Writers Guild East Elects New Head of Broadcast and Re-Elects Online Media Leader to Governing Body

Writers Guild East Elects New Head of Broadcast and Re-Elects Online Media Leader to Governing Body

As a dedicated member of the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), I am thrilled to see the re-election and new appointments within our council. Sara David’s continued service as vice president of online media division and Beth Godvik’s rise as the new vice president of broadcast, cable, and streaming news are inspiring steps forward for our union.


As a passionate member of the Writers Guild of America East, I’m thrilled to announce that Sara David has been re-elected as Vice President of the Online Media Division in our recent elections. Furthermore, we have appointed Beth Godvik as the new Vice President for Broadcast, Cable, and Streaming News. This marks a significant milestone following our union’s 2023 strike resolution.

Godvik is assuming Kathy McGee’s position on the council, as she chose not to seek re-election. For the past two years, Godvik has been a member of the WGA East Council, while David, who ran uncontested, has served for three years.

The Council of WGA East serves as the ruling body for the union, with a total of 20 council members and five executives spread out among three distinct industry sectors that the union oversees.

A total of eleven council members were chosen in the election held between August 27th and September 19th. Among these, Monica Lee Bellais was re-elected in the film, television, and streaming industry. Additionally, Larry J. Cohen, Don P. Hooper, Victoria Pollack, Celine Robinson, and Suzanne Weber also secured their places as council members. In the online media division, Susan Rinkunas and Jessica Schulberg were reappointed to the council without any opposition. Lastly, in the broadcast, cable, and streaming news category, Justin DiLauro and Gail Lee retained their seats while Phil Pilato also joined them on the council.

In summary, a total of 21 individuals competed for 13 available spots in this year’s competition. Regrettably, participation was relatively low: only 6.3% of online media members cast their votes, while 11.07% from broadcast, cable, and streaming news, and 14.23% from film, TV, and streaming industries followed suit. The ballot count was overseen by EBallot.

The WGA East Council is headed by President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Vice President Eric Saleh (responsible for film, television, and streaming), and Secretary-Treasurer Christopher Kyle. Their positions will be open for re-election in 2025. Other council members who still have a year left on their terms are Sofia Alvarez, Josh Gondelman, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Sarah Montana, Sasha Stewart, Caitlin Cruz, Sie Morley, and Samantha Smylie.

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2024-09-20 03:25