2019-04-24

Why Hollywood’s writers are sacking their representatives
The principal-agent problem strikes again
原文来源：The Economist 2019-4-18

Article

https://frankzhougq.github.io/article/TE-2019-04-24/

Notes

her agent of 20 years
跟了20年的agent

dismiss agents
解雇

committed to its new code of conduct
行为规范

the writers guild reports that screenwriters’ median weekly earnings dropped 23% between 2014 and 2016
reason why they are taking the action

directed its ire about pay at production studios
将怒火指向了

staging a strike in 2007
stage

to make sth happen 使发生；使出现
The dollar staged a recovery earlier today.
今天早些时候，美元出现回升。
After five years in retirement, he staged a comeback to international tennis.
退役五年之后，他又复出国际网坛。

Agents used to make money from television writers by taking a commission—usually 10%—when their writers were hired to work on a show.
agent原先从writer处收佣金

But for the past few decades agents have preferred to waive their commissions and instead collect fees from studios in exchange for offering “packages” of television contributors, such as a showrunner, a director and several writers, that studios can hire at once.
现在从studios处收

haggle for high salaries for their clients
讲价

fretting over production costs
苦恼烦躁

According to research conducted by the writers guild, almost 90% of scripted series in the 2016-17 television season were packaged
90%都从studio收费

Streaming services have also played a role

have upended that model
颠覆了那个商业模式

dwindling salaries
减少

tumbling down
倒塌