Interesting news coming out of the writers strike, having a side job is usually something that happens on a regular basis. However, if you are a creative type, sitting on the picket line can be very dull, so what is a good entrepreneur to do? Do a startup.
What effect this would have on the strike is unclear. So far, the percentage of the guild’s 10,000 striking writers who are in discussions with venture capitalists appears to be small. Any deal of this kind, however, could put pressure on the studios and help the writers’ public relations campaign. Writers who are talking to venture investors say the studios would suffer a brain drain if high-profile talents received outside funding and were no longer beholden to them. Source: LA Times
While it is unknown how long professional writers and content developers will remain on strike, or how long they will give their name and talent to a startup. If a venture capitalist comes along and offers a lot of money to develop product for the internet, and you are not working, that startup sounds good.
What is interesting about this is that if the startup is doing better than Hollywood can afford to pay, or is willing to pay, they loose that talent forever. There will be no going back to the old Hollywood model.
This could cause much more pain in the longer run, where Hollywood stands to loose all for the want of good writing talent, because they are all off doing startups.
