Robert A. Flutie

I was watching the movie NETWORK this weekend. It’s a brilliant satire on the television industry during the 70’s. Peter Finch and Faye Dunaway give spectacular performances and if you have not seen NETWORK, please get a copy and watch it.

There is a scene about one hour into the movie that struck me as being very relevant to the issues that we face today. Pardon my paraphrasing the dialogue, but it’s worth the effort of typing this out given how well it reflects on our society today.The scene is a newscaster gone mad who has been allowed (manipulated), by the network execs to go on the air because the network is in the crapper and they are trying to come out of a slump. In other words, they have put this poor psychotic out to the slaughter.

“I don’t have to tell you things are bad! Everybody knows things are bad. It’s a depression, everybody is out of work, or scared or losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel’s worth. The banks are going bust. Shop keepers keep a gun under the cupboard. Punks are running around wild in the street and there isn’t anybody who knows what to do and there is no end to it. We know that the air is unfit to breath, and our food is unfit to eat. We sit watching out TV’s while some local newscaster tells us that today we had 15 homicides and 63 violent crimes as if that’s the way it’s supposed to be! We know things are bad, worse than bad. Their crazy, it’s like everyone everywhere is going crazy so we don’t go out anymore. We sit in the house and slowly the world that we are living in is getting smaller and all we say is Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster, my TV, my steel belted radials and I won’t say anything. Just leave us alone. Well, I’m not going to leave you alone. I want you to get mad! I don’t want you to protest, I don’t want you to riot, I don’t want you to write to your congressman because I wouldn’t know what to tell you to write. I don’t know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first you’ve GOT TO GET MAD! You’ve got to say that I’M A HUMAN BEING GOD DAMIT! MY LIFE HAS VALUE! So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to your window, open it, stick your head out and yell I’M AS MAD AS HELL AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!”

In the movie, the millions of people who are watching the above broadcast begin to open their windows and begin to yell “I’M AS MAD AS HELL AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” And so the scene goes on to express how this newscast put the network on top and served as the basis of the network’s ability to command liberal programming and messaging. Even the William Morris Agency gets and honorable mention.

So I get to thinking….and guess what I realized. Yes, “I’M AS MAD AS HELL AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” Oil prices continue to rise, liquidity has left the market, people can’t buy homes, we are in a recession (don’t believe the BS you read about how we are not there yet), and we have become subject to the messaging and thin content of an otherwise shallow creative process because of it all.

It’s time for us to speak our truth. Go to your God, go to your Guru’s, go to yourself because that’s the only place where you’re going to find the truth!

Rent the movie.

* FLUTIE *

The “R” word is back. It’s been a while, but the suggestion of a recession reared it’s ugly head several months ago. Our most recent brush with a recession started as a “suggested” recession. Then it became a “possible” recession. We progressed to “It’s looking like we can have” a recession. Most recently, we began to hear how “inevitable” it is that we will have a recession. Low and behold, on Friday well respected economists, analysts and Wall Street Moguls we were advised that we are now “in” the recession. I’m a bit disappointed that this recession snuck up on us. I had the silly string and party poppers ready.

It’s not my intention to make light of our country’s economic woe. Like most Americans, I am frustrated and uneasy about the financial markets roller coaster ride. I’m also irked by the Federal Reserve Bank’s passive aggressive attitude about their role in the economic stability of our country. I listened to Chairman Bernake as he extolled the most recent Federal Reserves “observation” of the capital market, I could not help but think “hey, didn’t you guys (in part), help cause the recession?” I went through my notes and came across an 2005 editorial piece that warned us about how Bernake was more aligned as a Bush economist than former Chairman Greenspan. Hayley Block had greater insight on where things were our economy was possibly heading than the a real life Alison Dubois

In any event, this blog is not intended to be a Cliffs Notes version on Keynesian economy.

Unemployment is up which means that inflation should hold at bay. That’s the good news. The not so great news is that in the months ahead, more people will be losing their jobs. In the entertainment community we have the luxury of pointing a finger at the WGA strike. Sony has released writers who have “overall deals” and WB has warned of impending layoffs. Major Hollywood agencies are cutting staff, putting staff on “strike” pay and simply downsizing. The amount of TV and Film projects was already on the decline and now there are exponentially less projects being produced.

