Stop Creating Content Until You Watch This ! AI Warning | Eric Galen DSH #1048

Summary

Digital Social Hour with Sean Kelly: "Stop Creating Content Until You Watch This! AI Warning | Eric Galen DSH #1048"

In the January 2, 2025 episode of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Eric Galen, a seasoned entertainment and tech lawyer deeply entrenched in the evolving landscapes of crypto and Web3. The discussion delves into the profound implications of artificial intelligence (AI) on content creation, digital identity, and the broader talent economy.

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AI and the Emergence of Digital Twins

The episode opens with a compelling exploration of AI's capacity to replicate human likenesses and personalities. Eric Galen introduces the concept of "digital twins"—AI-powered avatars that mirror real individuals with astonishing precision. At [00:04], Eric poses a critical question: "What happens when AR starts creating things on their own? Drake, for example, and that Digital Twin then goes and creates a song. Does Drake own it?" This inquiry sets the stage for a deeper examination of ownership and rights in the age of AI-generated content.

From Social Media to Web3: Democratizing the Talent Economy

Eric traces his journey from corporate and entertainment law to pioneering roles in the Web3 and crypto spaces. He reflects on the transformative power of platforms like YouTube and Instagram in democratizing the talent economy, breaking down the traditional barriers once dominated by Hollywood and New York elites. At [01:22], he shares, "Technologies around social media that came out, around Web two really helped open up, democratize, open up... what ended up being things like OnlyFans, where it's basically monetizing an audience through direct commerce." Eric anticipates a similar revolutionary shift as Web3 technologies, powered by AI and blockchain, begin to redefine how talent is discovered, managed, and monetized.

Legal Implications of AI in Content Creation

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the legal challenges posed by AI’s ability to mimic artists and creators. Eric highlights the complexities surrounding copyright and the rights to one's likeness. At [04:18], he explains, "And the lawyers and the industry is really grappling with it because like, well, it's not actually Drake's voice, it's not actually a recording of Drake. It just sounds like Drake." This raises pressing questions about intellectual property rights and the legal frameworks needed to address AI-generated works that closely resemble human creators.

Impact on the Talent Economy: Embracing Technology vs. Resistance

Eric advocates for collaboration between talent and emerging technologies rather than resistance. He emphasizes the importance of artists owning and controlling their digital twins to monetize these AI avatars effectively. At [07:31], he advises, "I think that talent is ultimately going to be better off working with technology and not trying to fight it." Drawing parallels with the early days of social media, Eric suggests that embracing AI and Web3 can unlock new revenue streams and opportunities for creators.

Authenticity and Trust in the Age of AI

The conversation shifts to the evolving nature of authenticity in media. Eric laments the decline of genuine content, attributing it to the rise of AI-generated material and stringent content moderation. He observes, "I think a lot of people crave both... a hybridization of traditional entertainment and social media." The duo discusses how platforms are grappling with maintaining authenticity as AI becomes increasingly adept at producing content that mirrors human interaction.

Cancel Culture, Free Speech, and Societal Implications

A poignant segment addresses the pervasive issue of cancel culture and its impact on free speech. Eric criticizes the modern tendency to judge individuals based on past actions without context, likening it to retroactively enforcing rules that didn’t exist at the time. At [20:49], he draws a parallel: "It would be like if there was a video of me doing, I don't know, 70 miles an hour on the freeway, and then the speed limit gets changed 10 years later and I get a ticket." This analogy underscores the arbitrary nature of current societal judgments and the erosion of due process.

Migration from California to Emerging Hubs: Cultural Shifts and Opportunities

Towards the episode's conclusion, Eric discusses the significant migration trends from traditional hubs like California to burgeoning cities such as Miami, Nashville, Austin, and Vegas. He attributes this movement to dissatisfaction with political and social climates in places like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Eric shares his personal observations, noting, "I went to a dinner last night with a friend of mine that runs a big venture capital fund down in Miami... it feels closed [in traditional hubs]." The enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit of these emerging cities present new opportunities for talent and technology innovators alike.

