Can Podcasters Revolt While Writers Strike?

Is the writer's strike the opportunity podcasters have been waiting for?

I make no attempt to hide it. I'm pretty antagonistic toward entertainment industry unions. What was once a good idea for kids being forced to work in turn-of-the-century factories, is now being used to enable far too many people with mediocre talent to live a dream they have no right to be living.

Let's face it: Most of the stuff generated by the Hollywood machine is simply crap. And if the entertainment managers would just concentrate on producing good stuff, the true talents would make more money because they would be more in demand, the mediocre talent would fade away and we wouldn't be having this strike problem.

We have to be honest here. This strike is not about true talent getting their fair share. It's about mediocre and bad talent making sure they can supplement their job waiting tables. And if the dead weight were simply cut lose, the truly talented writers wouldn't have any complaints.

Now before I get off on a rant about actors thinking they are more important than animators (like with the Simpson's fiasco) and the whole thing regarding royalties for commercials (which is total B.S.), this could be the best thing that ever happened to podcasters.

After all, podcasting is the embodiment of the true entrepreneurial spirit. There are no union rules to follow. There are no crazy demands to strike "for the sake of your union brethren." People podcast (and that includes video podcasts) because they are passionate about their subject and they think that they may be able to make money doing it. That's all they need.

Sure the money isn't great, but they have a dream and they are willing to work for it.

Let me reiterate...THEY ARE WILLING TO WORK FOR IT...NOT QUIBBLE AND NEGOTIATE FOR IT.

I think it's time for America to get a clue. The writer's strike is not about "worker's rights." It's about parasites wanting to suck more from the entertainment beast. And this whole process continues to stifle creativity and dampen the entrepreneurial spirit.

They say they want their, "fair share from new media opportunities," and that they don't want their work "exploited for profit" by unfair agreements. But what they are really doing is keeping themselves from fully exploring this scary new media world with their own innovative ideas. After all, if they really saw the potential of new media they would understand they could bypass the bargaining table completely and go into business for themselves.

Basically the strike keeps writers from having to put their own skin in the game and try for a better model. They just see media companies — big and small — taking all the risks, reaping rewards from those risks and now they want a piece of that pie without taking any risk themselves.

If we believe in the entrepreneurial spirit of this country, it's time to support the individuals who are taking risks to make the entertainment industry better. That doesn't mean ignore what happens in the L.A. basin and not watch traditional forms of entertainments. A lot of good stuff still comes out of there, after all. But it does mean that if you want a more vibrant new media landscape you as a media consumer need to support the people who are doing something to change it.

So this is our opportunity. Ignore the unionized writers. Call B.S. on them and cancel your cable for a few months when the strike hits January. (There will be nothing on anyway.) Then send your cable bill money to your favorite podcast instead. Let's create a new business model that rewards innovators and flushes out the parasites from the system.

Viva la podcasting!