Hey Suits, A True Partnership Means You Share The Aspirin AND The Champagne!

Here's my short audio reflection on the never-ending misalignment between creators and the funders, labels, publishers, and studios.

https://open.substack.com/pub/themorningassembly/p/hey-suits-a-true-partnership-means?r=4q3mqj&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO

Erik Løkkesmoe:

”There's something about country wisdom. You know, that long dirt road-open spaces-simple living-kind of wisdom that breaks through so much of the nonsense in the entertainment industry.

Maybe I pick up on that more since I live in Nashville.

One of our investors carries this country wisdom with him.

Quite literally, he carries it with him. He has a folded piece of paper in his wallet with great insights.

For example, he says, "Deals are like buses, a new one comes around every 30

minutes or so."

Or, "Money is like manure, pile it up and it begins to stink. Spread it around and things begin to grow."

But maybe my favorite one is this. “We want to be in business with people where you share in the champagne and in the aspirin.”

You get that? In other words, if we win, we all win. If we lose, we all lose.

Skin in the game, as some say, but I prefer that idea of champagne and aspirin. Pop the cork celebrations or pass me the aspirin because I got a headache and a lot of pain.

I was thinking about this quote while reading the New York Times columnist, Maureen Dowd, where she writes about this crushed dream factory.

It's all about the Oscars and the millions who don't watch the award show and don't care and what Hollywood has lost over the years. She certainly applauds the smart and soulful movies coming out, but says, and I quote, "You still need wrapped audiences. "What Hollywood is forgetting to its own peril" is that it's show business and it needs to find a way "to marry its past storytelling chops with the exciting new forces of the future."

She then goes on and quotes Bill Maher who said, "I don't have to leave the theater whistling, but would it kill you once in a while to make a movie that doesn't make me want to take a bath with a toaster?

So here's what I can't stop thinking after reading this column. There's a lot of chatter around the symptoms, you know, theaters struggling, indie filmmakers struggling, lack of great stories with that delight and unite us and so on, but we need to look at the root causes of these issues, and I think there are at least two of them.

First, that the audience is often an afterthought in Hollywood. Or worse, seen only as consumers — transactions that are measured by clicks and swipes and tickets and views. The audience is largely ignored. It's not uncommon for producers to finish a movie and say, "Now, who is the audience for this?"

So, audiences are largely ignored, and therefore, not surprisingly, the audience ignores Hollywood — and it's often self-congratulating award shows. I'll speak more about that in a future audio post.

The second root cause, though, goes back to that farmland wisdom, back to champagne and aspirin. There's a misalignment between creators and those who fund, market, distribute, and platform the content. Hollywood is in the business of transactions, not mutually beneficial arrangements. someone is always trying to win at the expense of others and it's tearing down the potential for great stories to reach the widest audience.

If we want to see this industry flourish, get audiences back in theaters setting down their devices to pay attention and really watch and consume and enjoy our movies and shows. If you want stories to reach the widest possible audience then we need to bring the audience back to the table. Make it a first thought, not an afterthought. And we need to have better alignment. Everyone working toward the benefit of all stakeholders, and that especially includes creators and audiences.

Until next time, keep creating.”