You don’t have to be an asshole to make great work. Period. Tortured is uninteresting. Power excuses nothing.
The powerful asshole who falls will have no one to reach out to. Be the person who always has a friend to call. And be that friend when you’re in the seat controlling work.
I promise you, you will never feel more powerful than when you are backed by a loyal staff. How do you get a loyal staff? Treat them well. Promote them. Teach them.
My teams would (and have) do anything for me. Know why? I’d do anything for them.
But the cruel ‘genius’? Enough. Nothing excuses abusive behavior.
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Yes, it's true. Animation writers are not covered by the WGA. At this point reality shows are covered, news is covered, but animation writing is not. There are a few exceptions, but not many. That includes features.
We are covered under The Animation Guild, which is a weak union. We get health insurance, but no residuals or royalties. We are not tied to the success of our shows.
When I created Doc McStuffins I had a terrible deal. And I had no residuals or royalties. I was not tied to the success of the show at all. The actors were. The musicians were. But I was not. It didn't matter financially if the show was an evergreen or if it went one season.
Years ago I noticed yet another thing the guys all did - they cast themselves in their shows. The did voices, had a blast, made money and then started getting cast in other people's shows. Suddenly they're writer/director/vo actors and they hired each other.
I'm talking a lot of my favorite people, Jorge, Dan, Swampy, Alex... and I also noticed that women did it less often. A lot less. In fact, every time I've done it - even at Netflix, I've been questioned about it. I'm gonna guess none of those guys ever got those calls.
Now a few things: I'm an actor. That's how I started my life, what I studied, and part of the deepest identity of who I am. I love performing and am in a position to put that back in my life. And... what is good for the guys is also good for me.