Is the Writer’s Guild knuckling under more than it’s creating a coup?
Posted by: in Money NewsFiled under: Management, TV, Employees, Headline news
In reading of all the hoopla and viewing the photos of rows of carefully lettered picket signs, this brain of mine keeps telling me that The Writer’s Guild of America isn’t necessarily accomplishing exactly what it has set out to do. Yes, they may garner for their writers, producers, directors, and production people a bit of additional coin in respect of the flow of broadcast media into the web zone, but I’m thinking that they are looking much too closely at few very picayune trees as the broad leafed forest looms glowering above them.
You see, television production people generally seem to think that the internet is an extension of their own video media world. However, if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past five years, it’s the fact that television and the internet are two distinctly different worlds. The screenwriters and their compatriots have no corner on the market for producing acceptable media content, no matter how much they wish to believe that they do. In a thought, what they’re doing with their strike right now is something akin to the habits of a trapdoor spider. That being, they have temporarily exited their lair to grasp their quarry only to withdraw back into their den with a few temporarily satisfying morsels.
Had it been my decision to make, I would have handled things quite differently. Rather than making noise about how seasoned writers weren’t getting paid for their world wide web exposure, I’d have kept quiet for a while longer. In the mean time, I would have begun assembling media production companies independent of mainstream televised media. Then, when the time was right, I’d have dropped the bomb on the massive television production companies. That bomb would have taken the form of independent, first-rate competition for air time dollars … exclusive full length world wide web video content vs. main stream TV shows. The massive production companies would have never seen it coming, and this world wide web is just about ready for it.
As it stands right now, we who are maintaining the internet may actually score large in the Writer’s Guild row. You see, all those high-dollar television production people continue to be relegated to somewhat staying out of our way. We have the ability to keep having fun here while generating multi-millions of advertising dollars with our high-quality content. I suppose duty dictates that I should now mention that our own staffs are well seasoned with very talented video production people and we’re beginning to mobilize them in that capacity.
We have writers and producers. We have camera operators, directors, wardrobe specialists, and makeup artists. We have people who are actors and people who do stunts. As a matter of fact, some of our associates already appear on television on a regular basis and I already work for some first-rate content producers.
So, please do keep that writer’s strike going. Do make that noise and demand those dollars. In the mean time, those of us who have been lovingly nurturing the web, shall continue to do so. Perhaps some day the Writer’s Guild of America shall realize that they’ve passed up the orange while seeking a piece of the peel. For my sake, I hope they don’t figure it out one moment too soon.
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