The DGA contract (like those of SAG, AFTRA and the WGA) expires in mid-2011, but the DGA always negotiates early.

FORBES: DGA To Negotiate On SAG And AFTRA's Heels

Ahsan Ali Syed's Bahrain-based firm Western Gulf Advisory (WGA) was granted exclusive negotiating rights by the Ewood Park club last month.

BBC: Blackburn bidder Ahsan Ali Syed granted more time

"While this agreement is neither perfect nor perhaps all that we deserve for the countless hours of hard work and sacrifice, our strike has been a success, " Writers Guild West president Patric Verrone and WGA East president Michael Winship said in an e-mail sent to union members early Saturday.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Decades ago, the WGA agreement provided for a credit of this sort, but it was eliminated in order to create the often-fictional idea that only a small number of writers contribute to a script.

FORBES: Silly Lawsuit Against SAG Dismissed, and More