Screenwriter Howard Rodman has been elected president of the Writers Guild of America, West in an election that highlighted the growing anxieties among writers in Hollywood.
Rodman, the union's current vice president, easily defeated veteran TV writer Joan Meyerson.
He succeeds Chris Keyser, the creator of the TV series "Party of Five" who served two terms as president and was prohibited under guild rules from seeking a third term.
Rodman, whose credits include the 2007 movie "Savage Grace" and the 2008 film "August," campaigned on the economic challenges facing writers, including a reduction in "quotes" and payments for script drafts.