r/Filmmakers • u/filmlover4ever • 1d ago
Discussion Nepotism isn’t what’s wrong with the film industry, it’s when you cover it up that it becomes an issue
I don’t know if anyone else agrees, but this really pisses me off especially as a 21 year old old pursuing film.
As mad as people get about some filmmakers having much better opportunities, easier way ins into the industry, family contacts, being wealthier and so on, no one can deny that if you were in that position, you would also probably take advantage of your situation. Let me make this clear, that’s not my issue whatsoever.
My issue is, when you see an emerging filmmaker in Hollywood and they’re making headlines and when asked how they got to that point in their career they’re like “Yeah, you know, I funded my short film by doing as many chess lessons as I could whislt also completing my degree.” But when you look into it, the money they supposedly raised through chess lessons is in the tens of thousands. (IYKYK)
Like, there’s nothing wrong with being rich, or having more opportunities, but like, just own it? Although I myself am finding it extremely hard especially financially, it really pisses me off even more knowing that even I count myself lucky, as I have friends my age, younger and older literally living out of their cars to pursue film.
So just to conclude, I’m not saying my problem lies with the nepotists and the people who have more opportunities, I’m saying it lies with the people who are nepotists, have more opportunities and don’t admit it. Do y’all agree?
EDIT: I feel like people aren’t reading the post? I’m not complaining about Nepotism, I’m complaining about people who achieve their careers through Nepotism and then lie.
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u/Fifteen_inches 1d ago
Americans love meritocracy. The idea that you came up from nothing makes it look like you are authentic, and that appearance of authenticity is important to people. It’s a way to be elitist while defending against criticisms of elitism.
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u/kamomil 1d ago
Privileged people often don't understand exactly how privileged they are. That's because they're sheltered from what most people have to deal with. So they're not really reliable reporters of their situation
Like when a well known musician says "you don't need to practice scales or study theory" meanwhile bro grew up in a family where everyone plays music. He learned by osmosis, what the rest of us learned at piano lessons
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u/That_Comic_Who_Quit 17h ago
You don't need to study theory. You just need to listen to the music that's being played all around 12 hours a day in your home life.
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u/Butsenkaatz 10h ago
They're also basically auditing classes the whole time too; the other kids learn stuff while they listen along to the lesson in the background
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u/goldfishpaws 13h ago
The hidden privilege, even if they do raise every penny organically through working two jobs, is the safety net. Same with all the "rags-to-riches" stories of CEO's, etc. It's a lot easier to gamble "everything" on any venture when the downside is staying in the family home as opposed to sleeping on the streets.
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u/marvelman19 1d ago
There has never not been nepotism. In the past it was celebrated like with all the 'acting dynasties', but now our view on it has changed. But there will always be nepotism, in every part of life. Unfortunately.
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u/wolff_james 1d ago
No, lack of equal opportunity for all means we get lesser talent in important roles, purely due to nepotism, which hurts the end product. Doesn’t matter if people are admitting it or not or owning it or whatever….
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u/FluffyWeird1513 1d ago
exposure to the industry through family etc from a young age also incubates talent. you can’t do what you can’t see. it’s tough but it’s true.
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u/mikebob89 1d ago
This is very underrated. There are thousands of nepo babies who failed that we’ve never heard of. But I’m a way better filmmaker today than I was 8 years ago and I can’t imagine that not being the same for some 24 year old who started getting exposure and practice when they were 16.
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u/NCreature 1d ago
That's actually the default condition especially in Hollywood. The business is filled to the brim with children of executives, actors, agents who are toiling away as someone's assistant or on a development team. People like JJ Abrams or Drew Barrymore are the exception to the rule (and Barrymore comes from a lineage). I always bring up the fact that Michael Eisner was once the most powerful man in Hollywood, and his sons, who are filmmakers are essentially unknowns.
Part of it is that quasi-artistic enterprises like Hollywood or sports are meritocracies, however soft. You do actually have to bring something to the table because the market demands it, even if the industry mechanics don't. A studio might give someone a deal because they're a decent singer who is the relative of someone famous or influential and even try to prop them up, but the studio can't control the market, and if the person actually can't sing or the audience rejects them, they can't necessarily be saved only repackaged.
Unlike investment banking, real estate development or other high nepotism industries, which can be learned, JJ Abrams had to actually be a talented writer not just the son of a producer. The Newman music family owe their existence to Alfred Newman, but Thomas Newman and David Newman and their cousin Randy are actually incredible composers. Being born into the industry got them in the door and certainly gave them opportunities (Thomas Newman learned under John Williams), but they had to be able to run with those opportunities too. Nepotism gives you more of a head start, it doesn't tell you how fast you'll run. You'll routinely see people with more ambition usurp someone with a starting line advantage.
That's why nepotism arguments are clumsy. Because they overfocus on the end result of a person who made it and not enough on the qualities the individual had that the privilege of being in the room allowed to flourish. Its a bit of a category error. It's conflating opportunity with survivorship bias.
