So, it was another day on the picket line for me as I walked outside of Warner Brothers on August 18, 2023. It is now day 35 of the strike for SAG/AFTRA, and day 109 for the WGA. The picket hours have been reduced to go from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. as the heat continues to be brutal and unforgiving, and the unions clearly want to make sure no one suffers from heatstroke.

After picketing outside of Paramount Studios and Netflix, I felt the time had come to go over the hill, so to speak, and check out what was going on in the valley. Picketing has ceased at Universal Studios due to them not providing enough safety for union members exercising the right to protest. As a result, the crowd outside of Warner Brothers proved to be especially huge as the sidewalks were crowded, and strike captains had to keep telling people to keep moving as there were parents with strollers trying to get through. And while there were sidewalks you could cross at, there were others which were off limits as cars kept coming up and down Barham Boulevard. Like me, many of them were desperately trying to find a place to park.

It was also a big day for Latino actors (Latino/a/x) as they made their presence known and partied on like there was no tomorrow. Their energy proved to be infinitely infectious as many joined in with their dancing and singing while also chanting loudly, “This corporate greed has got to go!” And if you looked closely, you could see actress Frances Fisher (“Unforgiven” and “Titanic”) walking the picket line as well as the Mandalorian and Captain America who was carrying a sign saying, “I can do this all day.”

Once again, a big thank you to the strike captains for keeping everyone safe and hydrated. To date, this has been the busiest picket line I have been to yet, so their jobs were a lot tougher than usual as a result. The temperature was in the high eighties, so even a warm lime La Croix was refreshing in this climate.

Check out the video below, and please consider making a donation to those in need.

WRITER’S NOTE: For the record, I am not currently a member of SAG/AFTRA or the WGA. The video I have put together here is not officially endorsed by either union.