Mega writer-producer Shonda Rhimes told us about why she left ABC and joined Netflix. Shonda Rhime stated that she was ready to move on and write stories for her own entertainment when Netflix offered the deal. It was evident that she was smashing hits for ABC, pushing herself, moving forward. She was already earning tens of millions of dollars, and the work she did for ABC generated almost $2 billion for Disney.
What exactly happened?
Now, you might think that a person with this kind of money must be cautious about his or her decisions, but the decision to leave ABC came down to a Disneyland Pass! Yep, you heard it right. Shonda Rhimes told us that her relationship with ABC was already strained with many battles over budget and content, but a family trip turned out to be the breaking point. As a part of her deal with ABC, she received two all-inclusive passes to Disneyland. One day, Rhime’s sister told her that she wants to go to Disneyland with Rhimes’ nanny and the children (Rhimes herself didn’t go). As Disney owns ABC, she made some calls to arrange another pass for her sister. She informed us that after being told, “We never do this!” Many times, they issued another pass. But when they got to Disneyland, the pass didn’t work. To sort it out, Rhimes called a high-ranking Disney executive. Rhimes was sure that he would sort it out, but the executive replied, “Don’t you have enough?” Rhimes didn’t argue with him and simply thanked him. Right after she hung up, she called her lawyer to figure out a way to get a deal with Netflix, or she can find some new representatives.
Some people might say that a multimillionaire showrunner like Rhime needn’t have made this much fuss over a Disneyland ticket that she can easily purchase. Some might even say that it was wrong on her part to ask that kind of a favor from the company, but the issue is not about buying the ticket. She said that she could clearly afford the ticket, but so could Disney, at least for the person who made Disney $2 billion.
Rhimes felt that she was working for a company that made her struggle even over trivial matters and made her feel guilty when she asked for more.
Rhimes’ contribution to ABC:
After working for 15 years for ABC, creating groundbreaking shows like Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder, and Scandal, she started to feel boundaries and restrictions. Rhimes was producing almost seventy hours of annual television. She expressed her feelings and the amount of pressure she had; Rhime said that she felt like she was dying!
Rhimes’ deal with Netflix:
Even though Netflix placed a big cheque in front of her, she had something else to ensure first. Rhimes told Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, that he’s not gonna get another Grey’s Anatomy or Grey’s Anatomy in a cornfield or anything of that sort! To that, Ted replied that he never expected that. Rhimes expressed her views and demands, she said that she just wants to be in a place where she can create whatever she likes without anyone bothering her, and Ted replied- “that sounds great to me!”
What do you guys think, she overreacted, or she found a happier place for herself?
