An Insane Path Around the AMPTP

so crazy it just might work

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

If writers, directors, actors and crew can build out their ability/find different access to finance, distribution and marketing, then the producing companies become replaceable.

This is a fun dream.

A big caveat to all this is that some vested interests have incentives to sabotage any attempts like this. Or absorb them. But let’s take this fantasy ride anyway, at least during the time I write and you read this:

If established distributors stagnate, or collapse and consolidate, it may leave openings in the marketplace for savvy money to fund the building of alternatives. Oddly, the fight the AMPTP has chosen to keep fighting with their own employees may disrupt things enough for such savvy investors to see and exploit this unforced error of the AMPTP companies.

A lot of any alternative would have to be built on the fly and in parallel if its goal were to reach large scale fast, which makes an already challenging task even more challenging.

The Crux

A very broad shape might be utilizing established social media channels, combined with other advertising, to help the discovery of outlets by the audience, outlets that right now don’t exist yet but could be built. Then, effective sales and business development would be needed to access devices/screens outside the ecosystem of the AMPTP companies’ control (like android powered ones) as well as flexible development to access ones inside their ecosystem. This means devising ways to distribute to screens effectively on the other side of choke-points owned and controlled by AMPTP member companies. Designing distribution systems to be platform-independent, to circumvent these gatekeepers (like the iOS App Store for instance), would be needed. Meaningfully good user interfaces (UX) accessible on any web browser (including mobile) may allow broadcasting to devices made and controlled by AMPTP members without needing their express access or permission. A difficult development, UX and systems engineering lift to be sure, let alone whatever administrative issues that may arise. Not to mention: timing might have to be just right to avoid AMPTP companies doing anything anti-competitive to effectively stop things.

The Opportunity

In a short time, many very talented tv and film makers may be released from deals with established companies, and that could allow new material to be made to fill new pathways to entertaining audiences.

It is a huge gamble if it’s attempted all at once, but perhaps like a journey of a thousand miles it can be done one step at a time. The upsides could be diversifying the entertainment landscape, making it more resilient and prosperous for owners, workers and the audience.

All of this is fun blue sky thinking, but the caveats are massive. Not the least of which is: the AMPTP member companies could pivot to more reasonable business building policies and behaviors, and by doing that they could render any major investment in alternatives into no longer a savvy circumvention, but simply distributive competition instead.

Thanks for taking this small thought experiment with me. Would love to hear your thoughts about what might work, and what might not work. Please leave a comment.

© Copyright June 17, 2023, David August, all rights reserved davidaugust.com

David August is an award-winning actor, acting coach, writer, director, and producer. He plays a role in the movie Dependent’s Day, and after its theatrical run, it’s now out on Amazon. He has appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC, on the TV show Ghost Town, and many others. His artwork has been used by multiple writers, filmmakers, theatre practitioners, and others to express visually. Off-screen, he has worked at ad agencies, start-ups, production companies, and major studios, helping them tell stories their customers and clients adore. He has guest lectured at USC’s Marshall School of Business about the Internet.

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