Script Notes by Chad Gervich - Career Advice

Meet Rick Qualliotine, Co-EP

Chad — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:22:18 GMT

I’m writing this while sitting in the office of our Co-Executive Producer, Rick Qualliotine—the only person at The Wanda Sykes Show who has actually PAINTED HIS OFFICE… making this easiest the coolest office in the place (one wall is a bright warm orange-yellow).

Rick started his career in theater, producing plays and stage shows, before moving on to television, where he has helped get shows like The Showbiz Show with David Spade, HGTV Summer Showdown, and now The Wanda Sykes Show, up on their feet.

So I’m asking Rick…

What are the biggest challenges when getting a new show up on its feet?

Here’s what Rick says, in his own words...

1) NOT MENTALLY IMPLODING WHILE YOU WAIT FOR YOUR DEAL TO CLOSE. Getting to the point where you actually start making something is a grueling, pressure-filled, and sometimes a financially difficult time. Even if you’ve pitched and sold something, sometimes it will take a long while for there to be any money. So frequently you’re waiting and waiting for a deal to close… and waiting for production to start… and waiting for any money to start coming. So just getting to the point where you’re actually making something can be very stressful and difficult.

2) You’d be amazed how frequently it turns out that what you’ve sold isn’t what the buyer wants. So going back and forth trying to figure out what the show is, depending on the genre, can be very challenging. What people frequently forget is that when they say “I sold my show, I sold my project,” that really means someone else owns it. So when you start telling them what the show is and that’s not what they want it to be, there’s a very difficult back-and-forth… and what the show is and who’s gonna star in it and who’s gonna write it. After you’ve sold it, it’s somebody else’s. They need you to execute it, but it’s theirs.

3) Staying on top of all the different pieces as it starts to move really fast. It’s a huge elaborate, collaborative process. I always go back to this David Mamet quote, which I’ll paraphrase: “Producing a play or directing a film is like running a marathon. Launching a television series is like running until your heart explodes.”

When you make a TV show, you’re usually looking at making 13 or 22 episodes. Just doing the math, that’s either 7½ -11 or 13-22 hours of material that you have to imagine, write, perform, and edit. It takes years to do that for a feature film, to produce that much material. And we generally have about 30 weeks. So that requires a huge team and lots of people writing simultaneously. You must overlap your writing, your production, and post. So as soon as those things start to overlap, you have to—as a showrunner—move in and out of those essential pieces. That’s why, in television, directors take an episode or a couple episodes; then, the next week it moves on to the next director, whereas producers and writers stay on and generate all the material. So if you’re a showrunner, you must have someone sitting in the [writers] room who you trust. You have to have someone on the stage who you trust. You have to have someone editing who you trust. But you also have to be able to interface with all those people simultaneously, while dealing with the network, and all the usual challenges of managing people.

Chuck's question: Am I wasting my time if I don't live in L.A.?

Chad — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:20:05 GMT

Hey, folks—

Today’s question comes from Chuck, who writes…

"I am writing some spec screenplays, and a pilot. But let's face it - I will never move to LA. Meetings - yes. Move - no. Am I wasting my time? I've met managers who have said "Send me something when you have something worth sending." I could probably get a rep, but, Chad, I will NEVER move there. Can a guy make any money or sell anything without being there? (Maybe this is a good question for your blog, should it continue under your stewardship.)

"Furthermore, if your answer is essentially NO, would it be wise to get some sort of partner out there (that I know and trust) that could play "pitchman" to my "writer?” Ever heard of any partnerships like that?"

First of all, Chuck, thanks for the questions. These are interesting—and not uncommon—concerns. So let’s dive in…

1) DO YOU NEED TO MOVE TO L.A. TO MAKE IT AS A SCREENWRITER?

The cold, hard, blunt truth is: yes.

But let’s talk about this…

L.A. is, obviously, the center of the American entertainment industry. Sure, TV and films are made in other cities—New York, Chicago, Atlanta—but the heart and soul of the U.S. industry is one city… Los Angeles. And in order to be part of that, you need to be here. Not because there’s something magical about the geography or location, but because this is a BUSINESS, and—as a business—you need to be able to navigate it. You need to understand its rules, its pathways, its processes… and, most importantly, you need to be able to meet and network with other players in the industry. Like most industries, Hollywood is based as much on contacts and relationships as it is on skill, talent, and ability… and if you can’t be constantly meeting, forming, and maintaining relationships, it’s very difficult to progress or excel.

Sure, you can read books, take classes, come out for meetings, attend seminars and conferences… and all of these things will help educate you. You’ll become smarter, your writing will improve, you’ll gain a better understanding of the arts, crafts, and business of Hollywood. But knowledge alone is not enough to power a career; you need on-the-ground experience, contacts and relationships, and the ability to actually participate in the industry.

An aspiring marine biologist can go to school in Omaha or Kansas City or Las Vegas, where they may be the best student in their class and a brilliant scientist. But unless they move to a coast, they’ll probably never fulfill their true marine biologist potential, no matter how brilliant they are. They can certainly make a living as an amazing teacher. Or apply their knowledge to similar areas, like environmental planning. But they’ll probably never be a leading marine biologist, because marine biologists can only work in one place: at the ocean.

Hollywood, for better or worse, is the same way. Now, fortunately, Hollywood may not ALWAYS be that way… and some of the old rules are changing… but for now, L.A. remains the place to be. But more on that in a second…

2) would it be wise to get some sort of partner out there (that I know and trust) that could play "pitchman" to my "writer?”

What you’re basically talking about is an agent or manager—someone who appreciates your writing, understands your creative voice and vision, likes and “gets” you personally, and represents you well in the phone or meetings. …Which, again, is basically an agent or manager.

So, I guess if you want and find a respectable agent/manager with the ambition, ability, and muscle to sell your stuff—sure, go for it. I DO know that many agents and managers are hesitant to signing out-of-towners, for all the reasons discussed above. Someone may be an outstanding writer, but if they don’t live here—if they’re not able to go on meetings, build their own relationships, help pound the pavement—it’s VERY tough, even for the world’s greatest agent, to sell their scripts and get them work.

(A friend of mine, who’s a pretty successful screenwriter and director, always says he knows he can never expect his agents to work harder are care more about his career than he does… and this is good advice. He also works pretty non-stop, and he once told me that he gets most of his assignments and sales on his own… then his agent helps facilitate the deal.)

Now, if you’re NOT talking about an agent or manager… if you’re talking about a more creative partner… well—I can’t say I’ve ever heard of a creative/writing partner whose sole job is pitching. Maybe it could work, but it seems odd to me.

If you write a script that starts getting meetings and attention, execs and producers will want to meet with the writer who created the script. They’re not going to want to meet with your proxy; they want to get a sense of the person behind the words. What’s he like? Is he funny and personable? Dark and quiet? Where did he grow up? Who are his influences? Is he a fun person to work with? A total boor?

They’ll also want to ask questions about your writing and this script itself. Where’d you get the idea? What’s your process like? What storytelling areas interest you?

A proxy can’t answer these questions. Or rather, they could—to a certain extent—but then they might as well be an agent or manager. (Not to mention, you’ll never find a proxy, a pitchman—including an agent or manager—who advocates or talks about your material more passionately than you do. After all, that’s why you wrote it! …You had a burning desire to tell this story! A desire that burned more eagerly in you than in anyone else… because you’re the one who wrote it! So how could anyone talk more expressively about it than you?!)

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly…

3) AM I WASTING MY TIME?

You love writing, right? It’s your release, your passion, your pleasure? Presumably, that’s why you started writing screenplays and pilots in the first place. Because you were BURNING to do it. You had stories and characters trying to claw their way out of you. So why would you give that up?! Because you might not “sell” something? So what? Van Gogh NEVER sold anything… but he painted because he was driven to.

So… if it’s what you love… and it brings you joy… then I don’t see how it could be a waste of time.

You may never become Tom Kapinos or Greg Daniels, but so what? At the VERY least, you’ll become a better writer, a better storyteller, and gain a deeper appreciation for art… and you’ll have a blast doing it. How is that a waste of time?

(Now, if you DON'T have a blast doing it... if you hate writing or only want to make a sale... then you have to ask yourself some different questions. But since you took the time to write me, I'm assuming your fueled by a bottomless tank of passion, stories, and something exciting to say about the world!)

Having said that, I understand the desire to sell something, to see your work come to fruition… especially in the world of screenwriting, where scripts aren’t finished products, they’re blueprints for something else—a finished movie or TV show. And while I maintain that it’s nearly impossible to succeed outside of L.A., the world IS changing… and the “old rules” are being broken every day. It’s still tough to be an exception to those rules, to be an anomaly, but it happens.

Like I mentioned before, many cities are stepping up their film and TV productions. If you lived in Atlanta, for instance, I’d suggest trying to get in with Turner or Tyler Perry, who’s not only a writer and director, but a full-fledged mogul and producer. No matter where you live, you could also write a low-budget indie film and find investors to finance it (most film producers will even tell you it’s easier to find indie funding OUTSIDE of Hollywood). Or find a way to pitch your show to a local TV station or affiliate. Put up a play. Enter contests. (FYI—I don’t think contests are usually a “traditional” road into Hollywood; they rarely pay off. Then again—they paid off hugely for screenwriter Michael Martin, a Pennsylvania toll booth worker who won a screenwriting contest and recently had his movie, “Brooklyn’s Finest,” premiere at Sundance with Ethan Hawke and Richard Gere.)

The Internet is also opening doors. This doesn’t mean Hollywood is simply offering three-picture deals and overalls to anyone who makes a YouTube video, but people HAVE found success by making top-notch web videos that manage to find an audience. (Barats & Bereta, Secret Girlfriend, Pink, Lonelygirl15, etc.) So get a video camera, some friends, and MAKE SOMETHING. Shoot a sketch or short. If it doesn’t work, you’ll learn what went wrong and make it better the next time. And the next time. And the next time. And the next time.

Anyway, Chuck… I hope this helps. Thanks again for your question… keep reading… and more importantly—KEEP WRITING!

Oh, and lastly-- here are some other posts I've written to similar questions... you may find some helpful info in here...

What is a stay-at-home mom's best TV career path... if she lives outside L.A.?

How Do Recent College Graduates Break In To Hollywood?

Are there any good TV-writing contests?

Is It Possible to Get a Job in L.A. if I Live Out of Town?

If I don't live in L.A., how should I sell my reality idea?

Is It Possible to Balance Single Parenthood and a Writing Career?

Will You Read My Fucking Script?

Chad — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:59:18 GMT

Special thanks to Sam for pointing out this brutally direct and honest (yet I don't think entirely fair or true) column from screenwriter Josh Olson (A History of Violence) from yesterday's Village Voice...

Click HERE to read "I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script"

READER QUESTION: What if drinking means drowning in Hollywood?

Chad — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:50:54 GMT

Hey, all—

Wanted to reprint an interesting email I got from Rebecca, one of our loyal friends and readers, in response to the book review I recently posted for Tom Malloy’s, “Bankroll: A New Approach to Financing Feature Films.” I don’t agree with her, but I thought she raised some interesting points that warranted discussion. So here’s her email, and I’ll respond afterwards…

Although the book itself has some extremely useful information, I would not recommend it for one main reason.

The author encourages go-along-to-get-along, pimp-yourself-out, anything-goes-to-ingratiate-yourself, values.

In several sections, he says to do anything to please the guys who may have the money. He applauds himself for getting out of bed in the middle of the night, and leaving his wife, to meet with a potential financier.

And he repeatedly says that if the potential financier or attachment is drinking, you should match him in chug-a-lugs.

What if the guy is really trying to score on a female producer by drinking with her? What if you're an alcoholic? What if you are just opposed to drinking alcoholic beverages? What if you just don’t like the taste of alcohol? What if, for any number of reasons, you just don’t want to drink alcohol.

According to the author, you should do it anyway.

And while you’re drinking, what if the potential financier wants you to snort a little cocaine? Your resistance is already lowered by the alcohol. And the author seems to condone doing what the potential financier does.

I have a close personal friend whose clients were always taking her to Vegas and giving her thousands to gamble with. Now that the economy has tanked, neither her company nor the clients have the business they used to.

No more free trips and chips. But, now she is addicted to gambling. So, she’s up there using her own funds, quickly dwindling.

So, I just think it's irresponsible to encourage people, especially young people who may take his word as gospel and people just entering the business who don’t know any better, to abuse substances just to fit in and close the deal.

That's not called being a good producer. That's called being a whore.

Just my opinion.

Rebecca

Like I said—I don’t agree with Rebecca, but I think she touches on some interesting points and raises questions that confront many people in Hollywood. How important is it to fit in in Hollywood? What if someone asks me to do something I’m uncomfortable with? Where are the lines drawn for acceptable social/business behavior?

So here’s my response…

First of all, I don’t think Malloy is suggesting that alcoholics need to fall off the wagon or women should let themselves get rudely hit on in order to succeed in entertainment. I’ve actually had many drinks with friends or colleagues who don’t drink, and they simply order something else or tell me proudly, “Six years sober,” and I say, “Congratulations—that’s awesome,” and we move on.

Malloy is operating under the assumption that both parties share a mutual understanding that this is a legitimate, above-board business meeting… which MOST Hollywood drinks meetings are.

But what he IS saying is that, for better or worse, Hollywood has a specific culture… and if you want to have as much success—and control over your success—as you can, you must participate as much as possible in that specific culture.

This doesn’t mean you need to chuck your ideals and belief system, but you do need to fit into the culture and the cultural rituals embraced by the industry… and drinks meetings are a big part of the Hollywood culture. If you don’t like going to drinks, find a suitable alternative… go to lunch, dinner, grab coffee. But drinks meetings ARE a pervasive part of Hollywood, from one-on-one drinks at Social or Lola's to industry mixers at Spanish Kitchen or St. Nick's, and eventually, you’re probably gonna have to do some drinks meetings. They’re part of the culture, like it or not.

(Similarly, I run a summer internship program for Vanderbilt University, and last summer we had an intern working at a major production company/mini-studio here in L.A. After two weeks, he left because he was uncomfortable with all the swearing in the workplace. Now, I’m not necessarily condoning foul language, but the truth is—Hollywood offices are lax, and four-letter words are commonplace. If that bothers you, I’d recommend looking into another career, as you’re going to have a VERY tough time surviving here. That doesn’t mean you’re not talented or ambitious or can’t figure out another way in, but it does mean you’re going to have a tough time being comfortable in places where much of Hollywood’s business takes place. People swear here. A lot. It’s how it works. You wanna join the fray, deal with it.)

Malloy’s also giving you Sales Advice 101; to make a sale, you need to connect to your buyer. Make them feel you speak the same language, like the same things, think in the same ways. And if your buyer’s a big drinker—not an alcoholic with a problem, but someone who enjoys a bar after work—then it HELPS you to join him and prove you speak the same language. It’s not necessarily required, but if Joe Buyer has a choice between doing business with you—and you don’t like drinking, talking sports, or whatever other things Joe Buyer likes to do—or another guy who LOVES doing all the things Joe Buyer like to do… who do you think he’s going to choose? The other guy.

Malloy’s NOT saying, “You need to match him drink-for-drink, even if you get wasted and can’t drive home.” And he’s NOT saying, as Rebecca posits, “Even do cocaine if the producer offers.” That would be ludicrous… not to mention illegal. He’s simply saying, “Immerse yourself 100% in the culture and language of this business, then learn how to read your buyer and connect with him. Make him feel like you're kindred spirits.”

So while you obviously have to use your head and avoid situations that feel sketchy and dangerous, I do agree with Malloy—if you want to make it in Hollywood, you DO need to learn to fit in as much as possible.

I’ll be honest—there are areas where I DON’T fit in… and I often encounter moments where I’m outside the conversation and can’t participate. For instance, I hate sports. I have never followed a sport in my life. But men in Hollywood LOVE talking sports, especially the Lakers. And when those conversations come up, I sit woefully on the bench. It’s a point of disconnect between me and whomever I’m talking to… I wish it wasn’t—I’m just not a sports guy.

Anyway, Rebecca—thanks for the great email and the great points it raises, and I’m interested to see what our other readers think. So…

Readers? What do you think on all this?

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: JokeandBiagio.com

Chad — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:55:39 GMT

Hey, guys--

Just wanted to point out a great new blog/website...

For anyone wanting to learn more and break into reality TV, check out JokeandBiagio.com, a new blog from my good friend and super-talented reality producer Biagio Messina, which offers "tips, tricks, tales and tutorials on producing TV and film."

Biagio and his wife, Joke Fincioen, are the founders and Executive Producers of Joke Productions and have produced Beauty & the Geek (CW), Scream Queens (VH1), Foody Call (Style), Caesars 24/7 (A&E), as well as pilots and development projects for NBC, CBS, Logo, Bravo, and just about every other network you can think of.

...And now Biagio has launched a blog to help newbies and aspirants learn more about producing reality, telling nonfiction stories, and breaking into the business.

Joke and Biagio are incredibly talented writers, producers, and filmmakers (who I've worked with multiple times)... and Biagio is a technicial genius who can work magic with Final Cut Pro, After Effects, and all the other post-production software which I know nothing about. He has worked with and taught techniques to some of Hollywood's best post producers, including guys at Industrial Light & Magic, so if you have questions-- even super-technical questions-- about post software, don't be afraid to ask him on the blog... I promise: you'll get an amazing, dead-on answer.

A couple highlights from the blog...

Becoming a Producer with HOP (Hands-On Producing)

How You Get Your First Job in Hollywood

Anyway, there's some great info up there... and I know there's more to come... but you should also ask tons of questions... this blog is an incredible resource!

BOOK REVIEW: Bankroll

Chad — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:49:16 GMT

I’ve never worked in independent film. I like independent film. I have friends who work in independent film. I’ve written screenplays that could be independent films. But me, personally—I don’t think I could do it. For one main reason…

One of the main duties of an independent filmmaker is to round up money, the financing, and the thought of doing that—quite honestly—terrifies me. Not only because I’m terrible with math and numbers, but the idea of asking someone for money seems horribly awkward, confrontational, desperate, uncomfortable. Who do you ask? How do you ask them? What if they say no? If they say no, does it mean your idea sucks? What if they say yes? What if they say no and never talk to you again? What if they say yes and never get a return? What if they laugh at you?

These questions are so daunting to me I’ve never been able to fathom actually doing it… and I have near-total awe and respect for those that do.

But now comes a new book—Bankroll: A New Approach to Financing Feature Films, by Tom Malloy—that explains how to gather financing for your independent film from the perspective of a guy who’s done it. And most importantly, a guy who is—and I mean this in the BEST way possible—a COMPLETE NOBODY.

Bankroll walks newbies through the process of raising money for indie films with budgets of $300,000 - $8 million. Malloy talks about where to find HNI’s (High Net-Worth Individuals)... how to put together a business plan… and how to approach and pitch them. He also spends a lot of time coloring the lessons with stories and experiences from his own career. Normally, I’m not a big fan of books that claim to teach you the ropes and instead just spout their own stories, but Malloy strikes a nice balance; he tells a lot of stories, but he then uses each story to illustrate a lesson. And perhaps most importantly…

YOU’VE PROBABLY NEVER HEARD OF TOM MALLOY OR ANY OF HIS MOVIES. (Anyone seen—or heard of—The Attic? Gravesend? The Alphabet Killer?)

This, to me, is the book’s biggest selling point. We’ve all read books or articles about how Slumdog Millionaire got made, or Reservoir Dogs, or other “indie classics.” And while we’d all like to write the next Terminator or sex, lies, and videotape, the truth is… most of us won't. Most indie films come from small, but still talented, filmmakers just trying to raise enough money to make their movies and get them into contests, festivals, etc. If the movie goes on to become Star Wars or The Usual Suspects, great—but it’s nearly impossible to control or predict this. So while learning how George Lucas or Robert Rodriguez or Quentin Tarantino worked their magic is indeed inspirational, I usually find it unhelpful. Those men are anomalies, and it’s tough to learn to be an anomaly; this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t aim as high as possible, it just means it’s much easier to start learning at the ground floor.

(And just to be clear—I’m not saying you shouldn’t shoot to be the best you can be. I’m just saying that it’s tough to say, “I want to be the biggest, most legendary film producer of all time.” It’s much easier, and more realistic, to say, “I want to spend my life and career making good movies I love and care about.” If they go on to become the next The Matrix, great—but you can’t really engineer that to happen.)

This, to me, is Bankroll’s biggest selling point. When Malloy is telling stories about raising money for one of his films… or walking you through his sample business plan (which is great, by the way—like having a step-by-step template right in front of you)… or even just talking about how he psychs himself up for a pitch or investor meeting… you’re aware that the info is coming from a guy who, very recently, was in YOUR EXACT SHOES. Unlike George Lucas, who is light years ahead of the rest of us, career and money-wise, Tom Malloy is only one, two or three steps ahead of the rest of us… and he’s giving us the path to get where he is.

So if you’re struggling to figure out how raise money for your latest script… or you’re thinking of dabbling in the low-budget indie film world… take a look—it’s a great primer. And while I don’t think I’m quite ready to dive into the indie film world myself, I’m definitely a lot less scared.

Teach Your Kid To Be A Movie Critic!

Chad — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:07:04 GMT

Hey, folks--

This was such a fun and interesting event, I had to post it up here.

On Tuesday, July 21, KidsPickFlicks.com-- the movie review site for kids-- presents “Popcorn, Pop and a Paycheck: How to Get the Life of a Movie Critic” at the Variety offices here in L.A.

For those of you who don't know KidsPickFlicks, its a movie review site which was started five years ago by a Cole McNamara, a 9-year-old who was sick of seeing movies he enjoyed panned by adult critics. So he started a site where he reviewed kids movies from a kids' perspective... and where other kids could post reviews as well. It's taken off and is now run by Cole (who's 14) and his 9-year-old sister, Riley. I interviewed Cole a few years ago, just as KidsPickFlicks was taking off... he's a great kid, incredibly savvy and articulate... and if you have children interested in movies or movie reviews, I have no doubt this will be a great program.

Basically, Variety critics Todd McCarthy, Brian Lowry and Justin Chang will meet with young, aspiring Leonard Maltins and Rober Eberts to share their stories of how they got into the business, what their life is “really” like, and the ups and downs of being film critics. Lowry will also teach kids his three fun and simple rules of writing a movie review.

If you're interested, here's the scoop...

WHEN: Tuesday, July 21, 2009; 1 - 2:30 pm
WHERE: Variety, 5900 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif.

