I received a message from the Writers Guild today, saying they have concluded an independent agreement with a company called Media Rights Capital. What’s interesting is what’s revealed about some of the activity going with original content for the web. Here’s part of the statement:
“Though not a household name, MRC is an independent film, television, and digital studio with backing from significant institutional investors, including Goldman Sachs and AT&T. Most importantly, they have over a dozen original made-for-the-Internet properties with many more to come. This is a significant signing in that it hails the paradigm shift to original content for new media, produced and distributed under a WGA contract without the involvement of a major studio or network.
This deal began as an effort to get Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane and his writers a WGA contract on fifty webisodes which are being produced for Google. It quickly developed into a negotiation with MRC that would cover all of its Internet content (including projects with Larry David, Gordon Ramsay, and Second City), as well as a full slate of independently financed feature films and television series.”
It suggests that a lot of big players are getting interested—which means we should be, too.
(My book, "Your Writing Coach," includes a chapter on writing for the new media. It's published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing and available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other outlets. You can also get tips and techniques for being more creative and productive by signing up for our free monthly Brainstorm ebulletin by request to [email protected])
