Carl Icahn Now Wants ALL Of Lionsgate 
Action Comedy TV: Showrunner Matt Nix 
SAG National Board Approves Joint Bargaining … 
What crap. The only thing these guys know how to do is to exploit showbiz workers and shut down creativity while they act as a cartel to bully the real workers and talents in the entertainment industry. They should be embarrassed to show their faces at a mockery like this.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2009MPAA ANNOUNCES THE BUSINESS OF SHOW BUSINESS 2009
2nd Biennial Industry Summit will Spotlight the Role of American Workers in the Motion Picture and Television IndustriesWASHINGTON, DC—The Motion Picture Association of America today announced plans for its 2nd biennial industry symposium in Washington, D.C., The Business of Show Business: American Creativity at Work.
This daylong industry summit will provide a forum in the Nation’s Capital for the best and the brightest of the movie and television industries to educate top national policy and lawmakers about the economic impact of the motion picture industry, go behind the scenes with the people who help create movie magic, and show off some of the patented technology the industry develops to bring stories to life.
The Business of Show Business 2009:
American Creativity at WorkMotion Picture Industry Symposium
April 21, 2009
8 AM – 3:30 PM
Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture
Washington, DCThe invitation-only event is open to members of the media. Program details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Executives from the major motion picture studios will participate, including from Fox Filmed Entertainment: Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; from Paramount Pictures Corporation: Brad Grey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; from Sony Pictures Entertainment: Michael Lynton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Jeff Blake, Vice Chairman; from Universal: Ron Meyer, President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios and Rick Finkelstein, Vice Chairman, Universal Pictures; from The Walt Disney Studios: Dick Cook, Chairman; and from Warner Bros. Entertainment: Barry Meyer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
“This important, educational event has proved to be a very effective way to bring industry insiders and policymakers together to better understand the role the film industry plays in the American economy,” said MPAA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman. “This year’s event will focus squarely on the hard work behind motion pictures. We will highlight the jobs created, and the workers who fill these roles, throughout the day.”
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Sounds like they’ll be helping with the digital switch by moving all programming to the internet, thereby busting the unions for good. Why oh why did I go to film school? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Why don’t these guys lobby DC while they’re there and get some money from there to pay for the new media stuff in the SAG contract? It would give the unions what they want and the studios wouldn’t have to pay and it would totally be advancing technology. Seriously. This is exactly what the gov’t should be paying for while everyone tries to figure out how ANY money can be made with this stuff.
This would be a great place to have a rally. Sure wish the apathy was so strong, though. What a great fantasy, to be invited to speak at this place. An actual BTL guy. Oh, well.
You’re wrong, Nikki. The MPAA are extremely creative… with their accounting.
“We will highlight the jobs created, and the workers who fill these roles, throughout the day.”
What bull. Use the very workers you are screwing to trot out in front of the “policy-makers” (read; those who can get you taxpayer supported subsidies) The very same workers you will work 14 to 16 hours a day with no overtime or health insurance, while you dismantle the safety net.
Maybe the IA can make a presentation on just how much money the producers can save using their “New Media” provision… It’s the “New-Wall Mart-Media” concept of labor management.
It’s funny that these people (who likely rose to their positions through nepotism, machiavelian corporate politics, or waiting around waiting for someone to be fired) would be talking about how their entertainment actually gets made.
I hope someone asks them the difference between a gaffer and a grip to see how familiar they are with their hard workers.
A day long summit to tell Washington that the film industry employs people. Will they cover how a lot of TV shows shoot in Canada or that special effects and animation companies do a lot of their work in Asia?
Is this a joke? It’s not April 1st yet.
Wow, the MPAA has always been great at schmoozing DC while it lets the actual people who do work in Hwood go down the toilet. Yay MPAA!
Who are they kidding it is a bullshit junket for industry exec’s to attempt to suckle at the teat of governmental corporate welfare through their MPAA lobbyists efforts for production subsidies with the shameless use of celebrities (Actor, Producer, Director hyphenates) to rub up against DC legislators.
The only thing creative about it will be the accounting.
The press release didn’t mention that the educational portion, encompassing these illustrious guests’ entire knowledge of the creative process, will last from 8:00 to 8:07. The rest of the day will include seminars on breaking unions, the joys of mismanagement, planning and eating lunch, and my particular favorite, how not to honor the new WGA contract.
What isn’t surprising is that the meeting ends at 3:30, which not coincidentally, is when most of these executives call it a day.
I highly doubt they’ll point out SAG’s impact on the unemployment rate due to their lack of actions in resolving their contract dispute. Right now unemployment is at 10.2% in Los Angeles and I would bet that SAG is responsible for 3-4% of that number. It’s just sad that they only care about themselves and don’t want to help out all the little people being forced into homelessness as well as changing their careers due to them doing nothing and grinding this industry to a virtual stand-still.
All praise is due to digital sorceress Finke for breaking it down fast and clean.
These pigs have devoted themselves to warping, thwarting and torturing the creative drive in an ‘industry’ that is off the rails and badly needs fresh input. These greedy, vacant drones are killing off the American imagination – the big question is, at this point, who is believing this brain-dead brainwashing?
Is anyone who works on an actual set going to Washington?
