What If We Were Studio Executives?

Let’s picture ourselves in their shoes. An interesting concept for a new animated series has been left on our desk, unread and neglected. Now, we’re expected to be team players--I mean, just because we work in different divisions doesn’t mean that we can’t be cohesive. In this case, we are walking in the moccasins of an executive in some children’s division of a network.

Let’s go back to the vision that we had just originally left. We pick up the neglected treatment off of our desk. We brush the thick layer of dust off of the cover, and turn the page . . .

. . . and ten pages later, we’re still not hooked. (Actually, you have to hook some executives by the first paragraph. It has to do with their short attention spans, or their schedule--some easy-does-it letdown bull like that.) There is however, a little voice inside of us that is saying, “Buy it! Hire the bastard! You’d be making a big mistake if you turn this concept down.”

We argue with ourselves. “Look, it’s not “Pokemon” or anything like that. How can I trust an unproven property?”

The little voice retorts, “Whaddya in this business for, if you can’t take chances?”

We, the heartless exec, begin to soften up a little. “I’m not being a team player, if I play on the team of the artists. I’m supposed to care more for the best interests of the company that I work for.”

We hear the little voice smack himself in frustration. “The artist/writer IS the best interest of your company. Without the talent to propel you, the business would fold and you would not have a job.”

We harden. “Someone with a unique vision doesn’t care about my company, and how financially stable we are. The only thing that they care about is their vision.”

The voice understands. “Yes. But they need to care about their vision--the condition of their entire career hinges on that first swing, you know?”

We return to our former, rigidly militant stance. “The artists should have enough reasoning skills to determine that Hollywood doesn’t thrive on original, creative visions. IT thrives on proven property. I’m sorry, but this synopsis--that of a homeless man becoming a plasma superhero--no one’s known this.”

We hear the voice again. “Ever hear of ‘Monsters, Inc.’?” And we, the reconditioned heartless exec, laugh. “Those fools at Pixar! I’d never risk $115 million on an untested project! That’s friggin’ nuts!”

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