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Out of all the names on that list William Morris Endeavor is the most surprising. The agency model in Hollywood will eventually fade away because middle men do
by ljd 13y ago
Out of all the names on that list William Morris Endeavor is the most surprising.
The agency model in Hollywood will eventually fade away because middle men don't offer as much utility as they once did when information wasn't so readily available.
It's surprising to see any of the major agencies waking up to this idea and acting on it.
If WME wins the bid we could see some interesting changes in the entertainment industry.
If actors, writers and directors (talent) are only a single step away from creating content in an environment where distribution has very low variable cost then we could see a boom of high quality independent films and shows. Think House of Cards (Netflix US) on a more frequent basis.
- waterlesscloud 13y agoThe agencies have been awake to this idea for quite a while now. WME and CAA have tentacles everywhere these days.
- swampthing 13y agoIn the case of WME, they are 1/3rd owned by Silver Lake, so some sophistication in this area isn't surprising: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/silver-lake-takes-stake-in-william-morris-endeavor/ http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/silver-lake-takes-sta... I don't know about WME, but CAA also has a small venture arm.
- ljd 13y agoI used to work at CAA and there are a few agents aware of a bleak future for the agency model but to be honest no one wants to face the music over there. Their investment arm is for tech and entertainment startups, I doubt they would use it for Hulu. A Hulu acquisition would require their Silverlake equivalent, TPG. I'm all for it, but trust me when I tell you that I doubt CAA will put a bid in on this. They are so far ahead #1 that they can't see it. It's a classic innovators dilemma problem.