Came to this series for the nostalgia, stayed for the story about the trainwreck of accountability and the lessons of everything that comes with producing a webseries and the writers strike. Thank you so much, never imagined I would learn so much about it.
That's some real guts to reboot an old show while being under a legal claim. I had my doubts after the last episode about EA revival ending abrubtly, and now feel so angry that what I thought was right. If I remember correctly, in 2018 after the reboot went off, Joanna and Brent (in either a live stream or a podcast episode, just cannot remember which one it was) said that there could be a possibility of them all returning, but never through Pemberley Digital, that story has ended. I found that odd, cause of course everyone thought the issue was not getting enough money through Patreon, but to say PD won't put anymore content in the future sounded like something bad had happened behind the scenes. I didn't think much about it though, until now, and I see it all makes sense. I am terribly sorry for all that you guys had to face, and kudos to Brendan for following up for years in the hope of justice and truth. Just as a viewer, I feel so so hurt that we got robbed of the Dizzie wedding, more episodes from EA, the beginning of a Persuasion story, all because of one man being so stupid and ghosting SAG-AFTRA and just implicitly refusing to do the right thing by his cast and crew. There was so much potential, so much love that we still have for the projects that came and for those that would've come, but alas, BS ruined it all. Well, nvm now, will just let it go like you did, Ashley :')
My jaw literally dropped open upon hearing the amounts. I am horrified and so angry that this was the result. I knew it would be bad but it was even worse than I expected. How has he not been outed as a horrible man? Are the other cast members upset about how insulting this is?
While your experience is specific to entertainment, it is indicative of the experiences of the working class overall. Whether its a 9-5 employer or the producer of a TV show, everyone is trying to get away with as much as possible and pay people for as little as possible. We all need to join forces and fight for what we deserve regardless of the industry.
While maddening of course, this was still a fascinating insight into how the entertainment industry works, and how things worked as these early youtube shows began to take off. I especially liked when you zoomed out, and demonstrated why this was a larger issue for the industry as a whole and particularly for the current strike. As I said, maddening. I should say too, that I Brendan's calm, concise explanations were invaluable. You could see how thoroughly he understood the subject and was excellent at conveying it.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries helped me navigate what it meant, ethically, to live in the digital age; what it meant to be a feminist; what it meant to deal with sexual trauma, in the digital age. It was a very significant part of my development as a person, let alone as "a creative". It's so saddening to hear about all the exploitation and pain that has come with the Diaries, but it's phenomenal that you and Brendan have made this such an acute and important moment of education on labour rights and human dignity in the digital age, too. Massive massive applause and commiserations to you - and everyone else involved.
Even though I was prepared for it to be a low number, when you said how much your eventual residual check was I actually gasped. Major kudos to Brendan for his years of determination in following that up! Even though it didn't pay off in the way it should have, it sounds like it's so important to have pushed it the whole way. It feels so relevant with the actors and writers strike and I feel more informed about those now too so thank you.
YEAH! I successfully predicted 2022! But what a ride it has been to discover LBD in 2024, binging through the series and binging through the Look Back Diaries discovering all the stuff that happened behind the scenes. Thank you so much for sharing all of this!
Thanks Ashley and Brendan for illuminating the incredible challenges you both experienced just trying to get what you both were due for your amazing work! It’s utter bulls**t that creatives including actors, writers etc struggle to get paid a decent wage!
It’s maddening how much Bernie took advantage of all of us. If you go to his Wikipedia article today there isn’t a hint of controversy. Just smug self-promotion about “his” ground-breaking, Emmy-winning work. When the DVD Kickstarter happened I and a lot of other fans funded it in large part from a desire to give back to the creative people who had given us so much joy over the run of the show, and who we knew hadn’t been compensated at a level that came anywhere close to the work they’d done. At the top of that list were Ashley, the rest of the cast, and the writers. We were giving our money *to them*. Except we weren’t. Bernie kept as much of it as he could for himself, where “as much as he could” was defined by how brazenly he could evade his ethical and legal obligations. It was just so shitty. Grr.😡 And as Brendan points out: So much foreshadowing of the fight happening now. God I hate the companies (and individuals) that operate this way. Organize. Shut them down. Solidarity.✊
Oh my goodness, I have definitely been in sympathy with the people of the Writers Strike this whole time, but to realize exactly HOW MUCH of an impact those kinds of contracts (or lack thereof) have had on just ONE single show just leaves me DUMBSTRUCK. WOW. Thank you so much for sharing, and (to Brandon) for all your efforts for so many years to get this issue and claim recognized!
