CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar

[Professor Zoom]

FYI, Terry posted this in the CBS/P vs. Axanar FB group re: Mike Bawden the Axanar PR guy.

Those donors should really be considering some legal action... At least contacting people within the California's Attorney General's office.

This is some bullshit.

 

[Red Shirt]

FYI, Terry posted this in the CBS/P vs. Axanar FB group re: Mike Bawden the Axanar PR guy.

As with all things Alec Peters regarding his promises, caveat emptor. Odd how LFIM is able to get things out of people initially for free based on his fast talking and gratuitous I.P. theft; money, a production studio, labor, legal representation, public relations, all the while attending events and conventions across the country.

 

[RedForman]

As with all things Alec Peters regarding his promises, caveat emptor. Odd how LFIM is able to get things out of people initially for free based on his fast talking and gratuitous I.P. theft; money, a production studio, labor, legal representation, public relations, all the while attending events and conventions across the country.

Will all this catch up with him and if so, when??

*(am not going to say 'in court' as how this will be resolved, seems to be up in the air still)

 

[trynda1701]

Just when you think you can't be surprised anymore by all of this, another wrinkle makes itself apparent!

 

[oswriter]

Those donors should really be considering some legal action... At least contacting people within the California's Attorney General's office.

Or maybe someone got tired of waiting for the donors and contacted the appropriate authorities himself...

 

[ThankYouGeneR]

FYI, Terry posted this in the CBS/P vs. Axanar FB group re: Mike Bawden the Axanar PR guy.

Terry McIntosh: "Just to be clear, Mike, to my knowledge, has not received a cent of compensation directly from [the production]. He has, however, been promised a percentage of the separate for-profit studio.... "

Say, that confirms some my own speculations back in April abt Bawden and this PR gig.

 

[Red Shirt]

Will all this catch up with him and if so, when??

*(am not going to say 'in court' as how this will be resolved, seems to be up in the air still)

In my opinion, this whole fiasco is catching up with AP on a daily basis. AP has alienated his more open minded donors, most of the fan film production community and fans, past Axanar production contributors and actors, and made an enemy of CBS/P.

The only shaky leg AP has left to stand on is P.R. with carefully worded deceptive deflections making himself out to be the victim as loudly as possible. That may work on the internet to a degree but not in a court of law.

 

[JD]

Have any of the actors other than Tony Todd spoken out against Axanar? It seems Richard Hatch and JG Hertzler are still completely behind Peters, which does make me lose a bit of respect for those two.

 

[oswriter]

So did the "investors" actually include those promised a cut in exchange for services or assets? Did they get their cut by buying the facilities at a discount? Did that discounted value (if any) arise from the value contributed by Axanar's volunteer labor and the lack of financing costs of donations? Is it then, in effect, successfully paying even more salaries by a deferred (and perhaps tax-invisible) compensation mechanism that converts the cash value of fan labor and cash-investment value of fan money into future profits for the "investors"?

What are the internals of the "sale" of this asset? I wonder if the studios will bring it to light. It might significantly widen the scope of persons who are benefiting financially from Axanar / studio IP. Even if those persons can't be named as Does at this point, Axanar could be shown to be facilitating financial benefit on a larger scale than just their own staff salaries/perks and cration of an asset owned by Alec. If it should happen that "shares in the studio" was a plan on the books for a long time, that would be fuel on the fire.

And I'm sure all of this will strictly comply with California law governing the issue and sale of securities in the state...

 

[Sgt_G]

So, these investors who bought into the studio ... I thought Alec Peters / Axanar was selling the entire thing off to separate it from the Axanar project (thus protecting it from the CBS law suit) ... so how can Alec offer Terry and Mike and who-knows-who-else a share in the studio as payment for services already rendered?????????????? Just how much / how little percent do the "outside investors" own??? And how much did they invest??

 

[muCephi]

So, these investors who bought into the studio ... I thought Alec Peters / Axanar was selling the entire thing off to separate it from the Axanar project (thus protecting it from the CBS law suit) ... so how can Alec offer Terry and Mike and who-knows-who-else a share in the studio as payment for services already rendered?????????????? Just how much / how little percent do the "outside investors" own??? And how much did they invest??

I suppose if Alec were an "investor" he could offer some of his stake. Who knows?

And even if (if) they "put back the money fundraising contributed to the studio assets", what is the actual flip value of the asset, e.g. what could the donors have gotten back by open public sale? Perhaps some of the money being spent to keep Axanar Productions Inc operating during the lawsuit? Hasty/noncompetitive sale based on numbers out of the air may == donations cash/in-kind value lost/transferred to the new owners.

Unless the studio simply is so poorly located and designed as to be an albatross, or the "sale" is something you couldn't offer on the open market -- permanent improvements inside a rented commercial space with a short term lease might be hard to market for much. The "investors" might just be Alec supporters hoping to follow Mr. Bawden's described possible use for the place, producing video advertising that masquerades as non-ads. Might be able to start making a profit quickly on that.

