The economy is making a comeback so the A-holes are coming out of the woodwork. Here’s a new one. Now we have agents (these ain’t exactly William Morris or CAA types) for directors, who solicit independent reps to get work for their directors, who pass it back to the director’s production company or another production company, and everyone is expecting a fee.
I hope you can follow this because I can’t understand it.
HELLOOOOOOOO is there any money left for the production company or maybe even better is there any money left to put on the film????!!!!
I feel like I work on Wall Street. Fifty-two people touch the deal and everyone takes a percentage. This morning I found out about this because one of my directors made a deal with some “agent”/ middleman/ professional I mark up anything you do/ person. All this was news to me until I got an email from a buddy that said former genius/middleman now represents MY director everywhere except in my office or in my home bathroom. You can’t make this shit up.
Will somebody please tell the agencies or the client that they can just call the production company or if they’re really brave just call the director and off we go to SHOOTLAND. The assistants have assistants, the reps have agents, the agents have junior agents–does anybody know what working for a living is anymore?
While I’m at it, remember what agency producers used to do. They would look at reels and then when they got a storyboard they would call in six or seven reels, check the director’s availability and present them to the creatives. Not anymore.
Due to the fact that there are less of them and they have less time, they call agents or check some website. This website tells them who does comedy, who does tragedy.
Middlemen are now doing the job that was once done by the producer. Then they call up agents, dogcatchers, congressmen, whoever.
A major agency head of production recently told me it’s my fault we have too many directors.
Yeah we’re always trying to find new ones, with new looks, new ideas, new direction and cost cutting ways instead of calling all the same suspects to shoot a bowling ball and then cry when the director fees add $80,000 to the budget. Give me and your client a break.
Everyone blames production companies. How about blaming all the people who make money off the client, off the creative idea and off the production company that takes the risk and finances the whole thing.
If the client looked at all the middlemen who made a living off their 30 seconds of heaven, they would scream. The system has gone beyond sanity. We need new ways of doing this.
HELP. I’m trying to stay off the booze and drugs but people aren’t helping. I know I’m always kidding but I have passion for this business and it’s becoming a big joke/ponzi scheme. There ain’t enough slices in this pie to keep cutting it up. Creatives create, directors direct, production companies produce, and the rest of it just doesn’t make any sense.
Industry vet Tom Mooney is president of New York-headquartered production house Moon.
