On Asking For Things Performers Can’t Do

hey there it’s David H Lawrence the 17th
and I just want to say right at the top
of this video this is not a video that
in any way shape or form is about
politics it’s not about red vs. blue or
conservative versus liberal so just make
sure you check that whole thing at the
door cuz that’s not what we’re talking
about this video is about just how
little people who are not performers
know about performers and how our
business works
I was forwarded something on Twitter and
let me read it to you secret agent
number six says celebrities can you
please help us out by refusing to be in
a commercial that is going to air on Fox
News I would be embarrassed and ashamed
if my face appeared on that hate network
I would be embarrassed and ashamed if my
face appeared on that hate network okay
I understand
look people have very strong opinions
they have strong opinions in both ways
liberals hate Fox conservatives hate
MSNBC and CNN it’s fake news you know
where wherever you come down on the
spectrum here’s something you need to
understand celebrities and anybody else
who appear in commercials have
absolutely no say whatsoever in where
those commercials appear it’s not even
contemplated in celebrity contracts I
mean you can have endorsement contracts
but you can’t put in your endorsement
contract you know some penalty for
having your stuff appear on a network
that you don’t agree with or that you
don’t want to have your face on that’s
not how it works it’s not up to people
who appear in commercials to make any
sort of stipulations about what channels
those commercials appear on or if
they’re not in commercials if they’re in
dramatic or comedic series they have no
control over where those things go it’s
not their property
on the rare occasion that a celebrity is
an executive producer on a show or a
celebrity is in the case of commercials
a part owner of the company you know
there a spokesman for their own company
like say the woman that owns goop her
name escapes me at this moment or
anybody who’s created Jessica Alba or
you know the Kardashians whatever if
they do a commercial they still don’t
have the ability to declare it’s not
going to appear on certain shows because
they can’t control where those shows
appear their syndication there’s
distribution that’s you know post
network distribution there’s all kinds
of things that are beyond their control
even if they control the product and for
celebrities that simply appear in shows
or in commercials where they’re being
paid extra money because they’re famous
because they have a decent Q rating or
they have a decent recall with focus
groups they’re the the the decisions
that are made as to where those
commercials appear have are way down the
line from the production of the
commercial or the casting of the
commercial and it just Illustrated for
me one more time just how clueless the
public is and I’m not saying that them
being clueless is a bad thing because
that’s sort of that’s sort of a
behind-the-scenes thing and it’s not
something that in today’s world of
everybody knows everything about
everybody that you really want to know
there’s a phrase for this in in Japanese
that roughly translates into opening the
kimono when you let people see what goes
on behind the scenes it can deteriorate
the joy or the sadness or the emotion
that you want them to feel by letting
them know how the sausage is made so
there’s a reason why civilians don’t
know how you know byes are made with
spots or what channels things appear on
or what control even celebrities have
over what commercials appear where that
they’ve been in they don’t have the
ability to say I want that taken off the
air
don’t have the ability to say you’ve got
to give me more money if you’re gonna
but you know put that on a channel I
don’t like you know imagine people who
are imagine celebrities who are
conservative that would be bent out of
shape about a commercial appearing on
anywhere but FoxNews I I don’t know I
just know that I’m always bemused by the
way that people who are not in our
business tend to think to their head
well this must be the way it works right
those celebrities know that it’s gonna
be on Fox News and I want them to stop
by God or those celebrities no it’s
gonna be on MSNBC or who knows you know
who knows it’s just it’s not something
that’s in their control even if they’re
celebrities I wonder when you go home
for the holidays what kind of crazy
ideas people have about the business
that we’re in what’s share with me some
of the best stories you’ve had when
people have said things to you my friend
Michael koskoff says you know you go
home to Minnesota for the holidays and
your aunt says why don’t you want to be
on some of those really good shows like
MacGyver you know it just always is very
funny to me but I’d like to know what
has happened to you in your life maybe
got a radio or maybe out of commercials
or you know be on camera
III don’t know let me know we’ve got
space for you to put comments below this
video if you’re on vo to go go comm and
if you’re not pop on over we’ve got some
great stuff for you that’s where the
conversation is kind of tempered there’s
no you know red vs. blue going on at vo
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play it for you I’m David H Lawrence the
17th I appreciate you watching and I
will talk to you tomorrow.