Register kids 8 and older at KidsPickFlicks.com. Space is limited.

For more information, please contact Trish Vogel at Starshine Media, 615-400-3660 or Tara@KidsPickFlicks.com.

Riley's Picks & Icks (from KidsPickFlicks)

Got Legal Advice?

Chad — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:04:15 GMT

Hey, screenwriters and filmmakers--

Just wanted introduce you to today's Website of the Day... Legal Ease, an outstanding legal Q&A blog from FilmIndependent.

It's been up and running since the beginning of the year, answering questions on everything from options and Writers Guild minimums to licensing songs and obtaining book rights.

All the questions are answered by Jesse Saivar and Matt Galsor, two lawyers from the LA-based entertainment law firm Greenberg & Glusker, and it's an excellent resource for writers, directors, actors, and producers who can't afford a high-end attorney but still need to get their questions answered quickly and completely.

So check it out... and if you want to submit a question, email Carolyn at CCohagan@filmindependent.org.

Sell Your Reality Show... Next Tuesday!

Chad — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:08:57 GMT

Hey, guys--

If you're hoping to sell the next The Bachelorette, American Idol, or Dancing with the Stars... or even if you just want to work on them... I'm teaching my reality TV seminar, "Writing the Reality TV Show," for mediabistro next Tuesday, July 7. If you're interested (and in Los Angeles), I'd love to see you there! Here's the scoop...

(Also, for those of you who have already emailed or asked... YES-- this is the class that was originally scheduled for Monday, July 13. It's been moved up.)

Writing the Reality TV Show

So You Think You Can Dance. The Real World. Rock of Love. The Amazing Race. From the multi-million-dollar series of broadcast television to the low-budget niche shows of cable, reality programming dominates television. But are reality shows really "reality?" How much planning and production goes into unscripted storytelling? And, most importantly, how can you get in on the action?

This seminar lays the groundwork for anyone wanting to break into the lucrative world of reality TV. We'll look at various types of reality shows and what makes them tick, from docu-dramas and docu-soaps (The City, Keeping Up With the Kardashians ) to game shows and elimination-style competitions (The Biggest Loser, Big Brother, Top Chef, Survivor) to personality-driven and "aspirational" series (Dietribe, Ruby, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition).

We'll then discuss how to conceive, develop, and sell your idea. What are the critical elements of a pitch? Should you attach talent? Does your series work as a strip? We'll explore how to structure your reality pitch and get it to the right people. Who are the major players? When should you attach a senior producer? What networks are best for your concept? Whether you're a writer, producer, or host, reality television's waiting for you.

In this seminar, you will learn:

The differences between reality shows, and how to pitch them accordingly
The critical elements every reality show and pitch must have
How to structure a pitch both verbally and as a written document
How to pitch to networks, studios, and production companies
When to attach hosts or producers to your idea, and when not to
What to expect when you're making your pitch, and what happens when you leave

Click here for more information...

WHEN: Tuesday, July 7, 7-10 pm
WHERE: Beverly Hills Bar Assoc., 300 S. Beverly Dr., 2nd Fl., Beverly Hills, CA 90212
COST: $65 ($50 for avantguild members)
TO SIGN UP: Call 212-547-7890 or click HERE

Hope you can make it!

35 Tips on Indie Filmmaking... According to Nikki Finke & Friends

Chad — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:48:10 GMT

At last weekend's Producers Guild/Produced By conference, a Deadline Hollywood Daily stringer compiled a list of 35 tips on producing indie films, from the mouths of folks like RJ Cutler, Roger Corman, Lawrence Bender, and a host of great execs, producers, and agents.

Click HERE to check it out!

Melissa Scrivner: From Writers Assistant to TV Writers Room (Courtesy of HWAS)

Chad — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:57:42 GMT

Hey, TV writers--

The good folks over at the Hollywood Writers Office Assistants Social (HWAS) have put up another great interview, this time with a good friend of mine... Melissa Scrivner, who was a writer last year on NBC's tragically under-appreciated cop show, Life. For those of you fighting to get into a writers room, it's an interesting read... Melissa talks openly about how she got into the room... what she learned... how to play your cards.

Click HERE to take a look!

Networking Group of the Week: HWAS (Hollywood Writers' Office Assistant Social)

Chad — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:19:42 GMT

Hey, all--

Just wanted to introduce you to a great new networking group... the Hollywood Writers' Office Assistant Social (HWAS).

This is an outstanding group geared toward working writers assistants, TV writers, aspiring writers, and anyone who works in a TV production office.

They not only hold periodic events like mixers, parties, and Q&A's, but they also have an excellent blog, which includes really informative interviews with writers, writers assistants, etc. This week's interview is with Christian Trokey, a story editor on FOX's Prison Break.

Anyway, it's a relatively young group, but they've already done some impressive work and proven themselves a great resource for working insiders and aspirants alike-- so check 'em out, and maybe I'll see you at the next party!

For more information, click HERE!

READER QUESTION/GUEST PERSPECTIVE: How Do I Break Into Children's Animated TV?

Chad — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:47:13 GMT

Hey, folks--

A few weeks ago, I was teaching a TV spec-writing class, and I recently received an email from a student asking if breaking into children's shows worked the same as breaking into primetime... did you still need specs, original material, etc.?

I've never worked in children's programming... so I asked my good friend Melody Fox, who has written and produced for Stuart Little, Teen Titans, Rugrats, and Dragon Tales (as well as adult shows like Flash Gordon, South Beach, and Skin).

Here's what she said...

"I started my career in animation and have a couple dozen credits. And yes, people usually write a spec animated script or two when breaking in. I only wrote one. Then after that, I used my writer's drafts of my produced eps as samples. Animation writers will often have a sitcom spec too, (or a Simpsons or Family Guy, which are animated sitcoms) and the showrunners will read that as well. I had a comedy feature.

"In my experience, getting in is all about contacts. Many animation writers don't have agents. You get work through contacts and referrals, and recommendations. But the good news is, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE AN AGENT, you can make inquiry calls on your own and no one would think it odd or unprofessional. After a while, you get work off your reputation. There are a couple lit agencies that specialize in animated & children's.

"Most animated shows do not have staffs. Disney and Nickelodeon sometimes have small staffs, like three people. Most work is freelance. If you do a freelance ep for a show that has an order of 26 and they like your work, they will come back to you with more assignments. They want writers who can deliver.

"The showrunner who hires the writers in animation is called the Story Editor. The story editor may also be a producer on the show, but not necessarily. Production in animation has to do with the boards that are drawn, etc. and have specialized producers.

"If the student is in L.A. I highly recommend he/she take the UCLA Extension animation writing class. Not only will there great instruction, there are always guest speakers and that's how the writer can start making contacts. I took the class when I already had several credits and it was still useful and one of the guest speakers hired me to do 2 freelance eps. At least 3 other people in the class went on to get assignments, so the peers in the class are also great professional contacts.

"There's a book written by animation veteran Jeffrey Scott called How to Write for Animation. it's on Amazon and also at Bookstar on Ventura Blvd. (in Los Angeles). I haven't read it myself, but he has a huge number of animation credits.

"Also, [most of] this info only applies to children's TV animation. Feature animation is a whole different ball game, and more artist-driven. Also, [this info] does not apply to animated sitcoms (Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, etc.) Those are sitcoms that just happen to be animated. They are WGA and have writing staffs and writers rooms and are staffed like primetime shows.

"One more thing... I hope I didn't make it sound EASY to get into. It's professional TV writing and it's very competitive. It's enormously fun, so of course it's going to be competitive.

"Here's the downside... it does not pay anything close to what live-action union shows pay. There's no residuals. It's either non-union or covered by the animators union called The Screen Cartoonists Guild -- if it's a guild show then you CAN earn medical insurance."

SHARLA'S QUESTION: Are web scripts useful writing samples?

Chad — Sun, 03 May 2009 01:16:49 GMT

Hey, folks—

Today’s reader question comes from Sharla. First of all, I have to say—Sharla, MAJOR THANKS for your super-nice comments on Small Screen, Big Picture! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it… and I’m glad you found it helpful!

As for your question… here it is:

“I’ve been hearing everywhere that original work is now basically an essential part of any aspiring writer’s repertoire. As I start to work on my next project, I’m wondering, would a season of a web series be a valuable writing sample to have? I’m very interested in scripted web shows, and I had an idea for a series – I think the story would probably take ten to fifteen 4 minute episodes to tell. I don’t (yet) have the resources or knowledge to produce the show myself, but I’m wondering if this collection of short scripts could serve as a good sample of original work. Of course, I’d like to work my way up to where I could actually make the series and get it out on the internet, but for now, I’m wondering how this material might work solely as a writing sample.”

This is a really interesting question, but I think the answer is: while an original TV sample (i.e. an original pilot) or a screenplay is usually optimal, YEAH—original web scripts could work… ESPECIALLY IN COMEDY.

Most shortform Internet comedy is basically some kind of sketch, and those kinds of pieces are very usable in television… not only for genuine sketch shows, but for late-night stuff like Conan, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel, etc. They can also be helpful to get jobs writing for “alternative comedy” projects, which may include things like The Soup and Best Week Ever, or even stuff like South Park and Adult Swim.

If you idea is more dramatic, then it may be tougher… drama doesn’t tend to be as successful online, and I’m not sure how shortform drama would read on the page. Having said that… I’ve seen people use essays, short stories, plays, even lists of jokes as original material. If it’s strong writing, it can be used.

What’s most important is that a reader can look at your material and get a sense of who you are as a writer… your unique voice and vision, what you’ll bring to a TV writers room. Often, the best way to do that is with something intended for the same medium: television. But if you have a powerful short story, or a very moving play, or a brilliantly written web series… use it!!

I hope that helps, Sharla—please don’t hesitate to email if you have more questions!

Older Writers - Part II

Chad — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:27:54 GMT

Hey, folks--

Sorry I've been awol for a few days... I was actually out of town with very little Internet access, and I just got back late last night-- so I haven't been able to post for a while!

Second of all, thanks for the posts and emails re: last week's ageism question from Jon in Iowa.

First-- kudos to Lisa, who is moving to L.A. to be a TV writer after discovering "that the main thing holding me back is me and not my age." Congratulations, Lisa-- I'm so excited for you, and please keep in touch and let me know how it goes! I'll probably need you to hire me someday!

And then Jon wrote in with a follow-up question...

"Do you think your comments apply equally to feature film screenwriting, as
opposed to TV writing? As you pointed out, a TV writer will be looked at with the thought, 'Can this writer function on our writing staff on a day to day, season to season basis?', versus a one time feature film writer, where the script should speak for itself, it's either good or it isn't, whether written by a 24 or 64 year old. There is no continuing relationship with the film writer, like there would be in TV. Do older writers face slightly fewer obstacles writing a feature film as opposed to trying to write for TV?"

Well, Jon-- I think it often can be "easier" for a first-timer to sell a project in film than it is in TV (and "easier" does not mean "easy") because of exactly what you say: selling a project in film doesn't require a long-lasting relationship with the writer.

Having said that, 2 (and a half) things:

1) There are many "older" screenwriters working in Hollywood today. Playwright David Hare, who wrote "The Reader," is about to turn 62. Thomas McCarthy, who wrote the Oscar-nominated "The Visitor," is 43. Susannah Grant ("The Soloist") is 46. (Although for the record, I don't think 40's is that old in Hollywood anymore.)

1.5) A caveat just to torpedo my own thesis: last summer, ICM settled a lawsuit from a bunch of over-40 writers who sued ICM for age discrimination. Click HERE to read.

2) It's still incredibly hard for a first-timer to sell something, and I think the obstacles that face older newcomers are the same obstacles facing younger newcomers. Namely: it still takes an infinite number of man-hours to write a sellable script... and it still takes contacts and relationships.

A little over a year ago, Hollywood was abuzz with the story of Michael Martin, a 27-year-old toll-booth-worker who wrote a spec feature called "Brooklyn's Finest"... and sold it. People loved-- and were shocked and amazed-- by this underdog story... which I think is relevant here because MICHAEL WAS ONLY 27. In other words-- it's shocking to Hollywood when ANY "noboby" sells something... even if he's only 27, which is certainly not old by Hollywood screenwriting standards.

Now, a couple other interesting (and often overlooked) things about the Michael Martin story...

A) Michael wasn't exactly a first-time screenwriter. He'd studied film in college, so he had some knowledge, and maybe even some contacts.

B) Michael submitted "Brooklyn's Finest" to a contest... and contests are open to anyone, regardless of age. He didn't win... and contests don't always (even rarely) result in scripts making their way to producers, but his managed to get to someone. If the script is as good as "Brooklyn's Finest," the same thing could happen to anyone, anywhere, of any age.

C) "Brooklyn's Finest" didn't sell immediately. It actually landed Michael a job... writing "New Jack City 2." I think this is important, because many screenwriters NEVER sell anything-- but make a very nice living getting hired onto projects and doing rewrites. But in order to do that... you must LIVE IN LOS ANGELES (or maybe New York, like Michael) and have the time and flexibility to take meetings, meet the appropriate contacts, nurture the appropriate relationships, etc. And like we discussed before, "older" people often don't have that flexibility... not because they're "older," but because they often have lives and lifestyles-- full-time jobs, families, obligations-- that don't allow them to commit to the 24/7 lifestyle of being a budding screenwriter. (Of course, Michael Martin blows that whole theory to hell, but Hollywood is an industry of exceptions... and he is CERTAINLY an exception. So the next Michael Martin we read about could be a 59-year-old plumber in Dallas!)

So what's all this mean? Selling ANYTHING in Hollywood, especially for a newbie, is hard... near impossible... whether you're a 27-year-old in NY or a 64-year-old in IA. Is it harder for someone older? Yeah, probably. Does that mean there's ageism? Not necessarily.

But as writers, I think the question we should be asking ourselves-- no matter how old we are-- is NOT "Why can't I sell something?" It's "How can my work be better?" And once it's better: "How can it be even BETTER?" And once it's even BETTER: "My work's not good enough... how can I make it still BETTER?!"

The truth is: THOSE are the questions that will make your script good enough to sell... no matter your birth date.

Also, for a great article on ageism, check out "How Old is Too Old To Be a Screenwriter?" by D.B. Gilles, author of "The Screenwriter Within: How to Turn the Movie in Your Head into a Salable Screenplay" and "The Portable Film School."

JON'S QUESTION: Can older writers get into Hollywood writing programs?

Chad — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:40:04 GMT

Today’s reader question comes from Jon, who lives in Iowa and writes in response to Monday's post about the network and studio writing programs (NBC’s Writers on the Verge, the Disney Fellowship, the FOX Diversity Program, etc.). Jon writes…

“Why there isn't such a program for we victims of age discrimination? I'm being facetious, but I suspect that even with a good script or writing samples, someone in their 50’s, like me, would have a hard time getting a meeting. Do the diversity programs look for young talent, or just new talent? It should be the latter but I suspect its the former.”

Well, Jon, age discrimination is always a hot topic in Hollywood discussions, so I’m glad you asked.

First of all, there are many “older” writers in Hollywood—especially in television, where shows’ head writers and producers have spent decades working their way up the ladder. David Chase, who created “The Sopranos,” is 63 years old. Writer/director Nancy Meyers is 59. Carlton Cuse, the showrunner of “Lost,” is 50. Howard Gordon, who runs “24,” is 48. Linwood Boomer, who created “Malcolm in the Middle” and this year’s CBS pilot, “The Karenskys,” is 54.

Secondly, a lot of studio diversity programs DO consider age a part of “diversity,” at least in theory. I was in the Warner Brothers Drama Workshop a few years ago, and they made a conscious effort to find “older” writers… there was a woman in my program who was from northern California and had two college-age children (she commuted to Los Angeles once a week for our classes). So while I can’t speak to every studio’s program, I think many of them DO try to seek out talented older writers.

Having said this, it doesn’t always happen… but that’s not necessarily because of a malicious “age discrimination” conspiracy. I think because Hollywood is youth-obsessed—especially when it comes to actors, actresses, models, etc.—we like to apply this to other areas, too, but personally… when it comes to writers… I don’t think there’s a ton of age discrimination.

Now, I’m not saying that makes it easy for “older” writers to suddenly break in and get writing jobs, but I am saying this…

I don’t think a dearth of older writers is necessarily due to “age discrimination.” I think it’s more due to a couple other factors. Specifically…

1) Breaking into TV-writing or screenwriting is a full-time job. More than full-time. As I often point out on this site, breaking into screenwriting takes MUCH more than mere talent… it often means spending years working in the trenches of Hollywood, learning the business and—most importantly—building up a solid Rolodex of contacts and relationships. Most people who have already spent many years building another career (regardless of their actual age) are very hesitant to do this.

I frequently have “older” people come to my classes and seminars asking how to break into Hollywood… and when I say the BEST way of breaking in is to get a PA gig, an internship, or some kind of assistant job… starting at the bottom and working their way up… they scoff, telling me this is unrealistic for someone their age or of their professional stature. Well, unfortunately, it’s HOW IT WORKS… whether you’re 22, 42, or 62.

I suspect, if I were to suddenly switch careers and try my hand at being a contractor, or a lawyer, or a plumber, or a politician, I’d have to start at the bottom… learning the ropes and working my way up. Hollywood is the same way. Yet somehow, people always think that because Hollywood is about “art” or “creativity,” the rest doesn’t matter; if someone’s creative, talented, and intelligent, they should just be allowed in. But this isn’t true… Hollywood IS a business… and many of the rules, official and unofficial, that apply to other industries apply here as well.

Having said that, if you have the time, energy, and tenacity required to try and break in—and breaking in IS a full-time job—it can be done… no matter how old you are. I have a friend in his 40’s who left a successful banking career to break into TV writing. He had to start at the bottom, working as a PA for less than $500 a week, but he worked his way up the ladder. Nine years later, he’s now writing on staffs and selling pilots. It was a long road, but he was willing to do it.

2) Sometimes Hollywood employers ARE reticent to hire “older” people into entry-level jobs… because they’re afraid older people will quickly get bored and move on.

And there’s truth in this… as there is in every industry.

I have another close friend who works in the financial industry, and she’s spent the last several months job-hunting. Although she needs a job, she’s frequently told she’s overqualified; places don’t want to hire her because they assume she’ll get bored or frustrated and leave. She hates hearing this… especially because she WANTS the jobs she is applying for… but I think this is the way the business world works, from Wall Street to Hollywood Blvd. She may be as passionate and hungry as a 60-year-old writer trying to break into screenwriting, but the thought that someone is over-qualified and could leave is daunting to employers.

3) There’s also, for better or worse, the difference between being a good writer… and being a good writer “for your age.” In other words—the expectations of a 25-year-old writer are different than that of a 50-year-old writer… people expect the 50-year-old writer to be better, more seasoned… which I think is fair.

About ten years ago, Hollywood was all abuzz when Riley Weston, a 19-year-old prodigy, was hired to write on “Felicity”… and then fired when the producers discovered she was actually 32. Many people cried “age discrimination.” But I knew one of the execs who covered the show, and she had an interesting honest take…

“Riley was good,” she once told me, “for a 19-year-old. Her talent was very raw, a great find in a 19-year-old… but for a 32-year-old, she wasn’t that impressive. You expect a 19-year-old to be a little green… but a 32-year-old should be more ‘refined.’ They should be more ‘cooked.’ Riley wasn’t.”

There’s truth in this. If you’ve been writing for 50 years, or even 32, you SHOULD be more seasoned. You should have honed your craft, found your voice, learned how to mine and tell your own personal stories. If a 50-year-old—or even a 32-year-old—is displaying the same level of skill as someone almost half their age… whether they're a writer or an architect... yeah, I’m gonna hire the younger person… because they have more time ahead of them to grow and be molded.

Of course, by "skill," I don't just mean sheer talent. I mean the whole package: talent, social skills, business acumen, etc. Hiring someone is an investment... and hopefully a long-term investment. That's not saying older people are gonna kick the bucket sooner, or even retire, but younger people have-- strictly numerically speaking-- more time in which to invest. And yeah-- there's a learning curve. So all things being equal-- talent, acumen, interpersonal skills-- I'm probably gonna go with the person who can give me the most time.

Along those same lines, younger people tend to be able to dedicate more time to a job, whatever that job is. They don't have the demands of marriages, families, hobbies, etc. And-- especially in television-- writers can often work 16-hour days. I want someone who can easily work those hours. Maybe it's unfair to think an older person has more responsibilities than a younger person, but I think it's an assumption based in truth. (Even as I write this, I feel like I'm maybe reinforcing age-ism and prejudice, but realistically-- MOST older people DO have families, marriages, etc... there are always exceptions, but let's be honest-- as we grow older, our lives grow. It's a simple fact. When we're younger, we're less fettered.)

4) Lastly, I think aspirants of ALL AGES underestimate exactly how many amazing writers are trying to break into Hollywood... which means the bar is set INCREDIBLY high, no matter how old you are. There are plenty of bad writers, to be sure, but Hollywood is full of thousands upon thousands of extremely talented storytellers—both working and not working.

I think people often look at bad TV shows or bad movies and say, “I could write something better.” Or, “These writers are terrible.” The truth is—many of these bad TV shows and movies come from highly talented writers and beautifully written scripts… but there are a million factors that can transform a wonderful script into a horrible product: bad acting, low budgets, personality clashes, misinformed rewrites, time crunches, bad directing… you name it.

Again, this isn’t to say there aren’t bad scripts, it’s just to say that the bar is set VERY HIGH for writers in Hollywood… and you can’t underestimate that, no matter how old you may be. BUT—in the context of age-ism—it’s very easy to look at an “older” writer who doesn’t seem to be getting her break and say, “She’s so talented… but Hollywood won’t hire a 55-year-old writer.” Yet the truth is: what’s keeping her out is probably the exact same thing keeping out all the 25-year-olds… she’s talented, but she’s not talented ENOUGH.

So all of this is to say…

I am SURE there’s subtle age-ism in Hollywood... just as the whole world is full of subtle racism, reverse racism, sexism, and every other ism.

But I also think there’s an infinite number of other things keeping writers of ALL ages out of Hollywood… yet when that writer is older, especially if they’re older and somewhat talented, we like to scream “age discrimination.”

Sometimes it is. Most of the time it isn’t.

So, old fogies, I'll tell you what I tell all them young whippersnappers... if you want it, and you have the time, energy, and commitment to go after it-- you'll get it. It won't be easy, but hey-- it ain't easy for anyone!

