Spike/Harm ,'Help'
[NAFDA] "There will be an occasional happy, so that it might be crushed under the boot of the writer." From Zorro to Angel (including Wonderfalls, The Inside and Drive), this is where Buffistas come to anoint themselves in the bloodbath.
Nikki's post doesn't pass the smell test with me. I simply can't see the studios destroying this season and next season. It just doesn't compute. Sorry.
I get that this is one big (or little) dick measuring contest, but the people who think they are in charge are only allowed to play that little boys' game for so long before the people who count the money step in.
They will be stepping in soon.
The crazy assed rhetoric, on both sides, has been pretty unbelievable throughout this strike. But this story? Nikki should have just titled it, "No. More. TV. EVAH ... mwahahahaha."
I'm the first to admit that most corporate decisions are based on absolutely nothing more than some guy pulling something out of his ass, but if that decision fails miserably, that guy will out on his... well you get the picture.
The scenario that Nikki paints just doesn't jive with the kind of self-preservation decision making that I see on a daily basis. And everyone at the struck companies wants all of this mess over with as soon as possible as well.
Nobody is climbing the corporate ladder while this crap is going on. I smell a coup.
I have been reading the comments, so a couple of things hit me:
1) Nikki got fed bad info with hopes that her post will cause a schism in WGA; or
2) Nikki got fed bad info that she decided to "print" anyway because she hopes this worst case scenario will get people back to the table after the new year.
It seems impractical that the networks and movie studios would be okay with delaying major creative work for 2 years (if they let the strike continue), but perhaps the end game is to for the studios to negotiate with WGA, DGA, and SAG all at the same time.
Nikki has been fed bad info before. The movie side of these studios simply can't afford to sit it out for 2 years. They will loose money, and a lot of it. There are going to be individual execs at these companies going 'For fuck sakes, look at my results! My bonus is fucked!' sooner or later.
The thing is, obviously, businesses fuck people over all the time to get ahead, but when you're publicly traded you can't just do that. If your TV division starts loosing shit loads, your share holders hold the business accountable, which goes all the way to the board.
A nice letter, but completely toothless:
If there is any way you can facilitate this process, we would be eternally grateful.
Oy. I would have gone a different direction.
Dear AMPTP:
We 127 pilot writers cannot afford to wait until you get your heads out of your asses and negotiate a fair deal. So we have decided to give you an ultimatum. Unless you return to the negotiating table immediately, we are going to shop around our products for new media distribution. We have already lined up interested investors and venture capitalists looking to take internet distribution mainstream. We are willing to gamble on intelligent viewers following the creators of all their favorite shows to the internet, if that is the only source of quality content for the 2008-2009 pilot season. And since we aren't getting paid anyway, we have NOTHING TO LOSE.
You have five days to return to the negotiating table or you can all go fuck yourselves.
Happy holidays,
The 2008-09 Pilot Scribes
Wouldn't it be interesting if Apple decided with Hulu and all, it might be in their best interests to start producing their own content for iTunes, and actually giving the writers a decent deal? Does Apple have the tons of dollars to do that?
Apple doesn't care about anything except selling hardware. That is where their core competencies are and all of their revenue.
Content is pass through for them (they don't make any money off it) in order to drive sales of iPods and the like.
Well, they could increase the sales of iPods and Apple TV by delivering content exclusively to iTunes. Apple have complete control of the platform, so they could really benefit.
However, I really do think the studios have a firm grip on the industry and TV writers aren't going anywhere else any time soon. If Apple started to go after development deals and talent, the studios would take everything off iTunes. That would hurt Apple way too much, so they won't do it.
The only player who isn't owned by, or financially responsible to, any media corporation currently is Google. They have a lot of money and a lot of resources. But instead all they've delivered is 14 year olds skating on Youtube so far.
Apple isn't interested in doing content because the profit margin isn't there.