Slashdot reports:
“The New York Times reports today about Michael Hollick, the actor who provided the voice of Niko Bellic in Grand Theft Auto IV. Although the game has made more than $600 million in sales for Rockstar Games, Hollick earns nothing beyond the original $100K he was paid. If this was television, film, or radio, Hollick and the other GTA actors could have made millions by now. Hollick says, ‘I don’t blame Rockstar. I blame our union for not having the agreements in place to protect the creative people who drive the sales of these games. Yes, the technology is important, but it’s the human performances within them that people really connect to, and I hope actors will get more respect for the work they do within those technologies.’ Is it time for video game actors to be treated as well as those in other mediums?”
First let me set the record straight. There should be no distinction between “video game” actors and actors in general - other than the fact that most video game work is non-union voiceover work. There are plenty of actors here in Hollywood that do video game work. But the problem is that SAG and AFTRA have not set up a residual contract for video games. But they should. Right now SAG and AFTRA are negotiating residual contracts for online video and they should do the same for video games.
Another sign of the times - a new indie film site called The Auteurs is promoting itself at the Cannes Film Festival with a video competition sponsored by HP, Facebook and Flip. 250 people will get the chance to grab a Flip camera and shoot a 3 minute short film. The winner, as determined by a jury receives $10,000 cash and a HP workstation with a 30 inch display - plus you get to keep the camera. Don’t expect the resulting videos to be Cannes-worthy though since the Flip video camera is a small solid state consumer device that only shoots 640×480 video. It will be interesting to see how many people actually participate in this competition. I think this sort of stunt/promotion would be better suited to another film festival such as Slamdance .
I just received an email directed to all SAG members giving an updated report to contract negotiations with the AMPTP. The top headline is:
The AMPTP Wants to Use Excerpts From TV Shows and Motion Pictures Without Actor’s Consent on the Internet….And Beyond
New Media is one of the biggest issues in contract negotiations. The studios still don’t know how to monetize video on the internet and are still experimenting with ventures such as Hulu at the same time making deals with various online video distribution companies including Apple/iTunes/AppleTV. I know of these issues first hand as a web developer who used to manage FX Networks and helped to establish their online video distribution of their shows using Brightcove. The key question that needs to be answered before royalties can be paid to actors for “internet use” is how do you track and control video views and distribution? This can get pretty tricky. Using Brightcove, there are built in metrics but other distribution services may not have these tools. And who will keep the studios honest? In my experience I’ve seen metric numbers be “adjusted” in order for a studio marketing team to sell more ad space or get bigger budgets for their group, so who’s to watch the studios and keep them honest as to how much royalties to pay back to the artist based on internet “views”?
For the savvy actor, this is actually an exciting time. Forget the bickering between SAG, AFTRA and AMPTP. This is the age of opportunity and empowerment. It has never been easier or cheaper for actors to be seen by larger audiences other than the 99-seat theater. If you’ve paid any attention to the video revolution on the internet you will know of the publicity and opportunities non-actors have received from stupid videos on YouTube. Entrepreneurial actors are already online creating brands - monetizing their creative work and creating bigger opportunities. Just read this article:
Rise of the internet star…
So what are you doing to take charge of your acting career? Why are you sitting around waiting for your agent to call? Go out and create your opportunities.
Published on Tuesday November 6, 2007 .
It’s fascinating to think that the industry that I fell into while trying to be an actor has set Hollywood on fire. The work I do at my day job adds fuel to the flame as we find creative ways to attract bigger audiences on the internet using video and interactive experiences. So Hollywood finds itself in the same position I’m at in my professional life - re-invent yourself or die. So while Hollywood struggles to find a profitable place on the internet, I struggle to find a profitable place in Hollywood as Talent. But I see myself as the next generation of content creators and talent. Not only do I have the skills to produce anything and everything on the internet, I also have the skills to be in front of, and behind the camera. I’m like Robert Rodriguez meets Kanye West. So while WGA strikes and SAG talks about a strike next year, I will be making my move.
Here’s an inside look at why Hollywood is in trouble:
——————–
This WGA strike is going to suck.
The other side is prepared to have us sit on our asses until the SAG
contract is up in JUNE. They all claim to be working toward a resolution,
but um… They are already reshaping the midseason. Do the math.
The studios and networks are sitting pretty and seem fairly convinced that
they own the internet.
THE WGA HAS NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT THEY ARE DOING IN THE NEW MEDIA REALM.
I met yesterday at the WGA offices and have agreed to help them try to
create a web presence worthy of the fight they are launching over new media.
As it stands, I had to explain that a BLOG is not a website.
I have my hands full.
They asked me yesterday, “how do we link videos to our website?”
What?
The two members of the communications committee
asked me what FACEBOOK is?!!
We are truly doomed if our negotiations committee doesn’t fold and take a
shitty deal. Seriously. The PR alone is going to kill us.
I’ve tried to explain the advantage to using the internet to our advantage.
Today I’m supposed to present a plan to use daytime soap fans to bang down
the doors at Colgate Palmolive and boycott their products unless they put
pressure on the other side to give us a piece of new media.
I talked to a communications member last night who didn’t realize there are
soap opera discussion boards and mailing lists!!!
“How do we find out where they are?”
OMFG!
