Hedge Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 On 4/7/2019 at 11:57 AM, Deranged Rhino said: (The left can't meme) But at least they can do this! Oh, and, does anyone know what this is?~ And, for your viewing pleasure the extended 26 minute clip. Good luck getting through it! (I couldn't) Don't do drugs, kids. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 I don’t want to live in an America that they would be comfortable living in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Deek Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 1 hour ago, Nanker said: I don’t want to live in an America that they would be comfortable living in. Don’t look now. You already are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedge Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 @Deranged Rhino I'm curious, and since this is in your wheelhouse, I thought you may be able to answer. Is this what is appears to be on the surface? Or does it go deeper? At midnight Pacific time Saturday, the Writers Guild of America ordered all its members to fire their agents, following a drawn-out battle between the union and the Association of Talent Agents over money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 1 hour ago, Hedge said: @Deranged Rhino I'm curious, and since this is in your wheelhouse, I thought you may be able to answer. Is this what is appears to be on the surface? Or does it go deeper? At midnight Pacific time Saturday, the Writers Guild of America ordered all its members to fire their agents, following a drawn-out battle between the union and the Association of Talent Agents over money. It goes deeper in the sense that Hollywood as an industry is undergoing a massive restructuring from the old way of doing business. That absolutely connects to the OP topic of this thread because the old system made it easy/easier for a small group of people to control what gets made and aired. From an industry perspective, the WGA/Writers have finally woken up to the fact that their agents were robbing us blind with their packaging deals. How it works in a practical sense is this: * I'm a show runner/creator and I write the next hit TV show. * My big agency/former agency takes the script and promises to put together a package of talent that will help assure the show is bought and produced - this package includes: one or two star actors, a star director who will also serve as Executive Producer. The actors and directors will be pulled from their own client list/agency - meaning they're taking 10% of their fees and my fees off the top. * My big agency takes the completed package to the studios and networks. Rather than negotiating for the highest sale they can on my behalf, the creator, they make me take less money in order to give that cash to the other parts of the package. * For all their hard work, my big agency not only collects the commission fees for each deal - they get what's called a packaging fee which is another 10% of the total buy. At no point in the process do I, the creator, have a say in who they're packaging. At no point in the process do they negotiate solely on my behalf - it's always with an eye for what will make the most effective package to assure they get to double dip. It's quite literally a racket. But they're the biggest agencies in town, they have the most juice, the most clients and for years they assuaged the complaints of their clients by not telling them, outright lying about the fees, or bullying them into accepting the packages as their only option. David Simon, creator of the Wire and one of the leaders of the WGA wrote this post - it goes into more detail and gives you a sense of what we're really talking about. The big agencies have been skimming literally millions of dollars from writers/creators for decades. This is a must read (despite being inside baseball): https://davidsimon.com/but-im-not-a-lawyer-im-an-agent/ Simon's piece above rightly states that the bulk of this is millionaires fighting with other millionaires... but there's a wide swath of "working class" writers who have been crushed by this system. That process works like this: * I'm a writer for hire / staff writer, not a creator. * A showrunner is looking to hire staff for his newly sold (and packaged) show. * Because the agencies already took a huge chunk of the investment capital off the top - there's less money to pay staff writers... * Over the last ten years that's created a movement within TV to hire less writers and make the writer's rooms smaller. * Staff writers are now allowed to work on multiple shows (used to be a contract no-no) to make up for this - meaning we have to do twice the work to make the same amount of money we were making on one job just 4 years ago. And, to cap it off, if I write a new script that gets some attention (just happened last winter) and I refuse to let them try to package it (also what I did) - what happens is my big agency doesn't even try to sell it. Instead, they put it in a drawer to assure that other projects within that genre/demo which they can package get read/spread around instead. So, it's a racket - but it's also a gate keeping system. Assuring that only those who play ball - or those who don't know there's even a bigger game afoot - keep getting jobs while those who want their agents to negotiate in good faith on their behalf get pushed to the back of the line. In short - the Hollywood system gutted it's development money and system during the last WGA strike (in 2007, right as the global economy fell apart). The studios and networks changed how TV was developed and how movies got made by only taking packing deals which they (perhaps rightly) assumed would up the odds of whatever they bought being a big hit. This was a way for the studios to protect their investment - but the agencies saw it as an opportunity to skim even more money off the top of every project. Not sure if that's helpful or just a ramble. