WB & RT VS Kdin, CRWBY & Decency (Patreon)

No cheery hello again this time, what we're discussing today is deadly seriously and extremely fraught, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't uneasy, but it needs to be said. So I can only hope I do so respectfully and accurately.

I don't think I'd be saying contentious to say that this has been a rough year for both workers and fans of creative industries. 

From Disney's perpetual abuse of the 3D artists and gutting of the Owl House. 

To Warner Discovery ripping away years of people's work for tax breaks and following it up with mass firings. 

This mass string of firings has also encompassed Rooster Teeth, with figures like Matt from Achievement Hunter, the entire RTX staff, artists, directors and VA's all having their positions, finger quotes, dissolved. 

This has been accompanied by the voice of May, Sheon and all around awesome Twitch Streamer, Kdin Jensen publishing: 

My final words on Rooster Teeth & just SOME of my experiences there.

I will link the post in the summary, but in brief:

- 2013 Unpaid Contract Work throughout 2013
- Use of the F slur as a nickname on camera leading it to being spread in the fandom, this was reported to HR but nothing was done
- 2013 Christmas "Bonus" $100. Long time members disapproved of said bonus
- 14hr work days, rush orders for same or next day videos
- "Any time I brought up mistreatment or that “making fun of people in content only encourages the community to hate us” - I was waved away saying “IT’S JUST A JOKE! Ignore the comments!”"
RT crunch caused pneumonia, no recovery period on return
- Crunched harder, physically isolated "people even IN the company forgot I worked"
- RT never fulfilled their promotion deals
- 15 hr work days
- 2016 came out as Trans, Transphobia harassment started
- Acting Manager lied to the community and harassed me, HR enabled them
- Founding Fathers Said “too nice to work at Rooster Teeth” and "just quit and find somewhere else to work"
- RT did not properly support medical insurance coverage
- End 2020 Position Producer/Director, paid $40k. Next lowest paid person was $70k.
- 2019, forced to move to LA or get laid off. RT never paid moving costs. COVID forced remote jobs thus SAVING my job
- RT INCREASES crunch during COVID after claiming they were working against crunch.
- 2021 Anniversary Stream Event. Had LIFE SAVING surgery, majority work stolen by coworker and blamed production failures on me during MEDICAL LEAVE.
- BRG created to help with representation issues, mid 2021 RT said "we've done enough for the queer community" PRIDE stream events still mostly Cis/Het talents
- Mistreatment of minorities in RT ignored "“the company is going through a lot right now just leave it alone"
- Unpaid for VO work during tenure at RT, May Marigold and RWBY Fairy Tales included.

This doesn't cover everything but proves to be a heartrending and horrific summary of corporate abuse. 

Some like myself may remember the last time RT was justly called out on crunch and their seeming action on that front. but it seems that mostly was just moving furniture around and getting rid of known name or two. 

The corrupt corporate culture remained the same. 

We have also heard from Kdin that many at RT wanted to make an apology for Clover's death despite him never being written as gay but were silence. Kdin did what she could and got death threats from people who accused 'selling out the LGBTQA+ community for thirty pieces of silver'. 

Others who work or worked at RT have come forward supporting Kdin and there have been a few apologies, though its Kdin's call on those. 

But you might be curious about the title, my reasoning for it is that Kdin has also done another post for Ask me anything, saying: 

she'd love to work with Kerry and the writers room again, if they want her back for May or Sheon she's there and that she very explicitly wants RWBY to be completed. Citing her love for the animation staff and expressing the sentiment those dedicated to the series deserve to see its resolution. 

I've also seen reference to parts of CRWBY trying to help ensure Kdin wasn't blacklisted in the industry after coming out as trans but I am not well versed on this front. 

Whatever the case, Kdin's well justified hurt and anger seems directed at RT's management or other areas of the company. 

This isn't to say there was no toxicity in the CRWBY department, but as far as I can tell no one was named from there and she capped off her initial letter with:

Handful of good people. Bad Company.

So... Where do we go from here? 

Well, first I'd once again say Kdin is incredibly brave to have come forward with this, but as is often the case, she shouldn't have had to have been brave. She never should have been forced to deal with this horrid treatment, nor should anyone else there have had to. 

Its incredibly unfair. 

Beyond that, it is tricky, unlike Hellena Taylor where she explicitly asked fans to boycott Bayonetta 3 due to the staggering underpay she was stiffed with, as far as I am aware no one formerly or currently tied to CRWBY are calling for a boycott. 

This doesn't mean don't cancel your First Subscription if you feel you have to of course. 

I'm merely looking at this from the perspective of labor and strike organizers who tend to feel boycotts are only effective when called by the staff, but that's not for primarily digital productions. 

Ultimately, unless someone or a group is able to provide guidance on what could best aid the mistreated staff, we all just have to make our own calls, both financially and emotionally. 

In an ideal world, RT and thir parent companies could be forced to fix everything they have broken, repay those they have harmed and the companies would become employee owned or at least beholden to a strong Union. 

Less ideally, but maybe still good would be CRWBY managing to rip themselves out of the corpatized husk that RT long since devolved into, taking their IP with them and becoming employee owned.

If there is anything we can do to help those who have given so much to us, and we have the means to do so I definitely feel we should. Just remember to direct that energy where it needs to go, be it anger at the perpetrators, or aid and support for the victims. 

This shouldn't be a partisan issue, this is about workers rights, human rights and basic decency. 

Thank you for your time.