Hollywood Producers Unhappy With Apple Executives’ ‘Lack of Clarity’ and ‘Intrusive’ Behavior

People in Hollywood are reportedly unhappy with Apple’s approach to developing original content.

According to a new article in the New York Post, Hollywood heavyweights were eager to work with Apple when it first came to the table two years ago, but have since found Apple to be “difficult” to work with.

Apple’s “intrusive” executives, as the report describes them, including CEO Tim Cook, have been criticized by Hollywood for becoming too involved in ongoing TV projects. Agents and producers have complained about how “difficult” Apple is to work with, reads the report, and the company’s “nitpicking” has led to delays that mean only a handful of shows will be available when its upcoming streaming service launches.

“Shortly after Apple announced its Hollywood ambitions in 2017, Tinseltown’s wheeler-dealers were lining up to work with the iPhone maker,” reads the report. “But as the company’s streaming project gets ready for launch, agents and producers can’t stop griping about how ‘difficult’ Apple is to deal with — citing a ‘lack of transparency,’ ‘lack of clarity’ and ‘intrusive’ executives, including CEO Cook.”



One Hollywood agent said that Apple executives have been “very involved,” while also explaining that writers and directors obviously prefer to work without oversight from investors and/or higher-ups in corporate. Tim Cook, for example, has reportedly sent a note a number of times telling producers and showrunners, “don’t be so mean!”

Producers also cite problems with the Cupertino company often being unclear about exactly what it wants, and complicating issues with its insistence on family-friendly content, as well as shutting down what it considers controversial topics such as religion or the negative consequences of technology.

“They are making big changes, firing and hiring new writers,” says one producer. “There’s a lack of clarity on what they want. A lot of the product is not as good as they hoped it to be.”

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