The 2018 WGAW Writer’s Guild Awards & The WGAW Panel Discussion for the Film Nominees By Sheryl Aronson

The Film Nominees Panel for the WGAW Screen Writer’s Awards.

The Hollywood 360 covered two prestigious events for the WGAW in February. On February 1st, The WGAW held a panel discussion of the Film Nominees for the Screenwriter’s Awards. The screenwriters that were nominated included Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor (The Shape of Water), Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), James Mangold and Michael Green (Logan); Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (The Disaster Artist), Jordan Peele (Get Out), Steven Rogers (I, Tonya), Aaron Sorkin (Molly’s Game), Virgil Williams (Mudbound). The panel was moderated by Writers Guild and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Graham Moore (The Imitation Game). WGAW President David A. Goodman and Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Claudia Eller introduced the evening.

Before the panel discussion, The Hollywood 360 interviewed some of the writers on the panel as they walked the red carpet.

Steven Rogers, Writer for I, Tonya

The Hollywood 360: What were some of the challenges writing this script since it was based on a well known story that got a lot of press?

Steven Rogers: Truth doesn’t have to make sense. Fiction does. The story could have gone all over the map and they were larger than life characters. What was interesting to me was what people tell themselves in order to live with themselves. I interviewed Jeff and I interviewed Tonya and their stories were wildly different. Each of them believed their versions of what happened and to me that is just very human.

It was difficult getting the balancing act of telling a story that spanned 40 years and is true from all the characters point of view and the different tones. The story itself is really crazy and funny and really tragic and it balances all of those factors.

Michael Green, Co-Writer for Logan

The Hollywood 360: This story is gritty and really dark.

Michael Green: So while this film has its darker moments, it really also has moments of hope. As much as it dug into difficult subjects, it was always a pure joy to work on it. I was writing for actors whose work I have admired for decades and I was working with partners on it who were remarkable talents.

The Hollywood 360: What was the hardest challenge writing the script?

Michael Green: The hardest thing about writing Logan was the standard of excellence it demanded for the actors to come back and round out a beloved series. Although it stands on its own many people had strong attachments to it. As being a huge fan of the material, I wanted to live up my pre-adolescent version of what this could be. Working with partners who demand excellence, was challenging and fun, while trying to get something right for everybody.

Guillermo del Toro, Co-writer/Director,  The Shape of Water 

The Hollywood 360: What did it mean to you to write this beautiful and sensitive film?

Guillermo del Toro: It has been a journey of five to six years. I started in 2011/late 2012, it has been quite a significant journey.

The Hollywood 360: Say a few words about being both the director and writer.

Guillermo del Toro: It’s significant in the way you build your decisions in making the movie because you know the origins of the characters and where they are developing throughout the story.

Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, Writers of The Disaster Artist

The Hollywood 360: This movie is so funny and quirky. Talk about how you approached writing it.

Michael H. Weber: We loved this true story. We didn’t know much about the story when we were given the book, nor did we think anybody would care. We just wrote what we enjoyed and we are so grateful that people appreciated it.

The Hollywood 360: You had to write about a character that was out of the ordinary.

Scott Neustadter: He is a living legend. He was a person like any of us. He’s a sweet person once you get past the initial, what you see. He’s a dreamer and we relate to people like that.

The Hollywood 360: Talk about working with James Franco.

Michael H. Weber: He was a great collaborator and we think he did an amazing job in the role.

Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani, Writers of The Big Sick

The Hollywood 360: Please talk about working together as a married couple.

Kumail Nanjiani: We worked really well together. We both knew the story and it helped to see it from both of our perspectives.

Emily V. Gordon: Often we see films from the man’s perspective so we wanted to make sure the character of Emily’s perspective was represented strongly as well. The two characters in the movie are not always on the same page. In fact, in relationships the two people have very different ideas about what is going on.

The Hollywood 360: I understand that point very well because I am also a Marriage, Family Therapist so I work with couples a lot and know this to be true.

Emily V. Gordon: I am trained as a Marriage, Family Therapist too.

The Hollywood 360: Well then, talk about how that training affected writing the script.

