!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> Streamline Training & Documentation: Andreessen Predicts a Purer Hollywood Model in Hollywood

Monday, November 12, 2007

Andreessen Predicts a Purer Hollywood Model in Hollywood

I continue to benefit from reading Mark Andreessen's blog, though some of his views, such as those on the advisability of studying the liberal arts in college, are nearly opposite to mine.1

A recent Andreessen post particularly interested me because it offers a compelling picture of the likely evolution in Hollywood itself of the "Hollywood model" for handling projects. The Hollywood model was the subject of an earlier post of my own.

Andreessen argues that the model of assembling teams of specialized talent on a project-by-project basis will increasingly leave the major studios on the sidelines.

In other words, the way in which the Hollywood model has been implemented in industries such as high-tech — lots of entrepreneurial firms establishing themselves without having to operate, at least initially, at large scale — will become the way the model is implemented in Hollywood itself. The availability of affordable production tools (cameras, editing equipment, etc.); direct access to capital, such as venture finance; electronic distribution; and viral marketing means that creative talent (actors, directors, and writers) can team up and produce work without being dependent on the large studios for production funding, distribution, and marketing.

The upshot, as Andreessen puts it, is "Hollywood, rebuilt in Silicon Valley's image." Or, Hollywood, embracing a purer Hollywood model.

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1 The other two parts of Andreessen's series on career planning are here (Part 1) and here (Part 3). Note Andreessen's disclaimers: "These posts are aimed at high-potential people who want to excel throughout their careers and make a significant impact on their fields and the world. These posts are not appropriate for people for whom work/life balance is a high priority or for whom lifestyle is particularly important ... My background is biased towards high-tech companies and Silicon Valley, and my advice will be most relevant to people entering either my industry or other industries that are like my industry ... Everything that follows is purely personal opinion — specifically, these are the things I would want to know if I were entering college today. I'm sure there are many equally valid counterpoints to each of my points ..."

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