All of this is absolutely insane. Especially the gall to just restart Emma Approved when there was an ongoing investigation and there was no need for the show anyways
Man, I know you said there wasn't a happy ending, but that was a real bummer. I'm so sorry you guys went through all that trouble and got let down at the end. But man, SO MUCH RESPECT to Brendan doing all that work for so long and going to the mat for all of you guys.
This was absolutely wild! I really appreciate all the time and effort you went into putting together the Look Back Diaries, but honestly these appendices have been something else. 10/10 would watch a documentary about this. I was the one who asked you months ago about the end of Pemberley Digital/the removal of Frankenstein MD from YT and my prediction was that they filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to get around payments. But I never could have predicted that this was all STILL going on while they were trying to do a kickstarter? Unbelievable.
Based on what you were saying at the beginning I guessed 2021 in my notes app (with the caveat of little to nothing getting done in 2020). Damn. Y’all really got screwed. I’m sorry to hear that. Kudos to Brendan for all the tireless work he put into it over the years. The fact that you weren’t fairly compensated is BS. It’s just disappointing. I stand with the WGA and hope I can stand with SAG if they do strike 🤞🏻 (which I hope they do).
Thank you for weaving in how this whole scenario and the related shenanigans connect to the ongoing (as of when I'm commenting) WGA (and potentially SAG) strike! Between when you posted the previous episode a week ago and today, the YT algorithm kicked a very curious recommendation my way -- I'd been watching SAG-AFTRA Foundation content on an entirely different topic. Much to my shock, within the past year, BS apparently moderated one of their business panels on "alternative pathways" in the industry. At the time I didn't have the new context you've shared here re: how this timeline and the outcomes all sifted out. Ugh. Best to BOTH of you (and isn't it wonderful having someone like Brendan in your corner!!).
He should have been made to pay a decade’s worth of late fees to you all ON TOP of what you received at the VERY LEAST, my god. It makes me so upset you had to fight for every penny, the time and energy that went into following up on these claims!!!
i've been catching up today, and this episode (and the one before it) make me so disheartened and sad, but it's also so interesting and full of such good information... thank you both for being willing to share about all of this, and i hope you get to strike and work to make a living wage (and more)! you all deserve it. (my brain this whole episode was just like, "wait, wtf? wait, WTF??" haha)
I'm a bit behind, so watching these two videos after reading the announcement that SAG is joining the strike is so interesting. I mean-- disappointing for you and your fellow actors, of course, but also interesting. I knew the entertainment industry has been due for a good shakeup but this story could not be more relevant. and I can't believe it took about 10 years since the show's existence to finally find a resolution! crazy. I have a feeling if lbd was made today, a decade later, there would still be those same struggles and issues, though with AI now included in the mess... god can you imagine. I have a feeling this strike we are witnessing now will bring change to the entire industry. at least I hope!
It’s happening RIGHT NOW with shows from major streamers like Ms. Marvel from Disney+ moving to network TV. I hope they get better residuals than we did.
I knew it was gonna be bad but that final amount is SHOCKING. I know you've tried to put it all behind you but you have every right to be insulted and angry over it. Absolutely disgusting and despicable.
Just to be "that guy" there is extra 🫖and 🤫on the Patreon version. AND UA-cam sharing allows you to add timecode ⏱️ if there’s a specific quote you want to discuss 💬 on other socials and discords 😎
I remember there being some drama on Tumblr back in the day when LBD was first airing, and Bernie’s response to the situation (also on Tumblr) struck me as very strange and unprofessional. I’m sorry this happened to you all, and it’s frustrating that he hasn’t been truly held accountable for his actions and behavior.