Now… on a totally unrelated note… a music recommendation: go buy the new Great Northern album, “Remind Me Where the Light Is,” which just came out Tuesday… it’s AMAZING!

Upcoming Writing Program Deadlines

Chad — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:39:36 GMT

Huge thanks to Jen Grisanti-- and her awesome monthly newsletter-- for compiling this great list of deadlines for upcoming network and studio writing programs. For all those applying-- GOOD LUCK!

WRITING PROGRAMS AND DEADLINES FOR TV WRITERS

NBC - Writers on the Verge
This is a 10-week program focused on polishing writers' material and readying the participants for the staff writer position on a television series. Classes concentrate on creating an exceptional spec script and understanding the dynamics of pitching oneself in the television industry.
Please go to http://www.nbcunicareers.com/entry_leadership/Writers_On_The_Verge
DEADLINE TO APPLY - June 30, 2009

ABC Associates Program
This is a 12-month paid program, during which individuals from diverse backgrounds are placed in entry-level positions in the production-related areas of ABC Studios in Burbank, CA.
Please go to http://www.abctalentdevelopment.com/
DEADLINE TO APPLY - April 24, 2009

CBS Diversity
CBS's program focuses on opening doors: providing opportunities to build relationships with network executives and showrunners; to support new and emerging writers in their efforts to improve their craft; and to develop the interpersonal skills necessary to break in and succeed.
Please go to http://www.cbscorporation.com/diversity/cbs_network/index.php
DEADLINE TO APPLY - May 1, 2009.

FOX Diversity Writers Initiative
Writers selected will be invited to attend a six-week session at Writers Boot Camp and be offered a consultation with WBC mentors during which time writers will rewrite and improve their scripts. The goal is to execute scripts at a level of professional quality equal to those purchased by Fox in the course of its normal television development.
Please go to http://www.fox.com/diversity/creative/writer_initiative.htm
DEADLINE TO APPLY - July 3, 2009

Warner Bros. Writers Workshop
The Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop consists of three components, Lectures, Simulated Writer's Room, and Staffing, all geared towards preparing the writer for a successful career in TV writing.
Please go to http://www.writersworkshop.warnerbros.com
SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED - May 1, 2009 - July 25, 2009

The #1 Way NOT To Break Into Hollywood

Chad — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:46:32 GMT

Hey, folks—

Sorry I’ve been awol for a few days… I just returned this weekend from a week in Nashville. I run a program for my school, Vanderbilt, called Vandy-in-Hollywood, which is a networking organization for students and alumni working or interested in entertainment. The centerpiece of the group is the summer internship program, where we place students in internships in Hollywood… with networks, studios, agencies, production companies, etc.

It’s a great program… I love going back… and every year, as I talk to and interview students, I’m reminded of some of the do’s and don’t’s of trying to break in to Hollywood. This year, especially, I was reminded of one of the most important rules of trying to get your foot in Hollywood’s door…

The more specific you can be about exactly what you want to do, the further you’ll go, faster.

In other words, a lot of newbies coming in to interview believe the best way to make themselves employable is to say, “I’ll do anything… whatever you have. I just want to learn, and I need to get my foot in the door.” Or, “I want to write, direct, and produce… but I also like music. And sports. And I’d like to do stand-up comedy. Plus, I love editing.”

I think they believe that by making themselves blank slates, open to anything, they A) show they’re flexible and enthusiastic, and B) believe it’ll make it easier for employers and me to find them a spot… because hey—they’ll take anything!

Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth (in this internship program OR the “real” world).

The truth is, employers are looking for laser-focused people who know what they want and aren’t afraid to articulate it. Why? For several reasons…

A) Laser-focused people tend to work harder. Someone who is working toward a pre-determined goal is probably going to work harder and learn faster than someone who’s just dabbling or exploring. After all, they have more at stake. They know what they want and they’re eager to move toward it; they’re not just sampling a smorgasbord.

B) Employers want to hire passionate people who WANT to work there. Let’s say you’re interviewing for a position in comedy development at NBC. You may be a perfectly hard worker trying to figure out your career path (and you may be willing to work yourself to the bone to figure it out), but NBC would still rather hire the girl who says, “I grew up watching The Cosby Show and Seinfeld, and there’s nothing in this world I want to do more than develop sitcoms and shows for the network I was raised on.”

(There’s obviously nothing “wrong” with needing to figure out what you want to do—everyone has to—but employers aren’t in the business of investing time and energy on helping you figure out your place in the world. They want to hire the person who wants to be in their organization… desperately. Think of it like dating: you don’t want to date the person who simply wants a girlfriend or boyfriend, you want to date the person who wants YOU.)

C) Focused people tend to be more skilled. That doesn’t mean unfocused people AREN’T skilled… it simply means that if someone says “I want to design costumes for sci-fi movies,” I can assume they 1) know something about designing costumes, and 2) have seen and studied a large number of sci-fi movies. If someone says, “I want to design costumes… and act… and write screenplays. I also like sound mixing and special effects… and maybe painting,” I have no idea what their actual skill set is. And while you may be a jack of all trades, I don’t believe there are people out there who are equally talented as designers, actors, painters, writers, sound mixers, and special effects-makers.

D) Focused people tend to stick around. Someone who’s on a specific career path, and a path that includes my company, has a higher likelihood of getting promoted and staying in my organization. If I work in NBC’s comedy department, and I hire an intern/assistant who’s simply trying to figure out his life, there’s a good chance he WILL figure it out… and it’ll involve leaving. He may realize he wants to be an agent or a singer or a farmer or a lawyer or an accountant or a circus trainer. But if I hire the Seinfeld girl, who’s laser-focused about working specifically for me, she’ll (probably) want to move up the ranks at NBC, meaning I haven’t just hired an assistant or intern… I’ve hired a lifelong employee (or at least an employee who will be with me for several years).

E) Focused, articulate employees seem smarter and more mature. I know that sounds harsh, but it’s true. After all, no one knows you better than… well… YOU. And someone who can articulate what they want, personally and professionally, shows a deeper level of understanding about themselves. They’ve gone through mental processes that still-finding-themselves people haven’t. And as an employer, I want the smartest, most competent, most mature person I can find. It’s not my job to help you figure out your life… it’s YOUR job. And sure, everyone has to do it, but employers are looking for people who have already answered those questions and know where they want to be. So when an applicant comes in saying they DON’T know what they want, it signals immaturity and a more shallow understanding of themselves. (And again—I don’t say that as a criticism. Everyone has their own path and progresses at their own speed; employers simply want people who have reached a certain level of self-awareness and maturity… and not knowing what you want isn’t it.)

An employer, or an employee matchmaker (like me, in this case), wants to make sure both the company AND the intern/employee have a positive experience. Thus, for all these reasons, laser-focused people are much easier to place.

Anyway, just wanted to pass on this info… because the week was a good reminder of mistakes that I often see from both college students/interns… and people trying to get their first break.

JESSICA'S QUESTION: What do TV development execs do... and how can a dramaturg in Atlanta become one?

Chad — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:14:55 GMT

Hey, folks—

Today’s question comes from Jessica, an aspiring TV development exec/producer living in Atlanta and working in theater. Jessica writes…

“I am currently in Atlanta trying to... save the funds for a move to LA. I am interested in the development end of things. Most of my experience is theatre related. I did a lot of dramaturgy, essentially contextual research for production and script analysis.

“One aspect of dramaturgy that I really wanted to get more involved in was new play development, working with playwrights to fine tune scripts for production. I also write and am working on plays and eventually screen plays myself, so I love all aspects of creative production. I eventually… want to transition into TV Development.

“I wish I knew more specific details about what development entails. I have vague ideas, but I don't know what the day-to-day entails… In short, I am trying to get to LA and would love to have a Production Assistant job lined up upon arriving but apparently this is rare. I do feel like there is a Catch-22 dynamic; you need experience to get a job but you need a job to gain experience.

“I am no longer a student so internships aren't an option. The thought of being unemployed in a new city in this economy is quite frankly a little scary. Any advice you could share about the industry and what I could do to prepare for it (ex. What do I need to know? Is there something I can read?), or how to go about finding job leads (other than perusing major network's employment sites, which is what I am currently doing) would be immensely helpful.”

Well, Jessica—this is a huge, complex question addressing challenges that hundreds of aspirants face each year when debating when or how to move to Los Angeles. So let’s break it into parts and look at each individually.

QUESTION ONE: WHAT’S THE DAY-TO-DAY LIFE OF A DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE?

Many of the creative skills needed by development executives or TV producers are very similar to those you have as a dramaturg. Execs and producers work with writers… reading their scripts, suggesting constructive feedback, shaping stories and characters.

They also search for new projects, and the idea for a new show or movie can come from virtually anywhere: a book, a short story, a video game, a poem, a song, a music video, a news story, a stand-up comedy routine, comic books, a short film… you name it. Thus, execs and producers—when they’re not working on projects in active development—spend hours upon hours reading whatever they get their hands on… seeing every movie in theaters… going to comedy clubs and plays. As a purveyor of pop culture, you must be a massive CONSUMER of pop culture.

When I was an exec at the Littlefield Company, my typical day might look like this…

6:30 a.m. - Wake up

7:00 a.m. - Work out at gym or run

7:45/8:00 - Shower

(Quick side note: the above part is a lie. Maybe only twice in my life have I EVER woken up at 6:30 to go running or "work out," and both those times were horrible, horrible mistakes. But it sounds impressive, right? And I know many people who DO do this.)

(A more accurate schedule would've said... 7:00 - Alarm goes off, hit snooze for 45 minutes... 7:45 - Suddenly realize, in a blind panic, that I am running ridiculously late to get to my 8:30 breakfast meeting...)

8:30 a.m. – Breakfast meeting or coffee with an agent or exec from another company

10:00 a.m. – Arrive at office, read trades, check emails

10:30 a.m. – Company meeting to discuss development slate and pitch new projects

11:30 – Conference call to give pilot notes to a Joe Writer, one of the 9 writers we’re working with

12:00 – Studio notes conference call with Sally Drama, another writer we’re working with (this time we’re not giving notes… we’re just listening to notes from the studio)

12:30 – Leave for lunch, roll phone calls while I’m in the car

1:00 – Lunch with agent or manager who pitches me new writers and projects

2:00 – Return from lunch, roll more phone calls from car

2:30 – Casting meeting to discuss casting choices for Ron Comedy’s sitcom pilot

3:15 – Pitch meeting with a writing team from CAA

4:15 – Read episode outlines for “Lisa Laughter,” our sitcom which we just picked up

5:00 – Internal notes meeting to discuss “Lisa Laughter” outlines

5:30 – Phone call with “Lisa Laughter” showrunner to discuss outlines

6:00 – Leave for dinner

6:30 – Dinner with network talent executive

8:00 – Comedy showcase at the Improv

10:15 – Arrive home, read 4-5 scripts

11:30/12:00 – Go to bed

So as you can see, many of a development exec’s daily duties are very similar—or use the same mental skills—to those of a dramaturg.

QUESTION TWO: THE WHOLE JOB ISSUE – GETTING A JOB FROM LA, GETTING A JOB WITH NO EXPERIENCE, GETTING EXPERIENCE WITHOUT A JOB, ETC.

Well, first of all, Jessica … you’re right: it’s almost impossible to get a PA gig or entry-level job if you’re not in LA… most places won’t even consider you unless you’re local. However—it’s not experience you need to get those entry-level jobs… it’s CONNECTIONS. Most PA’s, assistants, runners, floaters, and mailroomers are hired by someone who knows them… and it’s almost impossible to form those relationships when you’re not in LA.

Here are links to several good posts where I’ve already written about this issue, so check them out… you’ll find recommendations and links to some great job-hunting resources and advice. (I know their titles don't all sound relevant, but they all have different links and advice that I think you'll find helpful.)

How Do Recent College Graduates Break into Hollywood?

What are the Chronological Goalposts to Becoming a TV Writer?

Is It Possible to Get a Job in LA If I Live Out of Town?

I've Won Some Writing Contests... Now What?

How Do I Get a PA Job?

How Do I Contact TV Shows?

Film School vs. the Real World: Part II

As for internships… you CAN do internships even though you are not in school. You can enroll in one or two hours, for very little cost, at local community colleges like Santa Monica College.

HERE is another great blog post, from WannabeTVwriter, which details how to get internship credit through UCLA even if you’re no longer in school (thanks to Sam for sending this in!).

Also, but since you’re currently in Atlanta, I’d look into working or interning for Tyler Perry Studios. Sure, it’s always a long shot to target one particular company and hope to get in, but hey—you’re in Atlanta… why not? And Tyler Perry is a MAJOR player… he produces record-breaking films like Madea Goes to Jail, has a hit TV show, Meet the Browns, that was just picked up for 70 more episodes on TBS, and he’s constantly setting up projects. HERE is an interesting recent LA Times piece from Patrick Goldstein to check out… but as long as you’re in Atlanta, I think he’d be my first stop.

QUESTION THREE: WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? IS THERE SOMETHING I CAN READ? ETC.

I promise you, Jessica, I’m not just saying this out of crazy self-promotion, but my new book, “Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writer's Guide to the TV Business,” which just came out this winter, answers EXACTLY the questions you’re dealing with.

The first 75% of the book explains how TV works as an industry—the differences between networks, studios, and production companies… how shows are financed and developed… how a writers room works… what development execs do… etc.—and the last 25% goes through, in detail, how to break in and get a job. It outlines the kinds of jobs you should aim for, teaches you how to network (and how NOT to network), gives examples of resumes and cover letters, and offers tons of job-hunting websites and resources.

Again, I’m not steering you toward the book just to steer you toward it… but because between the book and the blog posts listed above, I think you’ll find many of the answers you’re looking for… most of which are broad and complex.

Anyway, I hope this helps, Jessica… thanks a million for reading, and please feel free to ask if you have more questions or need more help!

READER QUESTION: How Do I Spec a Serialized Show like "Damages?"

Chad — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:01:07 GMT

Today’s reader question comes from Chuck, who asks…

“I love 'Damages', the show. How would you spec a show like Damages when the entire season is one long arc - like one long movie? Same as '24.' Is that possible?”

Well, Chuck, the short (and unfortunate) answer is: I probably wouldn’t spec a “Damages”... because of the very problems you’re stumbling upon. It’s nearly impossible, for a multitude of reasons…

1) Highly serialized shows—like “Damages,” “24,” “Lost,” etc.—have constantly evolving plots and characters, so it’s very tough to write a spec that has any kind of shelf-life. By the time you’ve finished it, the stories and people have often changed so much that your script—even if it’s only a few weeks old—already feels outdated.

2) Because highly serialized shows rarely tell standalone stories (episodes that have their own satisfying beginning, middle, and end), writing a spec of that show is almost counter-productive. After all, your job is to capture the tone and pace of the show… but also to show off your storytelling chops… but it’s tough to write a script that does both when the very nature of the show you’re speccing is antithetical to standalone storytelling. In other words, you might right a terrific standalone spec of “Damages,” but you run the risk of having just written a brilliant story… that doesn’t feel like the show.

3) Most serialized shows aren’t gigantic hits, and—even with those that are—many people aren’t up to speed on exactly where the show is each week. Which means there’s a limited audience of people who can actually read or “get” your spec. And even for genuine “Damages” fans, they may not be up to speed on exactly where the show is… which makes it hard for them to fully understand or appreciate your spec. (I.e., I like “Damages,” but I tend to record a bunch of episodes, then watch them all at once… so as of right now, I’m not really caught up on this season.)

Having said all this, a couple pseudo-caveats…

I always say that if you’re incredibly, desperately passionate about something… you have to write it. So if you have an awesome idea for a “Damages” story chewing its way out of you… WRITE IT! If it’s brilliant, someone will read it and appreciate it. And even if it’s not brilliant… or even if no one ever reads or appreciates it… you’ll have the fun of telling and exorcising that story—which, at the very least, will be a terrific exercise and make you a stronger writer.

Also, people occasionally write what I call “novelty specs,” or specs that less about mimicking a show and more about playing with the form of the program itself. I talked about “novelty specs” a couple weeks ago, when I talked about the spec “Taxi” and “Two of a Kind” scripts I had read, in my response to Erica’s spec-writing question.

There’s always the possibility of writing a “novelty spec” of “Damages.” For instance, you could write a spec that imagines what Ellen’s life would be like if David, her fiance, had never been murdered. Or you could write your own “season three opener,” with a gripping teaser—several months in the future—that then flashes back six months.

I’m not necessarily recommending this route. As I said to Erica, writing a novelty spec is a risky endeavor that can backfire and make you look foolish. But if you’re passionate about a particular show, and can execute an interesting novelty story well, it can make a fun and intriguing sample script.

Hope that helps, Chuck… and if you—or anyone else reading—has other questions, please feel free to email me at WDScriptNotes@FWPubs.com… or simply post them in the comments section below!

RONKE'S QUESTION: What is a stay-at-home mom's best TV career path... if she lives outside L.A.?

Chad — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 02:19:19 GMT

Hey, folks—

Welcome to 2009, and the first blog post of the new year!

Today’s reader question was emailed from Ronke, an entertainment journalist who would like to transition into writing scripted television. Ronke is originally from the east coast, but moved her family to L.A. several years ago in hopes of breaking into TV. After a year of running into roadblocks (“I circulated a few comedy specs I wrote to a Warner Bros executive I met through a friend, and he always ripped my work to shreds. Poor development, not high enough stakes, things that defied plausibility… I have thick skin, but having scripts I thought were perfect cut down to size kinda hurt after awhile.”), Ronke and her husband headed back east, where they currently live.

Now… a few years later… much of Ronke’s time is spent taking care of her new son, yet she is still “anxious to develop a pilot, based on an idea I have and some other original writing. Not necessarily to produce but to complete and revise as writing samples.” So Ronke finds herself asking today’s question, which is…

“Do you believe I should pursue this route?”

Well, Ronke, I think this is a complicated question, compounded by three important issues…

• Should you write a spec pilot?
• With a young child at home, is writing a spec pilot the best creative route to pursue?
• You don’t live in L.A.

ISSUE #1 – WRITING THE SPEC PILOT
Traditionally, spec pilots have been a dead end… execs and producers used to never read or buy them, and showrunners rarely liked reading them. In the past few years, however—due in large part to the success of Marc Cherry’s Desperate Housewives, which was a spec pilot—things have started turning around… in a big way. David E. Kelley, Aaron Sorkin, and David Crane have all sold spec pilots and gotten them on the way. This fall, a friend of mine just coming off his first staff writing project sold a spec pilot to USA. I know other low-level writers who have sold spec pilots to ABC Family, USA, Sony… all over town. So the market for spec pilots is definitely hotter than it ever has been… and if it doesn’t sell, it certainly can—as you astutely point out—make a great sample. In fact, many showrunners would rather read an original pilot as a sample than a spec of an existing show! So while it hasn’t been a conventional route, writing a spec pilot has suddenly became the “in” thing to do for aspiring and low-level TV writers.

(A caveat: I think it’s important note that while networks and studios have definitely been much more open to accepting, and even buying, spec pilots, only a handful have actually made it to air… and these tend to come only from seasoned writers and producers. So I think it’s wise to write a spec pilot less with the hope of selling it, and more with the hope of using it as a strong calling card… and if it ends up selling—great!)

(Also, if you CLICK HERE, you can read my interview last winter with Spelling executive Jen Grisanti, in which she talks about spec pilots…)

ISSUE #2 – WITH A YOUNG CHILD, IS WRITING A SPEC PILOT THE BEST CREATE ROUTE TO PURSUE?
This, Ronke, is probably a question only you—as the master of your time and energy—can answer. What I will say is this: pursuing a career in TV writing takes a monumental amount of time and energy. It’s not about just writing one spec pilot and throwing it into the sea, hoping someone will bite. It’s about generating a constant stream of new material… not only so your work can remain fresh and current, but because once you’re an actual working TV writer, this is what you’ll be required to do: churn out new scripts, scenes, and stories day after day after day.

In fact, if a producer, exec, or agent happens to read your spec pilot and love it, their first question—no matter how good it is—will be: “What else do you have?” And you should not only be able to hand them another script or two, but you should be able to say, “I’m also working on a spec Criminal Minds,” or “I’m in the middle of rewriting a feature.” SOMETHING.

So do you, as a stay-at-home parent, have the time and energy necessary to make the commitment this career path—both now and down the road—will demand? I have no idea. I’m NOT a parent (yet), and there are many days when TV seems to suck the life out of me. Not only because it’s a massive amount of work… even when you’re not working (maybe ESPECIALLY when you’re not working)… because you’re writing and writing and writing… and for what? No one’s paying you (yet), and you’re churning out work on the prayer that you’ll soon get another job… and while you hope and believe you WILL get another job, it’s still no fun to be in that void.

Having said that, look at someone like J.K. Rowling, a single welfare mom who somehow found the time to scribble the manuscript for Harry Potter while riding the bus or on coffee breaks. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that J.K. Rowling couldn’t have written Harry Potter UNLESS she was a single welfare mom who had just lost her own mother… that somehow the adversity and pressure of her situation fueled her—became her escape, her therapist, her outlet, her creative spring—and that at another time in her life Harry Potter would’ve emerged a very different (possibly inferior) book.

So is a spec pilot the best way to express yourself creatively right now? I don’t know. I think it depends on you, your idea, and how your story wants to be told. Only you can find this answer.

ISSUE #3 – NOT LIVING IN L.A.
This, I think, is actually the bigger challenge for you to overcome. For better or worse, most mainstream American television is produced in only one city… Los Angeles. And if you’re not here, it’s tough—border-line impossible, really—to break in. And for all the talk about how the Internet is creating new opportunities for producers “anywhere” to get noticed… that’s not really happening. Sure, we’ve read a handful of Cinderella stories in the papers, but those are mostly anomalies, and it’s very difficult to plan—or get advice on—how to be an anomaly.

Obviously, you can write from anywhere, but when it comes to TV, being a good writer is only half the battle. Most people in television are hired because they have pre-existing relationships… whether they’re taking a job as a PA, showrunner, mid-level producer, agent, or exec. And without being in LA… literally working and living here… it’s VERY hard to form those connections. It’s also tough to stay in touch with what’s going on in the industry: what’s selling, what’s not, what networks and studios are looking for, etc.

So if I’m being honest, Ronke—and, frankly, I hate being honest—I think pursuing a TV career from outside LA is a massively uphill battle. I don’t want to say it’s a fool’s errand, because people have done it (like Sam Greene, who shot a spec pilot for American Body Shop in Arizona and mailed it cold to Comedy Central… who picked it up and put it on the air), but it’s very, very, very, very tough.