Also I thought I saw a comment somewhere that they were burning through donations to "keep the doors open". So are the investors saying they own the facilities and are letting Axanar operate there without burden of profit by the investors, just cover the landlord rent and utilities? Generous, if so; double-dipping into donations value, if not.

I could see donors getting really hot under the collar if the studio facilities they paid for and without a choice sold perhaps at a loss compared to total donated value were now being rented to them with a profit baked in for the "investors". Where's the books? What's the story about this, is it tidy? Is the lease transferred to the investors? What assets were sold? Who is paying what to who now? Is any of this published?

And if their books have been so poor their CEO is said not to have an idea about the money, where do all the taxes stand? Haven't heard much of a peep about the accounting work they are supposed to be doing on their for/non/pro/con/is/isn't/profit operations...

 

[Red Shirt]

So, these investors who bought into the studio ... I thought Alec Peters / Axanar was selling the entire thing off to separate it from the Axanar project (thus protecting it from the CBS law suit) ... so how can Alec offer Terry and Mike and who-knows-who-else a share in the studio as payment for services already rendered?????????????? Just how much / how little percent do the "outside investors" own??? And how much did they invest??

I've always believed the studio is what Alec & Co. wanted free and clear after making Axanar. They realized they could get donors to cough up some serious cash so a fundme campaign was promoted just for a studio. Alec boasted of how this studio would be a Netflix/Amazon type media business empire delivering Hollywood guild level original projects made at Ares Studios, now Valkyrie Studios. All on the donors dime and if they can't deliver an Axanar movie, well they still have a studio, celebrating with sushi.

That to me is the bait and switch of what Alec pulled over on people, using CBS/P's intellectual property to solicit funds for a for-profit business under the guise of making a "fan film." In my opinion, CBS/P should have the studio closed since it's their property that generated the donations.

 

[OtherGene]

FYI, Terry posted this in the CBS/P vs. Axanar FB group re: Mike Bawden the Axanar PR guy.

Good ole Terry.

Of course, what he neglects to mention is that he didn't refuse the 'compensation' out of a need to Do The Right Thing it was because he felt what he was offered wasn't enough and he's only whistle-blowing now because he's upset about it. Make no mistake about it, had he been offered what he felt was a suitable amount he'd be firmly on Team Axanar still and expecting to profit personally from the generosity of Star Trek fans.

Good ole Terry.

 

[Karen O'Shea]

Yep, Terry is no angel here, but 5% of nothing isn't exactly a good deal. I doubt any of these *investors* will ever see a return.

 

[KennyB]

Yep, Terry is no angel here, but 5% of nothing isn't exactly a good deal. I doubt any of these *investors* will ever see a return.

Yes I need at least 50% of nothing before I cover up for a fraud.

 

[oswriter]

Have any of the actors other than Tony Todd spoken out against Axanar? It seems Richard Hatch and JG Hertzler are still completely behind Peters, which does make me lose a bit of respect for those two.

I wonder if and when we might hear from SAG-AFTRA on the subject of its members appearing in unlicensed, unauthorized productions (which is what "fan films" are).

 

[RedForman]

Have any of the actors other than Tony Todd spoken out against Axanar? It seems Richard Hatch and JG Hertzler are still completely behind Peters, which does make me lose a bit of respect for those two.

With as toxic and embarrassing as this whole mess is, I wouldn't think they would............(don't know whether there are any guild rules about that though)

 

[jespah]

I wonder if and when we might hear from SAG-AFTRA on the subject of its members appearing in unlicensed, unauthorized productions (which is what "fan films" are).

I've been curious about agents. Wouldn't a competent agent tell these people to not bother with fan films and risk union membership? Of course that should have happened long ago so it makes me wonder about their representation. Or what they told their reps.

 

[Professor Zoom]

I've been curious about agents. Wouldn't a competent agent tell these people to not bother with fan films and risk union membership? Of course that should have happened long ago so it makes me wonder about their representation. Or what they told their reps.

Membership would only be at if the production wasn't a SAG signatory. Which I assume Axanar is because Peters joined as an actor, fees being paid for by actors.

I don't know if SAG has a particular position on fanfilms. As long as they are a signatory, SAG doesn't give a shit.

 

[MikeH92467]

Membership would only be at if the production wasn't a SAG signatory. Which I assume Axanar is because Peters joined as an actor, fees being paid for by actors.

I don't know if SAG has a particular position on fanfilms. As long as they are a signatory, SAG doesn't give a shit.

SAG/AFTRA does (or at least did have) provisions for actors who were willing to work for below scale in "new media" productions. The paperwork was, to say the least, daunting. I should know since I filled it out for an actor to appear in Excelsior. So there, is (or at least was) a way for union members to work in such a production.