Emily V. Gordon: As a therapist you are taught to emphasize with every client that works through your door even if you’re not from the same background as they are. That helps my writing, it’s a shortcut.

The Hollywood 360: You also had to write about the charter’s cultural differences.

Kumail Nanjiani: It’s stuff I lived through so it was pretty easy for me to access some of that. It was therapeutic to go back and look at problems you’ve lived through.

Emily V. Gordon: We exaggerated your character as well. You weren’t as bone-headed in real life as the character was in the script.

Kumail Nanjiani: Yes. I am slightly less boneheaded.

Emily V. Gordon: The idea of the film is that people should be open and honest with one another and understand each other’s perspectives.

Virgil Williams, Co-Writer of Mudbound

The Hollywood 360: This movies is so moving and gripping. Please talk about how you approached writing this very poignant story.

Virgil Williams: It was extremely difficult to write. My wife knows that if she comes into my office and I’m in tears, I’m just writing. I am a very emotional writer. I’m in my gut and heart a lot. There was a lot of scar tissue from writing Mudbound.

The Hollywood 360: It is so relevant to today’s world even though it took place during and after World War II. How did you tie it in in your mind?

Virgil Williams: It wasn’t so hard. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Mudbound gave us a honest look as to who we were, it gives us a honest look at who we are now, and it gives us a choice as to who we are going to be. All of those things grab you by the throat. We have a lot of work to do. Some people walk away from this film and they are gutted, some people walk away from this film and they are hopeful for the future, some people feel guilty, some people feel ashamed. It’s all American scar tissue.

The Hollywood 360: Mudbound had a fabulous female director.

Virgil Williams: Yes. And a female cinematographer bringing it to life and a female editor and a female sound mixer. We did it the right way.

The Hollywood 360: The Director/Co-Writer, Dee Rees talked about the way she made the movie was like a group process … very therapeutic.

Virgil Williams: Look. We are all mudbound. We all own an inheritance to that story. Everybody brought their A game. All these beautiful Americans of all shapes and colors and genders all brought their A game.

Jordan Peele, Writer/Director of Get Out

Jordan Peele:  (Quoted from panel discussion.)

“With my film, Get Out, the premise coming into it was … this is going to get me into so much trouble … but then I thought, but what if it didn’t. What is the version of this that everyone in the theater can go, ‘hey, that was actually, not offensive. How did he do it?’ Obviously there are mischievous moments in there, and moments where I step over lines on behalf of the audience but my process is… bite off an impossible movie to try to make everyone happy, then do it.”

Greta Gerwig, Director/Writer of Lady Bird

Greta Gerwig: (Quoted from panel discussion.)

“I kept the language the same even though the movie, Lady Bird was a comedy/drama. When I’m writing, I get a certain confidence which I later ask myself, where did I get that confidence from. I was talking to some of my actors who said, ‘I really don’t do comedy,’ and I told them that you don’t have to be funny. Just play this all honestly and you will be funny. I’m sure of it. Then I would walk away and say to myself … “Oh God” not knowing if that was true or not. If you just listen to people talk to one another on the street, they will make you cry and laugh because no one uses language to ever say what they mean. People use language as shields.”

James Ivory, Winner of the WGAW Award for Best Adapted Screenplay

On February 11th, 2018, The Hollywood 360 covered the WGAW Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. We interviewed the winners in the press room after they won their award. Here are some of those interviews. Get Out grabbed the top prize for best original screenplay for Jordan Peele, and Call Me by Your Name earned James Ivory the best adapted screenplay award. The Hollywood 360 was able to interview James Ivory.

Interviews with Winners of WGAW Awards

James Ivory, Writer of Call Me By Your Name, Best Adapted Screenplay

The Hollywood 360: What does this mean to you to win an award as a writer as opposed to winning for a director?

James Ivory: It’s a thrill.

The Hollywood 360: What was the process you went through to write the script?

James Ivory: It took 4 to five months to write the script. I was sometimes in upstate NY or once or twice I was in Italy. I just worked at it while I was doing other things at the same time, but I always came back to the script. Eventually it was done and when it was done, I handed it over. Everybody liked it and no one changed it. (He laughs.)