@@kl-1447 it’s a little difficult to explain in an abridged way, and I don’t want to derail too much from Ashley’s video, but I believe a few fans took issue with how one of the writer’s was engaging with the fandom on tumblr (nothing creepy, just to be clear) and made a post about it. A few members of the cast responded to the post directly, and a conversation about the nuance and ethics of creator/fan interactions ensued. Bernie’s post is still up if you want to dig. I remember feeling really weird about how he responded to the whole situation, but maybe I’m overthinking it.
I think that they should definitely have the details on how SAG came up with this number and how Brendan got 1/3 of what Ashley makes no sense… SAG didn’t deliver at all… and 4 years! 4 years before getting the lawyer?! What??? I left a company and they owned me money. I emailed twice and sent an official letter quoting the law, within 3 months. I got no answer, and got a lawyer right away. They agreed to give me my money within 1/2day after the lawyer contacted them quoting the exact same law. I would not have waited 4-5 years to get a lawyer. That’s a ridiculous time! After 3 emails, if there is no answer, the lawyer is the very next step!! Ffs!
Wow my jaw dropped on hearing how much you received at the end. What an absolute shitshow! That's like,,,, a couple orders of magnitude lower than what was initially calculated. What the hell! Also everytime you say "Keep in mind I was the highest paid of the cast", I know that whatever amount follows is not gonna be good haha
I know I should wait until I've watched the last episode of the Look Back Diaries to ask, but is there a way for us to watch Lizzie Bennet Diaries or other Pemberley Digital content in a way that will have a financial benefit for cast and crew?
Wow this was... Illuminating, to say yhe least. I am shocked and appalled at Bernie's attitude. Obviously now I realise you personally had to "play nice" because you were trying to make a LBD movie, but i'm just curious: were you or other cast members ever tempted to expose everything as it was happening? Lean into the shows' huge fanbase to shame and pressure PemDig into paying what you were owed? Do you think it might have helped or hindered the cause?
That makes me wonder how actors and writers are protected in European countries. 🤔 It is well know that in the US, everything is made to make the high level bosses richer while the workers are given the lowest possible, while in many European countries, especially with a socialist history, we have way more rules to protect workers and way more benefits for workers. (Example: E Musk fired ppl at Twitter from one day to another in the US, but surprise! he could not do it in Europe, without claims being sent by workers to the Workplace Commissions!). But I don’t have the knowledge on the rules in the film industry… I wonder if rules in European countries are different and how different.
@@martinajohnson It depends on what because I know that for working hours for example, there are more strict rules in Europe. But overall, that's a very good question. It would also depend on countries I would think.
there's a lot more red tape in Europe because most of the "domestic" industry runs on co-productions funded by the involved countries and there aren't nearly as many union protections, if any. for tv and film. i studied abroad in hungary (an eu member) and the producing class honestly made me grateful to be an american in entertainment because all of the crew were essentially seen as replaceable and disposable country to country because the contracts didn't protect them at all. i'd also look at the hobbit law in new zealand that basically banned actors and other members of the film industry in the country from collective bargaining. lindsay ellis did a whole three part video essay a few years back about how without the law (which was largely lobbied for directly by american film bigwigs and was disgusting), the production of the hobbit films would have been moved to europe because it would have been cheaper. i had a professor openly admit to being happy that europe didn't have more unions for the film industry because then he didn't have to pay the "ridiculous high rates" that exist in america and that the productions could be more "flexible" (i.e. fire the local crew when they changed countries because they wrote it into their contract). that's not even beginning to cover residuals and other shortcomings that make it attractive to big american studios that want to find loopholes into not having the work with unions. td;dr: this is the one area america has over the rest of the world; europe's film industry is not nearly as organized to protect and pay its workers in the same way the us does which big american studios regularly take advantage of
Wow~ So disappointed in Bernie. But not surprised. I still remember how he replied to fans mentioning triggers, seemed insensitive. But he made a semi persuasive argument for artistic freedom. And one time, your face betrayed something. And I wondered why that look. It seemed more than just him butting in on the interview. Around the time of the Emmy win for TLBD. I just thought, he was a bit rude, but there was something more, going on according to the look. Now it’s clear, he was doing greedy hoarding, and the look was about that. Especially, knowing what those Studio CEOs said against paying living wages. Especially, the egregious one from the CEO saying, let them loose the ability to pay rent, or lose their houses. Brendan, champion of the scrappy storytellers, and you, Ashley, having to endure, and play nice, to try and get the Lizzie & Darcy Wedding project done. While realizing what Bernie was actually doing wrong. The truth been worst as it got revealed. His Wikipedia and website are doing the same scummy self promoting. But I noticed, no credits since 2020. His last ones are in 2019. Probably surviving on his speaking. Which is very much promoted on his site. But his most recent photos, show he is aging now, and probably his due consequences, he is probably living with, that we don’t know about.
