Based in LA, I can see the disruptive impact of the Hollywood strike. While there is much anger among the strikers and the studios -- which goes back to the last major strike in the 1980s, when the writers didn't foresee the massive DVD business. I think this is just the first act in a horror story for Hollywood.
Yet, for entrepreneurs, there are should be some big-time opportunities. In fact, the LA Times has a good piece on this topic.
So far, there are at least three startups, such as Virtual Artists.
It's too early to get a sense of these ventures. But, my hunch is that there will be some carnage (hey, this is the natural part of the startup world).
As should be no surprise, these ventures involve mostly Hollywood types. And I think this could actually be a problem. After all, these people have a deep interest in keeping the current system in place (since it still generates huge amounts of revenues).
Instead, I think the breakout ventures will come from those outside the industry. Basically, such entrepreneurs can establish their own unique platforms. Most importantly, they don't have the same kinds of reality filters.
Assuming the business models are different from the traditional Hollywood model (which has gotten bloated over the years), then I think new ventures can make a huge impact -- and unleash profits.
Keep in mind: the founders of Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG)'s YouTube had no Hollywood experience. They just wanted to find a better way to share their videos.
Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook
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