Naughty or Nice

By Rebecca Green

I was walking down Larchmont in Los Angeles recently and overheard a woman on her phone (she was very loud). She had a nasty tone and was arguing with someone about a writing credit she thought she deserved. She said something along the lines of, ‘I don’t want a has-been writer who is on the arbitration committee because they have nothing better to do deciding what credit I get.’ Witnessing this, as did many others, I was embarrassed for her.

In early November, NPR Books sent an email with the subject, “Who’s Allowed to be Awful?” Weeks passed by without reading the email, but I kept seeing the subject in my inbox and I pondered the question over and over again. Who’s allowed to be awful? Who was that woman on the street? And would who she “is” ever make her behavior ok? Why does anyone behave awful at all?

A few days after the Larchmont incident, the news of Netflix buying Warner Bros. broke and Business Insider reached out to me for a quote. They wanted to know what I had to say about it all, but I was at a loss for words. What’s there to say? Nothing about this potential consolidation is good for the health of the film and television business. The only good that will come is for the stakeholders of the two companies. But in 2024, Ted Sarandos made $62 million running Netflix and David Zaslov made $52 million running Warner Bros. Isn’t that enough?

Given the holiday season, it’s hard not to think of Sarandos and Zaslov in the context of A Christmas Carol and Ebenezer Scrooge, the original awful businessman. What would the future of the industry look like if Sarandos and Zaslov were visited by their Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come? Like Scrooge, would they wake up on Christmas Day more generous and compassionate? Would they stop the clock of entertainment world domination and think first of the storytellers and artists whose livelihoods are in their hands?

It’s completely understandable to spend your days afraid and insecure given the state of the business so I’m going to give the woman on Larchmont some grace. You never know what someone else is going through right? Maybe she hasn’t worked in a long time and the paycheck fixes the mounting debt she’s accrued. Or maybe this will be the job that allows her to keep her WGA health insurance. Neither of these are good excuses for being nasty, but I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt given how high the stakes feel right now. But here’s the thing… if we’re out in public on a very busy street yelling about a credit, we have no hope.

I often say to myself, ‘just put your head down and do the work.’ It’s what usually keeps me from being that woman on Larchmont. But we can’t put our heads down and just keep plowing ahead as normal anymore. We have to look the future straight in the eyes and doing that is scary. The Netflix/Warner merger, and the rapid growth of AI, is moving forward whether we like it or not. All we can do is be as compassionate, sympathetic, and generous to each other as possible during this tumultuous time and remember that our behavior has a ripple effect. If all we put out into the water is fear, anxiety, and panic, we won’t be able to find a path forward.

Movies are a luxury. Especially the bold, innovative, and original kind. There will always be a new Marvel or Star Wars or Avatar movie, but the future does not guarantee us another Hamnet, or Sorry, Baby or Train Dreams or even Sinners. And we’re not guaranteed to always have our beloved art house theaters or film festivals or film schools or artist services programs or nonprofit organizations. Everything is on the line.

So, as the clock is about to turn to 2026, I encourage you to look back at this year and consider your actions. Were you ever awful? Could you have been more helpful to someone who was struggling? Were you so exacting in your work that you became unkind? If you were, did you apologize? Were you only focused on your own goals and didn’t stop to help someone else achieve theirs? Did you make yourself useful to a cause outside your own?

The doom and gloom headlines, both in the business world and world at-large, are going to continue to be published at a rapid pace. But when you feel fear and anxiety start to take over, be aware of how that energy manifests itself. Dig deep to not let it overshadow your good heart and kind spirit. Realize it’s not just about you and your own personal goals. Extend your reach out wide to share your knowledge and resources. The scarcity mindset is real and it often feels like we’re living in Squid Games, but it is vital that we lock arms and face the future together.

This is my 2026 New Year’s wish.