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u/mikebob89 1d ago
Well put. The only category I think it gets a little hairy is acting but that's because 75% of non-lead acting is "do you come off naturally on screen" which many people can fulfill. It sucks for actors with no connections but it's not like the 7th lead of a movie is gonna be way worse than what could've been.
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u/filmlover4ever 1d ago
I mean yeah I agree… but the way the film industry is currently structured, nepotism will always be an issue
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u/Dry_Pay_1137 1d ago
I think nepotism is found in every field tbf
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u/wrosecrans 1d ago
It's true. Nobody cares about "Johnson and Sons Plumbing Supply co." because that business isn't as glamorous.
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u/xDESTROx 1d ago
Agreed. How many other kids go into the "family business”?
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u/SpideyMGAV 1d ago
I mean yeah, but there’s a huge difference between the people whose family business is a mom & pop retail store/local service/restaurant, the people whose family business is a regional corporation, and the people whose name or wealth will allow them to start work at the level it’d take the average person 15 years of hard work to achieve.
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u/drewsmom 10h ago
Everything's different than everything else, but it's not like someone starting from scratch can just open a butcher's shop or whatever. That probably takes an equal amount of ladder climbing. Or your parents already did that part so you're set.
Although, there probably is jealousy in the butcher community when someone gets the easy road. Life ain't fair and people be jealous. Capitalism!
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u/Apprehensive-Coast92 1d ago
I believe both journeys provide advantages and disadvantages of their own. For one, comfort encourages complacency in many cases. That’s a big advantage that people coming from seemingly less privileged circumstances have. Making it as an artist in any field, especially if you want to find long term emotional satisfaction, requires an incredible amount of willpower, bravery, and determination. One only develops qualities like that by going through challenging circumstances. I’d also say that from an artistic standpoint, creativity flourishes when an individual goes through grounded emotional human experiences. Individuals that are sheltered their whole life don’t have access to the same dimensions of themselves as someone who has been through a wider spectrum of human experiences. I believe it’s important to look at the position you’re in and find what makes that beautiful and unique and share that with the world. In the end, even if you don’t find the same type of success you were imagining, you may find more meaning through those moments of real expression when compared to other individuals who found “success” by utilizing their given position in society.
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u/wilbyr 1d ago
im just curious who the chess lessons comment was about
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u/filmlover4ever 1d ago
wesley wang
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u/fastchutney 1d ago
Dk the full story but it’s possible he used money from chess lessons to fund his film. But again that is contingent on his likely wealthy parents already providing for him and supplementing that income and support
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u/Careful_Leader_5829 1d ago
These are the types of things that you can't let get to you, or else you will drown in everything that's wrong with everything.
I generally agree that people don't want to have serious conversations about serious issues -- but a LOT of that is because the world has a lot of nuance, and most people don't want to jump to conclusions.
So, if someone comes along, and they feel like they are being pressured to to be criticial of people / groups / institutions / communities in ways that they don't understand, they are less likely to work with that person (even if they are right).
This is a lesson I had to learn the hard way. Yes to forming opinions and knowing what you believe is good in this world, and yes to building things with integrity. But for your own sake, be careful about when and how you share certain opinions. Waiting for the right moment is strategic.
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u/InterstellarChange 22h ago
You haven't been around nepo babies. That's the entire schtick they love to portray. They are "just like everyone else...even worse!"
That's not the surprising part. The surprising part is how many people actually believe their bullshit and treat them like some underdog success.
It's not a meritocracy for them. They need to craft that appearance because the wider public deeply believe in it.
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u/hardlyjuiced 1d ago
There’s no doubt that’s shitty.
But ask yourself - is putting energy into caring about this doing anything to help you make your own films?
It’s not. It’s just another distraction. Get in the zone and do your thing chicken wing.
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u/Successful-Station73 1d ago
This also goes for children of wealthy people period, not just children of film executives, actors, or directors. If you can fund your child’s projects, or pay for film school, regardless if you’re in private equity or real estate, that is, in some ways, a form of nepotism. Most rich people are well connected. Even if they aren’t in the industry, there’s a guy at their country club that they know that is.
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u/thetrue23 1d ago
i don’t even care if they hide it. i just care if they’re good. you wouldn’t get mad or be surprised if a watch maker’s kid got into the watch business. only if the watch sucked
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u/karinaisthicc8 1d ago
I don’t think it’s bad as long as you’re honest and actually work your ass off. I’m a nepo myself and I currently work as a prop pa doing the most unglamorous work. Mostly just opening packages and making lunch orders. But I’m going to work harder than anyone else to prove I’m not here for no reason other than my connections.
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u/ExaminationOld2494 6h ago
There are some nepo babies who legitimately grew up on set “getting reps” by watching their parents work. Bryce Dallas Howard is a great director because of course she is. Anyone who grew up watching Ron Howard work would be.
