My Media Philosophy

Debates about the direction of media and entertainment often center on three major forces: profit pressure, misinformation, and diversity initiatives - each shaping the industry in different, sometimes conflicting ways.

Corporate profit motives can push studios and news outlets to prioritize safe, mass-appeal content over originality or depth. This can lead to more sequels, franchises, and algorithm-driven decisions, sometimes at the expense of riskier storytelling or investigative journalism. Critics describe this as “corporate greed,” though others argue it’s simply the economics of a competitive, high-cost industry. In any case, it has led to writers like me being pushed to the side, and I don't like it.

Misinformation has become more influential in the digital era, where speed and engagement often outweigh verification. Social media amplification and polarized audiences can incentivize sensational or misleading content, affecting both news coverage and entertainment narratives that reflect public discourse. I personally refer to this tendency to only hear stories and perspectives that reinforce your own ideas as the 'Trojan' virus.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives aim to broaden representation and correct historical imbalances in who gets to tell stories. Critics sometimes feel these efforts can be implemented in ways that seem forced or overly prescriptive. I believe there are constructive ways to introduce characters that are of different ethnicities, sexualities, or gender; changing the sexualities, races, or genders of already-established characters is NOT the way to do it. Not only does it make fans of the original characters mad, not only is it often done to rake in an extra percentage by Hollywood executives, but it also implies that people of color, LGBTQ, and females aren't good enough to get their own stories and characters.

Together, these forces are reshaping the industry - driving changes in what stories get told, who tells them, and how audiences interpret them. Hollywood used to be a lot simpler, more creative place, but now it has earned its place among the rest of California by being a cesspool of the failure of imagination and empathy.