Folks,
I have seen a great deal of support over the last 36 hours, so much that I never imagined possible, honestly. I am touched and honored that Pendant means so much to so many of you.
I have also seen some things I really wish I hadn’t. There’s been hate and vitriol… at “suits” or “corporations” or other “evil entities” who people believe are at fault. I have seen talk of boycotting certain movies to make some kind of statement about your feelings toward Pendant. I have seen rampant speculation by people who believe (and say) that they know what happened.
While I appreciate the sentiment behind those things, I have honestly got to ask you to stop. And if you see others doing the same, gently ask them to stop, too.
If you think you know what happened, I assure you that you don’t.
No, I cannot give you more details. I would if I could.
We hadn’t announced this on the list yet (but Kristen and Kat can confirm its veracity), but we had already been planning to move away from fan shows into originals. The upcoming shows from Kat/Kris and Chris were going to be the LAST TWO fan shows Pendant was ever going to produce.
This all happened a lot sooner than we planned it, but it was something that was eventually going to happen anyway. We have long wanted to turn that corner, and now the universe has turned it for us. This is a great opportunity, one you’re going to see us seize the advantage of like you wouldn’t believe.
Boycotting anything (like a movie) concerning this matter would be foolish. Again, none of you would even know who to boycott or what for, and at best you would be punishing a ton of creative, hardworking people who put in a lot of work, for reasons you don’t even know.
Yes they make millions and we don’t. That’s not the point. The point is creative endeavors should be supported no matter the venue. Life without art is a horrible thought. The more art you support, the more art there is.
And art makes life beautiful.
Judge art on its own merits and how it moves you, and nothing more. Do not take out your anger at some faceless evil you feel took your Pendant fan shows away.
No one has poured more into this company over the last 8 years than I have. It killed me to have to do what I did. Anyone who knows what Superman and Defiant mean to me alone should have already known this was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my entire life.
But my job is to look out for the company, to look out for YOU. And that is what I’m doing. And before us I see a giant blank canvas, just waiting for your scripts, your words, your mixing and your covers, where more beauty and art will make life a little brighter for a while.
Pendant was created out of love for stories and characters, and passion for what we do. We will go forward with the same passion and love, and I ask that you join us in that. Leave the hate and anger behind, and look forward to an even brighter future that we can ALL be a part of together.
I want to leave you with the words of someone I have a tremendous amount of love and respect for, both as a writer and entertainer, and as an all-around model of a classy human being. And he says it more eloquently than I.
The words of Mr. Conan O’Brien:
“Walking away from The Tonight Show is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult. This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian dreams of hosting The Tonight Show and, for seven months, I got to. I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second. I’ve had more good fortune than anyone I know and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-11 parking lot, we’ll find a way to make it fun.
…To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”
Please heed Conan’s words. Please heed mine. Do not be cynical. Do not be angry.
Appreciate what once was, and what you had for so long, and help us make our own 7-11 parking lot show something to remember.
Let’s make life beautiful. Amazing things will happen.
Jeffrey Bridges
Executive Producer, Pendant Productions
pendantaudio.com
