Comments by "Daniel Bradford" (@Falconlibrary) on "Willow - It's A Total Disaster" video.

There's a huge pool of very talented SFF novelists who'd pull their own teeth to get a sweet tv writing gig. Instead of tapping that vast reservoir, Disney and others hire the sons and daughters of connected people in the industry, aka the "nepo babies". Hollywood has been getting worse and worse in this regard, substituting connections for talent. I know a bit about how this works, because I used to teach the children of producers, directors, and famous actors, and two things were apparent: 1. Most of the kids were a talent-free zone and 2. They could get a gig just by showing up. It's not surprising that so many bad stuff comes out of a system like that; it's surprising that anything good comes out of it at all.
129
@mkeogh76 Every kid of a famous director/producer/actor was 100% confident they'd get plum jobs in the industry. I thought "no, people will see they don't have the talent required and that'll be the end of them". But my former students just keep rising up and up. Tribal loyalties have a big part to play in this: as the 13 year old son of a Disney executive explained it to me: "If my dad has a choice between hiring two people and one is a Jew and one isn't, my dad always hires the Jew. We have to look after our own people." I know lots of celebrities have been cancelled for stating this obvious truth, but, as Dave Chappelle recently said in his SNL monologue, "I've been to Hollywood...and it's a LOT of Jews." No, it's not a Semitic conspiracy, it's just a group taking care of its own. In my last teaching job, I worked for a district that hired an openly gay superintendent. When he started in the job, he and one other administration member were openly gay. Now, 10 of the 12 top administrators in the district are openly gay (and openly incompetent, which is the important part). Doesn't feel like a coincidence.
31
@Irys1997 Queen Zendaya, Ruler of the Wooden Actors
15
@TT-rt2kh And a lot of these very talented SFF authors are women, POC, etc, so check that diversity box--but they are GOOD writers. I won't read someone just because he/she is a "diverse author". I read Samuel Delaney and Octavia Butler back in the day because they're both damned good and it's the same reason I read new authors: they can create compelling plots, enthralling worlds, and believable characters, period. Imagine, writers who could create a plausible "diverse" fantasy world. But Hollywood never did respect writers; they think anybody can do it, which is why they hire their fail babies for those jobs.
10
@theblocksays You lose. Erin Kellyman is a multiracial, openly lesbian actor from England whose parents don't have industry connections. She's a diversity hire, not a nepotism hire. Just as bad, really.
10
And where 110 pound women who stand five foot two are able to cross swords with 200 lbs men over six feet tall and win. Because physics is misogynistic, y'all.
4
@NMemone Barack Obama's eight years as president saw the net worth of black families DECLINE and yet many black people STILL think of Obama as "their" president (yes, even after he pretended to drink the poisoned water in Flint, Michigan) because he's black. Obama worked against black people during his two terms, but he shares their skin color, so they voted for him then and they'd vote for him again given a chance.
2
@quij7ote222 I'm retired and have nothing, so I have nothing to lose. Bravery would be risking everything to tell the truth.
2
Why does Erin Kellyman, aka "Ginger Plan of Wood", keep getting cast? Hm, I wonder. Kellyman is multiracial. Kellyman is openly gay. Did I answer your question?
2
@DeezNuggz It's spelled "Semitic"
1