“Sometimes, the most powerful business decision is knowing when to walk away.
In 2017, British-Ghanaian actress, writer and producer Michaela Coel was pitching I May Destroy You, a drama inspired in part by her own experience of sexual assault. Netflix offered her $1 million for the project, but there was a major sticking point: she would not retain any percentage of the copyright under the proposed deal.
Coel pushed back. She initially asked to keep 5% of the rights, then lowered her request during negotiations, eventually asking for just 0.5%. The deal still did not give her the ownership she wanted.
So she walked away.
Coel later brought the project to the BBC, which agreed to give her the rights to her work and full creative control. The series premiered in 2020 as a BBC and HBO co-production and went on to earn widespread critical acclaim.
Her decision highlights a crucial lesson for creatives and entrepreneurs: getting paid is important, but understanding what you give up in exchange can be just as important.
Copyright, ownership and creative control can shape the long-term value of a project. A large upfront payment may look attractive, but it is worth understanding the terms before signing away rights to something you have worked hard to create.
Michaela Coel did not simply negotiate for a bigger paycheck. She stood firm on owning a piece of her own work.
Sometimes, protecting your vision means being willing to say no to a deal everyone else thinks you should accept.
Source: Vulture, BBC Culture, and reporting on Michaela Coel’s account of the negotiations.”
