Hear from a panel of Princeton alumni, faculty, and others whose lives have been impacted by the ongoing strikes of SAG/AFTRA and the Writers Guild. Get an insiders’ perspective around the key issues on the negotiating table, including salary equity in the age of streaming, and the use of generative AI. Moderated by Professor of the Practice in Creative Writing A.M. Homes.
Presented as part of the Arts at Work series sponsored by the Lewis Center for the Arts and Center for Career Development.
Student Networking Reception: 5 PM
Princeton students are invited to come early from 5-6 p.m. for informal conversation and pizza with the panelists. Co-hosted by the newly formed student organization, Princeton in Hollywood (U). Seats to the panel discussion in the James Stewart Film Theater will be reserved for students who attend the pre-reception.
Tickets & Details
The panel discussion is free and open to the public; no reservations required.
The James Stewart Film Theater is an accessible venue. Visit our Venues and Studios section for accessibility information at our various locations. Guests in need of access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at 609-258-5262 or email LewisCenter@princeton.edu at least one week in advance of the event date.
About the Tigers on Strike Panelists
A.M. Homes (Professor of the Practice in Creative Writing, moderator) is the author of 13 books of fiction, short stories, and non-fiction, including most recently a novel, The Unfolding. Homes’ 2013 novel, May We Be Forgiven, won the Women’s Prize for Fiction and her memoir, The Mistress’s Daughter, was published to international acclaim. Her work has been translated into 22 languages. In addition to writing books, Homes is also active in television and film and serves on the Council of the Writers Guild of America East. She was Co-Executive Producer of David E. Kelly’s/Stephen King’s ”Mr. Mercedes” and ”Falling Water” on USA and a Writer/Producer on the original ”L WORD” and has written for all the major networks and streamers.
Mark Feuerstein ’93 (Actor) — Feature credits include What Women Want, In Her Shoes, Practical Magic. TV credits include Royal Pains, The West Wing, Prison Break, 9JKL, Babysitters Club, and Power. He can be seen soon in the new Chris Brancato series Hotel Cocaine for MGM+, the upcoming Apple limited series The Lady in the Lake with Natalie Portman and as the title character in the indie feature Man in the Long Black Coat.
David Zabel ’88 (Writer/Producer/Showrunner) started writing for television in 1995 on such shows as JAG, Star Trek: Voyager and Dark Angel. In 2001, he began a long tenure on the NBC medical drama ER, during which he eventually became an Executive Producer and the drama’s Showrunner for its final five seasons. After ER, David went on to executive produce/create/showrun numerous series including Detroit 187, Betrayal and Mercy Street. His most recent work is Daryl Dixon, a spinoff of The Walking Dead universe, set and filmed in France.
Sayash Kapoor is a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy. His research examines the societal impacts of artificial intelligence, focusing on reproducibility, transparency, and accountability in AI systems. Kapoor’s research provides insights into challenges in responsible computing, such as algorithmic legitimacy, privacy, and disinformation. He has previously worked on AI at Facebook, Columbia University, and EPFL Switzerland. His work has been recognized with awards at top computing conferences, including a best paper award at ACM FAccT and an impact recognition award at ACM CSCW. Kapoor is co-authoring a book titled AI Snake Oil with Arvind Narayanan, which critically analyzes AI capabilities, separating the hype from the true advances.
Ben Whitehair (Executive Vice President, SAG-AFTRA) is a champion for social change through art and business. He has worked on over 100 projects with Oscar and Emmy winners in film, television, dubbing, commercials and more. He has served on over a dozen SAG-AFTRA committees, including the Executive, Governance Review, Government Affairs & Public Policy, and Innovation & New Technology committees, as well as on the President’s Task Force for Education, Outreach and Engagement. Additionally, he was the founding chair of NextGen Performers. Before being elected SAG-AFTRA’s Executive Vice President, Whitehair served on its national and local boards. He is also the COO of the social media management firm TSMA Consulting and co-founder of Working.Actor. Previous endeavors include co-founding a company that saved college students $30 million, interning for Congress in Washington, D.C., and becoming a champion sheep and dairy cow showman.
