07/24/2024
We are so numbed by the "greed is good" mantra as a nation that it is hard for anyone to believe that there would actually be someone who does not give a s**t about being wealthy to the point of actually wanting to build something for all to benefit from. For some reason, one always has to have an ulterior motive to do anything.
Case in point.
I want to build an entertainment company for the talent I see around me. I don't want to profit from it. I merely want to create something for others.
Yes. I have stories I want to produce as films. the difference is that I have it planned that any film or television production I create will finance the company, not me. I also have it planned to be an unpaid CEO.
I see the title as useless as long as the person using it is not down on the floor working their ass off at the same work as those they guide. After all, being on the floor, being involved n the deeper parts of the business is the only way to know what is needed and what isn't. hiding behind a desk and crunching numbers isn't.
They aren't worth high salaries. they are only worth what they believe those beneath them are worth. no stocks. no severance. no company supported health benefits. no retirement package.
Unless, of course, they believe that their employees are also worth these, then they should only receive what they allow their employees to receive. nothing better.
No, the company I want to build will be run by active producers, directors, casting agents, talent coordinators, and writers. no stuffed suits. no central office complex. only Zoom meetings to give updates on projects. and small conferences among those who are in the same place at the same time.
the idea is to create an atmosphere where the arts and entertainment can be nurtured without the stifling number crunching. where independent thought guides the creation of independent masterpieces not dreamed up, or destroyed by, the suits who have 0 creativity.
it is also to create a fully privately owned (by a central group of producers/directors) studio system that is national, not just local. and not Hollywood. and not publicly traded.
it will be a company where creatives are invested in, but not forced to change their vision. where movies and television create new ideas, new stories, and new careers.
and yet, so many believe that one cannot plant trees without first wanting to partake of their shade. they love to put the cart before the horse, so to speak, and desire a pay off where there will not be any.
Sure, I hope that making movies and television productions out of my books will gain me sales. and it probably will. which is what I will be relying on as my own source of income. not my productions. not my company. just my books.
a wise man plants trees knowing that he may never be able to enjoy their shade. I am 50. and I am embarking on a new path. I will be starting back to school, I hope, in September, so I will know how to produce and direct film and television. something I have wanted to learn for a long time. and so I can fully admit that I know how to run an entertainment company.
