Your Hollywood Career: How to Tell When the End Is Nigh

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2022 saw an exceptionally dry year in the Czech Republic, causing the Elbe River to retreat enough to expose a rock bearing a 1417 inscription on its bank. The message etched was, “If you see me, then weep.” These types of messages found across Europe are commonly known as Hunger Stones, serving as grim reminders of past droughts and scarcity.

Here are two reasons I’m sharing this with you: First, it showcases impressive narrative abilities, which could prove beneficial for any company aiming to clarify its brand identity amidst a competitive marketplace. Secondly, I am, in fact, a metaphorical Hunger Stone.

As a skilled storyteller and gamer, let me clarify that my warning is more straightforward than the one at the Elbe River’s edge. You see, it’s not written in 15th-century German, and I don’t work for a multinational company in Berlin, but if you need a translation service, I’m your guy! Here’s a friendly reminder: “I am a game piece with a message for the entertainment industry.

Pay close attention, Hollywood. Trouble is on the horizon, and it’s going to arrive gradually. There may be attempts to brush it aside, but it’s crucial that you don’t.

I’ve witnessed the demise of print journalism firsthand and transitioned into television production. Specifically, I decided to specialize in scripted network half-hour comedies, which have become analogous to news magazines within broadcasting.

As a gamer, let me clarify this: Keep an eye out, ’cause I’ve got no clue what’s getting smashed next in my virtual world. But, if you catch sight of me dabbling with cryptocurrencies or setting up a pottery studio, just sit back and watch the show – I don’t need your help there!

How can you tell if your once-thriving industry is now more like a pastime? One sign is when you label your work as “content.” Farmers in the 1950s, whose livelihoods were ruined by agribusiness, never spoke of their unharvested crops as mere content.

The key changes are:
– “What are these signs” to “How can you tell”
– “once-great industry” to “thriving industry”
– “Your work” to “your labor” or “what you do” for a more natural flow
– “Not even farmers, when agribusiness destroyed their livelihoods in the 1950s, degraded themselves by lamenting unharvested ears of content” is rephrased to “Farmers in the 1950s, whose livelihoods were ruined by agribusiness, never spoke of their unharvested crops as mere content.”
– “destroyed their livelihoods” to “ruined their livelihoods” for a more natural and modern phrasing.

Here’s how it happened to magazines. 

In the year 2002, one of the kindest editors at Time magazine, arguably the most successful periodical ever published, unexpectedly ceased providing us with Snapple beverages for our refrigerator. Our protests were far more intense than you might imagine. This was because we had a sense that if we allowed Steve Koepp to take our mint iced tea, he would eventually move on to our peach iced tea. We didn’t foresee the full implications of this action, which was a mistake on our part.

In simple terms, the Snapple of the TV industry are the food menus available in writers’ rooms where writers can select from free meals at places like Sugarfish, Din Tai Fung, or Marmalade Cafe. These menus haven’t vanished entirely yet, but their eventual disappearance marks a significant shift, and that shift signals the approaching end of an era.

Just as you might recall the presents you received during Christmas in the late 1990s, I’d like to share what I got from Time magazine’s Santa: stock options, specifically pre-AOL merger stock options. My colleague from Only Murders in the Building felt a bit uneasy when she saw her Hulu gift this season. She commented, “In the past, we’d receive TVs, luxury luggage, and watches. This year, Hulu gave us wrapping paper adorned with logos for their shows, so we can promote them by using them to wrap gifts for our loved ones.

In the fields of publishing and television, an increase in real estate issues can signal tough economic times. For instance, in the magazine sector, this has led to moving offices from costly midtown Manhattan to the financial district, and later even to areas of Brooklyn that were popular in 90’s rap music. In the entertainment industry, that part of Brooklyn is equivalent to Canada.

Chris Harris, in charge of reviving the Frasier, is making an effort to remain composed amidst the modifications. “In essence,” he explains, “we have fewer writers per setting and smaller funds for additional facilities. However, since there are fewer executives, we receive less feedback, which isn’t entirely a disadvantage.

However, Leila Gerstein found herself inundated with submissions once given the greenlight for her Amazon show Every Year After. As she recounts to me, “The number of submissions I received from potential writers I could hire was overwhelming. Many were creators of their own shows.

Another sign that we’re approaching the end could be the growing tendency for people to lay blame on technology, but they often misidentify the culprit. For instance, it was believed that the downfall of publishing was due to the internet making our valuable articles freely accessible. However, what really caused a problem was not the internet itself, but rather the difficulty in reading. Nowadays, people can watch an endless stream of videos on their phones, which they frequently need to pull out for directions, weather updates, or texting friends. The only time you’d likely pull out a magazine these days is if you spot a spider. Screenwriters may think that the issue is AI, but it’s actually not. What’s truly challenging now is watching a video longer than 34 seconds, just as reading used to be considered too demanding. Observing young people trying to watch a movie is like asking them to sit through an entire Easter Vigil Mass.

In the previous year, I found myself circuiting around Walt Disney Studios, clutching a sign that pleaded for job stability through extended contracts and a guaranteed number of writers per show. As I marched alongside a companion, we both glanced at our fellow disgruntled scribes, and my friend mused, “Each one of us was cautioned by our parents against making a living from this very profession.

Our parents were right. 

The article you’re reading was published on January 9th, in The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Want to stay updated? Subscribe now!

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2025-01-14 19:55