Having said that… if you have a story burning inside you, you MUST put it on paper in whatever form it wants to be told: pilot, novel, poem, play, opera… you’ll do yourself no favors by trying to shoehorn a pilot idea into a novel (or a novel idea into a pilot) because you’re trying to anticipate the best career move. THE BEST CAREER MOVE IS WRITING THE BEST THING YOU POSSIBLY CAN… and if it’s good, it WILL get noticed… no matter where you live.

Having said THIS… if your ultimate goal is to work in TV, and you’re not in L.A., there are some non-TV ways you can create work and attract L.A.’s TV eyes. Write and produce a successful Internet series. Make a short film that goes to festivals. Finance and shoot an independent film. Mount a stage play. Write a serialized online novel. Self-publish a comic book. Do stand-up comedy.

I’m not saying any of these are the right path for your or your project… but I AM saying that unlike many other mediums, television is, unfortunately, L.A.-centric. Yet other mediums aren’t. And if you write something stellar in another medium… something that garners a lot of attention… it’s often easier to attract Hollywood’s TV eyes that way than by writing a spec pilot from outside L.A. and casting it into the ether.

Anyway, Ronke… I can’t make the final decision on whether or not writing a pilot is your best career path. But I hope some of this has helped shed some light on your options.

My final thought, just to sum up, is this: pursuing a TV career from outside L.A. is a Herculean task… yet the best way to go about it is to trust your creative instincts and write the BEST PIECE YOU CAN. If, in your heart of hearts, you know your story is a spec pilot… then you must write a spec pilot. But if it’s a short story… or a graphic novel… or a skit… or a one-woman show… then heed that notion and write whatever the story wants itself to be.

Hope this helps… and when your show’s debuting on TV later this year, I expect a personal invitation to the premiere party!

Chad

Breaking into Television: My Interview with Alex Epstein

Chad — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:37:41 GMT

Hey, folks--

Just wanted to point you to an interview I recently did with Alex Epstein, TV writer and author of Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box and Crafty Screenwriting: Writing Movies That Get Made. Alex writes the "Complications Ensue" blog, which-- if you're not already reading it-- is a terrific blog about TV and film writing.

Anyway, Alex has just posted the first of a four-part interview in which we discuss everything from how to get your scripts into the hands of producers to common mistakes made by aspiring writers to how to pitch reality shows.

Click HERE to check out the interview... and I hope you enjoy!

Chad

UPDATE (12/29/08): Part Two has now been posted! Click HERE to take a read!

UPDATE (12/30/08): Part Three has now been posted! Click HERE to take a read!

UPDATE (12/31/08): Part Four has now been posted! Click HERE to take a read!

TV Interview... and a Book Excerpt

Chad — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 05:51:50 GMT

Hey, guys--

Just wanted to point you to an interview I did last week with Mediabistro... we talked about everything from breaking into television and producing your first show to how the Internet is changing TV and what the economy has in store.

They also printed an excerpt from my TV book, Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writer's Guide to the TV Business, which talks about the most important elements in creating a successful TV show.

Click HERE to read the interview...

Click HERE to read the excerpt...

And coming in the next few days: an in-depth interview with animator Ellen Besen, a discussion of fight scenes, book reviews, Pitch Workshop submissions and feedback, and much much more!...

How It Feels To Get Canceled

Chad — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:30:11 GMT

Hey, everyone—

Some sad news (“sad” being relative, so bear with me)… Reality Binge, the Fox Reality Channel sketch/clip/variety show I’d be writing on for the past 8 months, was canceled this week. We’ll finish out our final two episodes, and the finale will air on Thursday, December 18.

So first of all… THANK YOU to all of you who watched, laughed, sent emails and posts to the Binge blog, and did everything else you could to help support us. The folks in the office may not know your faces or even your names, but believe me… your support is appreciated more than you can know.

Secondly, I thought I’d take today and write about the experience of being canceled… what it’s like on the inside… because it’s a somewhat unique-- and simultaneously NOT unique-- experience (for anyone who's ever been laid off) that I think is interesting to those on the outside. (Or at least, I remember before I’d worked in TV, I’d always wonder what it was like when a show was canceled. How did they tell the writers? What was the mood in the office? Why were the network executives such idiots and assholes… or were they? All that stuff…)

We learned the news at about 2:45 Tuesday afternoon. Tuesdays are big days at the Reality Binge writers’ offices, because they’re the day the entire script comes together so it can be shot in the studio on Wednesday. Every Tuesday at 2:00 is our “table read,” where all the writers, producers, and network executives gather in the conference room to hear the host, Eric Toms, read through the script. We also read/rehearse/present to the network any skits, pre-taped bits, or clips for that week’s show. Thus, the network executives often use the time before the table read to give us any important updates or information.

We had heard rumors the previous day (Monday), that we’d be learning the next afternoon whether or not Reality Binge would be picked up for a third “cycle,” or season. Fox Reality Channel had been picking us up in 13-episode commitments, and this particular season was due to end on Thursday, December 18. Several weeks earlier, as we were producing our first season and hoping for a second, they gave us the second-season nod about a month before the cycle ended. So this time around, we were expecting to learn our fate by Thanksgiving.

In television, where even the highest-paid writers and producers are freelancers, hopping from one show to the next, getting a pick-up is a big deal… it’s learning whether or not you’ll have income for the next 3 months, 6 months, 12 months… however long the pick-up lasts. If you don’t get picked up, everyone—even the top-of-the-food-chain writers, producers, and showrunners—must hit the streets in search of a new job.

So as the network deadline for picking up a show draws closer, everyone on the staff begins to gossip and speculate. Every tidbit of information becomes grist for the mill:

“We had terrible ratings last night—they’re gonna cancel us…” “No way—we were up against the debates; they couldn’t have expected much…”

“We had a Verizon commercial! That’s high profile—they gotta pick us up!”

“Last night’s ratings were low, but I heard we did great in the target demo… I bet we get the pick-up tomorrow…”

“A friend knows an assistant to the network president. Apparently, we’re his favorite show, so the ratings don’t matter…”

“The network’s nervous… someone posted something on a blog saying we’re too much like The Soup… and our ratings were down…”

“Our ratings are low, but they have American Idol coming up and want to use us to promote it. There’s no way they’d cancel us right before American Idol…”

Everyone becomes an armchair analyst and a wannabe programming exec. But nobody really knows anything.

The week before Thanksgiving was incredibly tense because we were SURE we were gonna hear before the holiday. In fact, many people thought we’d hear two or three weeks earlier… but we didn’t. So almost every moment that we weren’t writing was spent speculating and guessing what was going on behind the network curtain. We’d have conversations in the parking lot at 2 a.m. attempting to decipher any hint, clue, or rumor we could get our hands on.

It’s easy to think—when you don’t hear the news you’re waiting for—that it means bad news. (“If they were gonna pick us up, they’d have told us by now…”) The truth is: while not knowing may not be GOOD news—after all, hit shows like CSI aren’t sweating when they don’t get their pick-up right away—silence very often means nothing. It could mean the network wants to pick up the show but is discussing changes. It could mean they’re figuring out their next season schedule. In our case, it seemed to mean they hadn’t yet made a decision and wanted to continue seeing how the show performed.

For the most part, the Reality Binge writers and production staff seemed to be optimistic… “How could they NOT pick us up? Everyone at the network loves the show." "It’s so inexpensive!" "It’s a great promotional vehicle for their other series." "They have nothing else like it on their air. And they need SOME kind of show like this. They’d be crazy NOT to pick it up.” We also felt we were just hitting our stride creatively, really figuring out how to do funny, creative stuff with the resources at our disposal. Picking us up was a no-brainer… right?

But when we didn’t hear… and we didn’t hear… and we didn’t hear… our palms started to sweat.

Then, last Monday, we heard rumors that the network would give us their decision the next day. At 2:00, everyone gathered in the conference room for the table read—Eric (the host), the writers, producers, lawyers, network execs. I don’t know if things were quieter, more taut, this week because we were all waiting for the announcement… or if it just seemed that way. Usually, the moments before the table read are light, energetic, even a bit frenetic—there’s an excitement around watching the show come together. But this time, there was a definite elephant in the room. People were talking in hushed tones… there were no jokes or good-natured insults being thrown about… no ribbing or laughing. It was like everyone was in a courtroom moments before learning the sentence of a close friend; would he be set free… or put to death?

And then the table read began. No mention of the pick-up… no yes or no… not even acknowledgement that we were all waiting. It just… started. Again, I don’t know if the table read actually WAS different—less jovial, fewer out-loud laughs, a hesitancy about really enjoying the comedy—or if it just felt that way… but when it ended, and everyone dispersed to head back to their desks, there was a definite sense of, “Did that just happen? Weren’t we supposed to LEARN something? Did we just totally ignore the gigantic elephant in the room?”

But as the writers gathered in the writers room, our showrunner hurried in behind us.

“Hey, guys,” he whispered. “Bad news: I didn’t want to say this before the meeting, but we’re getting canceled today.”

“How do you know?” we asked.

“Someone leaked it on a blog this morning. It says ‘Fox Reality canceling Reality Binge… the LA offices will find out this afternoon.’ And the president of the network is on his way over here right now.”

“Well, it’s a blog,” I said. “It could be totally wrong. Who knows where that came from.”

“The president of the network is on his way. He’ll be here at 3:30.”

He was right… network presidents generally don’t travel from Santa Monica to North Hollywood—an hour-long drive—to deliver good news about third season pick-ups.

Those few moments—and, I guess, the few hours—after learning the truth are a weird mixture of emotions: sadness, anger, worry, futility. A million things race through your mind… “How could they do this? We were just getting good!” “Great—was all of this for nothing?” “How will I afford Christmas presents?” “Where should I start hunting for another job?” “How will I tell my family?”

For me, I sometimes think the mish-mash of emotions winds up leaving you feeling… ultimately… almost nothing at all. It’s like the color white… I remember learning how white light is actually an amalgamation of all the other colors combined… which is odd, because all the colors combine to make NO color. That’s how this feels. A million emotions combine to leave you feeling almost nothing… just kind of empty, untethered.

It’s only later, over the next few hours and days, that real clarity hits you, washing over you like waves…

There’s the wave of: “The network is a bunch of idiots. They never gave this show a chance… they squashed what made it good… they never promoted or marketed it the way they should’ve.” I don’t care what show it is… EVERY CANCELED SHOW IN THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION HAS THIS CONVERSATION… ABOUT 15,000 TIMES. Arrested Development, Jericho, Kath & Kim, Reality Binge. There’s usually some truth in it… but sometimes—many times—shows simply fail. It’s not the show’s fault. It’s not the network’s fault. It just failed.

There’s the wave of: “I have to tell my friends and family we failed. We weren’t good enough.”

There’s the wave of: “Shit—I should’ve started job-hunting already. What if I never get another gig?”

There’s the wave of: “Maybe I should just quit writing and get a ‘real job’… so I don’t have to go through this again.”

There’s the wave of: “We’re the best show on television… screw this network!... let’s just sell the show somewhere else!” Almost every producer, when his or her show gets canceled, talks about selling the show somewhere else. Sometimes it actually happens—like when Scrubs was canceled by NBC this year, then ABC Studios resold it to ABC—but these cases are few and far between.

And of course, all of these waves are washing over you while you still have to plow forward and finish your season’s remaining episodes. (Sometimes shows are canceled and shut down immediately. In Reality Binge’s case, we’re finishing the last episodes of this cycle.)

But jumping back to Tuesday…

The network president and VP showed up, as promised, at 3:30… when they had a closed-door meeting with the two heads of the production company, Weller-Grossman, which makes the show. They emerged about twenty minutes later… the execs took off… and the executive producers gathered together the entire staff to break the news. Each of them made a little speech, talking about what a great job we did… how gracious the network was in saying that they DID love the show—unfortunately, it just wasn’t getting the numbers they needed… etc.

These meetings always feel like funerals… they’re sad and gloomy, everyone already knows the news… but their true functions are to A) cement the truth, let it be said officially, and B) bring everyone together for a moment of cathartic communal mourning. People sing the praises of each other and the show… how fun it was to work together… how well everyone gelled… etc.

And then, after the meeting, almost immediately… everyone went back to work. After all, we had a show to shoot in less than 24 hours, and while it didn’t seem to matter much anymore, I think it was nice to know we still had a common purpose for a couple weeks. Of course, things were different as we filtered back into the writers room… jokes were flying as usual, but there was definitely more gallows humor…

“Let’s turn in all jokes about drugs and Jesus (the network hates drug references and religion jokes)—what are they gonna do, fire us?...”

“Hey, instead of shooting in the studio, let’s do the exact same show… but have Eric in a bathtub with razor blades…”

To be fair, the network execs and lawyers have been genuinely contrite over the last few days, telling us repeatedly how much they loved the show… how painful this decision was. Ultimately, they’ve told us, the show did GREAT online. We were incredibly successful virally. Unfortunately, the Internet viewers never seemed to find their way back to television… and while the world is on the verge of real TV/Internet convergence, we’re not there yet… and TV is what matters.

So… we trudge on, finishing the final two episodes in our order, knowing—hoping—we made Reality Binge the best show we could… and we begin the hunt for a new show, the next job. Some of us have agents, who will help… but whether you have an agent or not, it’s usually up to you to find that next gig.

Every show ends… sometimes after a year, sometimes after five. And when it’s over, you’re usually back to square one, searching for that next job. This doesn’t change much whether you’re at the top of the food chain… the bottom… or, like most TV writers, somewhere in the middle. The upside is: you always know you’re in good company. Sure, it gets easier to find jobs after you’ve had a few… but I know mid-level and high-level writers and producers who have been out of work for months, even years. Most of them will find something, hopefully sooner than later.

But as painful as getting canceled—and the constant insecurity—can be, this is the name of the game for everyone working in TV. Which means those who survive have to be scrappy. In fact, I’m not sure whether working in TV—or being any kind of freelancer—“makes” you scrappy… or you become a freelancer BECAUSE you’re scrappy.

Either way, it’s not always fun… but it’s the life we choose.

Welcome to television.

REALITY BINGE: "PETER GUNN'S GUIDE TO STYLE"

READER QUESTION: Is It Possible to Get a Job in L.A. if I Live Out of Town?

Chad — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:19:37 GMT

Today’s reader question comes from Wendy, who asks a question in response to Tuesday’s discussion about “chronological goalposts” and moving to Los Angeles to make it as a TV writer. Wendy writes…

“Is there any hope of getting a job before you make the move to LA?”

Great question, Wendy… obviously, no one ever wants to pack up their entire life and move to another city with nothing but the hope of landing a job. It’s risky. It’s daunting. It’s utterly terrifying.

And unfortunately, in the world of Hollywood, it’s usually the only way to do it.

Rarely do Hollywood companies hire people from out of town… they tend to only hire—and only want—people who are already living in Los Angeles. This is for a handful of reasons…

1)   The turnover rate in Hollywood is incredibly high. Not just at lower levels, like assistants and runners, but even at higher levels, where executives frequently last only a year or so in their jobs. (And when an executive or agent is fired, laid off, promoted, or leaves a job, their assistant often goes with them.) So when someone leaves—ESPECIALLY an assistant who takes care of much of a company’s vital day-to-day grunt work (filing, copying, running errands, answering phones, maintaining schedules, etc.)—the company needs to fill their shoes IMMEDIATELY… often as soon as the next morning, and it’s tough to do this with someone who lives out of town.

2)   Bosses often want someone who is familiar with L.A. and knows their way around. This is because much a low-level assistant’s job is running errands, tracking down special requests, making restaurant reservations and recommendations, etc. In other words: they need a base knowledge not available to out-of-towners. And while you may be a fast learner, many bosses have no patience for a learning curve; they want to know that if they tell their P.A. they need a certain kind of paper, or a special food request, that P.A. knows exactly how to find it, get there, and return as quickly as possible.

(This is also why many bosses won’t hire first-time assistants, period. They want an even broader base of knowledge… they want to know that if they say, “Get Steve McPherson on the phone,” or “Call Barry Meyer,” or “Set a lunch with Jeff Jacobs,” the assistant not only knows exactly who that person is, they already have the number memorized.)

3)   Hollywood is an entire industry based on connections or relationships, and people tend to hire people they already know: friends, nieces, friends of friends, etc. And if you’re living outside Los Angeles, it’s nearly impossible to begin forming the contacts you need to build a network strong enough to help you get that first (and second) job.

Having said this, we all know people who LIVE in Los Angeles… and we all probably have friends or relatives working in entertainment… and you should never be afraid to use these connections. If your uncle is a VP at Paramount, you may luck out and be able to land a job before arriving in L.A. (but again—he knows you; you have a pre-existing relationship)… but at the very least, you’ll land in California with a small network of contacts to help you get started.

4)   It’s easy for out-of-towners to flake, and for execs, producers, or agents who are often quasi-helpless without their assistants, it’s risky to hire someone who doesn’t even live in town. You may be incredibly intelligent and perfectly qualified… but the most important qualification—to a nervous exec who needs support—is that you can show up immediately.

Having said all of this, Wendy—there are certain ways to help yourself if you’re not yet living in Los Angeles. Namely: get an entertainment-related job wherever you are. Start working at a TV affiliate station. Find a production company specializing in local commercials or corporate videos. Take a gig at an advertising agency that deals with networks. Many cities these days even have talent agencies that supply actors and models to local commercials, productions, and photo shoots. And while you’ll probably still need to BE in L.A. before getting hired in L.A., any of these jobs will begin giving you real-world industry experience… as well as help you build your Rolodex.

I hope this helps, Wendy… while I wish I could tell you it’s easy to lock down a job before getting out here, it’s just not true. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start your career—or even have a long, prosperous entertainment career—wherever you already are.

READER QUESTION: What are the Chronological "Goalposts" for Becoming a TV Writer?

Chad — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:35:49 GMT

Hey, folks—

Today’s reader question comes from E. Daniels, who addresses an issue which, I think, plagues almost every writer in Hollywood, myself included. E Daniels, take it away…

"There are certainly a number of factors involved in getting discovered or 'making it' (fate, talent, luck, hard work, etc.) How long does the average writer take to get staffed? Already that sounds like a question without any one answer.

"But I'm trying to be realistic about my life, and I just thought if I don't see real progress in three years I would have to re-evaluate what I am doing in Los Angeles. But then I realized I don't even know what 'real progress' would look like. I certainly don't expect to be staffed on a show in just three years. And really it seems that two years or twenty, you don't really get closer to getting staffed, you are either staffed or not. Kind of like being pregnant - there is no halfway.

"But then I think, well there is no halfway to being pregnant, but your chances go up by having sex, right? So, metaphorically speaking, what is 'having sex' to a writer? Is it networking and being a great assistant? Is it improving your craft to the point that someone has to take notice? And obviously the question 'when do you give up on a dream?' is loaded and different for each person. (I mean, no one wants to give up on a dream, but you can have other dreams, too - like a steady job and health insurance in a city you like, for instance.)

"Okay, I'll stop with the rambling and boil it down to this: in the interest of making an informed decision (and part of being informed is knowing that it is so wildly different for everyone) what are common goalposts of progress for a writer and how longish might it take to get paid to write for TV?"

Well, first of all, E. Daniels—I think you’re right… the answer is different for everyone. I have friends who got staffed after being an assistant for only a couple years. I also have a friend who spent—literally—NINE YEARS slaving away as a writers assistant and P.A. before finally getting staffed… and this summer—only two years after his first staff job—he sold his first pilot! Then, of course, there’s the story of Caroline Williams, a UCLA grad student who wrote a spec pilot with the sole dream of getting staffed on NBC's The Office… and she not only immediately staffed on The Office, she sold the pilot to ABC, got it made (Miss Guided, which premiered—and was canceled—earlier this year), and just sold ABC another project, Made Over, with a put pilot commitment.

I also have friends who followed the right path and staffed on a TV show… but that show was then canceled, or they were fired, and they never worked again. Some were even high-level writers: producers, co-EP’s, etc. The fact they didn’t work again doesn’t necessarily mean they were bad writers, it just means the road is NEVER easy. Sure, once you get that first staff job (or more accurately, the second), you’re “in,” but you still have to fight and claw to keep working and moving up the ladder. Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry, for instance, had had a fairly successful career in TV (writing and producing shows like The Golden Girls and Five Mrs. Buchanans), but had been out of work for over three years when he finally wrote Desperate Housewives.

(Also, for what it’s worth—some of those friends who never staffed again went on to write other things: video games, screenplays, grants, books, magazine articles, etc. And who knows… they may—and probably will—staff some time in the future.)

Anyway, all of this is to say: YOU ARE RIGHT. The path is different for each person.

Having said that, you’re ALSO right—there are certain goalposts that tend to mark the most common paths. Here’s how the ladder often works, with each step usually taking AT LEAST a year… and usually more…

1)   Intern or runner
2)   Production Assistant (PA)
3)   Writers’ PA
4)   Writers Assistant

So, that’s usually about a four-year path… assuming there are no bumps or setbacks along the way… and there are ALWAYS bumps along the way. Shows get cancelled mid-season. Assistants don’t get promoted. Bosses hire friends. Budgets limit who showrunners can hire.

However, I think there are other goalposts to follow as well… and these aren’t necessarily chronological goalposts. But as you move forward in your career, even if you’re not advancing “up” the ladder, you should be…

1)   Writing more (you should be constantly turning out product: new specs, screenplays, and plays… whatever you need to get noticed)

2)   Getting feedback from writer friends and bosses, learning how to incorporate that feedback, and then seeing your work noticeably improve (I know it sounds elementary, but you should be seeing your writing GETTING BETTER)

3)   Reading more (try to read all the pilots produced each year, on both cable and broadcast networks; this is tough, believe me, but reading not only keeps you informed about what networks are producing, it HELPS YOU BECOME A BETTER
WRITER)

4)   Meeting more writers and showrunners (literally, as you advance, you should see your Rolodex of writer and producer friends growing… not just because you’re meeting more high-level writers, but because friends who are low-level/aspiring writers get promoted)

5)   Meeting more execs and agents (and again, the ones you know should be moving up the ladder, expanding your Rolodex of high-level players)

6)   Getting things produced, published, etc. (As you improve as a writer… and expand your list of contacts… you have more opportunities to get things published or produced. Maybe not on TV… but you can stage plays or sketches, publish stories or scripts, write/produce video games and web content, etc. I used to have a teacher who said “Work begets work,” and he’s right: showrunners and execs like hiring people who are busy and productive… and the more aggressive you are about getting your work out into the world, the higher your chances of having it seen by someone.)