Looking Ahead: The Rapid Evolution of AI and Society

As the conversation wraps up, both Sean and Eric reflect on the swift pace of technological advancements and their far-reaching consequences. Eric muses on the potential for AI to enable forms of immortality through digital consciousness transfer, drawing inspiration from science fiction narratives like Black Mirror. He posits, "We're going to be immortal in that way soon." This forward-looking perspective highlights both the awe-inspiring possibilities and the ethical dilemmas that lie ahead.

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Conclusion

This episode of Digital Social Hour offers a comprehensive and insightful analysis of AI’s transformative role in content creation and the broader talent ecosystem. Eric Galen’s expertise illuminates the intricate dance between technological advancement and legal, ethical, and societal considerations. Listeners gain a nuanced understanding of how embracing AI and Web3 can unlock new potentials while navigating the challenges that accompany these innovations. As AI continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, the dialogue between creators, legal experts, and technologists remains crucial in shaping a future that balances innovation with integrity.

Notable Quotes:

• Eric Galen [00:04]: "What happens when AR starts creating things on their own? Drake, for example, and that Digital Twin then goes and creates a song. Does Drake own it?"

• Eric Galen [01:22]: "Technologies around social media that came out, around Web two really helped open up, democratize, open up... what ended up being things like OnlyFans, where it's basically monetizing an audience through direct commerce."

• Eric Galen [04:18]: "It's not actually Drake's voice, it's not actually a recording of Drake. It just sounds like Drake."

• Eric Galen [07:31]: "I think that talent is ultimately going to be better off working with technology and not trying to fight it."

• Eric Galen [20:49]: "It would be like if there was a video of me doing, I don't know, 70 miles an hour on the freeway, and then the speed limit gets changed 10 years later and I get a ticket."

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For more insights and updates, follow Eric Galen on Instagram @EricFGALEN.

Transcript

[Sean Kelly]

What is the value you're providing? Can AI just duplicate?

[Eric Galen]

You certainly still own your own likeness. What I think really starts getting interesting, you're going to have digital twins. We're doing deals with the talent. We're not doing it without talent. What happens when AR starts creating things on their own? Drake, for example, and that Digital Twin then goes and creates a song. Does Drake own it? Digital twin, Own it. It really makes you ponder, well, who deserves rights? What does it take to be human? We're at that point now. Foreign.

[Sean Kelly]

Welcome back to the show, guys. I'm your host as always, Sean Kelly. Got with me an entertainment and tech lawyer for you guys today. Eric Galen. How's it going?

[Eric Galen]

Great. Happy to be here. Thanks for having me. Just. Just literally arrived an hour ago and came down here and it's a beautiful studio.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah, we made it happen. Yeah. So you're up to a lot of stuff. I don't even know where to start.

[Eric Galen]

But I have been.

[Sean Kelly]

I know you're in the crypto space, web3 space.

[Eric Galen]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I, I got really into the kind of web3 and crypto space. So I, I started out as a corporate lawyer, then got into entertainment law in LA and started doing a lot of work in social media. Started managing some. Some early social media influencers like Jack and Jack and Madison Beer and some others that kind of came up in the 2014, 2015 kind of range when it was the wild west for influence.

[Sean Kelly]

Right.

[Eric Galen]

And saw that really progress and evolve and, And I think kind of that phase one, the technologies that, that came out. Right. So YouTube, Instagram, those kinds of things really helped start to democratize the talent economy, which had traditionally always been very closed. It was like a castle with a moat around it. Right. You had to, you had to live in Hollywood or you had to be in New York and you had to kind of know the right people and things like that. So, you know, technologies around social media that came out, around Web two really helped open up, democratize, open up, you know, everything from YouTube revenue to brand deals with Instagram, to what ended up being things like OnlyFans, where it's basically monetizing an audience through direct commerce. And I think we're about to see that same shift again as we start moving to Web three, when you start looking at the evolution of these platforms and the introduction of new platforms. So, you know, one of the companies that I'm spending, you know, most of my time with is a Web3 company and it's, you know, we're developing digital twins and they're powered by AI so they can interact, they can kind of live autonomously in games and in the metaverse and, and then when you look at, you know, payment systems and blockchain and things like that, it's just a huge amount of promise around kind of where, where the new talent economy is going. Yeah, I'm excited about that.

