How do we make executives be good at their jobs again? How do we make them care about the books, TV shows, music, whatever, that they're in charge of putting out?
I think about the "how do we make executives care" question daily. Having pitched to execs who deeply care and those who don't give a shit regularly (this is in TV/film), I can say with a measure of gratitude and relief that there still are execs out there who care about good work and want to make it (/publish it/release it), but their voices are less heard than the money.
Last year's WGA strikes were a clarion call about this, and I will always remember going to a membership meeting at the Palladium (where I had danced to Iggy Pop the week before...a memorable two weeks in Hollywood) and Ellen Stutzman opened our discussions by saying "the problem with the business isn't the people in it, it's Wall Street." Slowly, and then all at once, all our media businesses sold to/got in league with/tied their financial successes with a marketplace that demands infinite growth. And slowly, and then all at once, that mindset infected all of these places. But not all of the people! I have some hope around that.
Books and movies both used to operate on a simple formula of: invest in project; release project; market project; (ideally) recoup investment; maybe make more. Rinse. Repeat. Some people and places still think this way, especially in indie film. My hope is that they shine enough light in the darkness that we can find our way to them.
Maris!!! How lovely to read. And just so you know I [perhaps weirdly] prefer the sequel now…
I think I knew that already... haha.
I think about the "how do we make executives care" question daily. Having pitched to execs who deeply care and those who don't give a shit regularly (this is in TV/film), I can say with a measure of gratitude and relief that there still are execs out there who care about good work and want to make it (/publish it/release it), but their voices are less heard than the money.
Last year's WGA strikes were a clarion call about this, and I will always remember going to a membership meeting at the Palladium (where I had danced to Iggy Pop the week before...a memorable two weeks in Hollywood) and Ellen Stutzman opened our discussions by saying "the problem with the business isn't the people in it, it's Wall Street." Slowly, and then all at once, all our media businesses sold to/got in league with/tied their financial successes with a marketplace that demands infinite growth. And slowly, and then all at once, that mindset infected all of these places. But not all of the people! I have some hope around that.
Books and movies both used to operate on a simple formula of: invest in project; release project; market project; (ideally) recoup investment; maybe make more. Rinse. Repeat. Some people and places still think this way, especially in indie film. My hope is that they shine enough light in the darkness that we can find our way to them.