HBO’s Casey Bloys On WGA Strike: “Hopeful That A Fair Resolution Is Found Soon With Writers”

Lynette Rice and Dominic Patten
·2 min read

HBO boss Casey Bloys had a word or two to say about the ongoing strike while speaking at this morning’s Warner Bros Discovery Upfront in New York City.

Before beginning the Max portion of the presentation, the chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content addressed the elephant in the room — how there were no celebrities to help promote the upcoming year of new programs on the platform.

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“First, let me just start by saying I am hopeful that a fair resolution is found soon with writers that would of course return talent to this stage,” said Bloys. “Let’s be honest, making this a far more entertaining show. Until then you’re kind of stuck with me and my clips.”

He then kicked off a short reel of clips promoting the new season of Sex and the City and a car show featuring Robert Downey Jr.

The HBO chief’s comments came today in NYC as a WGA pickets were outside Madison Square Garden, where WBD is holding its Upfront.

WGA pickets outside WBD Upfront; Deadline/Peter White
WGA pickets outside WBD Upfront; Deadline/Peter White

Unlike some other picketed Upfronts this week, guild members and their supporters were not in front of the event. Instead, WGA pickets were placed across the street from the fabled arena due to the never-ending New York construction. The result is that picketers were essentially out of sight and likely not seen by attendees to WBD’s event Wednesday.

Earlier in the talent-free on-stage presentation, WBD’s chief U.S. advertising sales officer Jon Steinlauf also brought up the WGA strike. “What you’re about to see is not exactly the show we expected to do today,” the exec said. “We made the decision to only have our executives onstage out of respect for our talent and the WGA.”

It is day 16 of the strike that the guild called on the evening of May 1 after weeks of talks with the studios ended without a new three-year contract for the WGA.

It wasn’t just HBO and WBD brass mentioning the WGA strike during today’s Upfront.

In a tweet during the WBD presentation, Conan O’Brien promoted his new international travel show for Max while saying how “I can’t wait to finish it after the writers’ strike.”

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