Barbara Stepansky, Writer of Flint, Winner of Original Long Form for Television

Barbara Stepansky, Writer of Flint, Winner of Original Long Form for Television

The Hollywood 360: A difficult subject. A significant story. You have to stick to the facts but still have to make it dramatic. Talk about how you handled all these factors in writing Flint.

Barbara Stepansky: My first draft was just a science project because no one understood the science behind it. I had to peel it away to find the human drama. But let me tell you I learned a lot about plumbing.

The Hollywood 360: How did you get this writing assignment?

Barbara Stepansky: It was an assignment. They were looking for writers for this TIME’s Article that they had the rights for. I have a Science Degree which is my first degree and I went to film school. I’ve been working as a writer, but I was looking for an opportunity to write about this kind of subject.

The Hollywood 360: What kind of Science degree do you have?

Barbara Stepanksy: I did a History of Philosophy of Science/Physics at a University in London.

Josh Singer & Liz Hannah, Writers of The Post  Recipients of the WGAW’s Paul Selvin Award

Josh Singer & Liz Hannah, Writers of The Post, Recipients of the WGAW’s Paul Selvin Award

The Hollywood 360: Liz, please talk about what has been your experience for being a first time writer of a screenplay that was picked up by Steven Spielberg and made into a major motion picture.

Liz Hannah: It’s amazing because everyone got on board with exactly what this movie was about which were two things: a woman finding her voice and telling a story of the free press. Josh and I were very fortunate that Steven, Meryl, and Tom, and everyone behind the scenes, were so willing to push that boulder uphill. For me, this has been a dream come true.

The Hollywood 360: Josh, you won the WGAW and Oscar for best original screenplay a few years ago for Spotlight which was about the Boston Globe uncovering a scandal. Was taking on this assignment a natural fit?

Josh Singer: I had a lot of trepidation actually. It would have taken a lot to bring me back to this world. You tend to want to move on in one’s writing. However, this story was important and I was super excited to get to know Liz and work with Steven.

The Hollywood 360: How did you work together on the script?

Josh Singer: I drink bourbon and Liz drinks Martinis.

Liz Hannah: It was the line drawn in the sand pretty early but we brought each other over to the other’s side so it’s okay. (Laughing) I think we work very similarly which is… the best idea is the best idea and the best idea wins. We came at this with same feeling … to make the script and the movie the best possible. It was only the greatest collaboration.

Josh Singer: When you see someone with such talent, you just want to spend time working with them. It’s been an honor to work with Liz.

Liz Hannah: I feel the same.

Alison Cross, Recipient of the WGAW’s Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement

Alison Cross, Recipient of the WGAW’s Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement

The Hollywood 360: How does it feel to receive this prestigious award?

Alison Cross: I am not used to being interviewed since I usually do the interviewing. When you’ve been a reporter, it’s funny being on this side. You understand the questions and the needs, and I know what it’s like to ask questions to people who didn’t have their answers ready.

The Hollywood 360: You are so accomplished in your field. It must feel good to be honored in this way.

Alison Cross: It is an honor and a validation that even though you don’t have the famous television series behind your name, you will still get steady work that will be noticed.

The Hollywood 360: You have worked in this industry for many years and writing is a difficult career… a lonely career.

Alison Cross: It can be except for all the characters in your head. They are always there. (Laughs)

Glenn Close & Alison Cross

The Hollywood 360: Talk about being here with Glenn Close.

Alison Cross: I haven’t seen her since the last awards for Serving in Silence because we live on opposites coasts. When they said she was going to present the award, I said that is so perfect.

The Hollywood 360: Could you please talk to the young women writers who are now coming up in the Entertainment Industry.

Alison Cross: There are way more women now working as writers as opposed to when I began my career. In fact, there were more women than men when I was working on Murder in the First. Now there are more women executives, too, behind the scenes and that has made a difference, too. When I started off, after a while I didn’t notice the lack of women because I became a kid sister or just one of the guys. But now gender has gone away, I think. It’s about the work you do, not about gender.

