(Originally published in the WGA newsletter)
Photo by JW Hendricks.
Like many writers, Angela Treviño is more comfortable working behind the camera, which may be a reason why, in addition to being a strike captain, during the 2023 WGA strike Treviño has been quite literally behind the camera. As in taking people’s pictures and telling their stories through a series of portraits and quotes on Twitter.
“At the beginning of the strike, the Guild asked us if we had any special skills,” recalled Treviño who joined WGAW two and a half years ago. “I thought to myself, ‘I’m decent at taking photos.’ Initially, I was just taking pictures of members that were striking out on the line, but then my rep recommended that I do a series on the captains.”
The series evolved from there. Depending on who she encounters on a given day, Treviño shoots members, captains, WGAW staff, and even celebrities. She asks everybody to explain why they are striking and prints their replies, accompanying the portraits on Twitter.
“I wanted to highlight the individual stories,” she said. “There are so many writers who have been struggling for years, and many are striking because things have affected them on a personal level. When you look at some of the news stories about the strike, I’ve often felt that you just get a shot and you don’t have their individual story. It’s not a personalized approach. People see a tragedy and they don’t connect a face of a story to that tragedy. That’s what I’ve been trying to do through my work.”
She is impressed by the dedication of the entire Guild, members as well as WGA staff who are going above and beyond to help make the strike happen. “We show up for a couple of hours. The staff is here all the time,” she said. “I’ve been trying to highlight the people who have been contributing to the cause.”
On the days she is not at Universal, she makes the rounds to other studio lots, typically shooting between seven and ten portraits per week. The series has become popular on Twitter with huge followings blowing up her numbers when she lands a celebrity photo and quote.
“It’s been really rewarding to see folks that are not a part of this fight, people in middle America, people who will click on a celebrity photo and say, ‘Wait, why is Jason Sudeikis striking?’’ Treviño said. “I’ve seen first-hand how people from all over the country are commenting. Sometimes I’ll have pictures and captions that are translated into Japanese. People all over the world are paying attention to this. Even if you’re not a professional photographer and don’t have a fancy camera, you should be taking pictures of yourself on the line. It gives us more eyeballs, more attention.”
In her May 10 post, Treviño posed with fellow writers from Kung Fu, the last show on which she staffed. Trevino explained in that post why she is striking: “b/c it took me over a decade to get paid to write, only to see my profession devalued over the years.”
Her story goes deeper than that. Treviño is a first-generation immigrant from Mexico who came to the United States when she was 11. Growing up, she and her family viewed America as a place where people could come to make meaningful contributions.
“It was always, ‘The United States is the land of opportunity,’” Treviño said. “I became a citizen in my late 20s, but I always wished that I could vote. I always wanted to try to make a difference in the democratic process because I didn’t have that opportunity until later in life than people who are born citizens. When you have the opportunity to participate in a movement that can make a difference, it’s important to take that opportunity because a lot of people in other countries don’t have those options.”
Treviño notes that she is a staff writer who has had to repeat the staff writer level. She was part of a mini-room experience that resulted in her waiting six months to see whether the project was green-lit. It wasn’t, so Treviño took a staff support position on Kung Fu and was eventually promoted to staff writer.
“My story is definitely not unique,” she said.
