You used to be able to fit everyone who mattered in Hollywood into one room. Not now.
For the past year I have been the executive producer of a popular comedy on a large American broadcast network. That used to mean something – or at the very least it meant that I could get a table at a hip restaurant, could get automatic upgrades on any airline and could, in general, act like an annoying big shot.
Not that I did, you understand. But not too long ago – say nine years ago, when I began writing this column – there were roughly a dozen television networks and studios. Being an executive producer of a popular show back then meant being a member of a very exclusive club.
Just a few years ago, only movie studios and television networks were in the business of making movies and television. Now, of course, there is a galaxy of new entrants into the entertainment business. So I shouldn’t have been surprised, a week ago, when I got a call from the two executives who run the television operation of the large entertainment conglomerate that employs me to produce my series.
It was a courtesy call. They were leaving the studio, they told me. And then added, in a listless tone that suggested they had made many such calls that day and were planning to make many more, that they enjoyed working with me and hoped our paths cross in the future.
When I asked them where they were headed – I could think of a few studios and networks that needed a refresh in the executive suite – they informed me that they were moving to Silicon Valley to run the television operation of one of the largest computer and mobile phone manufacturers in the world, which until that precise moment I could have sworn was not in the television business, mostly because the company and its executives had said repeatedly and emphatically that under no circumstances would they ever enter such a crazy and risk-filled business as creating, producing and (this part is key) paying for television content.
But, you know, things change. Once you’ve sold nearly every man, woman and child in the world an iPhone, you naturally turn your attentions to selling those same people something to watch on those devices. And that means hiring new teams, poaching Hollywood executives, building out new divisions and a lot more office space.
When I started my career in Hollywood – 27 years ago, but who’s counting? – you could fit every important player in the television business into the ballroom of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, something which happened fairly regularly since people in Hollywood enjoy honouring themselves at awards banquets on a clockwork basis.
We all knew each other and if we discovered that we didn’t know each other we cheerfully lied about it and pretended that we did. It was a small, clubby group of folks. Executives were routinely given the sack at one studio and then instantly hired at another. Network presidents were shown the door with their pockets stuffed with exit cash, production deals and sinecures for life.
It was, in other words, not so much a competitive business environment as a benign oligarchy. And if you’re on the right side of the ledger, oligarchies can be lots of fun.
Innovation, though, eventually rears its ugly and disruptive head. Oligarchies are fated to collapse.
Satellite television blankets the world from the sky, and internet-based streaming video fills our computer screens with pretty much any kind of entertainment we want. Netflix, which a few years ago trafficked in actual DVDs, pumps hours of digital movies and original television shows throughout the internet.
Amazon, which began its ascent as an online bookshop, has become the world’s largest retailer and is now also in the entertainment business.
Facebook is developing and producing television series. Twitter has announced its first ventures in video programming. AT&T, the mobile phone service company, is buying Time Warner, mostly to get its hands on the content powerhouse of Warner Bros. And it turns out that my two favourite executives in the television business are leaving Hollywood and heading to Cupertino, California.
All of these revolutionary developments are exciting and dazzling to contemplate, especially from the outside. It’s clear that with more players in the entertainment industry comes more choice for the viewer and – if market forces work efficiently – more quality television available to everyone.
What it also means, unfortunately, is that people like me have suddenly found themselves in a more competitive and cutthroat universe.
You can no longer squeeze the key players in the television business into one large hotel ballroom, as you could in 2008 when I began writing this column. In 2017, you can’t even fit them into one large hotel, even if you could somehow gather them in one place from such remote and exotic locations as London, New York, Los Angeles and Cupertino.
It’s worth repeating that this is all to the good. The viewer – that’s us – benefits from this explosion of diversity and inventiveness. But spare a moment of pity for the executive producer – that’s me – who now has to make his money in the least appealing way there is. By earning it.
Rob Long is a writer and producer in Los Angeles
On Twitter: @rcbl
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'The Ice Road'
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne
2/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