The Hollywood 360: That makes sense, it’s about the work and your work ethic.

Alison Cross: I’m standing here because that works. You push through and not to sell yourself short. If you do your best work, that’s always recognized.

Jon Kinnally & Tracy Poust, Writers of  Will & Grace  Winners of WGAW’s Award Best Episodic Comedy

Tracy Proust & Jon Kinnally, Writers for Will & Grace, Winners of Episodic Comedy (Rosario’s Quinceanera)

The Hollywood 360: I loved this episode. It was so funny. Will & Grace is such an iconic show and now it’s been brought back to NBC. Talk about working on the new Will & Grace.

Tracy Proust: Jon and I worked on the first Will & Grace.

Jon Kinnally: We started from the 1st pilot.

Tracy Proust: We had written  it from the beginning. We had done every episode, so we realized we had to also be in on this second round.

Jon Kinnally: We wrote it for 8 years, the last season, and now we are back.

The Hollywood 360: What’s the difference in writing Will & Grace in 2018?

Tracy Proust: We can do more.

Jon Kinnally: We can be gayer and more sexual.

Tracy Proust: We don’t have to hide anyone’s sexuality and Grace doesn’t have to be perfect.

Jon Kinnally: Grace can have a one night stand now. We couldn’t do that before.

Tracy Proust: There would have been arguments in the room in the first Will & Grace if that would have been right for her.

The Hollywood 360: Karen’s character is so outrageous.

Tracy Proust: She is such a brilliant actress… A brilliant dramatic actress. Megan Mullally is the reason we got this award tonight. THANK YOU MEGAN!!! She blew everyone out of the water. We all watched her do her magic on that episode.

As Oscar weekend approaches, it will be interesting to see if the Writer’s Guild Award Winners, Jordan Peele and James Ivory will win Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay.  Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!

The Writers of The Handmaid’s Tale Best New Series

Actress, Alison Brie

Winners of Best Daytime Drama, General Hospital.

The Writers for  Veep Winners of Best Comedy Series.

Brett Morgan, Winner of Best Documentary Screenplay, Jane.

The Writers of The Handmaid’s Tale Best Drama Series.

Writers, Andrew Rothschild & Allen Clary, Winners of Adapted Short Form New Media, “Starboy” (Zac &Mia).

The Writers of “Saturday Night Live” Winners of the Best Comedy/Variety Sketch Series.

May Chan, Writer Winner of Children’s Episodic & Specials, “An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976

Writers for Outstanding Achievement in VideoGame Writing.

Dustin Lance Black, Screenwriter Recipient of 2018 Valentine Davies Award for Civil & Human Rights Efforts

(All photos taken by Sheryl Aronson)

Here is the list of the Nominations and Winners for WGAW 2018

Original Screenplay:
The Big Sick, Written by Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani; Amazon Studios
Get Out, Written by Jordan Peele; Universal Pictures (WINNER)
I, Tonya, Written by Steven Rogers; Neon
Lady Bird, Written by Greta Gerwig; A24
The Shape of Water, Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor; Story by Guillermo del Toro; Fox Searchlight

Adapted Screenplay:
Call Me by Your Name, Screenplay by James Ivory; Based on the Novel by André Aciman; Sony Pictures Classics (WINNER)
The Disaster Artist, Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber; Based on the Book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside the Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell; A24
Logan, Screenplay by Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green; Story by James Mangold; Based on Characters from the X-Men Comic Books and Theatrical Motion Pictures; Twentieth Century Fox Film
Molly’s Game, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the Book by Molly Bloom; STX Entertainment
Mudbound, Screenplay by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees; Based on the Novel by Hillary Jordan; Netflix