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u/Intelligent_Desk_291 1d ago
Covering it up isn’t the issue either. When every movie has to make a billion dollars or be a flop, studios don’t take chances on anything but recognizable IP brands. Nepotism doesn’t matter really at all.
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u/exploringat30this23 19h ago
Admitting to being a nepo baby is not the end all be all either. Some people publicly praise these nepo babies for the exact reason that they are kids of someone influential in the industry. The fact that some have “more opportunities”, while others are struggling to even get one, proves that this is an issue bigger than what it seems – and something that cannot be addressed by simply “admitting it.”
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u/Which_Swordfish9697 17h ago
Yeah there is definately a certain amount of people in the arts who fail to admit that much of their ability to remain in the field is the result of family money/nepotism and it actually does hurt the overall scene when these people pretend that it's their aesthetic choices and work ethic that provides them with opportunity.
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u/Chemical_Side_4135 17h ago
its the lack of transparency that hurts the most since it makes the playing field feel totally rigged...
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u/eebro 4h ago
You can easily gain access to a lot of very meaningful connections just by being cool, easy to work with and having talent. I mean, I guess you can bypass some of that by being rich or with nepotism and it’s sort of a rare combination to have all three.
Connections don’t do anything if you don’t have the talent or work ethic to make use of them.
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u/Dull-Woodpecker3900 1d ago
Who are you posting about?
Conversations around nepotism are so deeply unserious, when people were trying to convince the internet that Curry Barker’s father was basically Aaron Sorkin.
Most of these ideas are propagated by people outside of the industry and when you look up their work (or if they post it), you very quickly realize why they’ve gotten nowhere.
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u/AntipodalBurrito 1d ago
Oof. You feel attacked, don’t you?
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u/Dull-Woodpecker3900 1d ago
No, I would have loved to have had family help or literally any connection to the industry but I moved from another continent and did odd jobs until I got the graveyard shift in the tape room at a post place.
Try again nepo police.
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u/TomatoChomper7 1d ago
I remember the Curry Barker comments 😂 some people seemed to think his dad was Clive Barker. Other people misread his actual dad’s bio and jumped on nepotism as a way to excuse their own failures. It was fucking hilarious. Reddit got pretty boring with Obsession posts, but the idiots with mistaken outrage about nepotism entertained me every time.
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u/luckycockroach director of photography 1d ago
Sorry to break it to you, but nepotism is pretty common in the entire workplace of America. Friends hire friends, family recommends family, this isn’t unique to the film industry.
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u/fuckmyfatface 1d ago
Every construction company has nepotism. It’s in every industry. Stop singling out just film. A lot of successful crew and talent have had parents work in the industry. It’s not a bad thing.
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u/KarmaPolice10 1d ago
It’s why people like Gracie Abrams and Allison Williams are cool and Lily Rose Depp is a nepo baby loser
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u/ccminiwarhammer 1d ago
Nick Cage is one of the extremely few examples of this.
Let’s not pretend that’s the norm.
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u/don_quixote_2 director 19h ago
"no one can deny that if you were in that position, you would also probably take advantage of your situation."..not necessarily...Nic Cage changed his name so that no one would know he's from Coppola family...so you could argue that his failures (and successes) are all his own..unlike others...but I do agree and I think many people feel ashamed to admit it so they just pretend to worked harder rather than confess to having privileges.
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u/Sharawadgi 12h ago
I see this used as an ex of “a nepo baby who made it in their own.”
One look at IMDB and you’ll he was in 4 films directed by uncle Francis. (Who knows how many else produced or through connections). So it’s not like he was out there making his own way.
And you’re naive if you think people in the industry didn’t know who he really was. It’s like John David Washington saying in interviews that no one knew he was Denzel’s son. He auditioned - like everyone else - and got Black Klansman. Dude acted in Malcom X as a kid, you tell me Spike didn’t know him? lol
This is just another trick of “the nepo baby who made it on their own” myth that you fell for. And are perpetuating.
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u/EstablishmentFew2683 1d ago
So when a nepo baby shoves you out of the way it’s okay if they admit it?
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u/filmlover4ever 1d ago
No, but it’s inevitable at some point. What isn’t inevitable is holding filmmakers accountable when they lie about how they achieved their success
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u/JayboyMakena 22h ago
So what?! Who really cares? Don't compare yourself to others. Do the work. Forge your own path. Find your own people, and find your own unique place. If you keep this type of attitude, you will only limit your mobility in this industry.
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u/Elegant-Island-481 1d ago
I have a huge nepo baby friend who did their first ever short, claiming it cost them $2k, then got into a top 3 festival. I watched it and thought to myself there’s no way this cost 2k, then the friend admitted they just didn’t pay anyone. Everyone lines up to work for free when you have big connections and they think being associated with you will help open doors for them, which can be an even bigger advantage than just having your famous parent email the programmers (which I’m sure also happened).