Tim, what you write is both painful and true.

Tim, what you write is both painful and true. And yet, the fact is writers who are completely outside the system do find their way in based on the one thing they can control: what they write.

It may not be many writers, but the fact remains, if you write something the companies want, that is a clear opening to breaking into the business.

Anyone wishing to work as a film or TV writer must live with this truism spoken by the drummer for The Band: "Music don't owe anybody a living." That's true of screenwriting as well. And it's as true today as it has been for decades.

As to your thoughts about AI (read: systematized plagiarism), they cynic in me agrees. In fact, I wrote about this in a recent blog article (don't have time to find it) about how after 20+ years of Hollywood producing "regurgitated content" in the form of remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels, shequels, Hollywood has conditioned audiences to be satisfied with other regurgitated content in the form of AI generated stories.

But just like when pop music was taken over by derivative disco music in the late 70s, there was a creative response: punk music. I think there will be a creative push back against legacy studio and streaming "content creation" which will find an audience that desperately seeks stories which are authentic, raw, and demonstrate a genuine creative voice.

At least, I fucking hope so...

Thanks for your thoughts. Best of luck in your creative endeavors.