Documentary Screenplay:
Betting on Zero, Written by Theodore Braun; Gunpowder & Sky
Jane, Written by Brett Morgen; National Geographic (WINNER)
No Stone Unturned, Written by Alex Gibney; Abramorama
Oklahoma City, Written by Barak Goodman; American Experience Films
Television Nominees
Drama Series:
The Americans, Written by Peter Ackerman, Hilary Bettis, Joshua Brand, Joel Fields, Stephen Schiff, Joe Weisberg, Tracey Scott Wilson; FX Networks
Better Call Saul, Written by Ann Cherkis, Vince Gilligan, Jonathan Glatzer, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Heather Marion, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith; AMC
Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Dave Hill, D.B. Weiss; HBO
The Handmaid’s Tale, Written by Ilene Chaiken, Nina Fiore, Dorothy Fortenberry, Leila Gerstein, John Herrera, Lynn Renee Maxcy, Bruce Miller, Kira Snyder, Wendy Straker Hauser, Eric Tuchman; Hulu (WINNER)
Stranger Things, Written by Paul Dichter, Justin Doble, The Duffer Brothers, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Kate Trefry; Netflix
Comedy Series:
Curb Your Enthusiasm, Written by Larry David, Jon Hayman, Justin Hurwitz, Jeff Schaffer; HBO
GLOW, Written by Kristoffer Diaz, Liz Flahive, Tara Herrmann, Nick Jones, Jenji Kohan, Carly Mensch, Emma Rathbone, Sascha Rothchild, Rachel Shukert; Netflix
Master of None, Written by Aniz Adam Ansari, Aziz Ansari, Andrew Blitz, Matt Hubbard, Zoe Jarman, Cord Jefferson, Joe Mande, Matt Murray, Sarah Peters, Sarah Schneider, Michael Schur, Leila Strachan, Gene Stupnitsky, Lakshmi Sundaram, Lena Waithe, Jason Woliner, Alan Yang; Netflix
Silicon Valley, Written by Alec Berg, Shawn Boxe, Adam Countee, Jonathan Dotan, Mike Judge, Carrie Kemper, Andrew Law, Rachele Lynn, Dan O’Keefe, Meghan Pleticha, Chris Provenzano, Clay Tarver, Graham Wagner, Aaron Zelman; HBO
Veep, Written by Gabrielle Allan, Rachel Axler, Ted Cohen, Jennifer Crittenden, Alex Gregory, Steve Hely, Peter Huyck, Erik Kenward, Billy Kimball, David Mandel, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Dan Mintz, Lew Morton, Georgia Pritchett, Will Smith; HBO (WINNER)

New Series:
American Vandal, Written by Seth Cohen, Lauren Herstik, Dan Lagana, Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus, Jessica Meyer, Dan Perrault, Amy Pocha, Mike Rosolio, Tony Yacenda; Netflix
The Deuce, Written by Megan Abbott, Marc Henry Johnson, Lisa Lutz, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, Will Ralston, David Simon, Chris Yakaitis; HBO
GLOW, Written by Kristoffer Diaz, Liz Flahive, Tara Herrmann, Nick Jones, Jenji Kohan, Carly Mensch, Emma Rathbone, Sascha Rothchild, Rachel Shukert; Netflix
The Handmaid’s Tale, Written by Ilene Chaiken, Nina Fiore, Dorothy Fortenberry, Leila Gerstein, John Herrera, Lynn Renee Maxcy, Bruce Miller, Kira Snyder, Wendy Straker Hauser, Eric Tuchman; Hulu (WINNER)
Ozark, Written by Whit Anderson, Bill Dubuque, Ryan Farley, Alyson Feltes, Paul Kolsby, Chris Mundy, Mark Williams, Ning Zhou, Martin Zimmerman; Netflix
Long Form Original:
American Horror Story: Cult, Written by Brad Falchuk, John J. Gray, Joshua Green, Todd Kubrak, Crystal Liu, Tim Minear, Ryan Murphy, Adam Penn, James Wong; FX Networks
Feud: Bette and Joan, Written by Jaffe Cohen, Tim Minear, Ryan Murphy, Gina Welch, Michael Zam; FX Networks
Flint, Written by Barbara Stepansky; Lifetime (WINNER)
Godless, Written by Scott Frank; Netflix
Manhunt: Unabomber, Written by Jim Clemente, Tony Gittelson, Max Hurwitz, Steven Katz, Nick Schenk, Andrew Sodroski, Nick Towne; Discovery Channel
Long Form Adapted:
Big Little Lies, Teleplay by David E. Kelley, Based on the Novel by Liane Moriarty; HBO (WINNER)
Fargo, Written by Monica Beletsky, Bob DeLaurentis, Noah Hawley, Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, Based on the film Fargo; FX
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Teleplay by Peter Landesman and Alexander Woo and George C. Wolfe, Based on the book written by Rebecca Skloot; HBO
The Wizard of Lies, Teleplay by Sam Levinson and John Burnham Schwartz and Samuel Baum, Based on the Book Written by Diane B. Henriques and Truth and Consequences by Laurie Sandell; HBO

