What the Caucus Has Meant to Me

In the most fundamental sense I always viewed the Caucus as the shield of the creative community. If the Caucus were to have a logo, it probably would be in the form of a shield. But the name "Caucus" has come to be its own logo. Its history records the actions of those individuals who collectively or separately - some at personal and professional risk - challenged the abuses of commerce that invaded, often overriding, the boundaries of creative territories. I always held the Caucus in the highest esteem and was inspired by its call to conscience. And as an entrepreneur producer, there was the Caucus, whose aim it was to "protect and serve" the right to do business in an environment of mutual respect and decency.

When I was invited to become a member of the Caucus, I recall feeling very humble and honored. I viewed it as an opportunity to join in the perpetuation of its aims and objectives in any way I could. My view from within began to be shaped by a new perspective of the troublesome course of the industry itself.

And here we are, at a time when The Caucus for Producers, Writers and Directors is absorbed in its own crisis. If we, and the industry, accept our current crisis as one of a challenge to the "old fart" versus the "new farts" that challenge is too simplistic. As coarse as the remark may seem to some, the metaphor can be extended. I wonder if we are not all experiencing putrefaction of a social climate that exudes a moral flatulence that renders us victims to its toxicity. In other words, anger and fear in the face of encroaching displacements by the "mogulization" of our industry threaten our professional lives and have driven a wedge among us. Those forces from without have allowed us to cannibalize unique strengths. The voice of challenge to our very credibility has been raised from within.

Imperative to a healthy, vigorous organization is a dissident position. It is to be preserved, and indeed, cherished. But that position should never in any way be confused or displaced by the "deserver." Consider the meaning "To sever, to separate, to divide into parts." Each of us is being forced to reveal our individual response to the crushing pressure of the paradigm shift in the market place - one of global proportions. Translated: survival.

It takes courage to locate and acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses. The Caucus, for me, continues to be synonymous with courage. We can speak out, not only to our individual survival, but more importantly reach out beyond our parochial boundaries and rescue the creative guarantees from forces that disavow diversity and suppress enterprise.

We can, together, strengthen our resolve to correct our course and amplify the "voice of the industry" with clarity and confidence. Our Caucus, our collective conscience, can truly be our shield in this time of unprecedented challenge.