Now we have the sentiment that the consumer is spending less money as a an addition to the already tumultuous entertainment landscape. The less that Mr. and Mrs. Jones from Peoria spend on non-essential goods and services, the less money that makes its way to the corporate titans that control marketing and advertising dollars.

In the current business environment, the “wealth” of the business sector (both Fortune 500 companies and mom and pop shop’s), is receding and for a business sector that relies so heavily on advertising dollars to fuel the “middle” segment of the networks who pay studios and producers to create TV and FILM projects the outcome is easy to predict. There simply will be a shortage of new project. To further exacerbate the situation, the projects that will be produced will carry lighter budgets. All in all, less people working and less money will be maid by people who are working.

It’s important to remember that networks are owned, or a part of a multi-faceted major corporation. NBC is owned by GE, FOX is owned by News Corp, ABC is Disney and CBS is Viacom. All of these companies are motivated and driven by profits. And when it comes to the simple math, it’s easy to see why a decrease in spending by the consumer, causes a decrease in marketing dollars, which results in less money being spent on the development and production of TV shows.

While it may be true that there will be less production to keep us entertained, we can rest comfortably knowing that we can always tune into MSNBC to watch the sparks fly on Wall Street.

* FLUTIE *

Stalking Horse - You’ve heard the term before, and who would have ever imagined that we would be using the term in the context of the WGA strike and what is currently occurring in the entertainment business.

Simply so that we are all on the same page, the term Stalking Horse is defined as “someone or something whose role is to become the focal point for, or the initiator of, a debate or challenge. In reality, however, their leadership role may be an illusion, and the stalking horse is really working to promote a challenge or debate that will benefit a third party whose identity remains a secret.”

Given what we know, and have discussed, about the Advertising community and Advertising model (relative to the Broadcast world), the question that begs to be asked is “who benefits most by maintaining the status quo?”

Jay Leno, David Letterman and other high profile talk show hosts like them, have become a Stalking Horse, I believe, and have been played into the position of being a focal point so that efforts being made to achieve certain business advantages by one of the sides are not easily or readily revealed or discovered.

Yes, the battle between the WGA and the AMPTP is about compensation. Both sides have squared off on issues that are important to them. But I submit to you that there is also the probability that one, or maybe both, sides have also engaged in a behind the scenes covert campaign that ultimately will yield an outcome that is outside of the key issues of the strike.

Today’s headline in Daily Variety and plastered across the CNBC and other news outlets is the news about how Studio’s are ending many “first look” deals to trim costs. Yes this is a byproduct of the strike, but it can also can be the result of different plan.

Generally speaking, I am not a conspiracy theory person. That is not to imply that conspiracy’s do not exist. But as I look at the landscape of the entertainment industry and watch the days roll into weeks, and the weeks roll into months, I begin to wonder what forces are at work that are PREVENTING progress towards resolution.

Both the WGA and AMPTP have leadership and negotiating committees that are made of executives that negotiate billions of dollars of deals on any given year. They each represent the individual and collective interests of thousands of people. Some of these deals have tremendous intricacies and complexities and can make the most astute legal mind beg for mercy. Yet with all of the Ivy League and Thoroughbred gray matter involved we can’t seem to find a way to reach compromise and sound business ideas?

A recent news report suggests that the total sum of lost economic opportunity is now 3 times greater than the richest WGA - AMPTP deal. If this is true, then it would take the entertainment (and it’s supporting) industry half a decade (maybe longer) to recover from this strike.

In a climate where the health of our national economy is beginning to show signs of a runny nose and cough, the idea of a continued and protracted strike makes little sense. Unless of course, ” …this may be an illusion, and the stalking horse is really working to promote a challenge or debate that will benefit a third party whose identity remains a secret.”