[Sean Kelly]

Very exciting. The digital twin stuff fascinates me because there's a lot of people that want to talk to celebrities or girls, I think they're hot or whatever. And with digital twins, it seems like it's going to be almost identical to the real person.

[Eric Galen]

I think it's going to start out, I mean, what's interesting is, you know, we're. When you start out, you want to make them identical, right? So you spend time doing motion capture, you spend time perfecting the look and the sound and the voice and what they talk about and how they react. And when you start looking at AI and AI going and saying, okay, look at everything this person has ever tweeted, look at what they post, look at what they talk about, look at current events, right? You can start to really build out a personality model and a language model and everything else. What I think is really going to be interesting for anyone that's seen, you know, something like, like the movie Free Guy. When AI gets to the point it will. That digital twins, you know, you're going to have an, you're going to, you're going to reach a point where someone's digital twin is going to, for example, let's, let's just say that the, the real life talent really hates Donald Trump and the digital twin says, I'm going to go vote for Donald Trump. Like you're going to have a degree of autonomy at some point. Then I think it starts getting really interesting and then you have to start thinking about. So when you look at, for example, when you look at where AI is with music, right? So, you know, we've seen AI write quote unquote songs by the weekend or by Drake that. Right?

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah.

[Eric Galen]

And the lawyers and the industry is really grappling with it because like, well, it's, it's not actually Drake's voice, it's not actually a recording of Drake. It just sounds like Drake. Right, right. And their original compositions, they're not copying any of the music or lyrics. And, and yet, you know, the industry is kind of grasping it, trying to find lever points to say, hey, you can't do this now. You certainly can't release a song and associate Drake with It. Because Drake has his own name and likeness rights and he has.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah.

[Eric Galen]

His right to privacy, things like that. So. So you can't use that. But. But simply putting out a song that sound, that someone heard it and go, wow, that sounds like the Weeknd, for example. It's going to be interesting to see how the law kind of comes down on that. We've seen, like, Mid Journey, we've seen the copyright office start to say, well, if there's not enough, you know, human involvement, you can't copyright it in certain pieces of art that someone used Mid Journey for. So I think we're really getting into a very, very new space here. Yeah, I think it's going to affect the talent and the talent economy in huge ways. We're seeing it with the strikes. Right? We're seeing with the strikes. You know, the, the. That looks like hopefully there was some kind of settlement that's coming down now. But most. A lot of that, that argument was around AI.

[Sean Kelly]

Right.

[Eric Galen]

And how studios are going to use AI to, you know, the initial concern is they're going to use AI to. To write scripts or to start writing things. But think about, think about the use of Mid Journey and AI and the other things to start creating. We've already seen them online, right. You're going to have movies that, you know, where you could use the digital likeness of an actor who never perform.

[Sean Kelly]

Right.

[Eric Galen]

But the voice, it looks like them, it sounds like them. It things they would say, yeah, so we're really entering into a new world where we're going to be able to create anything. Right. And you won't be able to tell. You'll be. Someone will be able to create a podcast of us, and it won't be us.

[Sean Kelly]

There's already Joe Rogan podcasts that are AI generated 100%.

[Eric Galen]

Yeah, that's already here. And think about, you know, as exponentially as that technology is going to increase, how quickly? What's it going to look like in five years?

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah, it's definitely scary and something to keep an eye on if you're a celebrity, because it comes down to what actually is your IP now. Right, right. So, like, what is the value you're providing? Can I can just duplicate.

