The response hasnt been positive.
I mean, thats where the power is.
And writers figured out they could direct, you know.
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The story is king, everybody always knew it.
Everybody always knows it.
You forget it at your peril.
And brilliant directors and brilliant producers and brilliant people are going to continue to be really important.
But in the end, yeah, this is what comes off the desk.
Its the shootable pages.
Its what comes off the desk.
Well, [contraction]s gonna happen.
Because yeah, I mean, that was gonna happen anyway, maybe.
So you never get to show where theres 2-3-4 talented, experienced people working on the same show.
It was like a basketball team.
I mean, fewer will be better content.
It will find its level.
Were in a boom town.
And Im not sure how long this thing is sustainable.
Right now, the boom is over, the gold rush has finished.
And that is going to change things.
That being said, you know,Dead Boy Detectivescomes out in 10 days.
Ive seen half ofSandmanSeason 2, and its astonishing.
Im writingGood OmensSeason 3, and we start shooting that in January.
So Im making stuff.
And Im definitely feeling that, OK, the ship is still sailing.
But the boom is over.
I think the boom would have been over anyway.
And maybe we can let some of the stuff go.
And maybe we can, you know, so I think that happened as well.
Theyre trying to reinvent television right now.
And I dont know what its gonna be like, five years from now.
Its a moment in the business that happened, that everyone had to sort of stop and reset.
And that reset is still happening.
I had a big time last week or two weeks ago, I went out for a Disney/Hulu event.
And I talked a lot to the people there and they were all feeling that same way.
It had everything correct behind it.
And I think the better conditions will come around when more work happens.
And I just want to say hold fast and hang tight.
And now whats not even funny, but so funny is theyre thinking about selling ad space.
Thats in air quotes.Oh, really?
You mean the way the model was for a hundred years?
I am so proud of the writers and actors guilds for striking last year, that was so important.
This contract is a three-year contract.
I think that was like, I felt like very patriotic, striking with my guild.
And thats how I see the landscape.
My feeling is that my job is to find and tell undeniable stories.
And so thats my job.
And if it gets a little harder, then I have to make the story more undeniable.
We had multiple offers.
And we had total support all along the way.
Look, I pitched many things in my life that didnt sell.
So thats, I dont know if thats going to be any different.
Thats what we have to do.
Given that all of these conglomerates are less and less interested in taking risks?
Could we be making cheaper movies that make less money and be happier doing that?
Im more interested in doing work that feels interesting than in having a script deal with whomever.
Thats like a glass-half-full take.
Really great stories, really great TV.
I hope it wont continue to be a harder time.
David Teague(Cassandro): Its still tough, I think, yeah.
Optimism, in some ways.
So with my work, I go back and forth between documentary and fiction.
So you know, writing in both categories.
I feel like, maybe theres a little glimmer right now, its hard to tell.
But, definitely I feel like it took, you know, it wasnt like back to work.
[Re: Platforms not buying as much?]
Yeah, it feels that way certainly.
I mean, the rooms that are happening are happening.
David Matalon(Totally Killer) On the feature side, the pipeline is kind of empty.
Some studios I know have only one movie going into production.
So, yes, theres contraction, but there are still jobs out there.
you might sell specs.
Sasha Perl-Raver(Totally Killer) These things are pendulum swings.
It will swing in the other direction eventually, hopefully.
Everything is a cycle.
As long as Ive been doing this, someone will say Its really hard right now.
But youre still going forward and someone will buy something.
I have heard theres more people in rooms.
And that was part of the fight and thats wonderful.
And people who werent getting opportunities are getting opportunities and people are being kept accountable.
Yes, theres a shrinkage, but there are small wins along the way.
A lot of studios were expecting more material after the strike, and there wasnt as much.
All I can control is writing, and writing specs.
I do believe the right script will find the right people at the right time.