* FLUTIE *

As an undergrad at Mercer University, I took a constitutional law class. We had a great professor, Dr. Cox, and his ability to draw a line of connectivity between cases that were decided in the US Supreme Court and our everyday life was extraordinary. I found the 1971 case of Lemon v. Kurtzman to be one of the more interesting cases that we studied. Essentially, that case created what is now known as “The Lemon Test” which aids the court in being able to decide if a particular act or acts involving government are a violation of the First Amendment.

We enter into 2008 with an abundance of exposure and awareness to the Presidential election. On the one side we have Hilary Rodham Clinton duking it out with Barack Obama. Across the aisle we have Romney and Huckabee taking shots. Sometimes we hear from good ‘ole Giuliani as he counters the attack from McCain and vice versa. Some find the tete-a- tete to be interesting, others find it entertaining. Some might not even notice, or even know how the respective candidates are addressing the relevant issues that are sitting on America’s doorstep (health care, immigration, the war in Iraq, the economy). What is not being spoken about, however, is the way that some of the candidates have worked religious influence into the process. Now, one could argue that running for The Office of President might make one immune from the issues surrounding the First Amendment. After all, if we were to apply The Lemon Test, we probably wouldn’t find that the candidates are violating the First Amendment.

My question, and ultimatly my concern, is “Are the subtle suggestions of religion in today’s political landscape a sign of how we can expect or anticipate religion to impact or influence us?”

If we take a look at the National temperament on the various topics being discussed by the candidates, we will find that the continued rise in uncertainty and instability of key social, economic and international issues has started a overwhelming shift towards conservatism. When chaos, confusion and haziness begin to take the advantage over confidence, assurance, and growth the populous begins to lean away from the center. Even the most open minded and explorative person will find themselves adrift. When the media bombardment continues to enforce the perception and notion that the ground beneath us is shaking, it becomes a natural inclination for the constituency to run for cover and seek comfort and safety. It is in these times that we are most vulnerable to outside influence and  this leads us into a trend to go towards what is comforting and, well safe. For 92 percent of Americans who are believers, the safest room in the house becomes religion.

I certainly can relate to the idea that in troubling, and not so troubling, times my spiritual salvation and belief provides an added base of steadiness. How I choose to travel my path in life is private and sacrosanct. Yes, I may choose to share it on a weekly basis with my friends in the congregation, but do I really want the religious influence to be woven into my political perspective? Not at all. In simple terms, it’s a conflict and violation of the First Amendment and no matter how gingerly we tip toe around the symbolic nature of religion, when we begin to head down the path of political aspiration we can not do so at the expense of our religious freedom.

If we were to plot out the trajectory of our social mindset, we can reasonably predict that the minor religious influences surrounding us will extend well beyond the Washington DC political platform. This wave of momentum will extend into the creative landscape and make its way into mainstream entertainment as marketers begin to respond to what they believe will be a conservative consumer disposition. And with such tremendous economic influence, these marketers will undoubtedly shape the taste and desire of the entertainment conglomerates (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CW), as they seek to support programming that is reflective of the consumers “safe” mentality.

Ah, the strike. People know if it, hear of it, talk of it. How many are living it? In the close knit entertainment community the effects of the WGA strike are being felt on many levels. Sure, there is the obvious “actors are out of work” aspects, but what people across the great plains of America don’t know or realize is the deeper impact that this is having on local communities and families.

The economy surrounding the LA landscape is supported by the entertainment community. It’s hard to fathom, but expert estimate’s peg the daily loss of revenue to between $20,000,000 and $25,000,000 A DAY. Some reports claim that the losses are aggregate - meaning that as each day passes the daily number rises with along with it. So on day 5 of the WGA strike, the loss may be $20,000,000, but by day 229 (which we are in now), the impact could be as high as $40,000,000 A DAY. Although the complexity of this claim is rather daunting, suffice it to say that as each day passes with revenue declining at the local coffee shop, the ability that your favorite espresso or cappuccino guy or gal has to do things like buy gas, get a new pair of sneakers, or splurge on an ice cream cone for their kids also diminishes. So whose hurt? Yes, coffee shop’s are hurt, as are managers, agents, lawyers, accountants. But so are tailors, mechanics, housekeepers, nanny’s, teachers, church’s, temple’s and yes, ice cream shops.

