If you are a producer and you want to make money, I would encourage you to look at creating serial television programming over creating motion pictures.
Do it. Do it now!
Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO, Showtime and the multitude of other pay services are crying for brilliant series right now, not movies. They have found that dramatic and comedic TV series hook their users in longer and give them a reason to come back again and again for more. If you scan the current Netfilx offerings and don’t see a movie that interests you, or that you have already seen, you may turn the television off , or worse, go to another service. However, if you’re seven episodes into Lie To Me, House of Cards or Game of Thrones, you’re going to probably sit down and watch more.
There is another, more pervasive issue going on here: People are losing their ability to focus their attention for more than about 20 minutes at a time. Our young people are the first "YouTube Generation". A generation that has consumed a great deal of their entertainment in one to two minute bursts. A 22 minute sitcom is an eternity to them. Working adults have such over impacted lives with their jobs, kids, sports, hobbies, games and other attention grabbers that sitting down to watch a two hour movie is not a pleasure -- it is a chore.
When our news is consumed in the length of 140 character Twitter feeds, what do we expect? http://bit.ly/15zpFRq
It is interesting how motion pictures were once the place to be for top flight producers, writers, directors and stars. That has changed. Movies just don’t hold an audience as well as a well crafted series will and the networks and pay cable channels are throwing millions and some of their biggest stars into them. It is no wonder -- worldwide syndication revenue can be in the hundreds of millions for a really successful series.
I recently met with the CEO of a major international media company. I asked him what they were acquiring for 2014 and he said, “Dramatic, high concept television series.” Movies were not a priority on his list.
If you have a great dramatic television concept and you are looking for funding. Call me!
Do it. Do it now!
Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO, Showtime and the multitude of other pay services are crying for brilliant series right now, not movies. They have found that dramatic and comedic TV series hook their users in longer and give them a reason to come back again and again for more. If you scan the current Netfilx offerings and don’t see a movie that interests you, or that you have already seen, you may turn the television off , or worse, go to another service. However, if you’re seven episodes into Lie To Me, House of Cards or Game of Thrones, you’re going to probably sit down and watch more.
There is another, more pervasive issue going on here: People are losing their ability to focus their attention for more than about 20 minutes at a time. Our young people are the first "YouTube Generation". A generation that has consumed a great deal of their entertainment in one to two minute bursts. A 22 minute sitcom is an eternity to them. Working adults have such over impacted lives with their jobs, kids, sports, hobbies, games and other attention grabbers that sitting down to watch a two hour movie is not a pleasure -- it is a chore.
When our news is consumed in the length of 140 character Twitter feeds, what do we expect? http://bit.ly/15zpFRq
It is interesting how motion pictures were once the place to be for top flight producers, writers, directors and stars. That has changed. Movies just don’t hold an audience as well as a well crafted series will and the networks and pay cable channels are throwing millions and some of their biggest stars into them. It is no wonder -- worldwide syndication revenue can be in the hundreds of millions for a really successful series.
I recently met with the CEO of a major international media company. I asked him what they were acquiring for 2014 and he said, “Dramatic, high concept television series.” Movies were not a priority on his list.
If you have a great dramatic television concept and you are looking for funding. Call me!
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