NCIS star Katrina Law inundated with congratulations after sharing exciting news

NCIS star Katrina Law has been inundated with messages of congratulations after her short film, Mayfly, which she co-wrote and co-produced with her husband Keith Andreen, won the award for Best Drama at the Montelupo Fiorentino Film Festival.

Taking to Instagram, the actress shared the exciting announcement whilst paying tribute to the team behind the film, writing: “Congratulations to the entire @MAYFLYSHORTFILM team for winning BEST DRAMA at the @montelupofilmfest.

“Thank you MIIFF for having us and for believing in us.”

WATCH: NCIS star Katrina Law shares very rare glimpse of daughter Kinley

Making reference to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, she added: “MAYFLY has no affiliations with any struck AMPTP companies and is approved by @sagaftra for continuation of work and promotion,” before going on to share the full list of cast and crew.

In the comments section, Katrina’s fans were quick to congratulate the star on her big win. One person wrote: “Congratulations!!” while another added: “Couldn’t be MORE deserved! Congrats!!!”

A third person tweeted: “Congratulations!!! So well deserved!” while another commented: “Amazing news @katrinalaw! Congratulations.”

As well as writing and producing, Katrina stars alongside Yellowjackets actor Warren Kole in the film, which is directed by her husband.

The story follows a mysterious woman who breaks into the house of a best-selling self-help author and forces him to face scars that he thought had long been healed.

The full synopsis reads: “Best-selling self-help author Aaron Driscoll may look like a successful motivational speaker on the outside, but inside, he hides a dark secret, that he thought would remain buried deep in his past.

“After a long day of talk shows, book signings, and motivational speaking, he returns home to his mansion and passes out, only to be startled awake by what initially appears to be an obsessed fan holding him at gunpoint, demanding the truth about his shameful past, and forcing him into a painful reckoning that will either kill him or be his salvation.”

Katrina’s achievement comes as production on season 21 of NCIS remains on hold due to the ongoing strike.

Both WGA and SAG-AFTRA are on strike over ongoing labor disputes with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major studios including Disney, Netflix and Amazon.

When will season 21 of NCIS be released?

While new seasons of NCIS usually arrive on our screens in the fall, it’s likely that new episodes won’t premiere until 2024.

Filming for the new episodes will commence once the strike has ended, which industry insiders have predicted will take place in the fall.

MORE: Where the stars who left NCIS are now: Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette and more

The cast of NCIS have been very vocal in their support of the strike over the past few weeks. Katrina even took to Instagram to share a series of snaps of her alongside her co-stars on the picket lines in Los Angeles. She wrote in the caption: “So proud of the #NCIS actors and writers coming out in support of each other and for providing a relief to the heat by sponsoring an Ice Cream Truck.”

Why are actors going on strike?

SAG-AFTRA member voted to strike on July 13 2023. They are calling for improved compensation and benefits, in particular focus is on the residuals they receive from streaming services, and better protection against artificial intelligence using their likeness.

In 2022 the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the average hourly pay for a California actor was $27.73 per hour. But many working actors do not work Monday-Friday 9am – 5pm jobs and 86% of the 160,000 strong guild do not make more than $25,950 in covered earnings (money that contributes towards social security) within a one year span and therefore do not qualify for healthcare insurance.

Actors then must pay commissions for agents, lawyers and publicists which can total around 35% a month of your salary.

Actors also receive financial compensations when their TV shows are syndicated, rerun, have a DVD release or enjoy a move to streaming services. The calculation is complex and can change depending on initial contract, length of time an actor has had guild membership, and the type of production. As an example the Friends cast – Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry – receive 2% of the syndication revenue for their hit WB show, meaning their annually bring in around $20million each.

But as streaming services such as Netflix continue to refuse to share ratings, it makes it unclear how often content is played and it lowers an actor’s residual calculation.

The SAG and WGA members are also both fighting AMPTP over protections for their work against Artificial Intelligence. In a press conference on July 13 2023, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator claimed that the studios had offered a “groundbreaking” proposal that would see background performers get “scanned, get one day’s pay, and their companies should own that scan, their image, their likeness and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity on any project they want, with no consent and no compensation”.

AMPTP spokesperson Scott Rowe denied the claims in a statement.

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