June 11, 2023
‘BMF’ Producer Suspended For Threatening Striking Writers With His SUV
In a deeply disturbing turn of events, allegations have emerged regarding a BMF producer who reportedly resorted to extreme measures, pretending to almost hit striking writers with a truck, Complex reported.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the power dynamics and tensions that can arise in labor disputes, and highlights the need for a safe and respectful working environment.
Writer Brian Egeston (House of Payne, The Game) were at a WGA strike in Hollywood, and shared details of the incident on Twitter, citing producer Ian Woolf as the alleged truck driver.
In a series of Tweets, Egeston documented that Woolf simulated almost hitting him and fellow writer Gabriel Alejandro Garza (The Flash) with his SUV.
“When you pointed your SUV at me as though it were a weapon and slammed the breaks within six feet of writers, I felt the hate and aggression of scenarios similar to Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and others who have been harmed at the hands of hate-filled oppressors,” Egeston
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAN WHO ALMOST KILLED ME ON THE WGA PICKET LINE TODAY.
A thread… pic.twitter.com/tImgeGpguC
— Brian Egeston (@TheBrianwrites) June 8, 2023
The alleged threats made by the BMF producer against the striking writers—with a motor vehicle—represent a distressing incident within the entertainment industry.
The alleged incident serves as a reminder of the power imbalances that exist in labor disputes and the urgent need for a safe and respectful working environment.
Garza, who is also a strike captain, supported Egeston’s claims about the producer, taking to Twitter to confirm the incident. Garza noted that him and Egeston weren’t “impeding traffic” and was suddenly shocked when another writer told him to “look out” as Egeston pulled him away with him. It was at that moment that Garza said he heard a “vehicle skidding as it sped into the driveway, and turned to see an SUV coming to a stop.” Garza even stated that he made eye contact with the producer of the hit series BMF, as he “hit the accelerator one more time” and followed up with hitting the brakes and “skidding even closer” to them.
Gabriel Alejandro Garza here. I'm a WGA Strike Captain, and the other writer standing next to Brian when this happened. I joined Twitter jsut know to post this: pic.twitter.com/5UJ3Ddm0Tk
— GG (@GG2116921532691) June 9, 2023
Since this incident, Lionsgate has reportedly suspended Woolf, telling Deadline that they “take acts of intimidation and threats of violence seriously and investigate them thoroughly.”
We’re not sure how this might impact BMF or Starz.
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