{"id":87779,"date":"2023-11-16T16:27:32","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T16:27:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebritytidings.com\/?p=87779"},"modified":"2023-11-16T16:27:32","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T16:27:32","slug":"wb-ceo-david-zaslav-on-writers-ive-never-regretted-overpaying-for-great-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebritytidings.com\/celebrities\/wb-ceo-david-zaslav-on-writers-ive-never-regretted-overpaying-for-great-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"WB CEO David Zaslav on writers: Ive never regretted overpaying for great talent"},"content":{"rendered":"


David Zaslav became CEO of Warner Bros. in May 2021 when it merged with Discovery, where he was already stationed. Since his takeover, Zaslav shelved the $90 million-already-filmed Batgirl<\/em> for a tax write off, rebranded HBO Max to just Max, decimated the ranks at TCM to the point where Scorsese and Spielberg demanded to speak with him, and cost the studio a reported $200 million by going ahead with the release of Summer 2023’s big flop The Flash<\/em>. He\u2019s doing well. The New York Times<\/em> ran a profile on Zaslav this week, and his comments did not go unnoticed by the Hollywood community. Which is how we got this piece from The Hollywood Reporter<\/em> on the irony of Zaslav now saying, comfortably post-strike, that the WGA was right in all their contract requests. Of course as a studio head, Zaslav was represented in strike negotiations by AMPTP. Hey Mr. WBD CEO: GMAFB.<\/p>\n

\n

Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav now admits that striking writers were correct in their demands for sweeping changes in how creatives are compensated in Hollywood.<\/p>\n

Zaslav told The New York Times<\/em> in a lengthy new profile that he has no regrets about the deal struck between studios and the Writers Guild of America for a new three-year contract on Sept. 24.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are right about almost everything,\u201d Zaslav said. \u201cSo what if we overpay? I\u2019ve never regretted overpaying for great talent or a great asset.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the deal, writers received an increase in pay, minimum show staffing requirements and protections against artificial intelligence, among other gains. Yet studios resisted the writers\u2019 demands for months, resulting in a strike that lasted a brutal 148 days and brought the industry to a near halt. In July, Disney chief Bob Iger called the writers\u2019 proposed changes in compensation \u201cunrealistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zaslav\u2019s suggestion that writers might now be overpaid will likely strike some detractors as ironic given that the executive reportedly earned $246 million in compensation in 2021. WGA board member Adam Conover previously countered, \u201cThat\u2019s about the same level as 10,000 writers are asking him to pay us collectively, all right?\u201d For further context, if combining the Writers Guild, SAG-AFTRA and Directors Guild contracts, the total cost is \u201ccloser to the high end of our $450 million to $600 million yearly cost estimate,\u201d Moody\u2019s Investor Service detailed on Nov. 10.<\/p>\n

The Times<\/em> profile points out that the writers and actors strikes ultimately saved WBD plenty of money, but suggested the studio has been sluggish to greenlight new projects that could bolster the company\u2019s bottom line amid his extremely aggressive, and controversial, cost cutting (the company disputes this, noting Warner Bros. has announced many titles for its new DC Universe, streaming projects and first-look deals). Even with executing $3 billion in cuts, the company lost $400 million in the third quarter. The board\u2019s confidence in the executive, the story notes, remains firm.<\/p>\n

The story follows the latest in Warners\u2019 self-inflicted headaches: the announced shelving, then un-shelving, of another movie, Coyote vs. Acme<\/em> \u2014 a live-action and animation hybrid that briefly seemed doomed to follow the same fate as last year\u2019s Batgirl<\/em> and Scoob! Holiday Haunt<\/em>, which were dumped for tax write-offs. After creative community outcry, the company has since reversed course and plans to shop the film to studios and streamers, though one congressman, Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro, is now calling for the studio to be investigated for \u201cpredatory and anti-competitive\u201d practices.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

[From The Hollywood Reporter]<\/p>\n

Wait, Coyote vs. Acme<\/em> is back on? Carina was talking about its getting shelved only a few days ago! How quickly Zaslav crumbles amid criticism. To quote the epitome of Warner Bros. characters, the inimitable Bugs Bunny, \u201cwhat a maroon!\u201d The most asinine part, though, is Zaslav claiming he\u2019s \u201cnever regretted overpaying for great talent.\u201d<\/em> For one thing, your record is public, sir. We see you slashing jobs at beloved networks and canning finished movies with built-in fanbases. But what really stings is the word \u201coverpaying.\u201d He may think he\u2019s being subtle (he\u2019s not). Or he thinks it will fly right over our heads (it won’t) that he\u2019s still essentially saying writers\/creatives\/anyone-but-hims are getting paid too much. They\u2019re not, Zaslav. You are. How long until the WBD Board starts to regret overpaying for their current CEO?<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photos credit: JPI Studios\/Avalon, Jeffrey Mayer\/Avalon and Getty<\/small><\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Zaslav became CEO of Warner Bros. in May 2021 when it merged with Discovery, where he was already stationed. Since his takeover, Zaslav shelved the $90 million-already-filmed Batgirl for a tax write off, rebranded HBO Max to just Max, decimated the ranks at TCM to the point where Scorsese and Spielberg demanded to speak with him, and cost the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87778,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWB CEO David Zaslav on writers: Ive never regretted overpaying for great talent - Celebrity Tidings<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/celebritytidings.com\/celebrities\/wb-ceo-david-zaslav-on-writers-ive-never-regretted-overpaying-for-great-talent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WB CEO David Zaslav on writers: Ive never regretted overpaying for great talent - Celebrity Tidings\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"David Zaslav became CEO of Warner Bros. in May 2021 when it merged with Discovery, where he was already stationed. 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