[Eric Galen]

Absolutely. And so. So you certainly still own. You certainly still own your own likeness. So you own your likeness. You own, you know, the. If someone creates an AI podcast and says, oh, this is a Sean Kelly podcast, you could go after them, hey, this is not really me. You can't associate me. So you have name and likeness. Right. But What I think, what I think really starts getting interesting is, and I think potentially even, I don't know which is going to be more scary for talent. Right. One is that you're going to have digital twins. And like, you know, we are working with digital twins and we're saying, hey, we're doing deals with the talent. We're not doing it without talent consent. We're doing it with the talent and saying, you own the twins, you own the avatar. We're going to help you monetize it.

[Sean Kelly]

Right.

[Eric Galen]

And we're going to build it with you and we're going to train it with you. So, you know, one aspect is what happens when AR starts creating things on their own. If you created a digital twin of Drake, for example, and that digital twin then goes and creates a song, does Drake own it? Digital twin, own it. At what point will AI reach again, referring back to, I mean, look, you could go back all the way to things like Blade Runner, Free Guy, any of these movies where it really makes you ponder, well, who deserves rights? What does it take to be human? Yeah, right. And we're at that point now. I mean, we're going to be grappling with these would have previously just been interesting philosophical questions. We're going to be dealing with the real life implications of, you know, this decade.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah. Some artists have been embracing it. They're even saying they'll give a percent of the song revenue that make the songs with their voice Like a 5050 split.

[Eric Galen]

And I think that's smart. I think that's really smart. Because the reality is, you know, talent doesn't, you don't want to do what the music industry did when Napster and kind of that first wave of tech came along. Right. They said, we're not playing along, we want to stop you, we want to stop progress, we're going to stop innovation. We're just going to sue you. That didn't work very well. Yeah, right, didn't work. So I think talent is ultimately going to be better off working with technology and not trying to fight it. And at least in working with it, you can try to have some degree of influence over it. Right. Not unlike what, for example, when Elon Musk talks about, you know, he's, he's worried and concerned about the future of AI, but he's also in that business so that he can try to have input on, you know, with neuralink and other things. Okay, how do we, how do we take advantage of it and not get completely crushed by it?

[Sean Kelly]

Right, right. Yeah.

[Eric Galen]

So So I think talent will have to do the same thing with these new technologies. And I think it's going to be, I think for those that embrace it, they're going to do really well. I mean, look at, look at talent and embrace social media. How many stars would we not have today? I mean, you wouldn't know about Madison Beer, Bella, Hadid Camera, Dallas, any of these people. Without technology, without social media, it's so closed off. So closed off. Right. So it really did start to democratize. I mean, you can be anyone, anywhere, and you can start a podcast, you can get into crypto, you can, you know, launch an nft, you can. I mean, there's so many things you can do. Launch an Amazon store. Right. I mean, there's so many things that you can do from anywhere in the world now because of technology.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah.

[Eric Galen]

And I think we're going to see another kind of quantum step forward as these Web3 technologies, Web 2.5 starts really emerging. I think talent is better off embracing it. Otherwise, I think the risk is. And by the way, I'm sure there are people, I'm sure there are large studios thinking about this. I'm sure there are talent agencies. Remember Brood? I mean, the company's still around, but Lil Mikayla, it's an influencer that does not exist in real life. So the ability to start creating, for example, with all the Data that Google, YouTube, that systems have, right, that the Internet has on you, why wouldn't it just create an influencer for you, that's your perfect influencer just for you, that speaks exactly the way that you like, that looks the way that you like, that likes the things that you like. Right. And that. Imagine going onto your feed and what you see. And the ads that you see are the influencers that don't exist in real life. They're digital, they're virtual, and they're just for you because it will have the highest conversion rate for you.

[Sean Kelly]

Right.

[Eric Galen]

And imagine watching movies or imagine watching shows or commercials and, you know, person A sees, you know, I don't know, they like Tom Brady and Tom Brady's in their version. Person B likes something else. And, and so that, you know, this digital, this, this, you know, created personality is in their commercial because. Because it converts better. I think we're going to see all of that. We're going to see it really soon.

[Sean Kelly]

Absolutely. It's going to be exciting to see how it plays out. I think there's a lot of skepticism, but I think overall, AI will, will.