Came to this series for the nostalgia, stayed for the story about the trainwreck of accountability and the lessons of everything that comes with producing a webseries and the writers strike. Thank you so much, never imagined I would learn so much about it.
I get a small amount of satisfaction out of how appropriate Bernie's initials are.
That's some real guts to reboot an old show while being under a legal claim. I had my doubts after the last episode about EA revival ending abrubtly, and now feel so angry that what I thought was right.
If I remember correctly, in 2018 after the reboot went off, Joanna and Brent (in either a live stream or a podcast episode, just cannot remember which one it was) said that there could be a possibility of them all returning, but never through Pemberley Digital, that story has ended. I found that odd, cause of course everyone thought the issue was not getting enough money through Patreon, but to say PD won't put anymore content in the future sounded like something bad had happened behind the scenes. I didn't think much about it though, until now, and I see it all makes sense. I am terribly sorry for all that you guys had to face, and kudos to Brendan for following up for years in the hope of justice and truth.
Just as a viewer, I feel so so hurt that we got robbed of the Dizzie wedding, more episodes from EA, the beginning of a Persuasion story, all because of one man being so stupid and ghosting SAG-AFTRA and just implicitly refusing to do the right thing by his cast and crew. There was so much potential, so much love that we still have for the projects that came and for those that would've come, but alas, BS ruined it all. Well, nvm now, will just let it go like you did, Ashley :')
It's still so ridiculous that Bernie was allowed to just get away with it. Makes me so mad for you all.
My jaw literally dropped open upon hearing the amounts. I am horrified and so angry that this was the result. I knew it would be bad but it was even worse than I expected.
How has he not been outed as a horrible man? Are the other cast members upset about how insulting this is?
While your experience is specific to entertainment, it is indicative of the experiences of the working class overall. Whether its a 9-5 employer or the producer of a TV show, everyone is trying to get away with as much as possible and pay people for as little as possible. We all need to join forces and fight for what we deserve regardless of the industry.
While maddening of course, this was still a fascinating insight into how the entertainment industry works, and how things worked as these early youtube shows began to take off. I especially liked when you zoomed out, and demonstrated why this was a larger issue for the industry as a whole and particularly for the current strike. As I said, maddening. I should say too, that I Brendan's calm, concise explanations were invaluable. You could see how thoroughly he understood the subject and was excellent at conveying it.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries helped me navigate what it meant, ethically, to live in the digital age; what it meant to be a feminist; what it meant to deal with sexual trauma, in the digital age. It was a very significant part of my development as a person, let alone as "a creative". It's so saddening to hear about all the exploitation and pain that has come with the Diaries, but it's phenomenal that you and Brendan have made this such an acute and important moment of education on labour rights and human dignity in the digital age, too. Massive massive applause and commiserations to you - and everyone else involved.
Even though I was prepared for it to be a low number, when you said how much your eventual residual check was I actually gasped. Major kudos to Brendan for his years of determination in following that up! Even though it didn't pay off in the way it should have, it sounds like it's so important to have pushed it the whole way. It feels so relevant with the actors and writers strike and I feel more informed about those now too so thank you.