A bit dramatic? Some would argue yes, but that’s not my view. I see and hear, first hand, of the sacrifices that people are making now. At the start of the WGA strike many of us went into “conserve” mode. Let’s trim back, take it easy and wait to “see how it plays out.” Breakfasts with studio honcho’s turned into mid-day M & M chomping chat sessions, lunches became tea & coffee and Dinner has become replaced by drinks. However, that is the tip of the iceberg. Should I dry clean that suit? Probably not, it’s not been worn with the same degree of use. Come to think of it, I really don’t need to fill my car up as much because I’m not going to the valley to meet with NBC, CBS, ABC, CW execs.

Sure, it’s important and vital for Writers to get what they deserve. They work hard and without them, we really wouldn’t have much to talk about, let alone entertain with. When I first got in the entertainment business a very prominent agent said to me “it starts on the page.” He was right. We need the craftsmanship and brilliance of a wordsmith to give life to the virgin canvas of a script. TV, Featutre FILM or otherwise. But we also need the willingness, desire and motivation to acknowledge the worth that a writer brings to the party. Conversely, we also have to understand and respect the economics of free enterprise and the requirement  (desire / need) to be profitable. That is, after all, what this fine country of ours is about. Capitalism.

But at what cost? I won’t profess to know the answer to this, but I can say that I don’t think it’s worth not being able to have a scoop of ice cream. It seems Un-American to me.

* FLUTIE *

I am the President of Flutie Entertainment, a Talent Brand Management Company. Flutie Enertainment was founded in 1996 in New York City, New York and our offices in Los Angeles opened in 2001. Over the course of the decade plus years that we have been in business, we have established and been involved in the production of feature movies (The Event, Directed by Thom Fitzgerald), and TV programs (Hollywood Hold ‘Em, for E! Television).

My background in business began in 1986 after I graduated Mercer University. I was living in New York and became employed as an analyst for the Dime Savings Bank of New York. It was an exciting and rewarding time for me as I learned the inner workings of the banking community. I was recruited by Citicorp in the early 90’s and began the core part of my banking career in the asset backed division of Citicorp.

One of the turning points of my professional career began in 1990 when my brother Michael and my mother Victoria began a high end, high fashion women’s modeling agency - COMPANY MANAGEMENT. I had developed a desire to pursue a more creative path and made the decision to enter into NYU’s Film School. I also began to contribute my time and energy into helping at the agency. At first I thought that I would manage and split my time between helping out the business and administrative side of the agency while pursuing my degree NYU. In a short period of time I became involved in many aspects of the agency, including advertising and marketing. I found this work to be highly rewarding and satisfying. In a short period of time, I began to pursue the artistic, yet creative, side of the agency.

Over the next several years we began to expand and grow the agency. The business was healthy and we began to forge relationships and partnerships across the world. Strength in the foreign markets lead us to a strong network of professional affiliations that presented new opportunities. The natural and most logical steps of progress was to create a presence in these new territories. Over a period of four years, we had offices in NYC, Paris and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles office gave way to a new era as Hollywood and Madison Avenue began to merge interests. Supermodels where being replaced by celebrities on the covers of major fashion magazines like VOGUE, BAZAAR, ELLE, and ALLURE and the Hollywood elite producers and studio’s used that exposure to promote their TV and Feature Film projects. By that point, however, fashion models and their tremendous recognition and popularity (Cindy Crawford, Naomi Cambell, Jaime King, Linda Evangelista, Rachel Stewart, etc), began to draw the interest of Hollywood and therein became the definitive crystallization of models crossing over to the small and big screen. It was also the birth of what is now FLUTIE ENTERTAINMENT.

