Patton Oswalt is spot on. This applies across the board for creators of content; comedians, writers, actors, directors, producers, musicians, artists, if you create something there has been no better time in the history of the world for having access to a worldwide audience. Sure, there are problems to overcome, particularly revolving around monetizing, but there is opportunity in front of us. I continue to write spec scripts but I am more interested in making films and that is why I write a lot of material with the goal of making it myself. If you aren't doing both then it is my opinion that you aren't doing enough. Why wait for someone to give you permission? Go do it and, when you do it well, the irony is "they" will come knocking at your door with fists full of cash. If you build it they will come.

I read Oswalt's letters as joyful summons, to we who make stuff, make, put it out there, have fun, that sort of thing, and wholly aligned with spirit of the spec. Hollywood is the big sea. Big movies, big releases, big bunch of talent in one sunny spot, may it succeed big scale always. And may it also find fresh ways to champion great work and fresh talent. Because wow there's great stuff happening in the ponds around the sea. Great communities, people, work, all of it overlapping, and all easy to follow with twitter, tumblr, blogs, podcasts, and so easy to participate. And how terrific there are film festivals, the Black List, and people like Carson Reeves, Zander Bennett, and so many others, all champions and shepherds, including the most awesome Scott Myers, with GITS and The Quest. Every bit of it makes us all smarter and better and more entertained. So participate, build community, support work and people, comment on sites you visit everyday, be a nerd about things you love, and, above all, create, make things, put them out there. Tell a good story. No need to wait for contextualizing. Go ahead and stream. Have fun like Wil Wheaton did a day or so ago when he founded Don't Be a Dick Day: https://twitter.com/CBarnebee/status/229201442618089472 https://twitter.com/wilw/status/229333684405284864 http://dontbeadickday.com/ Have fun like Anthony Bourdain, a chef who wrote a comic, a good one, and with a surprisingly large Venn overlap between comic creators and Food Network (how can you not be a fan of Alton Brown?), I suspect the comic will do well: http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/4481/advance-review-get-jiro/ Now publishing a page of html or a comic book is a whole lot easier than funding and distributing a movie. But with technology and communities evolving, so will the possibilities.