For me, I watch MLB, College Football and some classic programs - none that require any WGA talent. With the emergence of many reality TV shows, demand for writers decreases. In my late 60s, I don't really care about TV and entertainment any more and I suspect that many Bulwark conservatives don't care about an upcoming WGA strike. I don't think any MAGA voters care either - they may be happy to see Hollywood suffer.
May 6, 2023·edited May 6, 2023Liked by Sonny Bunch
I love Guardians of the Galaxy, and am looking forward to the new one, and kinda disappointed this is the end.
I have backslid on the other Marvel movies, I haven't seen any of the new ones that came out in the last couple of years, though I own them, so I assume I will eventually.
I am neither a writer nor a studio executive but it seems clear to me that there is a huge knowledge abyss at play here. Since I think WGA members are pretty close to their economics, it feels (and I use the word deliberately) that the studio side is relatively uninformed about the current economics of their businesses and have therefore to negotiate from the classic toddler position of NO! Viewers/subscribers now have to be factored in with the traditional advertisers as a source of revenue and they have to know us as well. We really are not spaghetti to be thrown at the wall in the hope of positive outcome. They know more about each of us than I care to think! The goal of executives in such an environment is to study that data, figure out a business model that works and then negotiate as if (as is true) all parties need each other to make and sell product for which a profitable mix of payers will pay.
And here I thought I was going to get a fresh Sonny Bunch take re: the WGA strikes and why this is a perfect example of why studios need to contract out to the (still existent) Pinkerton company to "handle" the matter.
Re: Bupkis, I'm guessing you meant fourth episode instead of fourth season. I was hesitant to dive into another show, but I'll give it a shot now after I watch this week's episode of (the severely underrated and underpromoted) Mrs. Davis.
Re: WGA strike...it really is kinda amazing just how few major labor disruptions there have been over the last 25 years. Once upon a time in America, strikes of all sorts (miners, factory workers, teamsters, actors, journos) were so common you could practically set your watches by them. The fact a strike like the WGA's has become so uncommon I can't help but feel reflects two changes to our economy over time:
1) A cultural resentment of unions as the pay & benefits fought for and won by the pioneering unionizers went from new and emergent to something more than just the expected baseline but the expected minimums, often in fields beyond those which had unionized.
2) The actual cost of going on strike has risen to the point that even when the workers understand they probably should strike for better pay or benefits, they literally can't afford to, even when they live in two income houses. Somewhere in there is a potentially fascinating graduate thesis for an economist, but the rise in the cost of living over the past, eh, 50 years or so is so drastic it really is no surprise that in the wake of the pandemic's "pause" giving people a vision of how things (for some) can clearly be better, they're choosing to fight for that "better".
Lastly, I gotta say, I think the deathgrip on the streaming metrics by the studios is ultimately self-defeating. Data without context is utterly meaningless and I highly doubt most studio execs have the acumen to truly understand the context often required. Not because they're dumb people, I don't think they are, but because for every Bob Iger there's 5 Michael Eisner's
For me, I watch MLB, College Football and some classic programs - none that require any WGA talent. With the emergence of many reality TV shows, demand for writers decreases. In my late 60s, I don't really care about TV and entertainment any more and I suspect that many Bulwark conservatives don't care about an upcoming WGA strike. I don't think any MAGA voters care either - they may be happy to see Hollywood suffer.
Your brain is mighty, Sonny Bunch.
I love Guardians of the Galaxy, and am looking forward to the new one, and kinda disappointed this is the end.
I have backslid on the other Marvel movies, I haven't seen any of the new ones that came out in the last couple of years, though I own them, so I assume I will eventually.
Sonny - thank you for this. Incredibly informative. I really enjoyed reading Colby Day's 2021 and 2022 in review from his position as a screenwriter.
The ratio between the amount of meetings a writer takes and the amount of work they get paid to do is depressing.
Er ..what? Nathan Ballingrud has a new book and I didn’t know? How did I not know? You’ve made my week.
I am neither a writer nor a studio executive but it seems clear to me that there is a huge knowledge abyss at play here. Since I think WGA members are pretty close to their economics, it feels (and I use the word deliberately) that the studio side is relatively uninformed about the current economics of their businesses and have therefore to negotiate from the classic toddler position of NO! Viewers/subscribers now have to be factored in with the traditional advertisers as a source of revenue and they have to know us as well. We really are not spaghetti to be thrown at the wall in the hope of positive outcome. They know more about each of us than I care to think! The goal of executives in such an environment is to study that data, figure out a business model that works and then negotiate as if (as is true) all parties need each other to make and sell product for which a profitable mix of payers will pay.
And here I thought I was going to get a fresh Sonny Bunch take re: the WGA strikes and why this is a perfect example of why studios need to contract out to the (still existent) Pinkerton company to "handle" the matter.
Re: Bupkis, I'm guessing you meant fourth episode instead of fourth season. I was hesitant to dive into another show, but I'll give it a shot now after I watch this week's episode of (the severely underrated and underpromoted) Mrs. Davis.
Re: WGA strike...it really is kinda amazing just how few major labor disruptions there have been over the last 25 years. Once upon a time in America, strikes of all sorts (miners, factory workers, teamsters, actors, journos) were so common you could practically set your watches by them. The fact a strike like the WGA's has become so uncommon I can't help but feel reflects two changes to our economy over time:
1) A cultural resentment of unions as the pay & benefits fought for and won by the pioneering unionizers went from new and emergent to something more than just the expected baseline but the expected minimums, often in fields beyond those which had unionized.
2) The actual cost of going on strike has risen to the point that even when the workers understand they probably should strike for better pay or benefits, they literally can't afford to, even when they live in two income houses. Somewhere in there is a potentially fascinating graduate thesis for an economist, but the rise in the cost of living over the past, eh, 50 years or so is so drastic it really is no surprise that in the wake of the pandemic's "pause" giving people a vision of how things (for some) can clearly be better, they're choosing to fight for that "better".
Lastly, I gotta say, I think the deathgrip on the streaming metrics by the studios is ultimately self-defeating. Data without context is utterly meaningless and I highly doubt most studio execs have the acumen to truly understand the context often required. Not because they're dumb people, I don't think they are, but because for every Bob Iger there's 5 Michael Eisner's
smh sonny has fallen victim to the woke mind virus