Squid Game Director Got no Royalties from Netflix
As a creative you need to be both artistic and business savvy.
Link to YT: Squid Game Director sees no Profits
Hearing this for this Youtube video about the Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk, this this makes me sad. It seems not too long ago the original creators of Batman also did not see royalties, until much later.
I think nobody thought that Squid Game will be such a success especially during the pandemic where its commentary of society and its sad state of capitalism hit a cord with audiences.
Hearing about him taking a long time to pitch this show and not see much royalties makes me worse. It is already hard enought to make art and when its a success you get nothing.
Handing over the rights to your Intellectual proptery is not a good strategy. It might blow up. Even if it does not you retain the rights to do what you want with it.
Link Batman Creator Died Broke
I am reminded of George Lucas for his first Star Wars project he only gave up directing fees. But kept the licensing deals. This was the studio oversight at the time. Nobody believed in the project.
To me the lesson is to try to negotiate to retain some of the royalties, but who knows what will become a hit? In the contract never give away the rights.
While I think many will not see a hit its important to know the business side of things for your creations and try to retain as much of the IP so you can monetize it.
I was trying to find the clip from Star Wars documentary about George Lucas negotiation the rights for him to make the squeals. Here he talks the He went through the whole contract to make the deal in his favour. Which I think he got the rights to the toys and merchandise, as at the point in the film trying to get greenlit nobody believed in George.
Link to Youtube: https://youtu.be/dPJ2gQdKXqk
Links:
ByJose Martinez
Stuart Jeffries
The Korea Times
Rosie Perper
