Anne Cofell Saunders Explains Why the ‘Genre Queens’ Writers are Supporting SAG-AFTRA—and Setting Up Their Own Community

On Friday, October 27, the “Genre Queens”—a group of female writers who write or aspire to write on genre projects—met up at the Disney lot to support the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. (Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the studios are ongoing; WGA’s strike ended in September.)

“SAG’s at a critical point in their negotiations, and now, more than ever, it’s important for writers and producers to collaborate and show our love for actors,” writer Anne Cofell Saunders (STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, TIMELESS, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA), who has been picketing once a week since WGA’s strike ended, explains to Give Me My Remote. “We work together; we have to collaborate in real-life, as well, and be there for them and have their backs—Genre Queens have their backs.”

The earliest version of the group dates back to 2007—the last WGA strike—when “about 20” female genre writers, then dubbed the Pink Hat Brigade, got together and picketed.

They decided to picket together again during the 2023 strike, and Saunders bought 40 shirts for the expected crowd. “200 people showed up,” she recalls with a laugh. “And then we had another one, which was just as big.” 

Realizing there was a desire to maintain this community, the group became official pretty fast. “Now we have almost 200 active members, who’ve organized themselves into committees,” Saunders says. “[They] have created writing groups, discord groups. We have a social committee, we have a development committee. We have an education committee—the education committee’s focus is how we can take and support each of these producers and writers and train up to be incredible showrunners…because genre is very unique. There’s prosthetics. There’s special effects, there’s visual effects. There’s a huge amount of difference between that and, say, a show like TRANSPARENT or something.”

“It used to be that you were on a show for five years and 22 episodes, and you really got to know your staff,” she continues. “And now, orders are so much shorter that we don’t have the same kind of community to nurture each other. So we decided to make this an actual organization.”

When films and movies resume filming, there will be a hotline for people to call with production challenges. Showrunners have volunteered to mentor small groups and hold “office hours” once a month. For the vets, their mindset is, “How can we create a system of support that used to exist that no longer exists?” Saunders says. “And how can we lift up women, particularly in genre? [The female showrunners] all just feel a big responsibility to try to help up the next generation of showrunners.”

“You can be brilliant at what you do, but the most important thing about being a leader is you bring other people with you,” she continues. “You share your knowledge and we’re all gonna learn together—I think showrunners can learn a lot from each other, too. I think change is possible when we all support each other. And I think that this particular group, and how motivated all these women are, they’re all leaders in their own right. It feels like we’re an army of change.”

And part of that is showing up for the striking actors. “Ultimately, writers’ rooms will only be able to run so long without [actors],” Saunders says. “We just want to show our love and support.”

RELATED:

• Kirsten Vangsness on the SAG-AFTRA Strike: ‘Everybody Deserves to Get Paid a Fair Amount’
• Actors Express Hope and Optimism as SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP Prepare to Resume Negotiations
• Steven Weber on the SAG-AFTRA Strike: ‘People Who Create the Product Need to Be Paid Accordingly’
• PSYCH Vet Kirsten Nelson on ‘Offering Joy’ As a SAG-AFTRA Strike Captain
• CASTLE, COVERT AFFAIRS, and GREY’S ANATOMY Stars Share The Importance of Getting a Fair Contract for SAG-AFTRA
• Actors on the SAG-AFTRA Picket Line Express Cautious Optimism Ahead of Renewed Negotiation
• Writers Share the Importance of Continuing to Support SAG-AFTRA Post-WGA Strike
• WGA and the AMPTP Reach a Tentative Deal
• Shawna Benson Explains How the Benson Sisters’ Twitch Page is Bringing Fans Into the Picketing Process—and Helping the Entertainment Community Fund
• The BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Team Reunites to Support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes—And Express Concern About AI
• Joe Henderson Shares How LUCIFER Can Be a Template for Streaming Shows Post-Strike
• Noah Wyle on How Things Have Changed ‘In Every Way’ for Working Actors
• Will Graham on A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN’s Cancellation and Stevie Nicks’ DAISY JONES & THE SIX Love
• Showrunners Express Solidarity Amidst the Ongoing WGA Strike: ‘We’re Sticking Together’
• Alexi Hawley on the Importance of the Highlighting the Solidarity Amongst WGA and SAG-AFTRA: ‘Nobody’s Breaking This Union’
• THE OC Team Reunites to Support the Ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes
• The SUPERNATURAL Team Reunites for ‘the Most Epic’ Reunion Supporting the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes
• Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer Explain the Importance of Striking: ‘It’s a Watershed Moment’
• WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and More Picket on Behalf of Support Staff: ‘They Really Are the Heart and Soul of a Writing Staff’
• Danny Pino Explains the Importance of Residuals for the Striking Actors and Writers
• The GLEE Cast and Creative Team Reunite to Support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes: ‘We’re At a Turning Point in Our Industry’
• WGAW Latinx Writers and SAG-AFTRA National Latino Committee Unite for an Inspiring Picket: ‘Latinos Know How to Fight a Labor Fight’
• Sera Gamble Highlights the Importance of Writers’ Rooms
• Team SWAT Shows Their Support for the Ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes: ‘We’re Asking for Dignity and Respect’
• The ARROW Writers and Cast Reunite to Picket—and Raise Money for Charity—in Support of WGA and SAG-AFTRA
• SUPERNATURAL Vets Sebastian Roché, Ruth Connell, and Rob Benedict on the Ongoing Strikes: ‘It’s a Fight That We Are Going to Win’
• Day 100 of the WGA Strike: Rob Forman Explains the Stakes for Everyone
• The FAMILY GUY Team on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes: Sometimes It’s ‘the Only Way to Get Something Done’
• TTIE Leaders Explain the WGA Strike Stakes for Historically Excluded Writers
• The Teams Behind LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME and FBI: MOST WANTED Explain Why They’re Supporting the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes: ‘It Is a Fight For Our Lives’
• THE X-FILES: David Duchovny and Rob Bowman on the Importance of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes
• The BONES Team Reunites to Support the Ongoing WGA Strike

Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page or our Instagram.

And be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links/ads placed on the site.