Over 100 anonymous workers in TV are sharing how much they make in attempt to close the wage gap. “Knowledge is power,” Variety’s Mo Ryan wrote, sharing the spreadsheet on Twitter.
The spreadsheet is organized by four different categories: pilot quotes, pay for staff writers/producers, and pay for assistants and "network studio assistants." In each category the workers can disclose their sex, if they are a person of color, the studio and network they are working for, and of course their salary. As of this post, 132 entries have been made. “Please help us achieve parity by sharing any info you are willing to,” the top of the document reads.
In the spreadsheet tab designated for pilot quotes, it’s unsurprising to see men seem to be making more than women at the same level or lower. What’s even less shocking is that it appears women of color are comparatively making the least in that category. One woman of color disclosed that she was quoted $70,000 thousand for a mid-level script, while white women at her level or lower on the list made at least $15,000 more.
It appears women are more willing than men to fork over their salary info. So far, only about a third of the entries under staff workers come from men. It’s unclear how long the spreadsheet has been up, but perhaps a database of this kind can provide some underpaid workers with a jumping off point to start renegotiating their salaries.