Must be a new comedy routines the execs are trying out!
Hey Boycott SAG:
Do you have any facts to back up your ridiculous claim? Why aren’t you mad at the AMTPT? As far as SAG only caring about itself, well, yes. That is what a union is supposed to do – take care of it’s members (don’t get me wrong I think this whole entire contract negotiation has been like a bunch of monkey’s trying to fuck a football – with SAG being the football). The Studio’s could end this all tomorrow if they wanted to. Easily. But, hey, why be mad them. Much easier to be mad at those self centered actors who are so selfish that they want a contract that will allow them to keep making a living. Stupid, selfish, silly actors.
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot – go fuck yourself.
If the MPAA is involved then it’s a circle jerk (rated R for sexual content and situations).
Well, hell, since the bigwigs will be out of town on the same day, perhaps Hollywood can actually get some real work done.
These guys couldn’t create a fart after a Boston baked bean dinner. But they do own the beanfields and outsource the jobs.
Just as an aisde, and really not specifically related to this post… When Brad Pitt had the ear of President Obama and the Democratic leadership this past week, I wonder if he spent any time talking about SAG and its problems re: the AMPTP… After all, he is an actor first, isn’t he?
This is scheduled for a Tuesday, which is sad because they would miss Obama’s weekly Cocktail Party by one day. Even when scheduling these symposiums, they fail.
I expect a good part of this will be lobbying for yet more intellectual property protection laws…
What’s the “Carbon Footprint” for this gig?
This is nothing but a lobbying effort by the studios/producers on intellectual property law and counter piracy efforts.
They are trying to demonstrate to the Washington crowd how important their product is the American jobs and therefore in need of protection from worldwide copyright violators.
It is much more compelling for them to do this by stressing “creativity” than by showing charts & power point presentations of the economics of the issue(s).
No
They are going to let you know in advance that they are going to fuck you nice and hard but………
the blood will not come out for at least 5 years
and after it comes out you will be to drained to fight
you will have the lethargic feeling after a bad accident, or a turkey dinner where you realize that your attempts at justice are futile, useless and you might as well get on the bandwagon, save up some money
go back to school and get an MBA so that you may join them and partake in their feast, and believe me at that time you will look down on all of your former friends, collegues, associates with disgust and utter contempt
you will then get into your ferrari, pick up your perfect 10 model and ride off into the sunset to your palatial estate in bel air, all bought and paid for by the blood, sweat, tears of us poor working souls who will never live the life you are living.
can I get an amen ?
ha…….
:{]
Does anybody here ever give a single thought to the idea that these “big bad companies” that you all love to bash are the ones who create the jobs? True, they are far from perfect but scapegoating them for everything wrong in the business is as foolish as scapegoating the unions.
The economy is in a nosedive. Maybe the pilot and co-pilot need to work in tandem for a change.
Reminds me of one of best Arnie lines from The Larry Sanders show (paraphrased as my memory is fuzzy): never indulge a creative executive or they start thinking they are either creative or executives.
The MPAA is not the AMPTP, unsure why Nikki is deliberately blurring that line. The AMPTP are the ones forcing strikes and other labor strike, the MPAA are the ones who go to Washington with their hands out, trying to get more funding and more favorable laws.
Well this seems perfectly inline with the recent layoffs and what not. The battle cry of “Hey Tits! Let’s put on a show!” Despite some very telling business practices being aired like dirty laundry and spun into “See, we’re losing money too!”
Such crap.
well these companies are spending money to lobby washington on behalf of the motion picture industry.
why don’t you compare this active approach with the ineffective whining that seems to be coming from everyone else, including this web site.
i don’t see DHD getting any congressional attention.
and i continue to be amazed that you don’t understand that the studios are accountable to their stockholders, not the talent community or freelance below the line workers.
Re wise guy: you’re right that the studios are accountable to their stockholders, as are all publicly traded corporations. But solipsists like you fail to grasp that corporations also have a moral responsibility to the society that supports them. Hospitals are accountable to their stockholders, too, but that doesn’t mean they can let patients die if it would help dividends. Auto manufacturers who saved their stockholders a nickel per gas tank, except that the tanks exploded, were prosecuted. Studios are built on the labor, creativity, and intellectual property rights of those they employ; as Louis B. Mayer famously said, “Ours is the only business whose assets walk out the door every night.” Studios are, in fact, morally accountable to those groups you dismiss — the talent community and the below-the-line workers — because, if they are not treated right, the product will suffer, and the audiences won’t come, and then all the stock equity in the world will be worth bupkes. A responsible, successful corporation must exist within a community, not in spite of it. Even Adam Smith realized this.
Sometimes I daydream @ the studio system – under SAG jurisdiction – (No 12 hr days) – The studios would profit from the upcoming stars whom they had put under contract cheap – & the rest of us would earn something like a living. Now we are all paying for their artist development w/our own sweat & blood & $….And the few who win the actors’ lottery don’t seem to give a damn.
Stockholders don’t generate revenues…
Actually, I was at the MPAA for meetings in Washington DC today. I asked whether or not REAL crew members were going to be included in the symposium and they assured me that they are participating in the symposium (they’re supposedly speaking to some IA crew members right now).