[Eric Galen]

Help a lot of people, I think it will. I'm already using AI, by the way. I mean, even, even, you know, in biz dev legal, I'm using AI to do, to help me with a lot. And what I'm finding is, it's just like when, when, honestly when a digital recording, sampling. Right. Pro tools, all that stuff came out for, you know, or think about filters, think about photo filters. It doesn't make you a great photographer. Right. It's just a tool.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah.

[Eric Galen]

So I think people that, that lean on like a crutch ultimately aren't, aren't going to be super successful, but people that use it as a tool and know its place and know how to leverage it are going to be able to do more and be more efficient and, you know, you're not going to miss things that you otherwise would have missed and it's going to open new opportunities. I mean, it's, it's, it's incredible where it's going. I think that, I think it's probably correct that there you should be a little concerned. So that we should be concerned enough to be looking out for the pitfalls or the, you know, the, the landmines. Right.

[Sean Kelly]

We don't end up like Terminator.

[Eric Galen]

Yes, well, right, right. Because, you know, there have been days where on my feed I'll see a video from, like, Boston Robotics that does these incredible robots, if you've ever seen them. You look at the robots, you go, man, these robots are amazing. This is getting to look like Terminator. And then you look at some of the AI and you look at what it's doing, you go, man, you start combining these things and this. Yeah, this gets real fast.

[Sean Kelly]

I just saw my Instagram yesterday that I think ChatGPT can see in here now or something.

[Eric Galen]

Yeah.

[Sean Kelly]

Something crazy.

[Eric Galen]

Yeah. And this is going to move at lightning speed.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah.

[Eric Galen]

I mean, next year, if we're sitting here, it's going to be a completely different world we're living in.

[Sean Kelly]

Reminds me of that Black Mirror episode where if you lost a relative, there was a company you could go to and it would put an AI inside of a vessel and for sure act like that person.

[Eric Galen]

Yeah. And I think we will be immortal in that way soon. I mean, I think, you know, our, our lifetimes, we're going to be, we, we will be able to be uploaded. Yeah.

[Sean Kelly]

I think they'll find a way to transfer our consciousness to, like a computer or even another vessel.

[Eric Galen]

For sure. Another vessel. It could be a kind of hybrid, it could be kind of humanoid. You know, this is going to move really Quickly. And when you start looking at where quantum computing is going and where. What that's going to enable, and you start looking at that in combination with AI and in combination with some of the other technologies, it's. It's. Our world is going to change so quickly.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah.

[Eric Galen]

I feel like our world is changing so fast that nothing surprises anyone anymore. Like, we have people testifying before Congress that we have captured aliens, that alien ships are real, like many people. And it's like, people are like, oh.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah, no one gives.

[Eric Galen]

Apparently there is aliens. This is one of the biggest discoveries in the last however many millennia.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah.

[Eric Galen]

People are. I think they're so conditioned. What do you think that is?

[Sean Kelly]

We're just so numb to just, like. I don't know, maybe social media just made us so numb to information, almost like nothing really surprises us anymore. I remember back in, like, elementary school, like, anything would surprise me right before technology. But now it's like, oh, that happened. Okay, Right. Next. Next post.

[Eric Galen]

Right. Well, and it's also creating this environment where it's hard to know what to trust. It's really hard to know what to trust. And I think, you know, I've been. I've been. I've been working with Patrick, but David and valuetainment, his team, and I really like a lot of what they're doing. And, you know, when you look at, you know, what does the future of a media company look like, and how do you start. How do you start restoring some degree of trust? I think that, you know, that's. People like Joe Rogan have done so well because people trust him.

[Sean Kelly]

Right.

[Eric Galen]

There's a. There's an. There's an element of authenticity that, you know, conceptually, could he be misleading? Could he ever be like, yeah, but, gosh, when you sit down, it's one thing. When you're reading for 30 seconds of teleprompter, it's like, well, is that really what they think? Are they being told to say that when you're sitting down with someone for four hours, you're having a conversation? The BS tends to kind of leak out. Right. It's hard to keep up a facade for four hours, for sure. Conversation.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah. You can only do that for so long.