Bonus points for Brendan's extended doo-doo-doo intro. He was definitely having fun there.
This two-part conversation is extra-timely with the current SAG-AFTRA strike.
Me, the entire time, again: Damn.
YEAH! I successfully predicted 2022!
But what a ride it has been to discover LBD in 2024, binging through the series and binging through the Look Back Diaries discovering all the stuff that happened behind the scenes. Thank you so much for sharing all of this!
Thanks Ashley and Brendan for illuminating the incredible challenges you both experienced just trying to get what you both were due for your amazing work! It’s utter bulls**t that creatives including actors, writers etc struggle to get paid a decent wage!
It’s maddening how much Bernie took advantage of all of us. If you go to his Wikipedia article today there isn’t a hint of controversy. Just smug self-promotion about “his” ground-breaking, Emmy-winning work. When the DVD Kickstarter happened I and a lot of other fans funded it in large part from a desire to give back to the creative people who had given us so much joy over the run of the show, and who we knew hadn’t been compensated at a level that came anywhere close to the work they’d done. At the top of that list were Ashley, the rest of the cast, and the writers. We were giving our money *to them*.
Except we weren’t. Bernie kept as much of it as he could for himself, where “as much as he could” was defined by how brazenly he could evade his ethical and legal obligations. It was just so shitty.
Grr.😡
And as Brendan points out: So much foreshadowing of the fight happening now. God I hate the companies (and individuals) that operate this way. Organize. Shut them down. Solidarity.✊
Oh my goodness, I have definitely been in sympathy with the people of the Writers Strike this whole time, but to realize exactly HOW MUCH of an impact those kinds of contracts (or lack thereof) have had on just ONE single show just leaves me DUMBSTRUCK.
WOW. Thank you so much for sharing, and (to Brandon) for all your efforts for so many years to get this issue and claim recognized!
All of this is absolutely insane. Especially the gall to just restart Emma Approved when there was an ongoing investigation and there was no need for the show anyways
Man, I know you said there wasn't a happy ending, but that was a real bummer. I'm so sorry you guys went through all that trouble and got let down at the end. But man, SO MUCH RESPECT to Brendan doing all that work for so long and going to the mat for all of you guys.
This was absolutely wild! I really appreciate all the time and effort you went into putting together the Look Back Diaries, but honestly these appendices have been something else. 10/10 would watch a documentary about this.
I was the one who asked you months ago about the end of Pemberley Digital/the removal of Frankenstein MD from YT and my prediction was that they filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to get around payments. But I never could have predicted that this was all STILL going on while they were trying to do a kickstarter? Unbelievable.
This answers SO many questions! Oh my god...
Based on what you were saying at the beginning I guessed 2021 in my notes app (with the caveat of little to nothing getting done in 2020). Damn. Y’all really got screwed. I’m sorry to hear that. Kudos to Brendan for all the tireless work he put into it over the years. The fact that you weren’t fairly compensated is BS. It’s just disappointing. I stand with the WGA and hope I can stand with SAG if they do strike 🤞🏻 (which I hope they do).
Thank you for weaving in how this whole scenario and the related shenanigans connect to the ongoing (as of when I'm commenting) WGA (and potentially SAG) strike! Between when you posted the previous episode a week ago and today, the YT algorithm kicked a very curious recommendation my way -- I'd been watching SAG-AFTRA Foundation content on an entirely different topic. Much to my shock, within the past year, BS apparently moderated one of their business panels on "alternative pathways" in the industry. At the time I didn't have the new context you've shared here re: how this timeline and the outcomes all sifted out. Ugh. Best to BOTH of you (and isn't it wonderful having someone like Brendan in your corner!!).
Damn, I'm so sorry you all had to go through this.
