Ageism in Hollywood - why?

In the ScriptJournal (a publication of scriptshark.com), Lee Zahavi Jessup writes about ageism in Hollywood:

“The reality of the industry is that the cards begin to stack against you the moment you hit your twenty fifth birthday. This does not mean that many writers past their “Hollywood prime” don’t make a career of it. They do every day. However, it is important to be aware of these unpleasant perceptions so that you can come prepared to battle them.

So why does Hollywood, and specifically the young agents and managers working out there, seem so eager to find young talent to work for them? The answer is a simple one, and has much to do with maturity and mentality: A young person, just out of college and with a dedicated focus to their screenwriting career, will have an easier time working harder, sleeping less, and sacrificing everything in the name of screenwriting than a person who is more set in their years… To put it simply, an older person who is married, has children, and has already established themselves a career is likely not going to give all of themselves to screenwriting, simply because they’ve realized that a person’s entire identity does not lie in the failure or success of a screenwriter’s career.”

I’m sure that’s true, but I think an even bigger factor is that so many development executives are in their twenties and early thirties, and they feel awkward bossing around people old enough to be their parents. Why are the execs so young? Because the youth audience is still the holy grail, especially in the film business. That’s a bit less true in TV, where at least the dramatic shows are more receptive to mature writers, Sitcoms usually are staffed by young writers—and on those, with the constant rewriting and late nights, the factors Jessup cites probably are a bigger issue.

My intent is not to discourage mature writers (I’m one, at least chronologically) but it’s good to know what we’re up against.

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