Former WGA East President Michael Winship Seeks Council Seat

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Former Writers Guild of America East President Michael Winship is one of the 16 candidates for a WGA East Council seat.

The guild, which represents about 5,000 members, announced the candidates Wednesday with 11 seeking seven open freelance seats and five candidates seeking three open staff seats. The terms for newly elected Council members will run for two years beginning Sept. 21, the day after the election. Voting online and by mail will begin on Aug. 23.

In addition to Winship, four incumbents are seeking freelance seats — Kyle Bradstreet, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, A.M. Homes and Chris Kyle. The other six candidates are David Angelo, Monica Lee Bellais, Larry J. Cohen, Kaitlin Fontana, Michael Rauch, and Andy Rheingold.

Three incumbents are seeking re-election to staff seats — Gail Lee, Kathy McGee and Matt Nelko. Kelly Stout and Jeff Young are also running.

Freelance members work in screen, television and new media; and Staff members work in television, radio, and digital news shops.

Winship was elected president of the WGA East ’s governing council in 2007, less than two months before a  100-day strike that began on Nov. 5, 2007. After serving five consecutive terms — making him the second-longest tenured president in WGA East history behind Herb Sargent — Winship decided not to seek a sixth term and Beau Willimon became president after running for the office unopposed.

Winship spent most of his presidency working as a senior writer for the Bill Moyers-hosted public TV series “Moyers & Company” and for its website, BillMoyers.com.