(Burbank) -- Some of the wealthiest, most creative people working in Hollywood walked a picket line here to support striking writers.

The creators of shows like "Desperate Housewives", "Grey's Anatomy", and "Ugly Betty" carried signs and stood in front of the entrance to Disney Studios.

They're called showrunners, and they are at the top of the food chain.   Seven-figure annual salaries are the norm.

Of course, the programs they put on the air make the networks many millions of dollars...  so it's not like they don't deserve what they earn.

These guys don't need to picket.  They could pay people to do it.

But they say they want to help middle-class writers, the guys who make $30,000 a year and struggle to find gigs.  The audience for broadcast TV is declining, they point out.  Some young people today don't even own a TV set.  They find clips they like on the internet and watch them on their computers.

That's the essence of the fight between the studios and the writers.  The writers want a share of that download money.  The studios say it doesn't exist yet, or they just don't want to pay it.

I spoke to Marc Cherry, creator of Desperate Housewives.  He's making a bundle now, but a few years ago, he couldn't find work.

He relied on residuals.   "I looked forward to every check," he told me. "So I could take my cat to the vet and pay my gas bill."

At least he had that.

The strike is hurting lots of folks who don't get residuals.  We're talking technicians, propmakers, catering truck drivers, security guards, art department folks.

An art director for "Without a Trace" told me he's looking to get trade show work, or maybe a job at a theme park.  He said he'd be giving a lot of home-made gifts this Christmas.