Most notable among our fashion clients is Jaime King. Jaime was discovered in Omaha Nebraska by Michael Flutie who was invited to be a participant on a review board for The Nancy Bounds School (http://www.thecityofomaha.com/nancy-bounds-studios/index.html). Her work in a short film called ” Four Faces of God, ” produced by then Los Angeles Laker Rick Fox, created instant recognition to the hip, cool and edgy vibe that Jaime possessed. Add to this mix the front page New York Times Magazine portrayal, entitled ” JAMES IS A GIRL ” of Jaime’s personality and the life that she left in Omaha Nebraska at the age of 13 and you had instant success. In a very short time, Jaime was cast in the world blockbuster hit “Pearl Harbor” (produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Michael Bay), “Happy Campers” (produced by Denise Denovi and directed by Daniel Waters), “Bullet Proof Monk” (produced by Chuck Roven and directed by Paul Hunter) “Sin City” (produced by Bob and Harvey Weinstein and directed by Robert Rodriquez), many more. Jaime’s greatest”Talent Branding” success was through a Revlon Cosmetics campaign ( http://www.revlon.com/ ). By being a key part of the Revlon campaign, Jaime’s brand awareness skyrocketed.

Although our introduction and foray into TV and FILM came by way of an introduction through the modeling world, the overwhelming support and positive response from the Hollywood community quickly gave way to FLUTIE ENTERTAINMENT becoming a premier first class management firm. Our  Management Team (Paul M. Brown, Amy Slomovits, Brady McKay and Ben Bitoni) work hand in hand with our clients, which includes the highly talented and gifted Laura Prepon (That 70’s Show and October Road), Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Sin City, I’m Reed Fish), Kaitlin Olsen (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Sunny Mabrey (Snakes on a Plane, xXx: State of the Union), Jose Pablo Cantillo (Standoff, Crank, ER, Law & Order SVU, Disturbia), Aaron Himelstein ( The Informers, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Fast Food Nation, Joan of Arcadia, House M.D., Austin Powers: Goldmember), Tommy Dewey (The Mountain, Grey’s Anatomy, I’m Reed Fish), Noel Fisher (The Riches, After Sex, Standoff, Huff, Two and Half Men), Greg Pitts (The Office, Sons & Daughters, Bickford Shmecler’s Cool Ideas, Grey’s Anatomy), Ray Wise (Reaper, Good Night Good Luck, “24″ ), Hayes MacArther ( Lower Learning, How I Met Your Mother, The Game Plan, Home Erectus) and many other highly respected and gifted clients.

As our business headed towards new and fun directions, there began to occur a shift in the media and advertising space. It has become increasingly challenging for advertisers to create and capture an effective ad campaign. Viewers speed through their recorded programs skipping the commercials. Now we watch “short form” content on the internet (YouTube, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, MySpace), or catch up on their favorite NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, or CW programs by turning on their laptop or desktop. I’ve enjoyed my favorite comedy (30 Rock with Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin), while sitting in my bed with my Bose Noise canceling headphones!*This has led to the growing and exciting stage of FLUTIE ENTERTAINMENT in the “Talent Brand Management” business. We now manage the professional careers of Ellie Krieger (Food Network), Carter Oosterhouse (HGTV), Mary Alice Stephenson (Vh1), Rainbeau Mars (MTV) and others. Our firm creates a media strategy to identify and launch our clients so that they can develop into a consumer brand. This strategy includes Broadcast, Broadband and Print platforms.

As we continue to forge into the new frontier of this convergence of media, we have set a goal to bring all of the resources that we’ve established in the 12 plus years of FLUTIE ENTERTAINMENT’S history to redefine the advertising, marketing and consumer landscape.

* FLUTIE *

Five years ago the words “Talent” “Brand” and “Management” were not widely circulated in the entertainment community, let alone used in conjunction with, or as a string together. The change that was beginning to take place in broadcast media advertising began to take place thanks, in large part, to advances in technology and the increasing popularity of TIVO like devices.

The turning point in how advertisers began to approach media opportunities really began to proliferate when a little show called “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” http://www.bravotv.com/Queer_Eye/ aired on BRAVO http://www.bravotv.com/. When America met the “Fab Five” there began a love that began to introduce and shape new ideas on how to marry commercial opportunities with corporate partners in a manner that crystalized the defining moment of what is now known as “Talent Brand Management.”