[Eric Galen]

I do it for so long. Yeah. So I think. I think, you know, that's why podcasting has emerged. I listen to. I listen to podcasts every day when I'm driving, when I'm showering. I mean, I'm listening podcasts all the time. And I think a lot of people are. And I think I think it's that element of authenticity. I think influencers really started that way. If you remember 2013, 2014, 2015, a lot of what brands liked and the push that you'd hear from agencies was, well, you know, influencers are authentic. Right. In a way that, you know, an actor who's hired to do a commercial with a script is not. But now I think, you know, because that even kind of, that the social media landscape has evolved and matured so much. Okay, but you know, some of the biggest influencers, how real is it? Yeah, right. How many filters, how many surgeries, how many. What kinds of things are being done? You know, how much authenticity are you really getting anymore? And I think people are, to a certain extent, I think people crave both. Right. I mean, I think that to a certain extent, I think some people crave. I was in, I was in Paris, went to the Louvre recently, and you look at these statues and they were like, that was like, those were like the, you know, I don't know, the Rock or, you know, Kylie Jenner back in the day. It was like these were these kind of icons, right? They were heroes, so to speak, that people would aspire to be like, for better or for worse. And I think people yearn for that. But then, you know, they yearn for Adele. Right. They yearn for, you know, then a Top Gun movie that cost however many hundreds of millions of dollars. But then they also yearn for raw 15 second on the cheap, you know, Tick Tock videos or Instagram stories. And, you know, I think, I think there's a. There's a place for kind of these well produced, let's call them less authentic versions, like the Hollywood content. Yeah, traditional Hollywood created. But. But now we're seeing it also created in social media. Right? Right. It's kind of almost been a, A hybridization of traditional entertainment and social media. And then you also have things like, you know, again, like looking at, like what, you know, people are doing with podcasts and just sitting down and having real conversations. And that, for the most part, are not edited.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah, I don't edit.

[Eric Galen]

Right. And that's. But people love that. And I think that there's a realness and there's an authenticity there that I think people are really craving because I think we don't get much of it. We don't feel like we're getting it. I certainly don't feel like I'm getting it from the news, from traditional media. You know, if I want something authentic, I'm going to go to YouTube and find someone that I trust. I'm not turning on NBC or Fox or any of the others.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah, right.

[Eric Galen]

And I think that's what's. What's really great about what. What Patrick and his team are doing is really trying to create a media company that is. That can be more trusted.

[Sean Kelly]

I love it. It's great to see. It's also very hard to pull off because a lot of these social media platforms will censor you. You start speaking too much of your truth.

[Eric Galen]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think. I think we're starting to see it. We saw another one very recently, and, you know, look, claims need to be adjudicated. Right. We still should be innocent until proven guilty. Right. That's something that. That most people in this society have. Have protected for a long time. Right. The American value of innocent until proven guilty. Some of that seems to have changed, at least culturally. Right. Where it seems like now if someone goes off script for long enough or becomes big enough level, some accusations doesn't need to be adjudicated. And then you get media company, you get censored, you get stopped, you get demonetized, you get. You basically get professionally assassinated with no proof. With no proof, no adjudication. You're basically guilty until proven innocent.

[Sean Kelly]

Yep.

[Eric Galen]

And by the time that you ever get proved innocent, you know who did that recently? Maybe Johnny Depp.

[Sean Kelly]

Johnny Depp.

[Eric Galen]

But that took years. And he had money and he lost his movie roles. Yeah. And he lost the movie roles. The process. He had enough to be able to sustain himself through that.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah.

[Eric Galen]

The average person does not.

[Sean Kelly]

Definitely not.

[Eric Galen]

So I. I think that's really. That's frightening for a lot of people. I think that's really damaging. That's really damaging this. This kind of. That mob mentality. And. And the way that we're starting to see governments acting in concert with media companies, acting in concert with big tech, it really. It's worrisome for people that value authenticity and freedom of speech and things that have always been, you know, values that have made the country great. And part of the reason why people have always wanted. Flock to come here and build lives and build careers and things.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah, man, it's really scary because, you know, people go through old tweets from 10 years ago when you can call people names that were normal back then. Right. And then they pull that up and out of context, it looks terrible.