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 (Note, the Simon article above is worth the read for any fan of his - and because I can only imagine how he'd post down here in PPP. He turns cussing into an artform ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedge Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 37 minutes ago, Deranged Rhino said: It goes deeper in the sense that Hollywood as an industry is undergoing a massive restructuring from the old way of doing business. That absolutely connects to the OP topic of this thread because the old system made it easy/easier for a small group of people to control what gets made and aired. . . . Thank you very much for the insight. As always, your take on things is very much appreciated. And good luck! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koko78 Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 At first blush, the packaging thing sounds like a smart business move. Increases the chances for the idea to be sold to a studio/network by having everything already in place to start production. Unfortunate that the talent agencies turned it into a way to line their pockets and screw over their own clients. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 1 hour ago, Deranged Rhino said: It goes deeper in the sense that Hollywood as an industry is undergoing a massive restructuring from the old way of doing business. That absolutely connects to the OP topic of this thread because the old system made it easy/easier for a small group of people to control what gets made and aired. From an industry perspective, the WGA/Writers have finally woken up to the fact that their agents were robbing us blind with their packaging deals. How it works in a practical sense is this: * I'm a show runner/creator and I write the next hit TV show. * My big agency/former agency takes the script and promises to put together a package of talent that will help assure the show is bought and produced - this package includes: one or two star actors, a star director who will also serve as Executive Producer. The actors and directors will be pulled from their own client list/agency - meaning they're taking 10% of their fees and my fees off the top. * My big agency takes the completed package to the studios and networks. Rather than negotiating for the highest sale they can on my behalf, the creator, they make me take less money in order to give that cash to the other parts of the package. * For all their hard work, my big agency not only collects the commission fees for each deal - they get what's called a packaging fee which is another 10% of the total buy. At no point in the process do I, the creator, have a say in who they're packaging. At no point in the process do they negotiate solely on my behalf - it's always with an eye for what will make the most effective package to assure they get to double dip. It's quite literally a racket. But they're the biggest agencies in town, they have the most juice, the most clients and for years they assuaged the complaints of their clients by not telling them, outright lying about the fees, or bullying them into accepting the packages as their only option. David Simon, creator of the Wire and one of the leaders of the WGA wrote this post - it goes into more detail and gives you a sense of what we're really talking about. The big agencies have been skimming literally millions of dollars from writers/creators for decades. This is a must read (despite being inside baseball): https://davidsimon.com/but-im-not-a-lawyer-im-an-agent/ Simon's piece above rightly states that the bulk of this is millionaires fighting with other millionaires... but there's a wide swath of "working class" writers who have been crushed by this system. That process works like this: * I'm a writer for hire / staff writer, not a creator. * A showrunner is looking to hire staff for his newly sold (and packaged) show. * Because the agencies already took a huge chunk of the investment capital off the top - there's less money to pay staff writers... * Over the last ten years that's created a movement within TV to hire less writers and make the writer's rooms smaller. * Staff writers are now allowed to work on multiple shows (used to be a contract no-no) to make up for this - meaning we have to do twice the work to make the same amount of money we were making on one job just 4 years ago. And, to cap it off, if I write a new script that gets some attention (just happened last winter) and I refuse to let them try to package it (also what I did) - what happens is my big agency doesn't even try to sell it. Instead, they put it in a drawer to assure that other projects within that genre/demo which they can package get read/spread around instead. So, it's a racket - but it's also a gate keeping system. Assuring that only those who play ball - or those who don't know there's even a bigger game afoot - keep getting jobs while those who want their agents to negotiate in good faith on their behalf get pushed to the back of the line. In short - the Hollywood system gutted it's development money and system during the last WGA strike (in 2007, right as the global economy fell apart). The studios and networks changed how TV was developed and how movies got made by only taking packing deals which they (perhaps rightly) assumed would up the odds of whatever they bought being a big hit. This was a way for the studios to protect their investment - but the agencies saw it as an opportunity to skim even more money off the top of every project. Not sure if that's helpful or just a ramble. Could you spiff up the intro? I'm just not feeling it and it was hard to get past the first two paragraphs. Ciao. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 1 hour ago, Deranged Rhino said: (Note, the Simon article above is worth the read for any fan of his - and because I can only imagine how he'd post down here in PPP. He turns cussing into an artform ) Mose’ def. 4 minutes ago, 3rdnlng said: Could you spiff up the intro? I'm just not feeling it and it was hard to get past the first two paragraphs. Ciao. She arched skyward her pelvis to meet his savage thrusts which left her panting for breath when the act was completed. That damn chicken never knew what happened before it landed on the barbecue grill. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 3 minutes ago, Nanker said: Mose’ def. She arched skyward her pelvis to meet his savage thrusts which left her panting for breath when the act was completed. That damn chicken never knew what happened before it landed on the barbecue grill. Quit contributing to global warming. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leh-nerd skin-erd Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 2 hours ago, Deranged Rhino said: It goes deeper in the sense that Hollywood as an industry is undergoing a massive restructuring from the old way of doing business. That absolutely connects to the OP topic of this thread because the old system made it easy/easier for a small group of people to control what gets made and aired. From an industry perspective, the WGA/Writers have finally woken up to the fact that their agents were robbing us blind with their packaging deals. How it works in a practical sense is this: * I'm a show runner/creator and I write the next hit TV show. * My big agency/former agency takes the script and promises to put together a package of talent that will help assure the show is bought and produced - this package includes: one or two star actors, a star director who will also serve as Executive Producer. The actors and directors will be pulled from their own client list/agency - meaning they're taking 10% of their fees and my fees off the top. * My big agency takes the completed package to the studios and networks. Rather than negotiating for the highest sale they can on my behalf, the creator, they make me take less money in order to give that cash to the other parts of the package. * For all their hard work, my big agency not only collects the commission fees for each deal - they get what's called a packaging fee which is another 10% of the total buy. At no point in the process do I, the creator, have a say in who they're packaging. At no point in the process do they negotiate solely on my behalf - it's always with an eye for what will make the most effective package to assure they get to double dip. It's quite literally a racket. But they're the biggest agencies in town, they have the most juice, the most clients and for years they assuaged the complaints of their clients by not telling them, outright lying about the fees, or bullying them into accepting the packages as their only option. David Simon, creator of the Wire and one of the leaders of the WGA wrote this post - it goes into more detail and gives you a sense of what we're really talking about. The big agencies have been skimming literally millions of dollars from writers/creators for decades. This is a must read (despite being inside baseball): https://davidsimon.com/but-im-not-a-lawyer-im-an-agent/ Simon's piece above rightly states that the bulk of this is millionaires fighting with other millionaires... but there's a wide swath of "working class" writers who have been crushed by this system. That process works like this: * I'm a writer for hire / staff writer, not a creator. * A showrunner is looking to hire staff for his newly sold (and packaged) show. * Because the agencies already took a huge chunk of the investment capital off the top - there's less money to pay staff writers... * Over the last ten years that's created a movement within TV to hire less writers and make the writer's rooms smaller. * Staff writers are now allowed to work on multiple shows (used to be a contract no-no) to make up for this - meaning we have to do twice the work to make the same amount of money we were making on one job just 4 years ago. And, to cap it off, if I write a new script that gets some attention (just happened last winter) and I refuse to let them try to package it (also what I did) - what happens is my big agency doesn't even try to sell it. Instead, they put it in a drawer to assure that other projects within that genre/demo which they can package get read/spread around instead. So, it's a racket - but it's also a gate keeping system. Assuring that only those who play ball - or those who don't know there's even a bigger game afoot - keep getting jobs while those who want their agents to negotiate in good faith on their behalf get pushed to the back of the line. Not sure if that's helpful or just a ramble. Your boy Simon got an edge. ? Great read about something I know nothing about. You got deception, greed, villains and heroes...plus words like f-bonnets and graphic imagery about tire-slashing vandals. Thanks for sharing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo_Gal Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 1 hour ago, Buffalo_Gal said: 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6932113/Perus-ex-president-Alan-Garcia-shoots-moments-police-arrest.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 5 minutes ago, Deranged Rhino said: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6932113/Perus-ex-president-Alan-Garcia-shoots-moments-police-arrest.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline http://cgepartnership.com/president-clinton-visits-chakipi-acceso-enterprise-in-peru/ 3 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberius Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 5 minutes ago, Deranged Rhino said: http://cgepartnership.com/president-clinton-visits-chakipi-acceso-enterprise-in-peru/ Once he left office he was able to be indicted. Just shows how long the legal process takes sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 23 minutes ago, Deranged Rhino said: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6932113/Perus-ex-president-Alan-Garcia-shoots-moments-police-arrest.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline Funny how the massive, world wide corruption scandals keep getting investigated/resolved with bare minimum coverage in our national media... (But nothing is happening) ****************************** Epstein update / new filing. Thread 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 ********************* Thread on Duetsche Bank scandal(s) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 17, 2019 Author Share Posted April 17, 2019 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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