He should have been made to pay a decade’s worth of late fees to you all ON TOP of what you received at the VERY LEAST, my god. It makes me so upset you had to fight for every penny, the time and energy that went into following up on these claims!!!
i've been catching up today, and this episode (and the one before it) make me so disheartened and sad, but it's also so interesting and full of such good information... thank you both for being willing to share about all of this, and i hope you get to strike and work to make a living wage (and more)! you all deserve it. (my brain this whole episode was just like, "wait, wtf? wait, WTF??" haha)
I have learned so much from this! I’m sorry you were treated so poorly 😢
Oooohhhh! It’s the reason why EA reboot stops completely!! 😮😮 OMG! I was a patron/shareholder and I was existed and bam, nothing! 🤯
I was a fellow patron. I feel your pain.
I'm a bit behind, so watching these two videos after reading the announcement that SAG is joining the strike is so interesting. I mean-- disappointing for you and your fellow actors, of course, but also interesting. I knew the entertainment industry has been due for a good shakeup but this story could not be more relevant. and I can't believe it took about 10 years since the show's existence to finally find a resolution! crazy. I have a feeling if lbd was made today, a decade later, there would still be those same struggles and issues, though with AI now included in the mess... god can you imagine.
I have a feeling this strike we are witnessing now will bring change to the entire industry. at least I hope!
It’s happening RIGHT NOW with shows from major streamers like Ms. Marvel from Disney+ moving to network TV. I hope they get better residuals than we did.
Knowing it was bad, I guessed 2020 at the latest and $500 at the lowest and…I’m shocked by how wrong I was
I knew it was gonna be bad but that final amount is SHOCKING. I know you've tried to put it all behind you but you have every right to be insulted and angry over it. Absolutely disgusting and despicable.
Just to be "that guy" there is extra 🫖and 🤫on the Patreon version.
AND UA-cam sharing allows you to add timecode ⏱️ if there’s a specific quote you want to discuss 💬 on other socials and discords 😎
Hey, I know that guy!
Oooohhh….
My holidays are finally happening next week after months of working and I have already put it in my agenda 😉 More 🫖 is always good.
I remember there being some drama on Tumblr back in the day when LBD was first airing, and Bernie’s response to the situation (also on Tumblr) struck me as very strange and unprofessional. I’m sorry this happened to you all, and it’s frustrating that he hasn’t been truly held accountable for his actions and behavior.
As someone who only watched LBD much later on (probably about 7 years after initial airing), can I ask what happened?
@@kl-1447 it’s a little difficult to explain in an abridged way, and I don’t want to derail too much from Ashley’s video, but I believe a few fans took issue with how one of the writer’s was engaging with the fandom on tumblr (nothing creepy, just to be clear) and made a post about it. A few members of the cast responded to the post directly, and a conversation about the nuance and ethics of creator/fan interactions ensued. Bernie’s post is still up if you want to dig. I remember feeling really weird about how he responded to the whole situation, but maybe I’m overthinking it.
Me throughout the video - :O with one hand clutching the forehead :O
I think that they should definitely have the details on how SAG came up with this number and how Brendan got 1/3 of what Ashley makes no sense… SAG didn’t deliver at all… and 4 years! 4 years before getting the lawyer?! What??? I left a company and they owned me money. I emailed twice and sent an official letter quoting the law, within 3 months. I got no answer, and got a lawyer right away. They agreed to give me my money within 1/2day after the lawyer contacted them quoting the exact same law. I would not have waited 4-5 years to get a lawyer. That’s a ridiculous time! After 3 emails, if there is no answer, the lawyer is the very next step!! Ffs!
...Bernie Su...BS...Ha!
Accurate AND hilarious. I love that for both us and you. X
Wow my jaw dropped on hearing how much you received at the end. What an absolute shitshow! That's like,,,, a couple orders of magnitude lower than what was initially calculated. What the hell!
Also everytime you say "Keep in mind I was the highest paid of the cast", I know that whatever amount follows is not gonna be good haha
Yikes this is a good case study for the strike. I wonder what the result was
OMG THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A LIZZIE BENNETT WEDDING?!?! *cries*
Hear the whole sad story of what almost was next week
@@TheAshleyClements after the last episode of Look Back, let’s end on a higher note with a Look Forward Episode! :)
Just... wow
I know I should wait until I've watched the last episode of the Look Back Diaries to ask, but is there a way for us to watch Lizzie Bennet Diaries or other Pemberley Digital content in a way that will have a financial benefit for cast and crew?
