Strike While The Iron(y) Is Hot

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Channel Surfing with Dreighton Pickner (ad critic) : Jan 2008

First off, a Happy 2008 to all my faithful readers out there on the Internet Superhighway! I just love reading each and every email that you take the time to send in. By the way – Heldstrom Florist was totally jazzed to know that their commercial received almost 100 views on YouTube! Ain’t technology grand sometimes?

I thought this month I’d talk a little bit about what’s been going on out there in La-La Land with the ongoing Writer’s Guild strike. True, screenwriters and copywriters work in different industries, but at the core we’re both still part of the same family – it’s just whether you’re writing what’s playing during the show or the commercial break that makes us different.

When I used to see my Dunkables Chock-o-Yogurt Bites commercial playing during the local reruns of Friends and Will & Grace, I felt a special kinship with the Hollywood guys. After all, it’s exciting to see your blood, sweat and tears up there on the Boob Tube. Here I am thinking, “Gosh, D (that’s what my wife used to call me, anyway)… you put all this time and effort into thirty seconds… and these guys have to come up with almost half an hour… every week!” Yowch, talk about pressure!

But to read what the Writer’s Guild are striking about, I have to sort of step back and say “Hey, guys. Try to keep this in perspective!” I don’t know if any of the writers have ever done the day to day grind of working in a busy regional advertising and marketing agency like I did at old YourLogoHere!, but I assure you, to date I have received exactly $0.00 in royalties for any of my work. Bill Black Dodge’s “Super Savings Sunday” spot still airs on KRCK Kenosha’s Classic Rock on the weekends TWO YEARS LATER. It took me probably a whole week to write, revise and produce that spot and all I have ever seen is a week’s paycheck. You try spreading out $523.01 after taxes over two years and get back to me.

And let’s not forget Mr. Alan Thicke and his comedic turn as Zeke The Dunkin’ Cow on the Dunkables Chock-O-Yogurt Bites campaign. He was out there in his LA home, sipping expressos and still getting a fat royalty check for that work for a year after he did one voice over recording. And all he said was “Hey, Kids! Go for the Yogurt you can Slam!” and “Dunkables! Gotta Dunk ‘Em!”. How about the guy who said Zeke should have a leather jacket, huh? A few table scraps for “D”?

Point being, I don’t know what you’re so uptight about. You’re getting your Industry-scale rates for mediocre shows (though I am a closet ‘Studio 60′ fan) and now that’s not enough for you?

I’ll tell you what – you show me that picket line and I’ll cross it so fast you’ll be standing there going “Hey, where did that Pickner guy go?” I’ve got sitcom and teen drama ideas coming out of my head by the Dreighton Bushel since setting up Pickner and Partners, waiting for the phone to ring. You guys had better think about just how good you have it, you aren’t the only people in the world who can write an episode of The Facts Of Life, you know. [dp]