Max Apologizes for Turning Scorsese—And Every Other Director—Into a Content ‘Creator’
“We agree that the talent behind the content on Max deserve their work to be properly recognized,” the streaming service said in a statement after the online uproar.
Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero / The Daily Beast / Max / Getty
On Wednesday, HBO Max officially launched its planned Max rebrand, and already the streaming service’s transition has been rocky. In addition to expected technical difficulties, credits on the platform indicating the writers and directors behind projects have been buried, on Max, on a hard-to-find sidebar.
What’s more, on Max, directors, producers and screenwriters of all designations are not referred to by those specific titles, but rather are all listed flatly as “creators.”
The new HBO Max (MAX) has eliminated writer/director credits in their interface in favor of a vague "Creators." This is what Raging Bull currently looks like. It's so fucking over. pic.twitter.com/gPveQ469GB
— John Frankensteiner (@JFrankensteiner) May 24, 2023
In response to a firestorm of outrage, Max apologized.
“We agree that the talent behind the content on Max deserve their work to be properly recognized,” a Max spokesperson told The Daily Beast in a statement. “We will correct the credits, which were altered due to an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and we apologize for this mistake.”
The shift sparked an outpouring of fury on social media, as writers, directors and cinema fans lamented what appeared to be the value reduction of sophisticated moviemaking to mere content creation.
On MAX's platform, I'm no longer credited as a writer on the episode of Gossip Girl I wrote :) End times :) pic.twitter.com/TdILHfLpVE
— eric eidelstein (@ericeidelstein) May 24, 2023
The “creators” shift also triggered a reaction from the unions representing behind-the-scenes Hollywood talent.
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“For almost 90 years, the Directors Guild has fought fiercely to protect the credit and recognition deserved by Directors for the work they create,” Director’s Guild of America president Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. “Warner Bros. Discovery’s unilateral move, without notice or consultation, to collapse directors, writers, producers and others into a generic category of ‘creators’ in their new Max rollout while we are in negotiations with them is a grave insult to our members and our union.”
“This devaluation of the individual contributions of artists is a disturbing trend and the DGA will not stand for it,” Glatter continued. “We intend on taking the strongest possible actions, in solidarity with the WGA, to ensure every artist receives the individual credit they deserve.”
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