No, but there are other ways to support us - watch our other work, share it with your friends, support our patreons, etc
Wow this was... Illuminating, to say yhe least.
I am shocked and appalled at Bernie's attitude.
Obviously now I realise you personally had to "play nice" because you were trying to make a LBD movie, but i'm just curious: were you or other cast members ever tempted to expose everything as it was happening? Lean into the shows' huge fanbase to shame and pressure PemDig into paying what you were owed? Do you think it might have helped or hindered the cause?
I had no idea that Emma approved was shut down because of this. This is shocking
I'm guessing it's early 2023
That makes me wonder how actors and writers are protected in European countries. 🤔
It is well know that in the US, everything is made to make the high level bosses richer while the workers are given the lowest possible, while in many European countries, especially with a socialist history, we have way more rules to protect workers and way more benefits for workers. (Example: E Musk fired ppl at Twitter from one day to another in the US, but surprise! he could not do it in Europe, without claims being sent by workers to the Workplace Commissions!). But I don’t have the knowledge on the rules in the film industry… I wonder if rules in European countries are different and how different.
@@martinajohnson It depends on what because I know that for working hours for example, there are more strict rules in Europe. But overall, that's a very good question. It would also depend on countries I would think.
there's a lot more red tape in Europe because most of the "domestic" industry runs on co-productions funded by the involved countries and there aren't nearly as many union protections, if any. for tv and film. i studied abroad in hungary (an eu member) and the producing class honestly made me grateful to be an american in entertainment because all of the crew were essentially seen as replaceable and disposable country to country because the contracts didn't protect them at all. i'd also look at the hobbit law in new zealand that basically banned actors and other members of the film industry in the country from collective bargaining. lindsay ellis did a whole three part video essay a few years back about how without the law (which was largely lobbied for directly by american film bigwigs and was disgusting), the production of the hobbit films would have been moved to europe because it would have been cheaper. i had a professor openly admit to being happy that europe didn't have more unions for the film industry because then he didn't have to pay the "ridiculous high rates" that exist in america and that the productions could be more "flexible" (i.e. fire the local crew when they changed countries because they wrote it into their contract). that's not even beginning to cover residuals and other shortcomings that make it attractive to big american studios that want to find loopholes into not having the work with unions.
td;dr: this is the one area america has over the rest of the world; europe's film industry is not nearly as organized to protect and pay its workers in the same way the us does which big american studios regularly take advantage of
Absolutely insane. Do you know if Bernie is aware of you spilling this tea?
Wow~
So disappointed in Bernie. But not surprised.
I still remember how he replied to fans mentioning triggers, seemed insensitive. But he made a semi persuasive argument for artistic freedom.
And one time, your face betrayed something. And I wondered why that look. It seemed more than just him butting in on the interview. Around the time of the Emmy win for TLBD. I just thought, he was a bit rude, but there was something more, going on according to the look. Now it’s clear, he was doing greedy hoarding, and the look was about that.
Especially, knowing what those Studio CEOs said against paying living wages. Especially, the egregious one from the CEO saying, let them loose the ability to pay rent, or lose their houses.
Brendan, champion of the scrappy storytellers, and you, Ashley, having to endure, and play nice, to try and get the Lizzie & Darcy Wedding project done.
While realizing what Bernie was actually doing wrong. The truth been worst as it got revealed.
His Wikipedia and website are doing the same scummy self promoting.
But I noticed, no credits since 2020. His last ones are in 2019.
Probably surviving on his speaking. Which is very much promoted on his site. But his most recent photos, show he is aging now, and probably his due consequences, he is probably living with, that we don’t know about.
You're not innovative for competing w/ Wickham for most hated, my guy 🤬 Y'all deserve(d) better 🫶
Honestly, beginning to think GW was based on BS.
Yeah, I did not expect to like someone less than Wickham on LBD