======================================= THE BEST EXCLUSIVITY MONEY CAN BUY WHOOSH Opinion By Bret Rudnick (brudnick@head-cfa.harvard.edu) Copyright 1997 held by author 1396 words ======================================= [01] People who know me know that I'm a pretty easy going and relatively stable type of guy. It takes quite a bit to push me to one extreme or another. Most of the time I approach life much as you probably do your television set -- that is, my contrast, brightness, colour, vertical hold, and tint settings are pretty much in place and are not changed except in the most extreme of circumstances. Even though I hang out a lot on the 'Net (not having a life makes that easy), I very rarely make my personal views known publicly. [02] Consequently, if something is bugging me, you can take it to the bank that it's a pretty serious thing, at least to me. This is my first "rant" of consequence since my involvement with WHOOSH!, and I hope it's my last. [03] There has been something going on lately that has bugged me. Perhaps it shouldn't, and perhaps I'm just making too much out of nothing, and perhaps I should just "grow up" and not worry about it, but it's there, nonetheless. So if you've read this far, perhaps you'll find it within yourself to keep going a bit and see if this is any concern to you as well. [04] Allow me to set this up a little with some history. [05] Almost exactly one year ago, I discovered and became involved with a little webzine known as WHOOSH!. I began with an article here and there, and then volunteered to help with the 'zine. Not being the discriminating type, Kym didn't look a gift horse of free labour in the mouth, and after awhile I found myself on staff and doing a bunch of stuff (the single largest chunk of time consumed by graphics editing). [06] As time went on and longevity prevailed, Kym actually started to ask me what I thought about stuff, and between her, Betsy, and the rest of WHOOSH! staff, we began to formulate a plan for what we wanted to do with the 'zine. [07] One of many topics discussed was that of interviews, and would it be possible to actually talk to people who work on or appear on the show. Maybe if we worked hard enough, we could get the "third spearholder on the left" to say a few words. So I took on the burden of volunteering to go through proper channels, track down any and all leads received, and to try to get people to talk to us. [08] Time proved us successful beyond our wildest expectations -- well, maybe not our *wildest* expectations, but we certainly did better than we thought we would. It didn't hurt that several people from the show knew about and read WHOOSH! After much work and patience, we were finally rewarded. [09] It was actually Renaissance Pictures in general, and one very helpful person in particular who still works for them in a big way, who "broke the dam" and started us on our way in the interview biz. [10] By starting and continuing policies of "no smut for smut's sake", "let the interviewee have first crack at the text", "keep anything said off the record strictly off the record", "don't bug people to excess", "never reveal storylines whether you're told or accidentally find out" and "know your limits", we began to build a pool of interview candidates. In a fairly short period of time, we found a number of people connected with the show saying "yes" to interview requests (no one has yet said an outright "no"), and in fact some of *them* came to *us*. We kept up, and still do, the policies described above, and it was gratifying to discover that readers liked what we did, and the people whom we interviewed liked talking to us. It was a wonderful relationship all around (and still is). WHOOSH! was able to bridge a gap between those who live and work in the Hollywood/Pacific Renaissance Xenaverse, and the fans who watch and appreciate the show. [11] About a month ago, however, a cloud loomed on this idyllic horizon. [12] It seems that a phenomenon known as "liscencing fees" was making itself known, and that has had an effect on WHOOSH!. [13] Keep in mind that WHOOSH! is and always has been free to you, the reader. Anyone who can beg or borrow access to the World Wide Web can see and read WHOOSH! any time they wish. No one shells out any money for WHOOSH!, even though the WHOOSH! staff of 29 (as of November 1997) themselves shell out many hours and several dollars of their own to produce the 'zine. Just as a benchmark, and not for bragging rights, I myself spend at least 20 hours a week on WHOOSH! and have spent several thousand dollars of my own resources for no other reason than I love doing it and sharing the results with others. [14] But now WHOOSH! is going to have some real-life competition, from a publication that *will* be charging people real money to buy their 'zine. In order to gain the moniker "official", this 'zine has paid fees to Universal/MCA and in exchange gets certain rights and priviledges. [15] One of these, apparently, is exclusivity. [16] After first being granted tenative approval, WHOOSH! has been told (and we have agreed) not to pursue interviews with Lucy Lawless or Renee O'Connor. We will not be granted audiences with them. We are to have no contact with them as WHOOSH! representatives at all. [17] Before I say anything else I have to very strongly emphasise that I am not angry or cross with anyone at RP over this. In fact, they have gone out of their way to be helpful. It was RP who called us first to warn us something like this was coming down the pike, and also to intervene and "shield" WHOOSH! from more potential damage and hamstringing. In the course of working for WHOOSH!, I have been able to cultivate acquaintanceships and even friendships with people at RP, and my personal relationship with RP personnel, such as it is, has not yet suffered because of this and will likely not suffer if things continue as they have been. RP, to their credit, is trying to sort out and establish policies for such things while doing their best to keep lawyers and "suits" out of the picture as much as possible, and I personally appreciate that. [18] No, my "problem" has much less to do with individuals and more to do with concepts. [19] You see, although I am much closer to 40 than I'd like to be, I still cherish this piece of naivitee in me that says "Competition should be decided by quality of product, not payment for exclusivity." [20] Trademarks, patents, and liscence fees are important components of business, to be sure. Those in business would be dead without them. But I think it's crossing the line a bit to "buy" exclusive access to people. It says something for a society that values money and litigation over spirited competition and a quest for quality. [21] Of course, in this particular case, those who wish to buy exclusivity have something to fear. [22] We who write about the show and all things XENA related do so because we like it. We love the show, we like the people in it, we like the people who make it, and we enjoy talking about it. We watch the show, we support the concepts behind it, and we show our appreciation by supporting sponsors of the show and the products inspired by the show. [23] For those of us who put concepts above profit, who value relationships over money, and for whom the "bottom line" is "do you like what we do" rather than "how much cash came in", it's natural for there to be a dichotomy of philosophy. [24] You see, in the phrase "show business" we emphasise the first word in the phrase. Those who seek to purchase exclusivity emphasise the second word of the phrase. I suppose it's only natural for the second group to fear the first. We work for heart and soul, not for money. Biography Bret Rudnick (brudnick@head-cfa.harvard.edu) WHOOSH! Token Guy Who Lifts the Heavy Stuff IAXS Executive Committee "You can never have too much money or too many Amazons" When he's not working for a big Science/Engineering company that (amongst other things) designs, builds, launches, and operates exploratory spacecraft, Bret writes fantasy novels and short stories. Bret is a man of many skills, having also previously been an Olympic-qualified archer, a drummer in the Butch Grinder Band, a news reader for Public Television Station KVCR, and a Deputy Sheriff for the County of San Bernardino, California. He also collects Japanese swords, armour , and art. He and his dog hunt down stray Bacchae in New England. Favorite XWP episodes: HOOVES AND HARLOTS (#10), WARRIOR...PRINCESS...TRAMP (#30), and THE QUEST (#37) Favorite XWP lines: Xena: "What's going on here?" Gabrielle: "I'm... an amazon princess?" Xena (rolls eyes): "Great." (HOOVES AND HARLOTS, #10); Xena after being goosed by Joxer : "Are you suicidal?" (WARRIOR...PRINCESS...TRAMP, #30); Joxer: "Ha. Ha." A COMEDY OF EROS (#46); Autolycus: "I'm not just leering at scantily clad women, you know, I'm working!" THE QUEST (#37) First episode seen: CRADLE OF HOPE (#04) Least favorite episode: GIANT KILLER (#27)