David Zaslav was greeted with boos and angry chants from students after he took the stage at Boston University on Sunday to receive his honorary degree and deliver the inaugural address for 2023.
Those screams began as early as BU President Robert A. Brown’s introduction of the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery during the 150th inaugural drills at Nickerson Field. When Brown spoke about Zaslav’s “passion for documenting and sharing human history on a global scale,” the chants and boos immediately increased, followed by a steady ebb and flow of shouts throughout his 20-minute speech.
This included screams, shouts and chants from hundreds of seniors seated at Sunday’s event, which began at 1:00 p.m. ET, as 7,000 degrees were awarded in nearly 350 majors. “We don’t want you here,” “Pay your writers,” and “Shut up, Zaslav” were heard from the crowd, messages similar to those prepared chants for the picket line, including some created by members of the school’s YDSA chapter and students who were inspired by BU hockey chants.
At one point, when the WBD executive joked about giving life advice to students, he received more boos and had to repeatedly interrupt his speech until the screaming waves subsided temporarily. He also spoke of finding financial success as a lawyer but not feeling fulfilled because he didn’t love what he was doing and encouraging the crowd to pursue their passion. But when he remarked, “I made good money, I felt really great,” the crowd responded with another wave of angry chants and boos.
While parts of his speech focused on his work ethic and his struggle for happiness in his professional life as a lawyer, the audience took in his tales of hard work, working with people, choosing kindness and breaking into Hollywood relentlessly and unforgivingly.
“Some people will want a fight,” Zaslav said about halfway through his speech to BU students, amid a mixture of boos and cheers. “But don’t be the one they find it with. Focus on the qualities of good people. In my career I’ve seen so many talented people lose opportunities or jobs because they didn’t get along with others. You can’t choose the people you work with. Find out what you like about a person – there’s always something – and do what you can to meet their challenges. We all have them.”
The mood sparked an audible uproar, with some students laughing while others continued to shout or even express shock.
“I am grateful to my alma mater, Boston University, for inviting me to attend today’s graduation ceremony and awarding me an honorary doctorate,” Zaslav said in a statement to . “As I have said many times, I fully support the writers and hope that the strike will be resolved soon and in a manner that recognizes their value.”
Students from BU’s College of Communications, where the film and television program is located, as well as the College of Fine Arts and some students from the College of Arts and Sciences were among those who expressed interest or were expected to participate in the Attend ceremony protest, according to Vanessa Bartlett, a graduate student who helped lead the student-led writers’ strike solidarity event at Nickerson Field.
“I’m in the same college as a bunch of film and TV kids,” Bartlett, who studied political science and journalism and was among those who created the day’s official chants, told ahead of the event. “I’m friends with a lot of people at the College of Fine Arts, people who are in the theater department, so a sense of solidarity is very important to me.”
Outside of the opening ceremony, pickets had been marching on Commonwealth Avenue near Harry Agganis Way since 11:30 am. Both inaugural events were led and driven by Boston University’s YDSA group, with external picket support and coordination in partnership with WGA East, Boston DSA and DSA-LA Hollywood.
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Boston is a union city! F*!# Zaslav
solidarity with @WGAEast @WGAWest Writers, students entering the workforce and all workers.
Come over, we’ll keep going all afternoon! B Line Babcock Street
👊🏼 👊🏿 👊🏽👊🏽 👊🏻 👊🏾 pic.twitter.com/4HIOnUhT6D
— Boston DSA Labor Working Group (@BDSA_Labor) May 21, 2023
This picket, which reportedly had around 350 confirmed participants in attendance according to one person who worked on event check-in also received support from other Boston unions and groups from Hollywood and beyond. Among them were members of the BU Graduate Union and Resident Assistants Union, as well as IASTE, SAG-AFTRA, SEUI, IUPAT and the Hospitality Union Boston Local 26and Local 537 and UA Local 447, which support plumbers, pipe fitters, refrigeration technicians, and service technicians. The Greater Boston Labor Council, some local university professors, and parents of graduates joined the line.
Protesters were also seen gathering around Rich Hall, where speakers including Zaslav were being removed. Not only could protesters be seen at the site saluting the WBD CEO as he entered the field, but also the giant inflatable Scabby the Rat, which was brought to the event by IUPAT members.
Before Zaslav entered the stage, it was on airplane banner The message “David Zaslav Pay Your Writers” was also to be flown over the picket line and opening practice at Nickerson Field.
Before the start, the WGA released a statement on Twitter clarifying that the goal of the solidarity event was not to disrupt graduate students. “The picket lines are not intended in any way to prevent students, families or faculty from attending the graduation ceremony or to disrupt the ceremony.” WGA East tweeted. “The toolkit provides context for picketing and ideas for silent support of the writers’ strike. Thank you for the solidarity.”
When Boston University confirmed that despite the ongoing writers’ strike, Zaslav would deliver the opening address at the May 11 graduation ceremony, the Writers Guild officially announced that it would picket the ceremony. “Boston University should not give a voice to anyone who wants to destroy their students’ ability to build careers in film and television,” the union said in a statement at the time.
In a previous statement, the WGA called the decision to select Zaslav as one of the school’s opening speakers a “bad decision,” noting that both Boston-based guild members and students enrolled in the university’s film and television program ” expressed deep disappointment”. about his decision to give the CEO a university platform.
“Having overseen Zaslav’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery makes it all the more clear to the people whose financial interests he is pursuing, who he is looking out for, and the authors have rightly stated that they are not,” says Ryan Black , a Boston DSA Coordinating Committee member and one of the organizers of the picket line, told THR ahead of Sunday’s solidarity rally. “I think that’s what made him a magnet for the wrath of such protests, especially given the writers’ strike.”