When our firm introduced Thom Filicia www.thomfilicia.com and Pier 1 http://www.pier1.com/ through the ad agency Cambell-Ewald http://www.campbell-ewald.com/ the intention and purpose of bringing the Thom Filicia brand to Pier 1 was to create and elevate Filicia’s Brand Exposure and to define his Brand Identity. It was a monumental moment in the ” Lifestyle / Expert ” branding space because it took the marketing, advertising and public relations machine that Pier 1 had in place and extended it to the Filicia Brand.

Although many might dispute the time and date of the birthing of “Talent Brand Management ,” one does not have to look far to see that this process and concept had been marinating for many years as the brainchild of Michael Flutie www.michaelflutie.com. Michael had spent the better part of the past decade working with major consumer brands in fashion, beauty and fragrances and had forged the creative essence of turning celebrities and high profile individuals into identifiable Brands. And so the work began…

As time began to progress we began to see a very distinct and progressive mind set from the likes of advertisers and marketers. Conventional TV ads were not proving to be cost effective, relative to the cost required to generate new business, and a new breed of Chief Marketing Officers were beginning to emerge at companies like Designer Shoe Warehouse https://www.dswshoes.com/home.jsp , L’Oreal; http://www.loreal.com/dispatch.aspx, American Eagle www.ae.com, and Kraft www.kraft.com. The new thinking by these CMO’s was to connect with the pulse of the consumer by creating organic advertisements that were an extension of an expert that spoke to their brands key demographic.

At Flutie Entertainment ( www.flutieent.com ) our philosophy and approach began to become fine tuned. Building on ten plus years of experience, relationships and a vast network in the advertising, marketing and public relations community Flutie Entertainment took an industry lead as the Talent Brand Management firm in the entertainment industry. The most recent progression in this space is the merging of commercial mainstream partnerships into the Broadcast, Print and Broadband Media. This allows for a platform to be built for the Lifestyle and Expert persona to launch the identity and message of the brand. Currently our firm works with many high profile Lifestyle / Expert Brands.

The following is an example of the how Flutie aggregated various opportunities to support the growth of the brand and to lead the brand into consumer product opportunities.

Carter Oosterhouse  (www.carteroosterhouse.com)  host of Carter Can ( http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hccan)  is the spokespersonand face of Nautica’s top selling mens fragrence, VOYAGE ( http://www.nauticafragrance.com/products/voyage.aspx ).

Ellie Krieger www.elliekrieger.com host of Food Network’s “Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ek/text/0,2763,FOOD_25716_44765,00.html, author of Taunton Press’s new publication “Foods You Crave” www.amazon.com/Food-You-Crave-Luscious-Recipes/dp/1600850219  consultant and expert advisor to Nutritioniste http://www.garniernutritioniste.com/en/ and online content provider to Waterfront Media’s http://www.waterfrontmedia.com/index.aspx new interactive healthy living site, www.healthylivingwithellie.com.

Rainbeau Mars www.rainbeaumars.com Global Ambassador to Adidas www.adidas.com and Yoga Expert.

Sabrina Soto www.sabrinasoto.com host of HGTV’s “Get It Sold” http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hsold/

Mary Alice Stephenson host of Vh1’s www.vh1.com hit show “America’s Most Smartest Model http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/americas_most_smartest_model/series.jhtml  and spokesperson for both Intel  http://www.intel.com/  and The Make a Wish Foundation http://www.wish.org/ 

Kyan Douglas, personal grooming expert - http://www.bravotv.com/Queer_Eye/bios

The common ground on all of the above named experts is, as I stated at the start of my blog, the Expert’s ability to increase their value in the market place through strategic and complimentary relationships with major consumer brands. A process that is an innovation of the the Flutie organization one one that we have has  accomplished through the marriage of Madison Avenue to Hollywood!

* FLUTIE *

Welcome to the Robert A. Flutie Blog! I am happy that you have taken a moment to come to be a part of an exchange of ideas. I’ll be sharing a little about me and what I do in this blog, so look for the “About Me” title! I look forward to hearing from you.