Hope this guy is right
Hollywood conservatives getting it together
The untold story of those changing Hollywood from within
Oct 20, 2005
by Jason Apuzzo
Over the past thirty-five years, conservatives have grown so accustomed to using Hollywood as a whipping-post, they occasionally fail to notice positive developments within the entertainment industry.
For example, other than Mel Gibson's overtly religious Passion, when was the last time the conservative media rallied around a movie with conservative values such as I Am David, The Island or The Great Raid? Not just with an article here or there, but with the same energy we typically devote to attacking Oliver Stone or Jane Fonda?
Last year talk radio gave endless free publicity to Fahrenheit 9/11, but gave hardly any time to conservative films that rebutted Moore like Confronting Iraq, Celsius 41.11, or Fahrenhype 9/11.
Listen to conservative talk radio enough and you'll probably learn everything Sean Penn has ever said about Iraq – but you may never hear about the good work being done by filmmakers swimming upstream in Hollywood. Ever hear of Stephen K. Bannon's epic documentary, In the Face of Evil: Reagan's War in Word and Deed? You probably haven't – and that’s a shame.
Conservatives sometimes willfully ignore signs of change in Hollywood. This is done mostly to preserve the useful fiction that everyone in the entertainment industry lives in Malibu, has an eight-figure income, and voted for John Kerry.
Such fictions contribute to a 'victim' mentality among conservatives, and a sense of disenfranchisement within the popular culture. And while this ‘victim’ mentality may be useful in getting angry conservatives to the polls, it masks the more complex truth that conservatives are making an effort to regain a voice in our popular culture - but they're receiving little support from the conservative media.
For example, in Hollywood an increasing number of producers and executives are associating themselves with mainstream conservatism. This is an extraordinarily positive sign that has not been reported in conservative media.
These producers include people like Frank Price, former head of Columbia Pictures, Universal Studios, and MCA's Motion Picture Group; Steve McEveety, producer of films like Passion and Braveheart; and Joel Surnow, executive producer of Fox's popular series 24.
These are not fringe or marginal people, as industry conservatives are sometimes portrayed. They're seasoned veterans who've achieved enormous success working within the system. And while most of them prefer to keep a low profile – and let their work speak for itself – they’re increasingly ignoring industry taboos against conservatives who speak out.
One such conservative, for example, is writer-producer Cyrus Nowrasteh. Nowrasteh recently co-wrote Steven Spielberg's Into the West series – and is now writing and producing ABC's big new 9/11 miniseries for next year.
Nowrasteh previously wrote and directed The Day Reagan Was Shot, Showtime's highest-rated movie ever.
Another is Gavin Polone, one of television's hottest producers (Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Gilmore Girls). Polone has development deals with Sony, NBC and UPN - and recently produced the NBC series Revelations and the Jodie Foster film Panic Room.
Or take Ralph Winter, producer of the X-Men series. Winter is a devout Christian, and it was his Fantastic Four that finally broke Hollywood's losing streak at the box-office this summer. Winter is also an important supporter of Christian filmmaking initiatives in Hollywood.
The growing ranks of these producers also include veterans like Douglas Urbanski (The Contender), Scott Gardenhour (Pearl Harbor) and Warren Bell (According to Jim), along with younger executives like Walden Media's Micheal Flaherty.
Another interesting figure in this context is film producer and financier Stephen K. Bannon, who also writes and directs. Bannon may be on track to become what conservatives working in film most need: our own version of Harvey Weinstein.
Like Weinstein, Bannon is an aggressive visionary, presently cornering the market on low-budget independent films made by conservatives. The success of the conservative film movement may rest in part on his success in cultivating the next generation of talent.
While none of these people may be household names, they're figures of consequence in the industry – and are legitimate reasons for hope that Hollywood can be changed from within.
Conservatives in the media should pay attention to what these producers are up to, and what their plans are for the future. In their own way, these people are just as important – if not more so – than the occasional A-list star who ‘outs’ himself or herself as a conservative.
Many of these producers will be speaking at this weekend's conservative Liberty Film Festival in Hollywood, on panels dealing with film and TV finance, production and distribution. This sort of gathering of conservative industry professionals has never taken place before.
Conservatives justifiably complain that the liberal media isn't getting the ‘real story’ out about positive change in Iraq. I like to say that conservatives aren't always getting the ‘real story’ out about positive change in Hollywood, either.
And that story, too, is a lot more hopeful than people might think.
townhall.com |
