Shaqtoons.Earlier this year, Adult Swim was roasted on Twitter after it asked for free television-show ideas on the platform, and it looks like that approach has expanded to another Turner-owned network. Yesterday, Gold Bond spokesperson Shaquille O’Neal tweeted about a new contest titled “Shaqtoons,” which sounds like, essentially, a spec contest for animators for the chance to have their work featured on Shaq’s upcoming TNT docuseries Shaq Life, which was ordered by the network back in May. The catch? For any animator who doesn’t want to be completely taken advantage of, it was a pretty terrible idea.
Are you an animator or artist? Visit https://t.co/UnY2lbSeBB to download one of my stories and use it as the inspiration for an original cartoon that YOU draw to life. If selected, you’ll be awarded $500 and your animation will be shown on my new show, Shaq Life. Good luck! pic.twitter.com/l4wo6CBNSp
— SHAQ.ETH (@SHAQ) August 28, 2019Animators, illustrators, and others were quick to push back on Shaq’s tweet, pointing out that what he and TNT are asking for is loads of free work from animators — which, according to the terms on the Shaqtoons website, automatically become the “exclusive property” of Turner and cannot be shared publicly, even for those who don’t win. Only a lucky winner would be paid for their time, and the pay would only be $500. Beyond that, any animators who submit agree to give Turner the right to use their “name, likeness, and comments for advertising and publicity purposes, without payment of any compensation.” The terms also include a clause that those who submit waive their right to make complaints against Turner for reasons “including, but not limited to, defamation and violation of the intellectual property rights or rights of publicity or privacy.”
Here’s just a sampling of the response:
Pay an artist. No free work contests.
— Brian Box Brown (@boxbrown) August 28, 2019Shaq, I’m a fan, and I know you probably don’t understand animation costs, so here’s a website to help you. $500 is insulting. https://t.co/dlpE3Z01Ni
— Lawrence Becker (@SamplerTimes) August 28, 2019this really isn't about Shaq's wealth folks. Its TBS attempting to devalue and exploit animators. https://t.co/IEg3kUzM4C
— Tim Heidecker (@timheidecker) August 29, 2019Terms of service of the website/TNT pic.twitter.com/fvMUbE7ilk
— Doclank (@doclank64) August 28, 2019wow. just by submitting something they take ownership of it, then very generously grant you a limited right to use it in your own portfolio 30 days after the show airs. even if it's not selected for anything! pic.twitter.com/8PgzRj3pZg
— shahruz (@shahruz) August 28, 2019This is for TNT's Shaq Life made by AT&T/Warnermedia (market cap: $250+ BILLION). Shaq has a net worth in the hundreds of millions. Rich people asking animators to work on spec is exploitation, plain and simple, and a slap in the face to artists everywhere https://t.co/4tEokqkJ4w https://t.co/iUKcxrwfTc
— cartoonbrew.com - Animation News (@cartoonbrew) August 28, 2019When companies and celebrities hold predatory contests like this instead of hiring professional artists, it's because their hope is to not have to pay what the art, expertise, labor, and time is actually worth. They want us to devalue our craft. Don't fall for it. https://t.co/aNTj10XnhI
— Jen Bartel (@heyjenbartel) August 29, 2019If anyone's curious as to how much of an undercut this spec work prize offering is, $500 is what you might expect to pay one fairly new animator at a non-union flash studio for half a week of work. In professional terms, $500 is what I made per week as an intern, eleven years ago https://t.co/yHFRMgTRBC
— Kelly Turnbull (@Coelasquid) August 29, 2019If anyone wants to animate a fun pilot idea I have, I'll pay you $500 dollars (if the show gets picked up). https://t.co/EGtMxoVMvV
— Eric Appel (@erockappel) August 28, 2019never fall for this kind of spec work contest horse shit. your time is worth more than /a chance/ you might get paid https://t.co/Ms00walZ8m
— kc green (@kcgreenn) August 28, 2019The backlash got so bad that TBS eventually deleted its own tweet of Shaq’s promo video:
Calling all corporate raiders of intellectual property and artistic talent! Emergency Crisis Management Meeting Tomorrow! https://t.co/6c8A7RY6bG
— Tim Heidecker (@timheidecker) August 29, 2019As Deadspin notes, the approximate cost of an animation for the longest audio clip available on the Shaqtoons website would range from $2,900 to $47,000, depending on the style of animation, according to this cost calculator shared on Twitter by stop-motion animator Lawrence Becker. Put in perspective with the $500 a major television network was offering just to the winner — with the rest giving up their free work to be owned by a network that didn’t even pay for it — it’s not a great look. Thankfully, a quick glance at the replies to Shaq’s initial tweet confirms that most people weren’t falling for it.
That eventually led to an update from Shaq today, where he confronted the criticism: “To all my animators out there, I heard you. I love your work and want you to feel the love.” He also announced that the pay for the winning animation would be bumped up from $500 to $10,000:
To all my animators out there, I heard you. I love your work and want you to feel the love. If your cartoon is selected, you’ll be awarded $10,000 and your animation will be shown on my new show, Shaq Life. Can’t wait to see what you got! https://t.co/TKzJu2kWWm pic.twitter.com/BZEaaoSB8S
— SHAQ.ETH (@SHAQ) August 29, 2019This change doesn’t address the restrictive terms that animators agree to by submitting — not to mention the fact that the majority of them who aren’t chosen to be featured will go unpaid, and as one animator pointed out on Twitter, the terms haven’t been updated to officially change the $500 prize to $10,000. But this whole saga is at least an indication that Shaq was listening, and that when enough animators band together against exploitation, at least a little change is possible.
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Shaq Asks for Free Animation Work, Gets Dunked OnncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t8HLrayrnV6YvK57kWlocmdgbXy0tMCqZK2mpGLAqa3QraaopqNiwbi1062cq2WRo7aurdOoqaxloprAsbvNnWWhrJ2h