So, E. Daniels, I think both sets of “goalposts” are important. I know people who have been writers assistants for YEARS and wonder why they can’t get staffed… even though they never bother writing specs or reading pilots or going to networking functions.

I also know PA’s who spent every free moment reading scripts, writing stories, and begging their bosses to read their work… and they leapt past their competitors to staff earlier than most people.

Your job is to be moving forward on both fronts, accomplishing both sets of goalposts. You may not progress equally on both fronts at all times… and that’s okay. As long as you can feel yourself progressing.

Anyway, I hope that helps… and please know that you are not alone in this boat. In fact, I’m not sure most writers EVER reach a place where they feel they’ve totally “arrived.” If they did, I think they’d stop writing. I think most great writers—and maybe artists in all mediums—are driven not by a need to “succeed,” but by a need to “be heard”… and the day they feel secure in “being heard” is the day they lose their hunger to create.

So not only should you be doing this because you love the hunt, not the kill, but you should prepare yourself for a lifetime of uncertainty, insecurity, and self-doubt. Which sounds dark and depressing, I know… but those aren’t just the qualities that come with the territory of being a writer… they’re what MAKE us writers. We write BECAUSE we’re uncertain, insecure, and doubtful. It’s a vicious circle: we write to make those things go away, but those are also the very things that MAKE US WRITE.

On that happy note, E. Daniels, look at the bright side… you’re asking the same questions—and having the same concerns—as EVERY WRITER IN HOLLYWOOD, from the top of the food chain to the bottom. So while it seems like you’re wondering if you’ll ever arrive, in one of the most important ways… you already have.

TV Writing Interview: Part III... Take a Listen

Chad — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:17:31 GMT

Hey, everyone--

Here's the third part of the 3-part podcast interview I did with Judith Parker Harris and the Alive! Authors Network. Take a listen... we talk about the politics and logistics of being a TV writer, frequent mistakes aspiring writers make, and how to break in and launch a successful career.

Click HERE to check it out!

(And here's Part I and Part II...)

And coming up, we've got some great reader questions... book reviews... and more pitch workshop entries!

READER QUESTION: Is Writing TV Commercials a Viable Way to Get Into TV?

Chad — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:06:58 GMT

Hey, writers—

Big thanks to Wendy, who sends in today’s reader question! Wendy writes…

“I have been told a TV commercial is a good way to get some writing credits. Is this so, and how would a person go about getting into commercials? --Wendy?”

Well, Wendy, I think writing TV commercials is a great way to get some writing experience… IF YOU WANT TO BE A COMMERCIAL WRITER.

For the most part, showrunners and executives aren’t combing through ranks of commercial writers searching for the next great TV writer to join the staff of The Mentalist or My Name is Earl or Mad Men or The Colbert Report or Sons of Anarchy. Writing TV commercials is a different craft than writing TV shows, and while execs and producers definitely want fresh voices, they also want fresh voices that can write TV shows.

Personally, I’m of the belief that if you want a certain job, you should laser-focus and go for that job. If you wanted to be a NASCAR driver, you wouldn’t do it by first becoming a mechanic. You would get a car, get on the track, and learn to race. And while you’d also learn all you could about automobile mechanics, you’d dive into the specific training it takes to become what you actually want to be: a real driver.

Sometimes I hear people offer TV writers advice like, “You have a better chance of breaking in if you first become a lawyer, because there are tons of law shows, and showrunners always seem to be looking for lawyers.” While there may be some truth in this, it’s also misleading advice. Showrunners do like to hire lawyers—especially on law shows—but telling someone to become a lawyer first… or any other profession… is sending them down a long, risky, circuitous path.

The truth is: showrunners and execs want talented writers who understand the medium of television and have real-world/life experience to help inform their writing. So yes—experience as a lawyer can be helpful and attractive. But so can experience as a fireman. Or a marriage counselor. Or a spy. Or a plumber. Or a stay-at-home mom. The is key taking the real-world experience you have and being able to translate it into powerful stories and writing. But I certainly would never say that certain professions—whether ad-writers, lawyers, or airline pilots—are funnels to the TV world. If you wanna be a TV writer… go learn how to be a TV writer.

Having said that… showrunners and executives also like hiring writers with produced credits. Produced credits suggest someone else—someone acting as a “filter”—read a writer’s work, liked it, and got it made. They also suggest the writer has a certain level of professionalism, or at least understands some of the processes of translating words from mere thoughts to actual out-there-in-the-world products. Produced credits suggest, in theory, a writer knows how to take notes, collaborate, rewrite to accommodate practical elements (time, money, space), etc. And in the world of television, where time, resource, and budget constraints constantly force writers to change stories, characters, and scenes, these are important skills and experiences to have.

Produced credits could include plays, movies, published novels, articles, short stories… and yes—probably even TV commercials, especially if they were particularly creative and/or well-known. A showrunner hiring for a sentimental melodrama (say, Seventh Heaven) may be very impressed with a writer who has written a successful series of touching Hallmark card commercials. An executive looking for writers for a raunchy new sketch show may be impressed by someone who’s written a bunch of hilarious Bud Light commercials. I’m not saying they actually seek out and scour these places for new writers… and I’m definitely not saying the best way to impress a producer or exec is to go out and write commercials… but I am saying that commercial-writers who have creative, successful commercials under their belt may be attractive to certain showrunners searching for specific and appropriate voices.

There have also been a few rare instances where TV ad campaigns have literally been turned into actual TV shows. The most recent of these was last year’s ABC flop, Cavemen, which was based on a series of Geico ads created by the Martin Agency, an ad agency in Richmond, Virginia. Joe Lawson, the ad copywriter who wrote the original spots, even got to write the script for Cavemen’s pilot episode. Likewise, in 2002, CBS developed a TV series based on “Baby Bob,” a talking baby who had appeared in a series of freeinternet.com commercials.

However… these instances are few and far between (not to mention, they rarely work). I don’t think it’s fair to say that a commercial writer who creates a brilliant ad campaign has any better of a chance of turning it into a TV show than someone who writes a great short film… or a terrific autobiographical memoir… or a wonderful stage musical… or anything else that catches Hollywood's eye.

So to sum up this rambling answer, Wendy… if your goal is to be a TV writer, my advice is to go be a TV writer. Don’t waste time taking circuitous paths as an ad-writer or a janitor or a doctor or a military commander because you think it’ll somehow “backdoor” you into the industry. GO GET A JOB IN TELEVISION. Get as close to the action and the writing process as you can. Become a writers assistant… or a P.A…. or a script supervisor… or a runner. Start wherever you need to start to begin learning the process and making contacts.

BUT… if you’re not in L.A. or you can’t yet get that first job, by all means—keep writing. Write the best pieces you can and get them out there into the world… poems, plays, skits, magazine articles, online shorts… or—if you want to—TV commercials. Whatever best shows off your unique talent and voice.

As for actually getting into writing TV commercials, if you really want to pursue it, I would begin by researching ad agencies in your area, then contacting them about job opportunities. Most probably won't hire you as a bona fide writer right off the bat, but you can begin as a desk assistant, or a production assistant, or even a receptionist. This will allow you to meet the players, learn the process, interact with clients, and understand exactly how TV commercials are conceived, written, and produced.

Do a good job, make friends with your co-workers, please the clients, and eventually you'll feel comfortable enough to ask for more responsibility and let the higher-ups know your aspirations. Again, you probably won't leap right from assistant to writer, but perhaps your boss will let you help write a few spots... or rewrite a few lines... or pitch an idea... or something that will allow you to begin showing off your writing chops. Eventually, you'll impress people enough that you will move up the ladder and begin writing your own spots.

Hope that helps, Wendy!... and for the rest of you who may have questions about TV, film, writing, agents, or anything else… please feel free to email me at WDScriptNotes@FWPubs.com. Have a good weekend!

P.S. If you haven't seen them, here's a compilation of Geico's caveman commercials...

GEICO'S CAVEMAN COMMERCIALS

Best Book Recommendation EVER!

Chad — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:00:31 GMT

Hey, everyone--

I'm super-psyched to announce that my new (and first) book, Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writer's Guide to the TV Business (which officially comes out November 25), is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Borders, and Barnes & Noble!

The book is a user-friendly "business guide" for aspiring TV writers. It explains the differences between networks, studios, and production companies... how TV series make money... the new show development and production process... and how all this affects the creative process. It then talks about what happens in a writers room... how to break in and get your first writing job... and how to survive once you're there.

It also features interviews with almost 200 working TV professionals... network and studio executives from almost every network and studio (NBC, ABC, FOX, the CW, TNT, Comedy Central, E!, you name it)... showrunners, writers, and producers from all your favorite shows (Lost, Psych, Dexter, Life, Army Wives, Alias, Prison Break, Buffy, 24... and more)... and agents from Hollywood's top TV agencies (UTA, ICM, APA, Gersh, etc.).

Now, granted, I’m biased, but if you’re an aspiring TV writer… or even just love television and learning how it works… I think/hope this is a really helpful, important book. Most books focus on the creative aspects of being a TV writer: how to write comedy, how to structure a pilot, how to pitch a show, etc. Small Screen, Big Picture looks at these things… but from a business perspective: what executives really want, how to design a show that will be profitable for its studio, what agents need to get you work, etc.

So please… take a look… and lemme know what you think!

TV Writing Interview: Part II... Take a Listen!

Chad — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:23:02 GMT

Hey, everyone--

A couple weeks ago, the Alive! Authors Network posted the first part of Breaking In and Breaking Through the TV Business, Judith Parker Harris's 3-part interview with me about TV writing... how to get your foot in the door, get noticed, and excel in the world of television.

Well, Judith has now posted Part II... so please CLICK HERE take a listen to the next installment, and lemme know what you think!

In the mean time, have a great weekend... enjoy your extra hour... and Part III will be up soon!

Chatting About TV Writing... Take a Listen!

Chad — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:47:10 GMT

Hey, everyone--

Just wanted to invite you all to listen to a recent podcast interview I did on the Alive! Authors Network... all about TV writing and the TV industry.

This is the first of a 3-part interview I did, called Breaking In and Breaking Through the TV Business, with podcast host Judith Parker Harris. We talk about finding your own voice, common mistakes, ageism in Hollywood, how to deal with criticism, show business myths and misnomers... and more!

Click HERE to go to the podcast...

Take a listen and lemme know what you think... the next two segments will be available over the next few weeks!

READER QUESTION: Protecting Your Work: Part II (an afterthought)

Chad — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:27:11 GMT

First of all, special thanks to Heather, a lawyer who responded to yesterday's post about protecting your work with the following advice:

"It may be that writers don't typically register scripts with the US copyright office, but I can tell you (as an attorney) that the ONLY way to get into federal court with a claim of copyright infringement is with a US copyright.

The WGA registration won't be enough (which is probably why screenwriters don't use it in court to claim copyright infringement).

Mailing a copy of the script to yourself (and leaving it unopened with the postage dated) won't do you any good either, legally.

This is not to say that Chad's advice here is incorrect; what is written here may very well be what screenwriters do. But legally, the US copyright is the only one that will stand up in court.

But even that will only protect the *expression* of the idea in your screenplay. Ideas themselves cannot be copyrighted, so the script must be extremely close to yours to fit the definition of copyright infringement. A similar plot won't be sufficient."

Heather-- this is a terrific, valuable info-- THANK YOU!

Secondly, Heather's post made me realize I didn't mention the #1 way most working Hollywood writers protect their work when sending it to studios, networks, production companies, producers or other readers and buyers...

They send it through an agent, lawyer or other type of middleman.

Most professional screenwriters use an agent, which-- in California-- is a representative legally bonded by the state and empowered to procure work and negotiate contracts (different states have different rules about who can be an agent and what they can/can't do).

Others use a manager, which-- technically-- are simply supposed to be career advisers and can't legally procure work or negotiate contracts (but this doesn't mean they don't do it... the lines between agents and managers have become very fuzzy).

Rarely are lawyers used to submit material or procure work, but this doesn't mean it can't happen. Still, most lawyers simply negotiate, proof, and execute contracts.

Of course, if you don't have an agent, lawyer, or manager, it's tougher to submit work this way. If you have a lawyer friend-- even if they're not an official entertainment lawyer-- perhaps you can ask them to submit your material anyway. It's not the usual mode of business, but at least there's some layer of legal protection... or, at the very least, the appearance of legal representation.

Having said all this, there's still no guarantee of protection. As Heather points out, the only way to TRULY protect a piece of writing is through the U.S. Copyright Office, and-- to be honest-- I've never heard of a writer doing that. And as I pointed out yesterday, I don't believe ideas DO get stolen in Hollywood... at least not on a regular basis.

At any rate, as a writer struggling to break in, what you should be worrying about isn't how to protect your ideas... but how to get them in front of as many official buyers as possible...

READER QUESTION: How Should I Protect or Copyright My Writing?

Chad — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:30:29 GMT

Hey, everyone--

Today’s reader question comes from Joseph, who writes…

“I have recently finished my first spec script and am about to start the revision process. I am planning to give the first draft to some writer friends of mine, one is a professional screenwriter, in order to get some feedback. Although I trust them, I want to be sure that my investment and work are secure. When should I register my script with the copyright office?”

Thanks for the question, Joseph! I hear this question a lot, so you’re speaking for a lot of writers out there.

Also, be prepared… I know my answer is going to stir up some controversy, so be prepared. And if it does stir up controversy—if anyone reading wants to comment—please comment below! (I love getting good heated chatter on the comment boards!)

So, here goes…

Part One (non-controversial):

Screenwriters don’t actually register scripts with the U.S. Copyright Office. They register them with the Writers Guild of America, the labor union which represents and protects most writers working in film, TV, and even radio. This is a super-simple process which you can now do online for $20 (click HERE to go right to the WGA’s registration page). You don’t even have to be a member of the Guild to do this—anyone can register their script, treatment, reality TV idea, etc.!

(To be fair, you probably COULD register your work with the copyright office, but I’ve honestly never heard of anyone doing this, and I have no idea how it’s done. The WGA is the standard registration outlet for screenwriters. I’ve also heard you can put your script in an envelope and mail it back to yourself. Then, simply keep the unopened envelope in a safe place; the postmark indicates the date on which the contents were created, proving you wrote the script before that date. But again—the real registration place is the WGA.)

Having said that, everything you write is—in theory—legally copyrighted as soon as you put it down on paper. So a WGA registration isn’t necessarily better proof than simply mailing your script back to you. Sure, the WGA registration process is more specific and specialized than simply mailing a script to yourself, but it’s not necessarily BETTER.

(To be honest, I’ve never heard of anyone claiming their script was stolen, then using WGA registration as proof to win their case. Maybe it has happened; I’ve just never heard of it. I will say: the Guild often steps in to arbitrate rewrite disputes, like when George Clooney went “fi-core” early this year over Leatherheads, and the WGA is usually very fair in these disputes.) (I don’t know why Clooney was so upset… if I were him, I wouldn’t have WANTED rewrite credit on Leatherheads.)

Part Two (here comes the controversial part):

While I never discourage anyone from registering their scripts with the WGA, I don’t usually “encourage” it, either. Mainly because: IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER. Here’s why…

TV and movie ideas rarely get stolen. I know people think they do… and we’ve all heard legends and horror stories of “I know a guy who wrote a script just like Quarantine, he tried selling it, and two years later another company came out with a movie just like it”… but the truth is…

IDEAS RARELY GET STOLEN IN HOLLYWOOD.

First of all, there are no new ideas out there. My old screenwriting teacher used to say, “Whatever you’re working on, you must always assume there are five other identical projects in development at the exact same time”… and he’s right. I once had a student approach me at one of my classes, claiming he had an original idea that had NEVER been thought of—he was sure of it—and he wanted to know how to protect it. But when he pitched me the logline, it was just like a TV series already in development at two different networks.

Now, just because there are similar projects out there isn’t reason enough to not worry about protecting your work. What it means is this:

IT’S RARELY YOUR IDEA ITSELF THAT HAS VALUE… IT’S THE EXECUTION OF THAT IDEA.

In other words, ideas themselves are almost worthless; it’s a writer’s unique take on any idea that gives it value.

I often use the example of The Cosby Show and Everybody Loves Raymond. On paper, these are nearly identical TV shows: befuddled dads attempt to maintain control over their worlds as they navigate marriage and fatherhood. But the execution of these shows—how their storytellers see the worlds in which they live—is drastically different, and no one would accuse Raymond creators Phil Rosenthal or Ray Romano of ripping off Bill Cosby.

You can probably come up with a million different examples, shows or movies that are similar but have very different takes… Fringe and The X-Files, The Sixth Sense and Stir of Echoes, etc.

Executive, producers, networks, and studios know this. After all, they’re not just looking for good ideas… they’re looking for good writers who can EXECUTE those ideas. Writers who have unique perspectives and fresh ways of seeing the world. Which means if you’ve done your job well, in both developing and writing your script, your story can’t be told without you.

Thus, the best protection your script has is to make sure you’ve told a story ONLY YOU CAN TELL. Or rather: make sure you’ve written a story only you can tell in the way you would tell it… and in someone else’s hands it becomes a different story.

So, am I suggesting you don’t protect your work? NO. If spending $20 on a WGA registration gives you peace of mind, I say GO FOR IT. (And for $20, why not?) But I certaily wouldn’t let NOT being registered stand in the way of showing my script to people or getting feedback.

And whatever you do, DO NOT—repeat: DO NOT—put your WGA registration number on the front of your script. Don’t even write “WGA registered,” which some fledgling screenwriters do. THIS IS A SURE SIGN OF AN AMATEUR. Professional screenwriters do not do this… and the moment producers, execs, or agents get a script with this emblazoned on the script, the thought that flashes through their mind is: “amateur.” And while they’ll still judge the script on its own merits, you’ve already planted a tiny seed that may—even a tiny bit—affect their read.

So, to sum up: go ahead and register your script. It can’t hurt. But know that you’re simply paying for peace of mind, to quell your own fears (which, as a neurotic writer, I know can be overwhelming)… not necessarily any genuine protection or stamp of professionalism.

READER QUESTION/GUEST PERSPECTIVE: Is It Possible to Balance Single Parenthood and a Writing Career?

Chad — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:57:08 GMT

Hey, folks—

Today’s reader question comes from E. Daniels, who asks:

“Is it possible for writers to balance a career and family? With all the talk of being trapped in a room for 14 hours, I'm wondering if it's even possible to be a single parent and make a living as a TV writer, particularly given that most people move away from their families/support systems to start their career in Los Angeles. Thoughts?”

Well, E. Daniels… I’ll be honest: I’m not a single parent, so I didn’t feel fully qualified to answer this question myself. Which is why I tracked down someone who did… my friend Jennifer Vally, one of the other writers here on Reality Binge. Jen has written on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilbourn, Reality Remix, Street Smarts, and many more shows for both broadcast and cable networks… AND she’s raised two daughters.

Jen was really gracious in letting me pick her brain for a while. So without further adieu, here’s Jennifer Vally…

CHAD: How did you begin working as a TV writer? How did you get to where you are now? Tell me about your path?
JENNIFER: I started as an actress in plays in high school… in San Diego… and college. I went to junior college in Orange College, and my second year I was hired by a professional theater group and I did summer stock. From there, I decided I wanted to move to L.A. and find my fame and fortune.

I didn’t find my fame and fortune right away, but I was very ambitious. I always produced stuff, got myself on stage. I joined a comedy sketch improv group and we got to be pretty famous. We opened for Garry Shandling; we went around the country. And then I got tired of writing by committee so I started doing stand-up. And from stand-up, people started asking me to write jokes. One of my very good friends who would ask me to write jokes got a job writing on The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show, and that was all I needed. I was like, “if he can get it, I can get the job.” So I got a job working on that show.

Around that time, I was reading in the paper about the Oxygen network, and I said, “Boy, this is something I should really check: a network for women.” Because even as I was working, I would be the only woman writing [on staff], or one of two, or one of a few. So when I heard about the Oxygen network, I got very excited. I literally did all the networking myself; I had no agent. I just found out they were going to do twelve shows [and] called down to Sunset Gower, [where] I heard they were setting up production offices. I hounded them and sent my stuff and they hired me to write for the show. I was the only female writer, writing for a show called I’VE GOT A SECRET for two years… I wrote 112 episodes all by myself. From there, it just evolved and I got jobs working on different shows.

Where in that timeline did you have your children?
I actually started doing stand-up when I was six months pregnant with my youngest one. The day I had my child I was performing at The Laugh Factory. I got offstage, my water broke, and I went to the hospital and had Hannah—the same exact night I performed.

It was tough because I was single. I don’t have any immediate family in the area. My parents are from overseas, my mother lives in San Diego, I have no relatives. So I had to do everything on my own, [like] find sitters. In the beginning, I had to take my kids with me to comedy clubs and have other comics watch my kids while I did my set.

How was that lifestyle for your kids? Did they like it? Did they understand what you were doing?
They couldn’t come to a lot of the gigs… because they’re in clubs; you have to be twenty-one. But [one time, I was performing at a sober house and took my oldest daughter]. And I was telling some jokes and she got up and ran out of the room, in the middle of my set, crying! Afterwards, I went after her and she was like, “I had no idea this is what you did! You talk about me!” I hadn’t even said anything about them! I’d said that I had kids and she was mortified and ran away screaming! It was horrible. But then, when I started getting jobs on TV… then they were excited about it.

You've been working steadily as a TV writer for many years, so you have good traction and many contacts. But starting out as a TV writer is a much different ballgame than continuing to work once your career is moving. What are the biggest challenges, both personal and professional, faced by a single parent just trying to break in?
My advice to someone would be: CREATE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES. So many times people come to this town and give themselves deadlines. People say, “I’m giving this six months, and I if I don’t make it, or if I don’t get a job in six months, I’m leaving.” Well, you might as well just leave, because you are setting yourself up for failure. Nothing is going to happen that quickly. It’s all perseverance, working hard.

But how can people do this? If someone moves to town with almost no contacts, how can they "create their own opportunities?"
Years ago, I started this cable access show. This is a way someone new to town could [do something]. For thirty-five dollars, they’ll teach you how to edit and do all this stuff, and there are many cable access networks in the city. You can use their facilities to tape whatever you want for two hours, with a crew, for forty bucks. It’s professional quality stuff, so I did a show called Chick TV, and from that show I won two grants: a grant from the NEA, [and another] from private foundations, because it was a comedy show featuring women. You just create your own opportunities.