Short Form New Media Original:
No nominations
Short Form New Media Adapted:
John Hancock (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot), Written by James C. Oliver & Sharla Oliver; abc.go.com
Chapter 2 (The Walking Dead: Red Machete), Written by Nick Bernardone; amc.com
Justicia (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot), Written by Mark Leitner; abc.go.com
Starboy (Zac & Mia), Teleplay by Allen Clary and Andrew Rothschild, Based on the novel Zac & Mia by A.J. Betts; go90.com (WINNER)
Animation:
Brunchsquatch (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Lizzie Molyneux & Wendy Molyneux; Fox
A Father’s Watch (The Simpsons), Written by Simon Rich; Fox
Ruthie (BoJack Horseman), Written by Joanna Calo; Netflix
The Serfsons (The Simpsons), Written by Brian Kelley; Fox
Time’s Arrow (BoJack Horseman), Written by Kate Purdy; Netflix (WINNER)
Episodic Drama:
The Book of Nora (The Leftovers), Teleplay by Tom Perrotta & Damon Lindelof, Story by Tom Spezialy & Damon Lindelof; HBO
Chicanery (Better Call Saul), Written by Gordon Smith; AMC (WINNER)
The Heart Attack is the Best Way (Good Behavior), Written by Chad Hodge; TNT
Homecoming (The OA), Written by Brit Marling & Zal Batmanglij; Netflix
Slip (Better Call Saul), Written by Heather Marion; AMC
The Soviet Division (The Americans), Written by Joe Weisberg & Joel Fields; FX Networks
Episodic Comedy:
The Burglary (Grace and Frankie), Written by Brendan McCarthy & David Budin; Netflix
Intervention (The Carmichael Show), Written by Willie Hunter; NBC
Judge (Veep), Written by Ted Cohen; HBO
Rosario’s Quinceanera (Will & Grace), Written by Tracy Poust & Jon Kinnally; NBC (WINNER)
The Verdict (Trial & Error), Written by Jeff Astrof; NBC
Comedy/Variety Talk Series:
Conan, Head Writer: Matt O’Brien, Writers: Jose Arroyo, Dan Cronin, Andres du Bouchet, Jessie Gaskell, Michael Gordon, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Leah Krinsky, Rob Kutner, Todd Levin, Levi MacDougall, Conan O’Brien, Andy Richter, Frank Smiley, Mike Sweeney; TBS
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Writers: Samantha Bee, Ashley Nicole Black, Pat Cassels, Eric Drysdale, Mathan Erhardt, Travon Free, Joe Grossman, Miles Kahn, Jo Miller, Jason Reich, Melinda Taub; TBS
Jimmy Kimmel Live, Writers: Jimmy Kimmel, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Gonzalo Cordova, Devin Field, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jesse Joyce, Bess Kalb, Jeff Loveness, Molly McNearney, CeCe Pleasants, Danny Ricker, Joe Strazzullo; ABC
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Writers: Tim Carvell, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Geoff Haggerty, Jeff Maurer, John Oliver, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner, Ben Silva, Seena Vali; HBO (WINNER)
Late Night with Seth Meyers, Writers: Jermaine Affonso, Alex Baze, Bryan Donaldson, Sal Gentile, Matt Goldich, Dina Gusovsky, Jenny Hagel, Allison Hord, Mike Karnell, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Ian Morgan, Seth Reiss, Amber Ruffin, Mike Scollins, Mike Shoemaker, Ben Warheit; NBC Universal
Real Time with Bill Maher, Writers: Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Bill Maher, Billy Martin, Bob Oschack, Danny Vermont; HBO
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Writers: Dan Amira, David Angelo, Steve Bodow, Kashana Cauley, Devin Delliquanti, Zach DiLanzo, Hallie Haglund, David Kibuuka, Matt Koff, Adam Lowitt, Dan McCoy, Lauren Sarver Means, Trevor Noah, Joseph Opio, Zhubin Parang, Owen Parsons, Daniel Radosh, Michelle Wolf; Comedy Central
The Jim Jefferies Show, Head Writer: Jason Reich, Writers: Jim Jefferies, Subhah Agarwal, Kevin Avery, Curtis Cook, Lucas Kavner, Matt Kirshen, Chris McKinley, Bryan Olsen, Laura Willcox, JJ Whitehead, Scott Y. Zabielski; Comedy Central

