The award means a lot when it comes from your peers, who you respect and make television shows that you love. We’re grateful that we get to work with our team of wonderful writers.

Interview with Writers of the Amy Schumer Show (Winner of Comedy/Variety Sketch Series)

We were mostly in a zoom room, so we had people from both coasts writing the show. We know there are people in New York right now, including Amy, who are celebrating. This is our first time meeting each other in person and it’s great to be together.   Writing is a solitary experience for the most part, so being in breakout rooms using the zoom technology to bounce stuff off each other, then go into back into little caves to write and coming back together…  felt weirdly normal.

 All Images by Sheryl Aronson (Sasa Photos)

Here’s the list of all the winners:

2023 WRITERS GUILD AWARDS:

WINNERS ANNOUNCED

 Los Angeles and New York – Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) tonight announced the winners of the 2023 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for film, television, new media, news, radio/audio, and promotional categories during concurrent ceremonies.

FILM WINNERS

 ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

 Everything Everywhere All At Once, Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert; A24

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY 

Women Talking, Screenplay by Sarah Polley, Based upon the Book by Miriam Toews; Orion Pictures/MGM

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Moonage Daydream, Written by Brett Morgen; Neon

TELEVISION AND NEW MEDIA WINNERS

DRAMA SERIES

Severance, Written by Chris Black, Andrew Colville, Kari Drake, Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman, Helen Leigh, Anna Ouyang Moench, Amanda Overton; Apple TV+

COMEDY SERIES

The Bear, Written by Karen Joseph Adcock, Joanna Calo, Rene Gube, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Alex O’Keefe, Catherine Schetina, Christopher Storer; FX Networks

NEW SERIES

Severance, Written by Chris Black, Andrew Colville, Kari Drake, Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman, Helen Leigh, Anna Ouyang Moench, Amanda Overton; Apple TV+

LIMITED SERIES

The White Lotus, Written by Mike White; HBO/HBO Max

TV & NEW MEDIA MOTION PICTURES

Honor Society, Written by David A. Goodman; Paramount+

ANIMATION

“Rectify“ (Undone), Written by Elijah Aron & Patrick Metcalf; Prime Video

EPISODIC DRAMA

“Plan and Execution” (Better Call Saul), Written by Thomas Schnauz; AMC

EPISODIC COMEDY

“The One, The Only” (Hacks), Written by Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky; HBO/HBO Max

COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Senior Writers Daniel O’Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Seena Vali Writers Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Tim Carvell, Liz Hynes, Ryan Ken, Mark Kramer, Sofia Manfredi, John Oliver, Taylor Kay Phillips, Chrissy Shackelford; HBO/HBO Max

COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES 

Inside Amy Schumer, Writers Georgie Aldaco, Rosebud Baker, Jeremy Beiler, Cazzie David, Tova Diker, Rachel Feinstein, Derek Gaines, Jon Glaser, Jaye McBride, Tim Meadows, Christine Nangle, Daniel Powell, Tami Sagher, Yamaneika Saunders, Amy Schumer, Sascha Seinfeld Joe Strazzullo, Sydnee Washington, Ron Weiner; Paramount+

COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS

Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel, Written by Jerrod Carmichael; HBO/HBO Max

QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

Baking It, Writers Neil Casey, Chad Carter, Jessica McKenna, Zach Reino; Peacock

DAYTIME DRAMA

Days of Our Lives, Head Writer Ron Carlivati Writers Lorraine Broderick, Jazmen Darnell Brown, Joanna Cohen, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Cheryl Davis, Kirk Doering, Christopher Dunn, Jamey Giddens, David Kreizman, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Katherine D. Schock; NBC

CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS

“Prison or Palace” (Life by Ella), Written by Hernan Barangan; Apple TV+

SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA

Three Busy Debras, Written by Sandy Honig, Mitra Jouhari, Sarah Sherman, Alyssa Stonoha, Diana Tay, Evan Waite; Adult Swim

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS

“Lies, Politics and Democracy” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS

“Episode Two: An American (1775 – 1790)” (Benjamin Franklin), Written by Dayton Duncan; PBS

NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT 

“The Water Crisis in Jackson, Mississippi” (CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell), Written by James Hutton, Rob Rivielle; CBS News

NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY 

“Targeting Americans” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News

DIGITAL NEWS

“How Oregon’s Prison System Retaliated Against Its Most Effective Jailhouse Lawyer,” Written by Jessica Schulberg; HuffPost.com

RADIO/AUDIO NOMINEES

RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY

“The War in Jennifer Weiss” (Crime Show), Written by Emma Courtland & Mitch Hansen; Gimlet Media

RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT

“Hail And Farewell: Saluting 5 Who Made A Difference,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio

RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

“What I Wish I Knew Before I Started IVF” (The Waves), Written by Cheyna Roth; Slate

PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES

ON AIR PROMOTION

“CBS Celebrates Juneteenth,” Written by Justin DiLauro; CBS News