[Eric Galen]

Yeah. You can't be held liable. I mean, it's like, you know, holding someone liable for something for something that. That was okay in its time. It would Be like. It would be like if there was a video of me doing, I don't know, 70 miles an hour on the freeway, and then the speed limit gets changed 10 years later and I get a ticket.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah, I love that.

[Eric Galen]

That wouldn't make sense.

[Sean Kelly]

That's exactly what it is, yet that's.

[Eric Galen]

Exactly what we're doing to people. And I also think it's really. I think people are really trying to remember who talked about. I think Jordan Peterson talked about that. There's kind of this idea that, you know, you would ask a class of students and say, you know, who, if they were a soldier or if they were a German in World War II, would not have done X, Y and Z. And of course, everybody raised their hands. I would never have done it. It's like, now, the sad truth is most of you would have. That's just reality. That's the truth. For better or for worse. Certainly not that it's. Right. It's terrible. But, you know, in the time with the pressures under, you know, with the belief systems, with the, you know, threat of death and things like that, people do things that. That in hindsight are terrible ideas.

[Sean Kelly]

Right.

[Eric Galen]

And. And I think we have to. We have to be able to. We have to have some perspective with that. Right. Like, if you look at a show. If you look at a TV show that, you know, I go back and I look at things like, you know, Friends. Friends is one of the most popular TV shows. I've seen some episodes. I'm like, they couldn't do this today. No, they could not do half of these. The Office. They could not do half of those episodes. I mean, some huge Family Guy people up. Family Guy. My God, you can't even believe that Family Guy is still on or that south park is still around.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah. How did they not get canceled?

[Eric Galen]

How did they not get canceled back there? But I also wonder, you know, we had amazing comedies, right? What's the last great comedy?

[Sean Kelly]

You've seen a comedy movie? Yeah, they're so. Think about it.

[Eric Galen]

Like, have you seen anything?

[Sean Kelly]

Even the new Sandler ones, they don't hit the same.

[Eric Galen]

No, no. That. There. There are no great comedies. No great comedies anymore. And probably the last. Well, the only great action movies that we've had recently, John Wick, Serious, which I loved, but that's Keanu. And, you know, it's. It's like Tom Cruise and Keanu. You know, it's. It's like people that are 50 years old. Plus, there are no new comedies.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah.

[Eric Galen]

No new action stars.

[Sean Kelly]

I'm kind of sick of Fast and Furious.

[Eric Galen]

Yeah. You can't watch another Fast and Furious. And then, you know, there. That's been going on forever. So I think, I think we've got to try to. I think we've got to recenter. I think we've got to have more perspective and a little more grace with people. And I think the cancel culture, especially not allowing people. I mean, it's fascinating to me that the same people that seem to advocate for cancel Culture are the same people that for years were donating and advocating for rehabilitation of criminals. People that actually killed people or that actually. I think Chappelle talks about that one of his shows is like one of the rappers he talked about. He's like. He actually went in and shot people.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah.

[Eric Galen]

Like, he didn't get canceled for that. He did get canceled for saying something. Right. Like, I think we need to have a little bit more perspective and allow people to not be so eager to demonize people.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah, it was crazy watching him get canceled. But for him, he doesn't really use social media, so. So I don't think he got hit as hard. But a lot of these creators make a living off of social media these days.

[Eric Galen]

They do. And I think that's where the pressure is. Right. And I, I see it with, I see it with clients that, you know, want to speak up or want to voice and they feel like they don't. There's no. They don't really have freedom of expression anymore. And if it doesn't align with the narrative, you can't say it or you're going to lose clients or your job or your agent or your whatever.

[Sean Kelly]

Right.