There are writers groups all over L.A. I get emails from friends of mine who are starting up writers groups all the time; someone writes a screenplay, or even just a page, and they’ll go with other writers and read each other’s work. Or have actors say them out loud. So even if you’re not working, you can still get your words read by other people… and see if you’re gong on the right track.

Also… UCLA and all these places have extension courses where you can take screenwriting classes and other things. I’ve never done that, but people say they like it.

If you’re coming from out of town, I’d [also] suggest getting a job anywhere in show business. I’ve worked on a lot of productions where even the simple P.A. moves up to another position. So if you’re new and don’t know anybody, take a job anywhere at a production company. Even if it’s just answering the phones, be nice, show them you’re creative, slip your head in; after you know the place, slip them a few jokes, some samples. They’ll take a look at it because they know you and they know your work ethic.

Production assistant jobs are pretty low-paying gigs. Is it possible to be a P.A. and support your family or raise children?
You’ll have to come out with some money saved because P.A.’s don’t make much money and work longer hours. But that’s the best way for someone with absolutely no contacts or experience to get their foot in the door.

Is it possible to work as a full-time P.A., with a part-time job on the side? Could you work as a P.A. during the week, but also work at a restaurant, or a movie theater, or as a secretary?
You might be able to. [A girl in my office now] was our very own example. She’d work on the weekends as a nanny and a P.A. during the week.

As you said, P.A.'s-- or any low-level entertainment positions-- often work brutally long hours for very little pay. How does this impact your ability to be a good parent? Can you still be a good mom or dad while working as a P.A.?
That’s something you have to really work at. If you have a lunch break, you can run home. When I first started working long hours at Oxygen, I literally had to have a team of handlers. I would take the kids to school in the morning, then I had someone who would pick them up in the afternoon, someone else who would take them to their things, and someone else who would stay with them at night. It’s tough. Your weekends are very precious, and any down-time you have, you come… or you have them brought to the set. You spend as much time [with them] as you can.

The thing about working as a writer—or anything in show business—there are periods of unemployment. [Also,] when you are working, you make enough money that you should learn to manage it [and] save it, so when you aren’t working, you don’t have to stress. That’s when I catch up on all that mommy time.

That brings up a good point: being a TV writer is an incredibly unstable job. Sometimes you work for many months; other times there are long dry spells of unemployment. How do you and your family survive the dry spells... both financially and emotionally?
Keeping busy helps. There are all kinds of freelance writing jobs you can do from home: grant-writing, writing for websites, writing for different organizations. You’re not going to make the same amount of money, but at least you’re still keeping in it.

What’s great about [times of unemployment] is: that’s when you can volunteer at your kids’ school. I was PTA president for six years at my daughter’s middle school. So I was either involved 100% or involved 20%. It gives you a chance to be involved in your kids’ lives when you wouldn’t have the opportunity otherwise. If you were working a nine-to-five job every day of the year, you wouldn’t have those opportunities, so it’s nice to have down-time every once in a while.

What are some other advantages you find working as a TV writer? Some things you feel you've "gained" being a single mom writing for television? Advantages in your personal life you wouldn't find if you had another job?
It gives you enough money to send your kids to the dance lessons, the gymnastic lessons. So when you are working, they’re keeping busy, because you don’t want your kids to slip away or slip through the cracks or get in trouble. Because I hate to say it, but if you have money, you have the resources to give them opportunities you wouldn’t working at a regular job.

And the follow-up question: are there things you feel you've lost, or personal disadvantages from working in television?
I don’t think so, because when my kids see me working, happy, productive, and being able to raise a family, that reflects on the kids. I’m happy, so they’re happy.

How much harder is it to break into TV-writing if you're a single parent?
It’s just another job, so when you’re a mother you learn how to juggle a career and have kids. But I will mention that for a woman, especially when you want to go into comedy, it’s a LOT harder. The truth is: most guys—and I did comedy for years—they don’t think women are funny. That’s the bottom line: “women aren’t funny.” So you just have to break into that boys club. I’ve worked on several shows where I was the only woman… or one of two. So there’s that disadvantage, too. But if you’re talented, people will hire you.

Breaking into TV-writing is always tough, but it's even tough for out-of-towners. What advice would you give a single parent who lives out of town, but is considering moving to L.A., to help him/her make the transition? What can he/she do before moving to L.A. to help the move-- and the professional transition-- go more smoothly?
If you haven’t done any writing in your hometown, I’d suggest you do as much of that as you can before you come out here. I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities in any city to be in a theater group and write a play, or local news, or the local entertainment show. It’s hard to break in here unless you have a little bit of experience or are willing to take the time. [Especially] if you’re coming out with NO experience, stay in your hometown a bit longer, get SOME experience, even if it’s just sitting at home writing a screenplay [or] spec script, then send it to people in Los Angeles before you make the move. Get some advice, see if it’s the right move for you.

We always hear that in order to have a TV-writing career, you must live in Los Angeles. is that true? Does an aspiring TV writer need to live in L.A.?
Not in this day and age. Every major city has the news, the “Good Morning, Mike & Mary,” plays, theater. Start in your town before you come out.

Earlier you suggested people just moving to L.A. should start at the bottom as a P.A. or other low-level position. But if you've spent many years building to a level of success in another industry... as a doctor or lawyer or secretary or fireman... it's tough to begin again. If you've been successful in one career and decide to try your hand at writing, do you really need to begin at the bottom?
Yes. If you have a field you’re already an expert in, find [writing] jobs doing that. There are always writing positions in every job—law offices, doctors. Everyone needs someone writing something for them, so start by writing for the doctors or the lawyers.

If you were advising a single parent just beginning a career as a TV writer, what are the top 3 "do's" you would offer him/her? What are thre three things he/she should be sure to do to balance parenthood and a professional life?
Number one: have good samples of your work, whether it’s a play, a short story, a spec script, a bunch of scripts. Have some samples to show.

[Number two:] do your homework. Find out what kinds of job you want… what your niche is, what your specialty is. Have in mind what you want to do before you set out. I like variety, so that’s what I’ve been going for. I like writing jokes, I like writing sketches.

A friend of mine created a long-running sitcom, and she used to call me, crying about the hours. Literally, she was working 18-20 hour days. That job wouldn’t have worked for me with my kids. As lucrative as it was, I just couldn’t do it. So find what you like and go for it. Do you want to be a sitcom writer? Do you want to work on hour dramas? Do you want to work on a talk show? Watch TV shows you like and see what production companies make those shows. Then arget those specific companies. Do some research and see if there’s a way in.

Number three: don’t expect help from anybody. You have to do it all on your own. Create your own opportunities. Don’t wait for somebody to give you a job. Be proactive. When I was doing that chick TV show, I would put out ads in looking for women, different talent. I’d talk to these women and say, “What do you do to further your career?” “Oh, I wait for my agent to call me.” Well, that’s not how it works. You have to find your own jobs, create your own opportunities. If you want to be a writer, hook up with an actress; write her something and do a one-woman show or a play. Then you can invite people from the industry to see your work.

What are the top 3 "don't's" you would recommend?
You should NOT give yourself a deadline, a timeline, because that’s just setting yourself up for failure.

Don’t come to L.A. to be a writer if you’re doing it just for the money. You’ve heard writers make lots of money and that’s why you do it. You will fail. You have to do it because you love it and that’s what you want to do; you would do it regardless of whether you’re making a lot of money or not.

Don’t be afraid to knock on doors you think will be closed: you never know. Let’s say you love reality shows and would love to work behind the scenes on Survivor. Don’t be afraid to go to Mark Burnett Productions and say, “Can I do something here?” They need P.A.’s every day of the week… and people fall out all the time.

[And lastly,], don’t let anybody squash your dreams. If you have dreams, go for it, but be proactive, that’s my number-one thing. Don’t expect to have anyone really help you. Don’t sit around and wait for someone to give you a job. You have to do it on your own. If you want to be a writer, write every day, even if it’s just writing in a journal.

Writing the Reality TV Show - Next Thursday!

Chad — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:46:20 GMT

Hey, TV writers and producers--

If you have any idea for the next America's Got Talent, Good Eats, The Amazing Race or Criss Angel: Mindfreak... or if you're just trying to get your foot in the reality TV door... or even if you're just a big reality fan... check out the mediabistro seminar I'm teaching next Thursday night, September 4!

Writing the Reality TV Show

Wipeout. Big Brother. Sunset Tan. Making the Band. From the multi-million-dollar series of broadcast television to the low-budget niche shows of cable, reality programming dominates television. But are reality shows really "reality?" How much planning and production goes into unscripted storytelling? And, most importantly, how can you get in on the action?

This seminar lays the groundwork for anyone wanting to break into the lucrative world of reality TV. We'll look at various types of reality shows and what makes them tick, from docu-dramas and docu-soaps (Dog the Bounty Hunter, The Hills) to game shows and elimination-style competitions (The Biggest Loser, Survivor) to personality-driven and "aspirational" series (Tasty Travels, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition).

The difference between reality shows, and how to pitch them accordingly
The critical elements every reality show and pitch must have
How to structure a pitch both verbally and as a written document
How to pitch to networks, studios, and production companies
When to attach hosts or producers to your idea, and when not to
What to expect when you're making your pitch, and what happens when you leave

Click here for more information...

WHEN: Thursday, August 4, 7-10 pm
WHERE: Beverly Hills Bar Assoc., 300 S. Beverly Dr., 2nd Fl., Beverly Hills, CA 90212
COST: $65 ($50 for avantguild members)
TO SIGN UP: Call 212-547-7890 or click HERE

GUEST PERSPECTIVE: How NOT to Write a Screenplay

Chad — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:46:19 GMT

Hey, screenwriters--

I'm excited to present a special guest today... William M. Akers, author of the new screenwriting book, Your Screenplay Sucks! 100 Ways To Make It Great, from Michael Wiese Productions, and... my former screenwriting teacher at Vanderbilt University!

Will was not only a great teacher (and my first screenwriting professor ever), but he's written movies and television for virtually every major network and studio from MGM and Disney to FOX, NBC, and ABC. He's currently writing a movie for Overture Films which is being directed by Jon Amiel. This is his first book... and he's done an incredible job.

Your Screenplay Sucks! is a terrific first outing, not only because it's packed with great info, tips, and insight, but because it has a wonderfully unique approach to working on your script. First of all, it's a great book to read if you've never written a screenplay and want some terrific first-time-out pointers and help. But more importantly and uniquely... this is a great book to read if you've already learned-- or are in the process of learning-- how to do it, and want to make sure your script is as good as it can possibly be.

Basically, Your Screenplay Sucks! is a comprehensive checklist of the 100 things screenwriters almost NEVER do... but should. It pinpoints specific mistakes writers make-- such as "you don't have a killer first page" or "you haven't buried exposition like Jimmy Hoffa" or "you call shots"-- which makes it easy to focus in on specific aspects of your script and punch them up. And because it's in checklist form, you can just go down the list, looking at and improving each aspect until you've whipped your screenplay into shape.

Also, this book doesn't use kid gloves. It doesn't coddle you and give you warm-your-heart artistic advice like "listen to your heart" or "find the hidden writer within." This book is designed to pummel mistakes out of your script until it's better. It has sections like "you didn't run your spellcheck, you moron!" and "you blew your first ten pages! Arggggghhhhh!" and "you think your script is special and rules don't apply." Many of the mistakes are mistakes screenwriters at all levels continue to make. As such, it doesn't pull punches... it ribs you, goads you, and takes your script to task until its better (which, even in and of itself, is a great lesson in writing with "voice").

So do yourself a favor... head to your nearest bookstore, or click HERE to go to Amazon, and grab yourself a copy of Your Screenplay Sucks! But first... check out the interview I did this week with Will... you'll learn a bit more about him, the book, and writing in general...

Will... you have a unique career, because you write and teach… and you do both far from the madding crowds of Hollywood. So let’s begin by learning your path. Tell me how you started writing professionally… and how you got to where you are today.

When I was in the third grade, my teacher would read to us after lunch. My favorite book was The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, an English adventure with wolves, sleighs in the snow, and little girls and a wicked governess who kills their parents for their money. After I got out of USC grad school, I knew I wanted to write, so I looked at things that had been eating at me for a long time, (which make the best subjects for screenplays, btw) and I had never forgotten the book that had been read to me as a child. I ended up optioning it. Nine months later, I had a screenplay. It was produced by Zenith Productions in London. It found a home on the Disney Channel and I was nominated for a CableAce. Actually, that wasn’t my first professional gig. Haven’t thought of this in a while. When I was still at USC, I was sitting outside the chairman’s office telling stories to his assistant and he came out of his office, pointed at me and said, “Are you a writer?” I said, “Sure.” He said, “Come in my office.” He didn’t know my name. Someone had called, a manager for child actors, and wanted USC’s best writing student to write a screenplay for one of his clients. The chairman told him he had just the writer in mind, opened his door, and saw me. I got paid $1,500 dollars. Needless to say, the movie never got made. I love the idea that this manager thought the chairman went through some involved search to get to me, their “best writing student” and he didn’t even know my name. Easiest way I ever got a job.

After the first job, I had to get the next one. I’ve always had an agent in Los Angeles, and if you live out of town, it helps. But, you can’t sit around waiting for your agent to land you a job. You have to go out and beat the bushes. I’ve sold pitches, sold spec scripts, and been hired on assignment. Every year is different. Some years, I haven’t worked at all. It helps to have no credit card debt and as small a house note as possible! Even when I’m not getting paid to write, I’m still writing spec material. I tend to write every day, so after a while, that’s a lot of pages. It’s been a hodgepodge of trying to get work, and failing, and wasting time, and being lucky, and writing and writing and writing. Sometimes it works and most times it doesn’t. The key is that you have to enjoy it even when it’s not working.

Right now, I’m rewriting a spec I sold. Done eleven drafts for the producers in nearly two years. The script is about the fall of Saigon. Jon Amiel is directing it, and, under his aegis, the script has only gotten better. “Development paradise” is not a phrase you often hear, but it applies to this one. I just sold a pitch about a cop in London, based on a true story, and am waiting for the contracts to be negotiated before I start work. So there is a bit of activity here and there...

You’ve written and sold numerous screenplays, and now you’ve published a book about screenwriting. One of the things that makes this book unique is its approach and tone. It’s not a how-to book for beginners trying their first screenplay; it’s an in-your-face pummeling for people who have written a few scripts and want to whip them into shape. It doesn’t pull punches or wear kiddie gloves; it’s a brutally honest assessment of the 100 biggest mistakes you see in beginners’ screenplays. So what compelled you, when you already have a successful screenwriting career, to write this book? And how did you decide on its unique voice and checklist format?

First of all, Your Screenplay Sucks! is aimed at both beginning and more experienced writers. There’s a lot in there about generating an idea and how to develop characters and especially what I call “physical writing” -- how to write a clean sentence that actually tells the reader what you think it means... That’s useful to a writer just starting her first script, and you don’t often see it covered in books. As for experienced writers, I’ve heard from people who’ve been selling material for twenty years who said the book reminded them of stuff they had forgotten they were supposed to be doing. Anybody who is contemplating starting a script, or rewriting one, can benefit. So much for the commercial plug.

As to where it came from, I wrote it in self defense. I’ve been critiquing screenplays for a long time, and I found that beginning writers all make the same mistakes. Over and over and over and over. So, I thought to create a checklist so the writer could do all this boilerplate stuff I had to tell every client about, and then send me their script so I could hammer them on structure and character instead of “don’t have character names that rhyme,” “take out thes and thats,” “make your prose crystal clear,” and “beware of research...” The book’s voice is my voice. I dictated the first draft of the book, so it’s a breezy read and, for a screenwriting book, pretty funny.

How did the process of writing a book differ from the process of writing a screenplay? What surprised you about the differences in writing a book?

I wrote a table of contents and a few chapters, sent it to the publisher, and they said “Go for it.” Once I knew it was going to be published, it was a complete blast to write. Like writing a movie, I suppose, where you know the producer has a put deal. Not that that’s ever happened to me... I basically wrote it for myself and had fun. I put in there whatever the hell I thought would be helpful, and that’s what came out the other end. No development hell. I rewrote it a lot, but what’s there is what I wanted. A lot easier than writing a screenplay, that’s for sure. What surprised me is how much fun I had writing it.

Now that you’ve finished the book and returned to screenwriting, how has going through the book-writing process helped your screenwriting chops and process? Or has it?

Interesting question. Act III of the book is about selling your screenplay and dealing with producers and Hollywood, and I have found myself trying to take my own advice. Weird, huh? All the painstaking work I did on the rewriting section of the book has helped my first drafts. There is so much in the book about being clear and concise, that writing it rubbed off on my own work.

You’ve done what few people are able to do… maintain a successful screenwriting career while living far from the heart of Los Angeles. How do you do this? What advice do you have for screenwriters and aspirants who don’t live—or can’t get to—Los Angeles?

Horrible question. Do you actually want the truth? It’s a bitch-willy to write and not live in L.A.. I lived there three years as a grad student in film school. Then three more years getting my career going. I’m still dining off those six years of living in Los Angeles full time. For six more years after that, I kept an apartment in West Hollywood and commuted regularly until my sharp-fanged, drooling landlord figured out a way to throw me out. So, I did put in my time in L.A. Living someplace else, lobbing scripts at Los Angeles, hoping someone will notice is, if you want my opinion, a fool’s paradise. You don’t want to confuse hope with denial. You can win a contest and get discovered, but that’s not easy. Every agent I’ve ever had came because a friend held a gun to their head, handed them a script and said, “Read this. This guy walks on water.” I never had a single query letter answered. Not one.

Okay, so much for the depressing part... Now for the advice. Figure out a way to get to Los Angeles, regularly. Find people who live there who you can meet. Facebook. Network. Lie. Use the internet. Use the Creative Directory. Talk to 18 year old kids about how to do it. Take a marketing person to lunch and squeeze them dry for free. Get out there somehow. Or, get your material out there.

Of course, the single best (and essential) thing you can do is to write a great screenplay. Not a good one, either, mind you. There’re lots of them all over. In gutters. Being used to clean windshields at gas stations. L.A. is lousy with good scripts. Any jackass can write a good screenplay. But, keep in mind, they’re not interested in good scripts, only great ones. So write a great one. If it takes you three years, so be it. If your script is great, people will pass your material on to someone they know because it makes them look good. Great material will open doors.

Remember, that if you ever do meet someone “real” who is in a position to pass your script on to someone else, your script has to be bulletproof. You will only get one read. If it’s not fantastic, they will never read anything from you again. You have to make it perfect. Hence the crying need for writers to buy my book or hire me to crit their script before it’s too late!

You teach college students, so you’re often working with young writers just starting to experiment with screenwriting and storytelling. What are the top three mistakes you see beginning writers make?

They don’t have a breathtakingly original, wildly creative, non-derivative idea. They put the backstory in the first act. They don’t take the time to pare down the scene description and dialogue to the bare stark-white bones. They have character names that rhyme or start with the same letter. Their bad guy is poorly constructed. They don’t separate out the characters’s voices. They didn’t throw out the first twenty pages. They don’t have a clue how the motion picture or television business operates. They are arrogant and think the rules don’t apply. They argue when you give them notes. They don’t keep the reader in mind when they are writing. Those’re probably the top three mistakes.

Your Screenplay Sucks! details 100 mistakes you see aspiring screenwriters make in their projects. But what are the biggest mistakes you’ve made… both in your actual writing and your career… and what have you learned from them?

Biggest mistake I ever made was when a producer wanted to make a script of mine and I told him... “No.” The script was autobiographical and I wanted to direct it myself. Idiot. The instant I said I was attached to direct, the script died and that was that. The producer had the financing and everything in place to make the movie and I, moron that I was, didn’t let him make my movie. I still own the script. It sits on a shelf, sneering at me.

In my writing, there is not a writing mistake I have not made. Repeatedly. I’ve done everything wrong there is to do, but not in the draft I handed in. I tried to correct the mistakes before I showed the material to anybody in the business.

Another gigantic mistake I’ve made is to allow my heart to rule my head when it comes to choosing material. The longer I take to decide what to write, the better off I am. Just because I think it’s a great idea and is something that will easily sell, doesn’t mean it will sell. I have an eclectic personality, and that is doom when it comes to choosing material. No one is a master of all genres, and you need to pick the one or two you’re good at and stick with them. I’ve never written the same thing twice, and that’s a hindrance. Better to find a groove and stay in it.

Screenwriting is a collaborative art form; screenwriters must know how to work and get along with directors, producers, designers, actors, etc. Having given screenwriters the 100 mistakes made when writing a script… what are the top three mistakes screenwriters often make during the rest of the production process, when dealing with all the other people and parts of making a movie?

It’s tricky to deal with a producer and their notes. You want to do the notes that will help the script while tactfully forgetting the ones that are destructive. Bear in mind that no one, at least I tell myself this, no one is trying to destroy your screenplay, but sometimes people who don’t have a great story sense will give you a note that sounds like a good idea to them, but, if executed, will eventually cause the entire house of cards that is the story, to collapse.

You have to listen, to everybody, and figure out how to deal with what they say they want. Sometimes it’s not what they really mean, because they don’t know what they really mean. That makes it tougher.

Being arrogant is death. You are not in charge and your goal is to get your story told... not rigorously protect the material from people you may see as Visigoths. Producers loathe writers who guard every word like it’s sacrosanct. Don’t fight for every phrase like it’s Omaha Beach. They’re just trying to help you make your movie. A movie in a theater that you wrote, that got changed some, is far more valuable and interesting to your career than a screenplay that is 100% unaltered... but that never got made...! They are paying you to execute the notes, so don’t be a brat.

I just had dinner with a guy who had investors for a project and $20 million to fund it. They flew in a private jet to meet the writers and tell them the changes they wanted done so they could pull the trigger. The writers refused to change anything. The investors got on their plane and flew away. And the writers still... control... their material! Whaddya bet their wives aren’t too happy with them?

A simple thing about notes is to write it all down, when you’re in the meeting. Don’t trust memory. Write it down, then decide later what you’re going to do and not do. If you take killer notes, at least you’ll come out of the meeting knowing precisely what was discussed. I take my laptop to every meeting, so I walk away knowing what was said. Then I have a checklist to go through.

You have a unique career, because half your career is dedicated to teaching young writers to write. And as you say in the dedication of your book, you’ve learned a ton from your students. So… what have you learned from your students? What has teaching taught you that makes you a better writer?

