Last Sunday, the NY Times Magazine published a Q&A interview with Michael Eisner, the former head of Disney and now a budding new media mogul/investor. Eisner weighed in on the Hollywood writers’ strike issue. Let me just say this, his comments were breathtakingly disingenuous. Here is the full NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/magazine/18wwln-Q4-t.html?ref=magazine

Basically, Eisner called the writers "stupid" for having the temerity to strike over their future rights on the web — "a business and a marketplace that is not evolved enough to even know if there is a business or marketplace there." That quote is taken directly from the article and Eisner’s mouth. Pretty incredible when you take a moment to understand what he is really saying.

The fact is, Eisner and hundreds of other VCs, private equity firms, major corporations, investors and entrepreneurs are all betting big time on the online business and marketplace that Eisner whines is not "evolved enough." What do you want the writers to do, Mike…wait for the Internet market to become so evolved that they have lost all of their bargaining power and leverage?

Eisner then tries to clarify his silly remarks by saying no one is making any "profits" online. Boo hoo! So Eisner lost money on his first foray into producing webisodes. He certainly has plenty to lose, and I would be willing to bet that eventually he will make web entertainment into a moneymaker. And good for him if he does.

Eisner’s arrogant and plainly illogical argument is akin to the founders of Google saying to early employees, "you can’t have options because we don’t even know yet if there will be a business or marketplace for Google." Uh huh!

The Internet is driven by content, and someone has to write and produce it (even if it’s user generated). Most of those "professional" content producers are trying to figure out a way to monetize their content, and that’s a very good thing. It’s called capitalism, something that I thought Eisner was a big believer in. Just because web-based entertainment is not paying much yet, does not mean that it won’t in the future. Indeed, many are betting big that it will start making money in the very near future. Just last week, the producers of "Quarterlife," the new web-only "series," just monetized their creation by selling it to NBC. I wonder if the writers of "Quarterlife" expect to get paid for their creativity and hard work? Of course they do.

I am by no means an expert on this writers’ strike, and I have not even been following it closely. But, Eisner’s comments were a wake up call to me and should be to others who truly believe in the new web economy. Through his words, Eisner betrayed his true feelings, showing that he still thinks he is a Hollywood mogul, and not an investor in a new kind of information, entertainment and commerce channel that is much more egalitarian and democratic than the tightly controlled, exclusive club he formerly ruled in. Again, the web is the emerging communications platform of choice, and creatives working on it have a right to get paid as the money starts to flow. That’s the American Way…actually, it’s the Global Way!

This is another example of why Eisner was not exactly beloved in Hollywood (and why he was essentially pushed out of Disney.) His comments should give today’s creative community pause about working with Eisner on web projects.

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