All I would ask is that you realize that within Kodak, there is a talented, passionate group of people who have worked hard to keep the film business moving forward.
Good morning Colleen,
So far that hazmat suit is treating you well on here, good for you for braving the emotions to greet those who can keep it at bay.
I want to thank you for saying what needs to be said ( above ) in terms of the group of people who work hard to keep the film biz moving forward despite the battle going on much further up the corporate ladder, I am not sure most people realize just how human an element this is, so I have posted a photo of the group who I toured Building 38 with back in 2009……look at the faces, Scott Sheppard is in there, Josh Root from Photo.net, Stephen Schaub, Scott Disabato, Audrey Jonckheer, Garret Kokx, etc….
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No matter what happens, a lot of the people in this photo have had just as much hope to keep giving you great films as you have hoped to keep buying them, this has not changed, they are as sad as you are that we are all in this boat at this point.
And there are some hurdles to overcome. Colleen has stated on the RFF thread that Kodak is also selling the chemistry sector as part of the sale. As it has been pointed out on here, Champion Chemical makes our Kodak soup and is owed a lot of money by EK so not knowing the details, I can only speculate as to whether the buyer of the film group also has to buy the chemistry operation and gets the debt with it?
So we keep going round and round on the fact that both still and motion stocks are made in Building 38 so how can they separate them. Well, who is to say that Kodak is not selling the entirety of both lines to the still film buyer only to lease the line back when needing to make motion stock? And who is to say that a big, big player in the motion picture industry is not going to buy the stills division and then make, sell and distribute both motion and still stock…some of them are owed some 26 million in rebates after all….all speculation, could be as close to a hit as throwing a stone at pluto from a hurricane…
But, what we do have is an opportunity here and I am frankly surprised that no one has hit upon it yet. Imagine for a moment that we are all children in a orphanage. We are sad that no one seems to want to take care of us, we feel left behind, outcast, etc. But we hear that a bunch of potentially wonderful and willing parents are coming to find a child in need to take care of and help bloom into a well rounded adult, to get the care they deserve. Would it not make sense to then put on our best behaviors, be our best for the betterment of of our own self image and the image these parents see?
That is what we have in front of us right now, we need to put the numbers aside and show the potential new owners of Kodak film that we are going to continue to support the product and not only make great photos with it, but meet these people more than half way with great dialogue in how to help market film, how to show that it really matters in the year 2012. The people that are currently involved in marketing Kodak film have had their hands fiscally tied for years, that grip has only gotten tighter. So with this new chapter, that will obviously free up, it has to. So why not meet this possibility half way with giving them a helping hand. Don't wait for the new owners to bathe you in new slick ads and TV commercials, start thinking of how to be a stake holder in Kodak film in going forward.
This is not a mainstream thing we are talking here, this is film and that is niche, we have to think in terms of that from here on out in order for it to thrive under new ownership. This could turn out better than our wildest dreams, but we have to try to meet it all at least half way.
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