Comedy/Variety Sketch Series:
Nathan For You, Writers: Leo Allen, Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Michael Koman, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola; Comedy Central
Portlandia, Writers: Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Karen Kilgariff, Jonathan Krisel, Graham Wagner; IFC
Saturday Night Live, Head Writers: Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider, Bryan Tucker, Writers: James Anderson, Kristen Bartlett, Jeremy Beiler, Neal Brennan, Zack Bornstein, Joanna Bradley, Megan Callahan, Michael Che, Anna Drezen, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Nick Kocher, Michael Koman, Dave McCary, Brian McElhaney, Dennis McNicholas, Drew Michael, Lorne Michaels, Josh Patten, Katie Rich, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, Will Stephen, Kent Sublette, Julio Torres; NBC Universal (WINNER)
The President Show, Writers: Emily Altman, Anthony Atamanuik, Emmy Blotnick, Neil Casey, Mike Drucker, Noah Garfinkel, John Gemberling, Peter Grosz, Mitra Jouhari, John Knefel, Alison Leiby, Christine Nangle, John Reynolds, Jason Ross, Rae Sanni, Evan Waite; Comedy Central
Weekend Update Summer Edition, Writers: Megan Callahan, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Dennis McNicholas, Josh Patten, Katie Rich, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, Kent Sublette, Brian Tucker; NBC Universal
Comedy/Variety Specials:
39th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, Written by Dave Boone; CBS (WINNER)
89th Annual Academy Awards, Written by Billy Kimball, Jon Macks; Special Material Written by Jack Allison, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Gonzalo Cordova, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Bess Kalb, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeff Loveness, Molly McNearney, Danny Ricker, Joe Strazzullo; ABC
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Diane Keaton, Written by Bob Gazzale, Jon Macks; TNT
Michael Bolton’s Big, Sexy, Valentine’s Day Special, Written by Scott Aukerman, Dave Ferguson, Mike Hanford, Tim Kalpakis, Joe Saunders, Akiva Schaffer; Additional Material Written by Zach Kanin, Claudia O’Doherty, Tim Robinson; Netflix
Nathan For You: A Celebration, Written by Leo Allen, Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Michael Koman, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola; Comedy Central
Quiz and Audience Participation:
Hollywood Game Night, Head Writer: Grant Taylor; Writers: Michael Agbabian, Alex Chauvin, Ann Slichter, Dwight D. Smith; NBC (WINNER)
Jeopardy!, Written by Matthew Caruso, John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Deborah Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC
Daytime Drama:
General Hospital, Head Writers: Shelly Altman, Jean Passanante; Writers: Anna Theresa Cascio, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Dave Rupel, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Christopher Van Etten, Christopher Whitesell; ABC (WINNER)
Days of Our Lives, Writers: Ron Carlivati, Sheri Anderson, Lorraine Broderick, David Cherrill, Lisa Connor, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, Cydney Kelley, David Kreizman, David A. Levinson, Rebecca McCarty, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Elizabeth Snyder, Tyler Topits; NBC
Children’s Episodic and Specials:
American Girl – Summer Camp, Friends for Life (American Girl), Teleplay by Alison McDonald, Story by Alison McDonald and Caron Tschampion; Amazon
An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance (American Girl), Written by May Chan; Amazon (WINNER)
Just Add 1965 (Just Add Magic), Written by Lauren Thompson; Amazon
Meet Julia (Sesame Street), Written by Christine Ferraro; HBO
The Magical Wand Chase: A Sesame Street Special, Written by Raye Lankford, Jessica Carleton, Ken Scarborough; HBO
