TBI Weekly: Will US strikes provide the great Hollywood reset?

(CC: Izayah Ramos – unsplash)

Actors union SAG-AFTRA joined the Writers Guild of America this week in downing tools, as US turmoil reached new heights in the battle between studios and creatives. Arrested Industries CEO Anthony Kimble reflects on life in LA and explores potential outcomes from what looks likely to be ‘one big hot mess of a summer’.

Despite being the entertainment capital of the world, Hollywood is not a fun place to be right now.

Today, nobody can look busy. No writing is meant to be taking place, of course. Equally, no meetings. No zooms. No lunches or dinners…

While filing this article about the writers’ strike, I heard that SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP failed to broker a deal and will now join the WGA on the picket lines.

This will be the first time in 63 years that there has been a double union strike.

I’ve never felt more like Chicken Licken; the sky truly feels like it is falling down! It’s all just turning out to be one big hot mess of a summer, and not in a good way.

Today, nobody can look busy. No writing is meant to be taking place, of course. Equally no meetings. No zooms.

Creatives dare not have lunch or dinner meetings with agents or studio execs for fear of being accused of progressing projects. However, on the upside, with the once legendary LA buzz now a feint hum, it’s a little easier to get a reservation at the Tower Bar.

Exorbitant state tax levels and crazy high prices make living in LA without a steady income virtually impossible. Those who can afford it are having extended summers in the Hamptons or Cabo. But that’s not the lot of the jobbing writer so some still have their heads down, clandestinely beavering away on developments.

Out of necessity though, many more are changing lanes to survive, turning to waiter, barista or landscaping roles. And I hear some agents that have been let go are pondering selling houses on Sunset – rather than living in them.

Feeding the beast

With so much changing and so much at stake for so many, including the many thousands more about to strike, I think we’re all wondering where it will end. But I refuse to be too downhearted.

Hollywood has stayed at the centre of the entertainment universe for more than a century and I don’t see that ending anytime soon. However, with a strike that may last for many more months, there will definitely be some changes, both in the short-term and down the line in Hollywood 2.0.

Some predictions – such as an increase in reality TV and unscripted content – have been made since the strike began. We’ve also heard much talk of international content being both acquired and commissioned to fill the void.

Anthony Kimble

International acquisitions have been on the increase for years, so that’s nothing new, but direct commissions? Most studios are quite risk averse so, while many would love to see this happen, I think it would only ever be as a final resort. Also, with other English speaking writers’ unions pledging allegiance to the WGA, most projects wouldn’t get off the ground.

Shorter seasons and more limited series could be a natural outcome of the writers’ strike. Firstly, any studio with a 22-episode run already in the can could effectively stretch its content by creating two 11 episode runs – which would help feed the beast at the present time.

Meanwhile, the self-contained stories of limited series mitigate risk and are arguably smaller engines to turn off and on should the threat of strikes remain in the background, even when an agreement is reached.

As a result of less new TV, audiences may drive an uptake in other entertainment experiences, such as immersive content and virtual reality. And of course, there’s AI to consider.

Could the strike result in the first fully AI generated TV shows hitting our screens before too long? Are striking writers unwittingly ushering in a new era of robot overlords? I can see David Zaslav rubbing his hands with glee as Westworld-style writers’ rooms with human drones start to mass produce free TV shows for his newly unveiled Franken-streamer Max…

Divesting deals & Hollywood 2.0

While I’d love a quick resolution for some of my own projects that have been put on ice, I’ve always thought the strike will continue for a while – a fact that got endorsed this week with SAG-AFTRA. And the main reason? Sadly, I believe it suits the studios. This period of ‘peak TV’ has resulted in a bloated ecosystem.

Huge amounts of content have been commissioned, with many shows still waiting to be aired; crazy deals with silly numbers attached have been struck with off-screen talent; and A-listers have been padding out their pensions with huge salaries once only seen with blockbuster films.

CC: Vincentas Liskauskas (Unsplash)

After three months of strike time, the studios can legally divest themselves of any big deals they’d rather not keep, giving them an opportunity to do a little housekeeping.

When they’ve done this, had time to think and start to see their content pipeline dwindle, they’ll come to the negotiating table ready to talk. Fingers crossed there should then be a reset, a Hollywood 2.0 that’s leaner, smarter, more realistic and wiser.

Throwing money away and over-commissioning is not sustainable. There will be more pain along the way of course, but hopefully the world’s entertainment engine will set a new course and get back to focusing on quality, not just quantity.