By correcting their mistakes, I am reminded not to make those mistakes in my writing. Their enthusiasm for what they are doing is always contagious, so their fire for the work constantly fuels my own. I’ve written screenplays with my students, too, and that’s a great way to learn. Plus, it’s fun to hang out with people younger than I am. They have different world views and opinions and listen to better music.

READER QUESTION: Why shouldn't I write an "origin pilot?"

Chad — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:16:37 GMT

Hey, guys—

First off, I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to E. Daniels and everyone else who submitted questions to Eric, our host at Reality Binge, for him to answer on his funny blog. You can submit whenever you want, so please… keep ‘em coming!

Secondly, wanted to take a few moments to answer a great question I received the other day.
This question comes from Susan, who took my pilot writing class last week. Susan writes...

“You recommend not writing an ‘origin pilot’ (a la Lost), but writing a pilot that could be episode 100 or episode 1. But aren't pilots where the main character moves to Alaska (Northern Exposure) or gets hit on the head (Samantha Who?) origin pilots? Or do you mean a literal creation of a whole new world type of thing?”

Great question, Susan! To get to that answer, let’s take a quick step back to catch people up…

As I said last week last week, many writers often make the mistake of thinking that a pilot is simply the first episode of a TV series, and your job in writing a pilot is to write the beginnings of a story and characters that make people want to keep watching.

While this is PART of what a pilot is, it’s only partially/somewhat/occasionally accurate.

In truth, a pilot is designed to be a prototype of a typical episode or your series. Yes, it’s introducing your audience to the world of your story (and before your show is on the air, your pilot’s “audience” consists mainly of network execs who decide whether to air your project at all), but it’s also meant to show networks how the show will work in series. Which means your job is not only to launch a story that can sustain itself for years to come, but to illustrate how that series will generate and tell stories whether it’s at episode 10 or episode 500.

Thus, if every episode of your show is a close-ended story in which your main character, a detective, solves an art heist, your pilot needs to show that detective solving an art heist. If every episode of your series shows a group of friends helping each other through wacky dating situations, your pilot needs to show that same group of friends helping each other through funny dating situations.

In other words, while your pilot is—in some way—unlike any other episode of your series (because it’s the beginning of your story), it must also work just like every other episode of your series.

So, now that we understand this, there tend to be two types of TV pilots: origin pilots and "traditional pilots" (to be honest, I’m not sure if non-origin pilots have a special name, so I just call them “traditional” pilots).

Traditional pilots work just like a regular episode of the series. In fact, some—like the Everybody Loves Raymond pilot—are nearly indistinguishable from regular episodes. They spend very little time introducing characters, setting up stories, etc. They just throw readers/audiences right into the world and start the show.

Origin pilots begin at the VERY BEGINNING of the story. Jericho kicked off with a nuclear attack. Grey's Antaomy begins on the day Meredith meets the other interns and McDreamy.

Different pilots work differently. The question is: WHICH IS MORE SELLABLE OR MORE ATTRACTIVE TO NETWORKS AND STUDIOS?

The answer, almost unequivocally, is: “traditional” pilots. Remember, the true job of a pilot is to show audiences—including network buyers—how the episodes works on a regular basis, and traditional pilots do this MUCH BETTER than origin pilots, which have so much “pipe to lay,” or story to set up—that they frequently don’t work like subsequent episodes.

(In fact, sometimes the series’ original pilot never airs… or airs out of order… because the network simply wants to jump right into the meat of the story. Firefly and Cavemen both aired their pilots later in the series. Ed shot a pilot, decided not to use it, then cut it into an quick montage that opened the first episode to set up the story.)

Now, Susan, you ask about pilots like Northern Exposure and Samantha Who?, where Joel moves to Alaska or Sam gets hit on the head and goes into/awakes from her coma.

Many pilots, obviously, are indeed telling the beginning of a story, so they can’t scrap ALL the elements of an origin pilot. After all, they still need to START THEIR STORY (by moving Joel to Alaska or putting Sam in the coma). But they also need to show how the episodes work. Thus, they usually set up their story as quickly as possible, but they also work hard at illustrating how future episodes will play out.

The CSI pilot, for instance, began with a new detective (Holly) joining the CSI team. It was a new day for the CSI gang… they had a new member. (This also allowed the storytellers to introduce the other people, places, and situations organically, since Holly was just meeting them for the first time.) But the rest of the episode then followed the crew as they solved what would become a fairly typical CSI mystery. (And they even killed off Holly, our entrée to the world!)

Similarly, the Grey's Anatomy pilot begins with the interns meeting each other for the first time… but it also has typical close-ended patient stories (Meredith and the girl with seizures, George and the open-heart patient, etc.).

Other pilots don’t bother setting up story at all. The Cosby Show, like Everybody Loves Raymond, just plunged right into its basic family-life storylines.

Your job, Susan, is to decide which type of pilot works best for the story you’re telling. I would never say: "NEVER write an origin pilot." Some shows, like Lost, require more origin set-up than others. Others, like The Cosby Show, can get away with diving right in. You need to write whatever story launches your story the best. HOWEVER...

The most important thing to keep in mind is this: a pilot isn’t designed simply to be the first step in a longer story, it’s designed to be a selling tool that shows network buyers how that series will work on a regular basis.

(Think of yourself as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. You want to wow your potential buyers with something flashy, cool, and sexy... but you also need to show them how the vacuum works. If they don't see how the machine will work on a regular basis, it doesn't matter how cool and attractive it is... they won't buy it.)

If you can remember that—even if you’re telling an origin story—you’re well on your way to writing (and selling!) a successful pilot.

I hope that answers your question. And please, everyone, if you have others, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email: WDScriptNotes@FWPubs.com!

Talk to you soon…

Chad

Top 10 Ways To Win Writers Digest's Annual Screenwriting Contest - Part II

Chad — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:09:59 GMT

And here's the conclusion to this weekend's post, the TOP 5 WAYS TO WIN WRITERS DIGEST's annual screenwriting contest...

5) STAGE DIRECTIONS – PART II. Do not over-write descriptions in your stage directions. Give the reader only the bare minimum of what he/she needs to know in order to understand your story. Elaborate scenic descriptions, character profiles, or visuals of props and costumes have no place in a screenplay… no matter how colorfully you see these things in your head. If you enjoy writing these elements, put them in a novel or short story.

4) DIALOGUE. Do NOT write long chunks of dialogue. Like with stage directions, try to keep each paragraph of dialogue under 3 lines. Sometimes, obviously, you’ll need more… if someone is ranting or lecturing… but dialogue should be short and snappy. (And real people rarely speak in long chucks; actual dialogue tends to be in quick exchanges.)

3) VOICE-OVER. If you’re going to use voice-over, use it VERY sparingly. Many writers believe V.O. is a crutch used to avoid dramatizing story. I don’t necessarily agree with this—there are many stories that use voice-over to great effect—but it’s often easy for it to BECOME a crutch, to use a character’s voice-over to set the stage, color the world, or give us exposition that isn’t necessary to the story. Some entries began with two, three, or four pages of one character’s V.O., and even without reading it, seeing this is as much of a turnoff as pages of stage description. Treat V.O. like any other piece of dialogue… it should be short and to the point.

2) SOUNDING CONTEMPORARY. Do NOT worry about making characters sound “cool” or “contemporary” at the risk of honesty. In other words, don’t use slang or speech patterns if you don’t use them naturally. There were many entries where writers seemed to be writing about foreign places, people, etc. This is fine—the whole point of storytelling is to transport the reader (and writer!) to new places—but capturing accurate speech patterns is less important than capturing emotional honesty. So if your story is set on the streets of Watts or in the backwoods of Georgia… but you’ve never been to those places… don’t try to recreate your version of street slang or southern drawl. You’ll be much more convincing if you accurately convey how your characters FEEL—even if their speech is totally inaccurate—than if you throw in a bunch of misused colloquialisms.

1) WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW. I know we all hear this a lot, but this does NOT mean you should write something autobiographical… or you shouldn’t set something in a faraway time or place. It means “write what you know EMOTIONALLY,” and be honest about it. If you’re writing about a medieval knight who longs to leave his home and family to see the world, tap into what you dislike about your own home. Listen to fights you have with your family and transcribe them into your script. Many entries were set in interesting places, but they didn’t seem to reflect any emotional reality in the writer’s life; they didn’t ring with the truth of universal emotions. We all experience love, loss, grief, elation, melancholy, wistfulness… and while we all have our own life experiences, the experiences of these emotions are usually identical. The more honestly you can type into your own feelings, the more strongly we connect to your writing and see it as a reflection of our own lives.

Top 10 Ways To Win Writers Digest's Annual Screenwriting Contest - Part I

Chad — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:09:18 GMT

Writers Digest’s annual writing contest is in full swing… fiction, poetry, non-fiction… and, of course, screenwriting. I’ve been judging the screenwriting division for the past few years, and I always love it—it’s a blast reading and discovering new talent. And this year is no different, so I’ve been poring over hundreds of scripts, many of which are really good.

Unfortunately, not all scripts can be terrific, and I often notice that the not-so-terrific ones are not-so-terrific for the exact same reasons. In fact, many of these scripts COULD be terrific, but they fall into certain traps that keep them from being as good as they could/should be.

So I wanted to dedicate a couple blog posts to the WD writers contest… and how to give yourself the best possible chance of winning. So here’s Part One of…

THE TOP 10 WAYS TO WIN WD’S ANNUAL SCREENWRITING CONTEST - PART I

10) YOUR SYNOPSIS. Writers Digest asks you to submit a synopsis along with your script. Do NOT write a full-page, single-spaced, tiny-font synopsis. The purpose of the synopsis is to give a QUICK overview of the story; not detail every plot turn. Thus, your synopsis should be one tight paragraph. When I see more than that, I rarely read it… and it tells me the writer doesn’t know how to tell his/her story quickly and succinctly.

9) FORMAT. Make sure your screenplay is in PROPER SCREENPLAY FORMAT. I’m always stunned at how many entries aren’t written in standard script format; some are written as plays, some are single-spaced without tabs, others just make up their own format. Here’s the thing: if your screenplay is NOT in standard format, it’ll be glanced at, but its chances of winning are greatly diminished. And in a real-life situation, an exec or producer probably won’t read it at all; it’ll just go in the trash. I know this seems nitpicky and harsh, but in an age where everyone is only moments away from the Internet, a library, or a bookstore, there’s no excuse for not having proper formatting. (And with software like Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter, the computer formats the script for you.)

8) YOUR FIRST PAGE – PART I. Even before I actually begin reading your first page, I’m judging your script. If your first page consists entirely of stage directions, it looks dense, daunting, and uninviting. To be honest, I probably won’t even read the whole thing or make it to page two. This is true in the real world as well; execs and producers are looking for any reason to not turn the page, and a big paragraphs of stage directions are a great one.

7) YOUR FIRST PAGE – PART II. Jump into major conflict on your first page. Do NOT take time to “set the stage.” Jump into action, dialogue, and conflict at the top of page one. It’s a gross misnomer that stories need a few pages to establish the main characters or setting. Not only do we rarely need this info in order to start a story, but it’s more effectively conveyed if it comes through as we watch the action/conflict unfold. If you begin by “setting the stage,” I promise you: your reader will be bored by page two.

6) STAGE DIRECTIONS – PART I. Do NOT write huge paragraphs of stage description. I try to never write stage directions over 3 lines long. If I need more, I’ll OCCASIONALLY go to 4 lines… but never more. If you still need more, break it up into different paragraphs. But few things turn readers off more than seeing massive chunks of stage direction. (And the truth is: you DON’T need more than 3 lines. The job of stage directions is to give us only info and action we MUST know to follow the story; don’t waste your readers’ time with detailed descriptions of people, places, clothing, etc.)

Stay tuned for the next five tips... have a good weekend!

Chad

READER QUESTION: I Don't Live in L.A.; How Should I Sell My Reality Idea?

Chad — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:28:06 GMT

Today's question comes from CONNIE, an aspiring reality producer who lives in a state far from Los Angeles...
"I was at a party and ran into an acquaintance whose brother is a [low-budget film] producer... and I told him broadly about my [reality show] idea. He said that he might be interested in developing my idea. Do I need a lawyer to negotiate for me? I don't know where to begin to find a good entertainment lawyer - especially here in the provinces. Should I sell to the first bidder and get out, or should I try and find an agent and hold out for a more legit company? What would you do?"

Hey, Connie—

Thanks for the question… this is an interesting dilemma, especially for you and all the other readers who live far from the madding crowds of Hollywood.

The first thing to discuss is how TV shows are actually sold. Unlike in the rest of the world… where buying/selling transactions mean Person A pays Person B an agreed-upon price to wholly acquire a product, then Person B goes away… television works a bit differently.

When a network “buys” a TV show idea, they do acquire the rights (usually), just like in a traditional business transaction. But RARELY does the seller/producer go away. In fact, the most important part of a TV idea is almost NEVER the idea itself… it’s the writer/producer/storyteller behind it. A mediocre idea in the hands of a talented and proven producer is almost always more attractive and sellable than a brilliant idea from a total novice. So the TV network wants, needs, and often EXPECTS that person to stay around. In fact, it’s nearly impossible for a total novice to sell an idea at all, no matter how brilliant it may be.

(This is for many reasons… A: networks and studios want to hire producers they know can execute their own vision, B: networks and studios also tend to hire producers they’ve worked with and continue to trust, C: EVERY IDEA—no matter how original its creator may think it is—has been pitched, developed, or done before; so an idea itself rarely has value… it’s the producer’s vision and execution that make it unique and sale-able.)

As a result, when a TV network or studio buys an idea, they don’t just pay the seller one large paycheck and then own the property in a single transaction. In fact, because the seller usually sticks around to produce the project, there usually isn’t one set price. Rather, the buyer and the seller agree on a producing fee which is paid to the producer over the life of the project.

So, for example, if you sold a TV network or studio a show called “Connie’s World,” they probably would NOT say, “We love this idea, Connie—we’d like to buy it from you for $100.” Instead, they’d say, “We love this idea, Connie—we’d like to produce it with you. We’ll own the project—or at least the majority of it—but we’ll pay you $60 to produce the pilot and $40 per episode to produce the subsequent episodes.” (These numbers aren’t accurate, obviously—they’re just examples.) These “producing fees” would be negotiated between you and the buyer at the outset. You may also negotiate maintaining ownership… or a certain amount of ownership… in the project. The “real money” in TV comes from owning TV shows, or pieces of their backend, not in producer fees… so it’s to your advantage to maintain as much ownership over your project as possible.

All of this helps answer your questions, because if your producer-friend wants to “buy” your project outright, it says two things to me:

1) You shouldn’t do it. Or at least, you shouldn’t “sell” him your project in its entirety. Partnering with him is a different thing… and he may make a valuable PARTNER, which we’ll discuss in a moment. But I wouldn’t wholly sell him your idea.

2) If he wants to “buy” your idea outright, it suggests he doesn’t understand how television works. Now—you don’t necessarily say this in your question, so I’m kind of inferring... (and to be fair, you say he just wants to “develop” it, which seems more appropriate)… but just be warned: whenever someone—especially a not-established TV network, studio, or production wants to “buy” an idea—it’s usually a red flag to me that they don’t understand how the TV business works.

So the question is… IS THIS GUY THE PRODUCER/PARTNER FOR YOU?

Only you can ultimately answer that question, but use these criteria to help…

To produce a TV show, or convince a buyer you can produce it, three things must be covered by the selling team…

1)   You need a strong creative vision (this is primarily where you come in, since the idea is your baby)

2)   You need the ability to physically produce the show… to shoot it, budget it, prep it, post it (and practicalities will often affect the creative vision/execution, so your physical producer should be someone you trust creatively as well)

3)   You need to have the connections and track record in order to sell it. Buyers like networks and studios rarely take meetings with strangers and newbies, let alone buy projects from them. So you need to have someone who can get you in the door and convince buyers you have the ability to make this TV show. If it’s not you, or a producing partner, it can be agent or manager.

If you don’t have all three of these points covered yourself, that’s when you need a producing partner… in this case, your film producer friend.

The questions you must ask yourself are:

• Does he have the ability to produce this show physically? Not just as a one-off, like a movie, but as a long-running series?

• Does he know the appropriate reality executives and producers to pitch this to? And if so, does he have strong enough relationships with them—or a track record—to convince them he can do this?

If the answers to these questions are yes, you’ve found your partner!

If the answers are no, you may want to keep looking. Partnering with the wrong person can hurt you more than not partnering with anyone, because you burden the project with unattractive attachments, and that makes it a tougher sell to execs and producers. So be very careful about who you partner with!

Having said that, I understand that you want to move forward, and this producer may be your one resource to helping get this project off the ground.

Perhaps you can work with him simply to develop the concept and shoot a sizzle reel or demo. He probably won’t work for free, but you could negotiate a plan to pay him only for his work on this stage of the project. It could be a work-for-hire arrangement, in which you pay him just to help you develop the idea and shoot a sizzle reel. Or it could be arrangement in which you defer his compensation and pay him only if the idea sells. You could even offer him a piece of the project’s backend if it sells; HOWEVER—since, at this point, you have no control over how much backend—if any—you may get, you can only offer him a piece of YOUR potential backend, not the whole project’s. (In other words, let’s say you offer him 15% of the backend; you can’t really offer him 15% of the show’s backend, you can only offer him 15% of YOUR backend.)

To answer your final question, Connie—do you need a lawyer/agent/etc. to negotiate this?—probably. I’m NOT a lawyer/agent/etc., and I know very little about the machinations of these things… but you should have legal representation any time you want to legally protect yourself or your ideas.

Having said that—I don’t know how many entertainment lawyers are out there in your neck of the woods. Most of them, obviously, are in places like LA, New York, Nashville, etc. And, unfortunately, I think you’ll have a nearly impossible time convincing one—if they’re not already your best friend or relative—to take you on as a client.

However, there probably ARE lawyers in your area who can handle this… or refer you to someone you can. Ask around at entertainment-related places that would have these connections: local TV stations, radio stations, talent agencies, commercial production companies, universities with media departments, etc. You’ll have to pound the pavement a little, but I promise: there are probably less than six degrees of separation between you and your lawyer.

Anyway, Connie—I hope this helps! Good luck with your project, and I hope to see it on TV soon!

For the rest of you… if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at WDScriptNotes@FWPubs.com

Talk to you soon!

Chad

READER QUESTION: Should I Shop Both a Script and a Novel Version of my Story?

Chad — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:17:28 GMT

Today's reader question comes from avid reader Chris, who has a very interesting question...

"I was thinking about using a screenplay I’d written as a pseudo-outline for a book, and even adding back in some of the scenes that I cut to make the script tighter. My question is, if by a miracle I feel that both products are really good, can I shop the screenplay and the book around at the same time?

Thanks, Chris"

Hey, Chris—

As I said, this is a really intriguing question… in fact, I have a story idea I’ve wanted to write for a few months (okay, who am I kidding? It’s been a few years, to be honest…), and I’ve tried it as both a movie and a novel, but I haven’t been able to crack it in either form. Which is neither here nor there in regards to your question, I’m just saying—I’ve been (kind of) in your shoes.

But in terms of shopping your two versions, here’s the thing…

I see no reason why you can’t shop them both around at the same time. HOWEVER…

The two versions don’t necessarily “help” each other; in other words, having a novel version of your story doesn’t make your screenplay more sellable, and having a screenplay version doesn’t make your novel more sellable.

Basically, because both pieces are written on spec, neither has any real value to buyers, outside of its own quality.

Now, if one of them were to sell, the other MIGHT suddenly become more valuable. I.e., if a publisher snatches up your novel, especially if it’s a high-profile publisher or a big sale, film companies or studios may suddenly be interested in the movie rights. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll care at all about the script you’ve written—they might not even want to read it—but their interest may at least be a bit more piqued. (And if they DO want to make a movie, they’ll probably want to develop it from scratch, with their own input and guidance, rather than use your pre-written script.) A few years ago, for instance, first-time novelist Michael Reisman sold his children’s sci-fi novel, SIMON BLOOM, THE GRAVITY KEEPER, to Penguin. The book wasn’t scheduled to be published till 2007, but his manager slipped a copy of the manuscript to director Gary Ross, who loved it so much he acquired the film rights months before the book actually came out. Although the manuscript had to be good enough to stand up on its own, the fact that it had already been vetted and accepted by another buyer gave it added value.

Of course, simply selling one of the pieces does not, in any way, guarantee buyers will want the other version. In fact, for unpublished authors, a sale itself rarely does much to raise the cachet of its project or author. Michael Weisman’s story—while inspirational—is a definite anomaly. Whether writing in film or print, you probably need your project to actually get made or published and then turn into a bona fide HIT. Once the story is a genuine success in one medium, buyers will be more likely to see its potential in another. Movie producer Scott Rudin, for example, bought the movie rights to Marisha Pessi’s first novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics… but only after it had been published and received stellar reviews.

Anyway, Chris—all of this is to say that I don’t think it can hurt you to shop both your book version and your screenplay version… but it also doesn’t really help you. So if you want to put in the time and energy to write both versions… go for it.

Personally, I think your time and energy are probably better spent writing two original pieces, regardless of the medium. Like an athlete exercising different muscles, writing new/different pieces will not only help you get stronger as a writer, it’ll illuminate different sides of your skills.

Either way, I can’t wait to read your book AND see the movie… whichever comes first!

Good luck… hope this helps!

Chad

A Few Moments with Diablo Cody

Chad — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:59:31 GMT

Hey, guys--

Happy Fourth of July weekend! I wanted to point you all to my interview with Diablo Cody, the Academy-Award-winning screenwriter of Juno, which appears in this month's issue of Writers Digest. Diablo was one of the most fun interviews I've done, and she's got some terrific insights into screenwriting... take a look HERE!

In the mean time, have a great weekend!...

Chad

READER QUESTION: How Do Recent College Graduates Break In To Hollywood?

Chad — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:01:15 GMT

Hey, screenwriters—

Today’s mailbag question comes from Zane, a college student who writes:

“Do you know of any good opportunities in Hollywood for recent graduates? I have a strong interest in the industry, but am not sure of the best method to start my career. I am considering other work options and then getting an MBA, after which I might come back to my search in Hollywood.”

Well, Zane, you’ve come to the right place. I love helping college students, and I actually run an alumni networking organization, Vandy-in-Hollywood, for my own alma mater, Vanderbilt University. So I’ll tell you what I tell those students…

First of all, getting a job in Hollywood is almost always about contacts and relationships more than resumes and grade point averages. So unless your uncle runs Paramount or your sister has a hit TV show, your first step is to put yourself in places and situations where you can rub elbows and meet people who can help you. Which basically means… MOVE TO LOS ANGELES.

