[Templar]

I'm only on a CBF500 for now (It's the one in the picture, taken by my rather brave girlfriend). I commute every day in London, and don't really need anything bigger. Once the book finally takes off (!) I'll upgrade. I assume you ride?

The odd thing is that I saw all this happen in reverse in TV. When Channel 4 started (long before I was in TV) there sprang a myriad of small bloke-in-shed production companies. Some were crap, and they failed to get more than a handful of commissions, but the best ones grew, and were swallowed up, one by one, by the bigger TV companies. Now there are fewer production companies, and the smallest can't survive against the power of Endemol and All3media, who take all the commissions. but those companies have huge overheads now, and shareholders and as a consequence the budgets at the big companies are "trimmed" to make sure the profits stay healthy and the shareholders fat. It's true, I've seen it (and worked on shows with a mysterious 25% drop in budget), and it has started to affect quality, and the safety of the crews. It's why I got out - I could no longer make the BEST show possible, instead I had to make the CHEAPEST show possible good.

I really long for the days of bloke-in-shed. The UK is so good at those.



EDIT: It's also worth noting that this stuff fascinates me, as I have a degree in Economics, and I am really looking forward to seeing how this industry changes and evolves. I don't mean to shout anyone down, I promise. I know I hold strong views, and I welcome people challenging me on them.