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The Working Group records

 Collection
Identifier: larc-ms-0064

Scope and Contents

The Working Group Collection comprises production, research, outreach, and financial records generated by The Working Group, an independent media production company based in Oakland, California. The Working Group produces locally and nationally distributed documentary television programs related to labor and work issues for broadcast on public television. The bulk of the collection spans the years 1991-1999 and documents the activities of the organization during the production of the half-hour series, California Working, later known as We Do the Work, and the hour-long series, Livelyhood, about the changing nature of work and its place in the lives of American workers. The collection also contains materials created during the production of documentaries made for client organizations, including Test of Courage: The Making of a Firefighter.

The records of Series I reflect the administrative activities of the organization, including press releases and clippings related to the history of The Working Group, board meeting agendas, minutes, correspondence, financial statements, documents related to the hiring of staff and interns, and notes of ideas and potential show topics.

Series 2 and 3 comprise records generated in the research, planning, production, and promotion of the television series We Do the Work, and Livelyhood. Includes scripts, budgets, schedules, correspondence, tape logs, planning notes, news clippings, press releases, and feedback from viewers.

Series 4 contains records related to The Working Group's production of contract documentaries for PBS and other organizations. The bulk of the records were created in the production of the hour-long documentary for PBS, Test of Courage: The Making of a Firefighter.

Dates

  • 1979-2005
  • Majority of material found within 1991-1999

Creator

Access

Collection is open for research.

Access

Materials are stored offsite; advance notice required.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives and Research Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Labor Archives and Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Organizational / Administrative History

The Working Group (TWG) is an Oakland-based non-profit media company founded in late 1987 with the goal of producing media focused on labor issues told from the perspective of the worker. TWG first created a local, half-hour news magazine format show, California Working, produced by Ed Herzog, Patrice O'Neill, and Rhian Miller. Later renamed We Do the Work, the series featured several guest hosts, but eventually Will Durst, comedian and political commentator, became the regular host. The series included occasional documentary specials and also featured the work of other independent filmmakers. The Working Group focused outreach efforts on individual PBS stations all across the country, convincing programming directors at each local affiliate to air the series. Such local distribution often resulted in irregular scheduling and broadcasts being played in non-primetime slots. After gaining positive recognition with We Do the Work, The Working Group approached PBS with a proposal to create a national primetime program, thus guaranteeing it a larger audience and broader exposure in national media markets. With this in mind, The Working Group producers developed Livelyhood, a series that differed in format, scope, frequency, and tone from We Do the Work. The program, which ran for three seasons and was hosted by Will Durst, examined the impact of globalization and the "new economy" on American workers. In December 1995, The Working Group screened Not in Our Town, a half-hour documentary focusing on the residents of Billings, Montana and the community's reaction to hate crimes in their town. The documentary grew into a PBS series and sparked a national movement to combat hate and violence in communities all over the world. The Working Group also produced contract documentaries for PBS, unions, and other organizations.

Extent

37.5 Cubic Feet ( (30 cartons))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Working Group records consist of production, research, outreach, and financial materials generated by The Working Group (TWG), an independent media production company based in Oakland, California. The bulk of the records span the years 1991 to 1999 and were created during the production of three television series related to working people: California Working, We Do the Work, and Livelyhood. The records document the activities of the organization as it produced programs for broadcast on public television. Also included are materials created in the production of documentaries for client organizations, in particular, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) documentary Test of Courage: The Making of a Firefighter.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into four series: Series 1: The Working Group Administrative Files, 1987-2005; Series 2: Livelyhood, 1990-2001; Series 3: We Do the Work, 1984-2002; Series 4: Contract Documentaries, 1979-2005.

Acquisition Information

The Working Group Records were donated to the Labor Archives and Research Center by Rhian Miller, co-founder of The Working Group, in September 2008. A second accession was donated by Rhian Miller in February 2009.

Related Material

The Labor Archives Film and Video Collection contains most of the VHS copies of Livelyhood and We Do the Work and some episodes of California Working. Several of the Working Group's contract productions are also in the video collection. Photographs and negatives have been transferred to the Labor Archives Photograph Collection.

Separated Material

Photographs and negatives were removed and integrated into the Labor Archives Photograph Collection. Videocassettes were integrated into the Labor Archives Film and Videocassette Collection. Tape logs were photocopied and the originals were returned to The Working Group. Photocopies of these files were then integrated into their original folders.

Processing Information

Processed by Casey Conor in 2008-2009; with additional processing by Diana Wuerthner in 2015. Revised by Frances Kaplan in 2016.

Title
Finding Aid to the The Working Group Records
Status
Completed
Author
Conor Casey, revised by Frances Wratten Kaplan.
Date
1999, revised in 2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in: English.

Repository Details

Part of the Labor Archives and Research Center Repository

Contact:
San Francisco State University
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco 94132-1722 USA
(415) 405-5571