[Eric Galen]

And I think that's, that's a really sad place to be, you know, super sad. So it's a really. And I think we're all losing out as a result. And the reality is it will eventually come for you. Right. The people that are, you know, the people in the mob attacking people at some point are going to be attacked because you can never be good enough. You can never be enough of an angel, or you can never be noble enough or, you know, virtuous enough. And, and I think that to, to not have some perspective and grace with others eventually is going to come back to you. And I don't think that's, that's not this, that's not the society that we really want to live in. We've. We've always believed in, of course, punishing things that are wrong, but, but also having, like a jury of your peers and having a Sin, having the ability to actually. Did this actually happen or not before you get punished? Don't get punished. We didn't punish people and then figure out if it was right.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah, right.

[Eric Galen]

We didn't do that. And yet that's a lot of what we're seeing today. And I think, and to your point, because we living in a world where we're so inundated with so much all the time, people are a bit numb. And so either people don't have time to think about it or if they do think about it, they think, well that's wrong, but what can I really do about it? And so it just continues and it keeps happening. I think we're starting to see pushback, you know, in certain ways. And I think, I think we're starting to see people kind of speak and have a bit more of a voice and frankly, I mean, look, that's why you see a lot of people moving from some areas of the country to other areas of the country where they feel like there's more freedom to express, there's more freedom of all kind. I think freedom comes in many, many different elements of freedom.

[Sean Kelly]

Yeah. So speaking of moving, I mean, you were an entertainment lawyer in Hollywood for many years. You must have seen some crazy stuff over there.

[Eric Galen]

I did. I mean, look, I have, you know, on my mom's side of the family, I'm seventh generation native California, so I really have so much love for California. It's sad to see what's happening in California. I don't agree with a lot of the policies, I don't agree with a lot of the politics in California. I don't think it's good for people. I think people know it's not good for them. I have a lot of friends and others that have moved out of California few years. Yeah. And we're seeing it. And look, the data is clear, the pattern is clear. People are moving from New York, California, Seattle, and they're going to. Where are they going? Miami, Nashville, Austin, Vegas. Vegas, right. So it's clear what, where people are moving and I think on a high level why they're moving there. You know, I, I, as much as I love California, as much as I hope California does get, get it kind of fix itself, I don't see it happening very soon.

[Sean Kelly]

Not soon.

[Eric Galen]

And that's really sad because it's such a great state and you know, the geography there, the opportunity there, the innovation that's happened there, just incredible.

[Sean Kelly]

So it's really iconic.

[Eric Galen]

Yeah, it's iconic and sad to see that Happening. But, you know, at least for the time being, I think there are some bright spots. That's what, you know, you go to Miami right now, I mean, there's energy and people are moving there. They're entrepreneurial, they're optimistic. I went to a dinner last night with a friend of mine that runs a big venture capital fund down in Miami and some founders, much of what we as a group were talking about, just the optimism, the welcome, people are welcome there. When I went to Miami, it wasn't like if you go to LA or San Francisco, if you go to San Francisco and you want to be in town, the big funds and people aren't saying, oh, man, I gotta meet this guy. And, yeah, we'd love you to succeed in here. It feels closed. You have to fight to kind of get in. And entertainment was always like that. I mean, it was unbelievable. When I started, you know, I had grown up as a. As a trained musician, and so I started trying to get an entertainment law in la. It was like no one wanted you in. It was like everybody's there to protect their corner and they don't want any more people in. And that's how it always felt. And Miami has been polar opposite. I mean, the friends and the network that I built there of people that are really doing cool things. Unbelievable. And there really is a difference in the culture there. The culture there is different. And, you know, I think probably people are seeing that.

[Sean Kelly]

Man, it's been a great episode. I'm excited about what you're working on, man, with DVD with AI. I'm gonna keep an eye on you. Anything you want to close off with, man?

[Eric Galen]

No, no. Thank you for having me here. It's great. I love the show. Yeah. If you want to find me, I'm in Instagram. Eric F. Galen G A L, E N. Absolutely.

[Sean Kelly]

Thanks for coming on, man. Thanks for watching, guys. And I'll see you tomorrow.