The @IAWTV Meetings: Should heads roll?
by mm
The next round of IAWTV meetings will take place on June 15 in NYC and June 17 in Los Angeles. We do not know much of what has been discussed on the "private" IAWTV discussion board but these meetings should give us some insight. Was the alleged "blacklist" discussed? What about the alleged "mob rule." Were the questions about those who claim they were unfairly rejected for membership by the IAWTV addressed? There has been talk of forming a Board of Governors for the IAWTV, but the by-laws make it perfectly clear that the Board of Governors is just an advisory body and the real teeth of the IAWTV lie with its Board of Directors and the Executive Director (effectively the CEO) appointed by them: Brady Brim-DeForest. There are many questions, but perhaps the biggest is:
"Should heads roll on the Board of Directors of the IAWTV?"
Now it is not very nice to talk about heads rolling (that is unless you are Felicia Day playing the role of a Highlander). Clearly the IAWTV involves a web of close personal friendships that make such talk difficult. However many members of the IAWTV would be first in line to ask for heads to roll when it comes to the cozy relationship between Wall Street banks and their oversight body. Or, how about the cozy relationship between BP and the Minerals Management Service? Why should we view the cozy relationship between Tubefilter and the IAWTV any different? Now Tim Street would say the Tubefilter guys are just like kids growing up and they should be given a second chance. Perhaps, but, is that not a bit like saying the crew of the Deepwater Horizon were just playing with Tinker Toys and next time they will get it right. For several of them there will be no next time and for the rest of us we will live with the consequences of the cozy relationship between BP and MMS for years to come. While clearly not on the same scale as the Gulf oil spill, the perpetuation of a cozy relationship between Tubefilter and the Board of Directors of the IAWTV is only going to prolong the clean up operation for the web series community.
So, the question becomes, will there be significant changes at the top? Will the membership show a commitment to creating an IAWTV that is global, fair and offers even access to all? Or, will the membership back the status quo and give their endorsement to a system of "insiders" and conflict of interest? The choice is clearly theirs to make but the impact of that choice will be felt by everyone involved with web series for years to come. Failure to change such a glaring problem with the Board of Directors of the IAWTV could well put the legitimacy of the entire entity in question and seriously taint the reputation of anyone associated with it.
What is your opinion? Leave a comment below and let us know.
Icon image from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Water_Horizon
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Posts
Everyone would probably agree that Tubefilter has done a lot for web series and each of there executives should be commended for that.
ReplyDeleteHowever, what is in question here is not what Tubefilter contributes as an independent private company. Rather, it is about the cozy relationship that exist between the IAWTV and Tubefilter as it relates to the Board of Directors of the IAWTV and their ability to function as an independent entity that purports to represent the web series community.
I guarantee that nothing significant will change. They aren't called the bubble for nothing.
ReplyDeleteNot sure how this information hasn't made it out yet but 5 members of the Board have already stepped down. Including 4 of the 5 Tubefilter employees who were currently on the board. Part of the agenda of the meeting is to discuss elections of new board members.
ReplyDeleteThis does put the IAWTV/Tubefilter link in perspective fairly well.
ReplyDeleteComparing them to the BP Oil Spill? Banking oversight?
Banking oversight and ecological disasters are huge trending topics of global concern. IAWTV and Tubefilter are only slightly important to a couple of thousand people, tops. Sure, they are a global community, but that is where the similarity ends.
The story was about the nature and impact of "cozy relationships".... not the scale of such relationships.
ReplyDeleteAnon, do you have a source for that info?
ReplyDeleteMM,
ReplyDeleteI can confirm it. Elizabeth Flack sent out a letter to IAWTV members a few weeks ago stating that Mo Koyffman and all but one Tubefilter employee are resigning from the Board, creating a total of 5 empty board seats.
Somehow (and definitely not by me) this letter was leaked to Rich Mbariket who posted it to WSN. You can find the full text there, including announcement of the activation of several committees, each needing volunteers and each tasked with working on a specific issue in the IAWTV.
One more thing: while I can kind of see how an outside observer (being one myself) may draw *some* of the conclusions you have drawn about what's going on, I respectfully caution you from running those conclusions into the realm of unfounded conspiracy theories. Brady, for example, is not the man that this article and others you've written paint him to be.
Obtaining facts and details on the inner workings of the IAWTV is difficult for those of us on the outside, but we have to be careful not to fill the void of information with rumors and speculation.
As a WST reader, it can be difficult to trust the articles on this site when from time to time things are reported as fact (or at least strong suggestions of truth) when I personally know them not to be.
Best,
-Jeff
http://www.brimdeforest.com/post/702061110/a-note-to-the-members-of-the-iawtv
ReplyDeleteJeff, the choices the TF-guys made to set up Streamy LLC and the IAWTV the way they did was a choice they made them self. I am pretty sure any neutral observer would agree that the set-up was not appropriate and probably contributed to some of the allegations.
ReplyDeleteIt is very clear that a number of people were not given any reason for their rejection by the IAWTV and because of the set-up that the TF-guys them self chose, one full of conflict of interest, then clearly they were going to be suspicious of the motivations.
One can only hope that the membership at large now understands the importance of checks and balances when it comes to such relationships and will avoid such problems in the future.
WSN Exclusive! Mo Koyfman, Four Members Of Tubefilter Team Steps Down From IAWTV Board. Surprised?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.webseriesnetwork.com/profiles/blogs/wsn-exclusive-mo-koyfman-four
All that's happening is tubefilter is still in charge but now don't have to be held accountable when they do things like give the entire industry the finger like the 2010 Streamys...
ReplyDelete