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So my time in the #JulieAndThePhantoms trenches means that I’ve witnessed some “Famouses Exploiting Fan Labor” nonsense, and I feel it’s in all of our best interest to go ahead and break down all the ways @JeremyShada and his wife Carolynn failed to recognize how power works.
New Netflix show aimed at teens means lots of fan art, and one prominent bit that got noticed by the #JulieAndThePhantoms cast is this charming doodle of the ghost characters on the show as, well, ghosts by Instagram user “Arttavern” that Shada says he “wants on a tshirt.”
And so “Arttavern” leveraged the easy accessibility of custom design infrastructure, set up a Redbubble shop, and started selling shirts to fans of #JulieAndThePhantoms. A Fan Art success story, right?
Let’s jump to a week later...
Let’s jump to a week later...
Yesterday, Shada’s wife Carolynn posts her own fan art, which she says was inspired by what fans were creating, without specifically citing “Arttavern” and their design. (And if you think she added the hat, she was “inspired” by this other doodle).
Which, fine! But...
Which, fine! But...
Today, the Shadas announced they had screen printed the design onto t-shirts, set up at Etsy shop, and were selling the shirts with a portion going to the Make-a-Wish foundation as a way to “give back to the fans.” And the Etsy listing cites “Arttavern” as an “inspiration.”
Two notes here. The first is that it is an ENORMOUS red flag when someone says “proceeds go to charity” and doesn’t say what % of proceeds. Is it 10%? 1%? 30%?
The second is that copying someone’s work for likes is very different than profiting off of it. And fans knew it.
The second is that copying someone’s work for likes is very different than profiting off of it. And fans knew it.
Note from those images that the credit to the specific artist was not originally on Shada’s post: it was added after these comments attacking them for failing to offer credit, prompting a defensive response from Shada that reveals she “got her permission before designing.”
And so Carolynn did damage control and posted a screenshot of the Instagram conversation she had with “Arttavern,” who reposted it on their own story as “the truth” after fans were calling out the injustice. “It’s okay,” they say. Permission was granted!
But look at this convo.
But look at this convo.
Carolynn praises “Arttavern,” and asks if they’d be upset if she made t-shirts, as though this fan is going to object when an actor’s influencer-positioned wife has noticed them and called them talented.
Carolynn has all the power, and she’s using it to profit off of their idea.
Carolynn has all the power, and she’s using it to profit off of their idea.
The couple has shifted to defensively tagging “Arttavern” in the posts about the shirts, but no amount of “credit” or “exposure” changes the fact that they clearly stole her design, made their own version, and are profiting from it.
And that’s exploiting fan labor.
And that’s exploiting fan labor.
So to @JeremyShada, I recommend this: realize you’ve wielded your power recklessly, split your profits of the shirts with the artist who “heavily inspired them,” and remember that fan labor deserves far more than an Instagram shoutout if you intend to profit from it.
Ah yes, “special shout outs” and “thanks,” truly the correct compensation when you steal someone’s artwork, leverage your celebrity to get them to “give you permission,” and profit off of it. Good look, @JeremyShada.