Children’s Long Form:
No nominations
Documentary Script – Current Events:
Confronting ISIS (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith; PBS (WINNER)
Poverty, Politics and Profit (Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS
Unseen Enemy, Written by Janet Tobias; CNN
Documentary Script – Other Than Current Events
Divided States of America Part One (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
Rachel Carson (American Experience), Written and Directed by Michelle Ferrari; PBS
The Great War Part II (American Experience), Written by Stephen Ives; PBS (WINNER)
The Great War Part III (American Experience), Written by Rob Rapley; PBS
The Vietnam War, Episode Six: “Things Fall Apart,” Written by Geoffrey C. Ward; PBS
News Script – Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin, or Breaking Report
Obama Wiretap Allegations (World News Tonight with David Muir), Mark Berman, Barbara Rick, Tom Llamas; ABC News
September 29, 2017 (World News Now), Written by Matt Nelko, Jack Sheahan, Debbie Humes, Carla Brittain, Constance Johnson, Lloyd deVries, Craig Morancie; ABC News
White Helmets (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Nicole Young, Katie Kerbstat; CBS News (WINNER)
News Script – Analysis, Feature, or Commentary
Chief of Chobani (60 Minutes), Written by Steve Kroft, Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News (WINNER)
Fighting Famine (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News
Digital News:
At the Capitol With Those for Whom Last Night Mattered the Most, Written by Emma Roller; SplinterNews.com
Becoming Ugly, Written by Madeleine Davies; Jezebel.com
The Super Predators, Written by Melissa Jeltsen, Dana Liebelson; Huffingtonpost.com (WINNER)
Why Did Politicon Make Me Want To Die?, Written by Libby Watson; SplinterNews.com
Radio/Audio Nominees
Radio/Audio Documentary:
2016 Year in Review, Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
Castro, Cuba & Communism, Written by Thomas A. Sabella; CBS News Radio
CBS Radio 90th Anniversary, Written by Dianne E. James, Gail Lee; CBS News Radio (WINNER)
Remembering Princess Diana 20 Years Later, Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio
Radio/Audio News Script – Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin, or Breaking Report:
Hugh Hefner: A Social Revolutionary in Silk Pajamas, Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
World News This Week November 18, 2016, Written by Joan B. Harris; ABC News Radio
World News This Week: June 9, 2017, Written by Tara Gimbel Tanis; ABC News Radio (WINNER)
Radio/Audio News Script – Analysis, Feature, or Commentary:
Chuck Berry, Written by Jerry Edling; KNX
Dishin’ Digital on WCBS-AM, Written by Robert Hawley; WCBS (WINNER)
Holiday Stories, Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
One Nation, Overdosed: An Investigative Report, Written by Tara Gimbel Tanis; ABC News Radio
Promotional Writing Nominees
On-Air Promotion (Radio or Television)
CBS Comedy, Written by Dan Greenberger; CBS Television (WINNER)
The Good Fight, Written by Brian Retchless; CBS On-Air Promotions
Television Graphic Art and Animation
No nominations
Videogame Nominees
Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing:
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, External Writers Anna Megill, Hazel Monforton; Lead Narrative Designer Sachka Duval; Arkane Studios-Bethesda Softworks
Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow, Written by Cas Ruffin, Patric M. Verrone; TinyCo
Horizon Zero Dawn, Narrative Director John Gonzalez; Lead Writer Benjamin McCaw; Writing by Ben Schroder, Anne Toole; Additional Writing by Dee Warrick, Meg Jayanth; Guerrilla Games (WINNER)
Madden NFL 18: Longshot, Written by Michael Young, Adrian Todd Zuniga; Story by Michael Young; Tiburon/Electronic Arts