Writer’s Guild of America members plan to launch Strike TV, an Internet fund-raiser to help members affected by the strike. Set to launch in February, the online channel will feature original video shows created by working professionals in the TV and Film industry.

“Strike TV videos will not be about the strike,” according to the Web site. “This is a chance for writers to do what they do best–be original and tell stories. These shows will be self-funded and owned by their creators.”

WGA members including showrunners, staff writers and screenwriters have expressed interest in participating in Strike TV. “One of the goals of Strike TV is to demonstrate that these kinds of creative ventures can be done on the internet under union jurisdiction,” according to the Web site.

Strike TV will use a Web video platform that allows for videos up to 40 minutes in length, although most will likely be 5 to 7 minutes long. Shows will be rolled out in slates, with the number of slates dependent on the number of videos that are actually produced. Strike TV will have its own page on the United Hollywood site, basically a TV guide of all the shows. When you click on a specific show, you’ll be taken to that program’s Web page. Each show will create and build its own online community.

The Writers Guild of America strike, which began Nov. 5, is against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a trade organization representing the interests of 397 American film and television producers, over future royalties from online content. Over 12,000 writers have joined the strike.

via MediaPost Publications