This writer’s strike sucks. If the next season of LOST is postponed because of this crap, I may well go scab (JJ, call me!). Don’t get me wrong, I’m on the side of the writers. They’re being very pro-active in making sure that they’re being compensated by new media distribution of their wares. Most have contracts that include royalties for stuff broadcast and sold on DVD, but digital distribution, like TV shows on iTunes, for example, isn’t a pie they get a piece of. They do, of course, want one.
Disney’s former head honcho Eisner, though, said today that the fault isn’t with the studios, but rather with the new distribution models. They’re not profitable, so why are they complaining about not getting their fair share?
Mr. Eisner, listen: the point is, when it becomes profitable, which it will, they want to make sure they already have a slice, lest they must pitch a harder battle at that time. Sounds reasonable to me.
To make matters worse, Eisner pointed fingers directly at current Disney board member Steve Jobs, saying the strikers should really be going after Apple. Again, Eisner, you’re wrong: it’s not Apple’s job to make sure the studios are profitable, but it’s your job to make sure the writers are rightly rewarded for the work they do.
Writers in Hollywood are treated as third-class citizens by most studio brass, but in reality it’s their creativity and insight that make or break a story, so let’s relax a little on the penny pinching and make sure things are equitable, then everyone can get back to work. Okay?
Eisner’s advice to striking writers: Blame Steve Jobs, not the studios [C|Net]