I’m in hell!
Published on Saturday October 20, 2007 · Filed under: Hollywood,
Life .
In ‘97 I moved to LA to become a rich and famous Hollywood actor. I worked the graveyard shift at Cedars-Sinai hospital supporting computer systems. Long-story short, I was fired for hacking into a computer system (which was a joke gone wrong) and a temp agency placed me at a dot-com company. Now somehow, even with my gangsta-ass attitude and me constantly declaring “I’m an actor and this is just a day job” people kept giving me bigger job titles, more money, stock options, etc, etc. Years later after all the crazy rockstar-esque parties and watching colleagues literally make millions, the industry I kept dissing is now taking over Hollywood and our daily lives. I’m at the top of my game in the internet industry and I’m about to change the game with an original webisode series I’m self producing and acting in called “IT Gangsta” which has already received over 12,000 views and combines web 2.0, Urban 2.0, Hip-Hop and Technology.
Published on Friday October 5, 2007 · Filed under: Hollywood,
Life .
I just found out this morning that if you are a SAG member, you cannot
be an employee of SAG. I guess it’s a conflict of interest - but isn’t
the president of SAG a SAG member? I feel snubbed.
The job seemed cush - 32 hour work week + overtime managing, fixing, creating SAG web properties. But I would have to take an “honorable leave” from SAG in order to take the job.
So when the choice came up between a six figure job and my flailing acting career I chose: my flailing acting career cause you couldn’t pay me any amount of money to give up my dreams.
Plus, I already have a job at a company that doesn’t care that I’m an actor that goes on auditions from time to time.
In the current LA Magazine I stumbled across an article that talked about acting being more of a lifestyle choice than a career. That article was like a cold dose of reality which I think all aspiring actors should read. It contains the cold hard facts: 95% of all actors require an alternate “day job” in order to survive and pay the bills. When they are not working, actors are spending their hard earned money on acting classes, headshots, agency/casting mailings, online casting services, union dues, demo reels, trade magazines, play books, and whatever other service they think will help promote themselves. And it’s not just money. It’s also the time spent on self promotion, finding an agent, or finding the next gig. Acting as a lifestyle is all about living on the hope that you could be lucky enough to become part of the 5% that make a living as a working actor. But the trap of the acting lifestyle is to put your life on hold waiting for that “big break” that may never come.
I chose the acting lifestyle in 1996 when I moved to LA. I was ready to sacrifice everything and put my life on hold for the chance to become a “famous” actor. Lucky for me I unintentionally fell into the dot-com industry where I’ve thrived ever since - and not even from trying. And I’ve still not given up my Hollywood dreams. It’s still a constant struggle to balance my life with my job and with the acting lifestyle. But somehow I manage.
What I find ironic is how similar the dot-com industry is to Hollywood. I feel like every time I land a new job/gig it’s like booking a film or TV show. Every dot-com company is filled with very interesting and unique characters, and there is plenty of twists, turns and drama in the storyline of every company. Over the years many companies never make it, which is like being part of a TV series that gets canceled. And the salary rollercoaster in dot-coms is similar to TV shows. It’s possible to make a lot of money in the dot-com industry, but you never know how long a gig will last. So it’s better not to buy that brand new BMW or Benz until your show is picked up for syndication or your companies goes public with an IPO.
I had a Wells Fargo commercial print casting today. This morning I was seriously debating of not going to the casting because:
#1 It was in Studio City which is a pain in the ass to get to from the west side, having to battle traffic both ways on the 405 and 101 freeways.
#2 It’s a $1250 buyout which means that once they take your picture, they own the rights to use it as long as they want and for whatever purpose they want - in perpetuity.
But my wife reminded me that one little job could lead to bigger and better things. So I went. This is actually the first casting I’ve had since dropping 20lbs. When I arrived at The Sportsman Lodge and found the room they were using for casting, I discovered I was the only one there (besides the casting people). First they took a couple of photos, then they wanted to see a couple reactions based on getting rejected, then getting accepted for a loan. This next section they videotaped. I felt I did really well at the casting. I guess we’ll see what happens next.
This experience did remind me of the fact that I no longer have a commercial agent, nor current headshots. I will have to start looking for headshot photographers again.
The Actor’s Lounge is a place where actors can go and perform in front of a supportive audience. This event was spawned from the very popular and long running event called Da’ Poetry Lounge which in itself helped create HBO’s Def Poetry Lounge. Check out the promo video. I’m gonna try to be there tonight. If it’s anything like Da Poetry Lounge it will be an awesome experience.
Published on Thursday October 26, 2006 .
As of today I no longer have commercial representation. My agent of 8 years sent me a standard form letter expressing their regret but that it’s time for both of us to move on.
I’m not completely surprised since my commercial auditions have been getting sparse. I’m actually surprised that the agency kept me around for 8 years.
I did show a lot of potential the first 2 years I was repped at the agency. I booked a couple regional and foreign commercials and landed a hosting gig with a new show called “IZ”. As I got older - especially the last couple of years, I did notice that I started to go out less on auditions. My agent then told me that I was no longer 23 and I needed to start marketing myself as a young professional/young dad/scientist type. I never really liked that.
So now I have to hustle for a new commercial agent in a town of a million actors seeking representation. It sucks.