President, Writers Guild of America West

Goodman can take victory laps for his labor union abolishing packaging fees collected by talent agencies. A bitter 20-month stalemate ended in late 2000 but still reverberates across Hollywood including post-agreement compliance administration. The union argues packaging –agents getting ongoing payments from film and TV projects they represent – made agents employers of writers that sucked out money better paid to writers. Goodman still has a full plate with Hollywood diversity issues and making fast-emerging digital media pay. Goodman has been a working Hollywood writer since writing for “The Golden Girls” in 1988 and first elected WGAW president in 2017.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 3