Girls In Tech

As a member of the Screen Actors Guild, I was relieved when the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) approved a tentative new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on April 19, 2009 as the SAG national board of directors voted 53.38%-46.62%   After the most recent Writers’ strike that shut down Hollywood, nobody in Los Angeles wants a strike, though many are still not happy with the terms for New media.

If you’re not an actor or writer in Hollywood, it is probably difficult for you to understand the importance of residuals, or payments made to the creator of performance art for subsequent screenings of the work, as the majority of members of the Screen Actors Guild or the Writers Guild take in middle-class incomes to support their families. As more of scripted content moves from regular TV/Cable viewing to the Internet with the powerhouse Hulu taking online viewing to the next level, it is not yet clear how performers will be compensated in the future.

Here are  few highlights of the new agreement:

- New media structure that tracks those achieved by other industry unions

-Jurisdiction on all derivative, made-for new media productions on all high-budget, original, made-for-new media productions plus on low-budget original, made-for-new media productions; plus on low-budget original new media productions that employ at least 1 covered performer

- Residuals for ad- supported streaming of feature films and television programs

24 days for first season or series

17 days for second and subsequent seasons for series

SAG mailed out ratification ballots on May 19 to vote on the theatrical agreement by June 9, 2009.  I just got my ballot in the mail, and with the union still divided, everyone in Tinseltown will be holding their breath.

Because let’s be real here, with the state of California and the Nation’s Economy, no one wants a strike.

Tags: girls in tech, new media
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Well, as more grim Economic data appears with rising unemployment rates, furor over bailout funds, increasing jobless claims and more, it looks as though Hollywood is still providing the best escape for Americans who are looking to forget their problems by heading to the multiplexes.  Audiences are crowding theaters for films that provide easy laughs such as “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” which has sold over $163 in worldwide ticket sales or action-packed fare such as “Fast and the Furious,” which broke box office records for Universal Pictures this past weekend with a $72.5 million opening.

Hollywood did grow the most during the Great Depression of the 1930’s where audiences went to escape their everyday worries.  But we’re in a different time now as audiences now have interactive Entertainment from Rock Band/Guitar Hero, social networking sites, and youtube to satisfy their Entertainment needs.  Though all the Big Networks have added full episodes of their popular shows to their websites, one particular website, Hulu.com, has been growing steadily in viewership and even using TV advertising as a way of saying, “We’re taking over.”

Though Ad revenues are down and cost-cutting is the new reality, everyone is still looking to see where all the eyeballs are headed.  Paid Content recently reported that Hulu and Disney are in negotiations to sign on as a partner along with NBC Universal and News Corp. And the truth of the matter is that eyeballs and thus traffic will go where there is quality content. 

But in terms of finding the perfect Hollywood revenue model for the Internet, no one knows the answer yet, so what happens next?  You try new things.  Enter “Section 8, “ a new made-for-Internet series that Paramount Digital Entertainment and Gaumont are making, which will premiere on Myspace.  The show will have an interactive element and viewers will be able to vote on the outcome of the series.

For right now here in Hollywood, no one has the answer yet on how to game the Internet.  But one thing is more certain than not, just like in the classic film, “Field of Dreams,” if you build it, they will come.  If you create a site that has the content that your audience values, you will have a loyal following.

Tags: Box Office, Disney, Hollywood, hulu, Internet, Section 8, web
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