Unlike other jobs, where recruiters and interviewers come to college campuses, hire young employees, then give them time to move to the new city, Hollywood jobs rarely hire you unless you are currently living in L.A.. This is because when you’re hired, most employers want you to start asap. As in, tomorrow. Or in a couple days. Which doesn’t work if you’re living somewhere else, and many out-of-towners flake out before actually showing up.

Secondly, be prepared to start at the bottom. Almost everyone who starts in Hollywood begins as an assistant of some kind—usually a production assistant (or P.A.), which means you’ll be fetching coffee, running errands, making copies, stocking the fridge, etc. It’s grunt work no one else wants to do, but it allows you to observe the industry, learn how things happen, and—perhaps most importantly—network and make contacts. You’ll meet everyone from other entry-level P.A.’s and executive/administrative assistants to agents, producers, and executives. You can learn more about getting a P.A. job in THIS POST from a few months ago.

Thirdly, know what you want to do. If you don’t, which is fine, know what you DON’T want to do. Many college students make the mistake of saying, “I’ll do anything,” which makes you just about the LEAST HIREABLE PERSON ON THE PLANET. Employers want to hire people who are focused and ambitious, who will pour their heart and soul into even the most basic job because they intend to use it as a stepping stone. And while students often worry that being specific about their dreams and goals will close off certain opportunities, employers rarely want to hire the person who is simply willing to “do anything.”

Having said this, many young people genuinely aren’t sure what they want to do, and that's okay. But spend some time thinking about it. A good place to start is thinking about what you DON’T want to do. For instance, if you know you have no desire to work in television, or with costume designers, or in special effects, eliminate jobs that point you down those career paths. Think about what kinds of entertainment you like best. Do you prefer comedy over drama? Independent films over blockbusters? Adaptations over original material? See where your likes and dislikes take you, and while you may not be ready to say, “I want to do set design for low-budget period films,” you MAY find you’re able to say, “I know I like reality shows and documentaries, and I prefer cable channels to networks.” That helps you begin finding your focus and telling employers what you want.

Having said all this, Zane, I realize I haven’t REALLY answered your question. Which is: “Do you know of any good opportunities in Hollywood for recent graduates?”

So let’s get to that.

HERE is a link to a post that lists some good job-hunting websites and strategies (it's the same link as above, if you've already been to it).

Another great way to get your foot in the door is to get an internship, which basically means you’ll be working for college credit instead of a paycheck. Unfortunately, California makes it tough for recent grads to get internships, because state law requires you to get EITHER money or college credit… and since most internships are unpaid, you must receive credit… which is tough if you’re already graduated. However, you can sometimes persuade your school to “not graduate you” for a few months so you can receive credit for the internship. Or, enroll part-time in a local community college, like Santa Monica College, where you can often pay less than a hundred dollars to receive one hour of internship credit.

HERE is a link to another recent post about internships.

Lastly, Zane, I’ll say this… an MBA will only help you in Hollywood in a handful of jobs, mostly in the financial/business sector of the industry. While an MBA will obviously give you lots of knowledge and information, it probably WON’T help you get a job as a development executive, or a writer, or a lighting designer, or a director, or even an agent. I have plenty of friends who have gotten their MBAs in hopes of becoming an agent or manager or executive, and they STILL must start at the bottom, working as an assistant, and climb the ladder with everyone else. They may climb a little faster, simply because they have a broader base of knowledge, but—with a few exceptions—having an MBA probably won’t help you get a typical “Hollywood” job.

HERE is a link to a recent post about graduate film school… which obviously isn’t the same as business school… but, I think, speaks to many of the same pros and cons.

Anyway, I hope this all helps. Good luck… feel free to email with other questions… and, when you have that killer job, HIRE ME!

Chad

READER QUESTION: How Are TV Writers Paid?

Chad — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:00:31 GMT

Hey, screenwriters—

Today’s question comes from Dan, who comments at the end of Friday’s post in reference to something I had written about writing on TV shows. I had written…

“You might be hired [on a TV show] for 10 weeks… or 6 months… or even just one episode. It varies from show to show (not to get too technical, but the amount of time you’re hired for usually depends on how many episodes the show expects you to work on).”

And Dan asks…

“I understand TV writers get paid per episode they write (usually 2 a season, no?). Do they also get paid week-to-week for time spent in the writer's room breaking stories and punching up the other writer's drafts?”

Well, Dan, you are exactly right… kind of. How TV writers get paid is a pretty complicated arrangement, but here goes…

First of all, when it comes to getting paid, TV writers are divided into two categories: staff writers, or entry-level, bottom-rung writers… and everyone else above them. Let’s look first at everyone else above them…

WRITERS ABOVE STAFF-WRITER LEVEL

First of all, most TV writers’ compensation is regulated by the Writers Guild of America, which establishes minimum payments that a writer must be paid. These minimums go up each year. Right now, for instance, the minimum payment for writing one episode of a half-hour TV show on a broadcast network (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) is $21,585. The minimum for an hour-long show is $31,748.

When a TV writer is hired onto a show’s staff, he/she is contracted to work on a certain number of episodes. But he/she is also contracted for a certain number of week (usually 6, 14, or 20), so the studio can’t bind you to 6 episodes of some show, then drag them out over two years.

Thus, the WGA also establishes minimum weekly payments. Right now, for example, the weekly minimum for 6-week hire is $3,817, and the minimum decreases if the writer is hired for more weeks. So the weekly minimum for a 14-week hire is $3,548. The weekly minimum for 20 weeks is $3,272. So the more work a writer is guaranteed, the less the studio pays.

HOWEVER… even though a writer is contracted to work on a specific number of episodes over a certain number of weeks, his weekly average can never sink below the WGA’s weekly minimum. In other words, he can’t be given a 14-week contract to write one episode of a half-hour sitcom, at the minimum rate of $21,585, because that would make his weekly payment only $1,542… far below the WGA’s 14-week minimum of $3,548/week.

(Which is why, when writers/agents/execs negotiate a writers salary, they often speak in terms of what the writer makes per week.)

Still with me? Good. And if you’re not—don’t worry. I’m pretty confused myself right now. Which is we’re writers, not accountants. But hold on, because things are about to get even MORE tricky…

You know all that “writing” a writer is contracted to do?... IT DOESN’T INCLUDE WRITING AN ACTUAL SCRIPT. This is because most mid to upper-level writers are considered “writer-producers,” and their base salary is considered payment for OTHER writing-related duties… beating out stories, fleshing out characters, rewriting other scripts, etc.

So when a salaried writer does write an actual script, he gets paid an additional “script fee” ON TOP of his weekly salary. In other words, let’s say you get staffed on How I Met Your Mother at $5,000/week for 20 weeks. That’s $100,000. BUT… when you write your first script, you get paid another $21,585 (at least; remember—it’s only the WGA’s minimum). Which means if you write two scripts over the course of the season, your total take-home pay for the 20 weeks is $143,170 ($100,000 + $21,585 + $21,585). (Of course, you’ll have to pay your agent, your lawyer, taxes, etc.)

Got all that? Good. Now let’s look at…

HOW STAFF WRITERS GET PAID

Unlike everyone else on the writing staff, “staff writers,” the writing staff’s lowest level writers, are not considered “writer-producers.” They are pure writers. This results in two main differences in their payment plans:

1) Staff writers are not guaranteed a certain number of episodes, so they’re only paid a weekly salary, which is usually the WGA’s week-to-week payment. So if a staff writer is hired for 14 weeks on How I Met Your Mother, he’s probably paid nothing more than the WGA minimum of $3,548/week… for a total of $49,672.

2) Staff writers do not get paid script fees on top of their weekly salaries. So if that same staff writer is hired to write on How I Met Your Mother, at $3,548/week for 14 weeks, and he writes two episodes on his own… HE DOESN’T MAKE ANOTHER DIME. An upper level writer, however, would’ve made an additional $43,170 in “script fees,” because script-writing is considered to be in addition to his salaried “writer-producer” duties; but with staff writers, their salaries go against their script fees.

(A staff writer would, however, get paid extra money if he wrote three episodes… because the combined script fees for three half-hour episodes would be $64,755, which comes out to $4,625/week. And since a writer with a 14-week contract must make at least $3,548/week, he’d probably get another $15,083 so he’s making the mandated minimum. However, staff writers almost NEVER write three episodes… or even two. Many don’t even write one.)

Having said all this, it’s almost important to know that most writers are rarely guaranteed a certain numbers scripts they’ll actually get to write. So when a contract has a “13 episode guarantee,” that simply means the studio promises to pay the writer his their weekly salary equivalent to 13 produced episodes. It doesn’t guarantee he’ll get to write thirteen… or even one. I’ve known shows where a sinly writer wrote five or six episodes… or more. I’ve also known shows where specific writers—usually lower-level newbies—didn’t write a single episode.

Anyway, Dan—I hope this helps. But if it hasn’t… if it’s left you more confused than you were before… then, well, welcome to Hollywood.

If anyone else has questions they’d like me to confuse them about, feel free to write me at WDScriptNotes@FWPubs.com.

Until next time…

Chad

READER QUESTION: From 9th Grade to Hollywood...

Chad — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:47:39 GMT

Today's question(s) comed from Corey Nolter, a 9th grader who's an aspiring screenwriter working on a research paper about his future career. Corey asks a ton of questions, so I'm just gonna dive in. Corey-- I hope these answers help... lemme know how the paper turns out... and I expect a thank you in your Oscar speech! Here ya go...

Hi, my name is Corey Nolter and i am a 9th grade student trying to finsih a research paper for school. The research paper is about the feature career I want for my future. I would like to be just what you are a Screen Writer or someone who works in that area, However i was just wondering if you could answer these questions.

1. Do you enjoy your career? Do you ever think you have chosen the wrong path? Explain.

I love my career… and EVERY DAY I wonder if I’ve chosen the wrong path. I know this sounds crazy… so I’ll explain. First of all, I never question that I was born to write. I love writing, and I’ve wanted to be a professional writer for as long as I can remember. But this is a hard—and by “hard,” I mean “nearly impossible”—profession to have any kind of real stability in.

In almost every profession in the world, you have a salaried position that gives you a regular paycheck… and, hopefully, benefits, vacation time, etc. For screenwriters and TV writers, that almost never happens. And by “almost never,” I mean “never.”

Screenwriters and TV writers are freelance employees. Whether you’re the lowliest staff writer on a TV show or the highest-paid screenwriter in Hollywood, YOU’RE A FREELANCER. Which means you’re never ENTIRELY sure where your next paycheck will come from, and you almost never have a job that gives you benefits, retirement packages, or vacation time. (Most professional screenwriters get benefits through the Writers Guild, the labor union representing professional TV and film writers. As for vacation time, well… you go on vacation between jobs.)

Now, there ARE certain jobs that provide a semblance of stability. TV shows, for instance, are written by staffs of writers, and each person on that staff is hired for a certain amount of time. You might be hired for 10 weeks… or 6 months… or even just one episode. It varies from show to show (not to get too technical, but the amount of time you’re hired for usually depends on how many episodes the show expects you to work on).

But even these TV jobs are temporary. You may get contracted to write for 10 weeks… and then not be asked back at the end. Or you may get contracted for 10 weeks… and the show gets canceled after only two weeks.

So whether you’re a lowly staff writer on a TV show or Hollywood’s highest paid screenwriter, the life of a writer is one of agonizing uncertainty… especially if you have a spouse, kids, your own home. After all, it’s hard to support people who are depending on you when your future is always murky.

Of course, the more successful you are, the more work you are able to get… but that doesn’t necessarily make your job more stable. Marc Cherry, a veteran TV writer, spent years as a highly-paid TV writer, writing on shows like The Golden Girls, before suddenly hitting a dry spell and not being able to get a job for several years. Then, in 2003, he created Desperate Housewives and became one of television’s hottest writers. But for many years before that, he couldn’t get a job.

I have a friend who’s a producer on Lost, and he always tells aspiring film and TV writers: “If there’s anything else in the world you want to do… anything else that interests you… go do it. Unless this is the ONLY thing you care about… DON’T DO THIS.”

I think that’s a good thought—not just as a gauge of how hard this industry, but of what it takes, mentally and emotionally, to survive within it. The odds against success are incredibly high… and even when you find success, you can’t take it for granted.

So, Corey, in answer to your question: I do enjoy my career… because I love TV, movies, storytelling, and the written word. But very few days go by that I don’t wonder if life would be better if I was an insurance agent or a fireman or a librarian or a professor. If I didn’t have to fall asleep sweating every night because I have no idea if I’d be making any money in a week, or a month, or a year. If I knew I could give my wife everything she wants.

The problem is this: I don’t think I’d be very good at any of those things. Sure… I guess I could LEARN to be a librarian or an insurance agent or a professor (although trust me—I’m the LAST person you want to be a fireman)… but I think I’d be pretty poor at most of those jobs. So… for better or worse, I’m here in. Writing TV and articles and books and this blog… and praying—literally praying—that I can do this long enough to actually say I made a life at it.

2.How many years of education does it take for you to become a writer?

I guess the blunt answer to this is: NONE. That’s not to say writers aren’t highly educated, intelligent people… or that there aren’t some top-notch colleges, conservatories, and grad schools out there. I got my MFA from UCLA. But to be honest… I don’t think any education prepares you for being a writer better than just LIVING.

Now, this does NOT mean you can just drift along and expect to get writing jobs. Writing is hard work that takes years and years of practice, growing, trial and error—both in and out of school.

What it DOES mean, however, is that writers—first and foremost—write about people. And life. And the world around them. So your first job, as a budding author, is to get out in the world and study it. Read everything you can: books, screenplays, biographies, graphic novels, song lyrics, magazine articles, poems. Observe people around you… study relationships in your own life and how people connect to and communicate with each other. Keep a journal. Travel. Take interesting jobs. Talk to strangers.

I know this sounds like hokey motivational-speaker stuff, but it’s not. As a writer, your job is to tell stories or create images that reflect the world and its people. So the more you ABSORB the world and its people, the better writer you become. Look at the world’s great wordsmiths and storytellers… Ernest Hemingway, Woody Allen, Aimee Mann, Carl Sandburg, H.P. Lovecraft, Kurt Cobain, Virginia Woolf… whatever genre or medium they work in, they move us because we read their words and say, “Wow… I’ve felt like that.” Or, “Yeah, I’ve felt like the people in this story.” Or—when it’s REALLY magical—“Oh my God… this writer ‘GETS’ me!”

So the short answer to your question, Corey, is: yes, a writer needs a lot of real education: both book-learnin’ and life experience. But where you GET that education depends on how you learn best. Maybe you learn best in the structured curriculum of a top-notch school or university. Perhaps you learn best hopping trains and seeing the world. Maybe you learn best by getting a real job, living in the real world, and spending your nights reading books and writing your own stuff. Everyone’s different… but the tools and skills needed for being a writer aren’t.

3. After College is it tough to get noticed in your area of work?

Extremely. Competition is incredibly, ridiculously high in the field of film and TV writing. After all, there aren’t that many movies or TV shows each year, but there are MILLIONS of people (in L.A. alone, not to mention scattered about the country) vying to sell a film script or get a job on a television show’s writing staff.

To make things even harder, jobs aren’t always given out simply on the basis of talent. Landing a job is a combination of being skilled enough to get the job, having experience working in the industry, and knowing the right people (most jobs are gotten by knowing friends or associates doing the hiring).

This doesn’t mean it’s impossible… or that there are thousands of hugely talented writers walking around looking for work.

Personally, I’m a big believer that cream rises to the top and most truly talented, focused writers get where they want to go. Although to be honest, I don't know if there's any real truth in that... or if I just convince myself of it because-- well-- if you don't believe that, it's hard to remind yourself why you keep trying. Either way, I guess what I DON'T believe is that the world (or even Hollywood) is full of incredibly talented writers who just can’t get their break. Most people who aren’t working aren’t working for a reason. Maybe they’re not good enough yet. Maybe they haven’t networked enough. Maybe they don’t understand the business well enough. Maybe they don’t live in L.A. (like it or not, it’s almost impossible to be a working film or television writer anywhere but Los Angeles).

Having said that, I DO think that there are many ways of making a living as a professional writer and storyteller. Write plays and stage them yourself. Write amazing profiles or features for magazines and newspapers. Publish a blog. Do stand-up comedy.

I say all this not to discourage anyone from pursuing screenwriting or TV writing, but to say that "getting noticed" is often something out of your control... and there are many ways to scratch your writing/storytelling itch besides making TV shows and movies. Not to mention... if you write a great stage play or a powerful short story/article, you may grab the attention of Hollywood anyway. And it often seems that people only "get noticed" once they stop worrying about "getting noticed."

I guess the ultimate truth is: while OBVIOUSLY your goal is to be a working screenwriter, able to use your writing to support yourself, your lifestyle, and your family, you need to be pursuing screenwriting because you LOVE writing, and you LOVE storytelling, and you LOVE pairing together words and images and actions... not because you're dazzled by the lights of Hollywood or visions of dates with starlets or hopes of hanging out with Brad Pitt. Which, sadly, is why many people come out here-- writers, actors, directors, you name it. Yet at the end of the day, those that succeed in getting noticed are the writers and artists who work and sweat themselves to the bone... spending every waking minute perfecting their craft, immersing themselves in the industry, making and nurturing business relationships, etc. ...so when they finally DO get their break, they're prepared-- creatively, mentally, emotionally, professionally-- to seize the opportunity and make the most of it.

Of course, there ARE certain things that almost definitely need to happen-- certain stars that do need to align-- in order to have a shot at getting noticed as a screenwriter:

• You need to be living in L.A.

• You need to have strong writing samples that prove you're a talented writer

• You need to have a good network of professional contacts (which usually means living in L.A. for many months or years)

• You need to have experience writing so an employer knows what you’re capable of

• You have to be the right writer for the right project at the right time… or have the right project/script/pitch to sell at the right time (i.e., you may be the world’s greatest romantic comedy writer, but if an employer is looking for an action writer, they’re not going to hire you—no matter how good you are)

• You need to be in the right place at the right time when someone is hiring (i.e. it’s easy to lose out on a job to someone else simply because… frankly… they happened to be there when the space needed to be filled)

4. After getting noticed is your work environment tough or enjoyable? Like hows the staff,crew,project,ect.

Like all jobs, I find this TOTALLY depends on the people you’re working with. You might get a job on your favorite television show ever… but if you dislike the people you’re working with, you’ll be miserable every day of your life. On the other hand, you could take a job on a film, series, or project that seems horrible… but if you connect with and love the people around you, it’ll be a blast.

5.Is their any on the job training involved?

TONS. In fact—kind of going back to your education question—I’d say the best (maybe ONLY) way to learn how to live, work, and survive in Hollywood is simply to dive in and start DOING IT. Hollywood has a very different work culture than almost any other industry, and no matter how many classes you take or books you read, you won’t understand it till you’re in it.

Understanding Hollywood’s culture—and how to navigate it—is especially important for writers… because unlike costume designers or propmakers or makeup artists, we don’t produce something “physical.” Sure, there’s a script, but we’re basically sellers of storied and ideas, which are ephemeral, emotional, even psychological. So while half of our job is being able write, to put words down on paper and move people, the other half is being able to socialize… to pitch ideas, collaborate, take criticism, offer criticism, etc.

And while it sounds like much of this is simply innate and understanding how to be a nice, polite person (which is true), it also involves immersing yourself in Hollywood to learn the industry’s vocabulary and communication techniques. I.e., how do you break a baby? When should you beat a joke? Who’s the second second? How do you take the note behind the note?

On one hand, this is all industry jargon that’s easy to pick up; on the other hand, these are all skills or bits of knowledge that aren’t really available until you’re on the job. Which is why I always recommend people begin their Hollywood career at the bottom, working as a production assistant, doing grunt work on the set of a film or TV show where they can observe the processes and practices around them.

You can click here to check out an earlier post about getting a job as a P.A. (production assistant).

6. When writing does your company or advisor, give you any special equipment?

Not really—primarily because, as writers, our number one piece of equipment is in our heads! If you’re working on a TV show, your company will often give you an office, desk, and computer… although most writers I know use their own computers. Also on a TV show, the writers will all work together in one room called the “Writers Room,” which is equipped with a large table, chairs, and several dry-erase boards on which to write ideas and stories.

7. How long is a usual shift? and is their overtime?

This depends on the job. In movies, most writers don’t go into an office… ever. They write from home, or their own office, so they set their own schedules.

On a TV show, however, there IS an office. Most writers start their days around 10 a.m., but the end of the day is different for each show. Most TV writing staffs wrap up around 6:00 or 7:00. A small handful have been known to have solid eight-hour days (Everybody Loves Raymond was famous for this.) But many TV writing staffs work incredibly long hours, sometimes until midnight or later. Many sitcoms, for instance, shoot an entire episode in one night… beginning around 5 p.m. and ending anywhere between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.

And unfortunately, no—there’s usually no overtime. TV writers are contracted to write a certain number of episodes. If they finish those episodes ahead of their deadlines, great (although this never happens); if they need more time, fine… but they don’t get paid extra.

Movie writers are paid per project; they get paid when their script is delivered to the employer on deadline, regardless of how many actual hours they pour into it.

8. Do you and others follow by any schedual or routine to get the writing done in time?

Well, as I said above, movie writers are on their own to get their work done… although their employer may build certain “touchstones” into a project’s schedule. In other words, if you get hired to write a horror movie that is due on July 1st, the company that hires you may want character descriptions by April 25th, a sketchy outline by May 1, a more detailed outline by May 7, a first draft of the script by June 1, a second draft by June 20, and a final draft by July 1 (that’s a SUPER tight schedule… but as an example, you get it).

How the writer budgets his or her time in there is up to them, but I think most writers like to have their own specific routine, whether it’s writing late at night or getting up early, running 5 miles, eating breakfast, and then writing at Starbucks. But most writers find that having a specific routine helps train their writing muscles to work.

In television, however, where writers come in to an actual office, work together, and have tighter deadlines (because they need to shoot an episode each week), it’s a much more structured process. As a team, writing staffs work begin thinking about what “larger” stories and themes their TV show wants to tell… stories that span many episodes and weeks. I.e. on The Office, the Jim and Pam saga has spanned years. Desperate Housewives tells a new mystery each season, and that mystery plays out over several months.

The writing staff then brainstorms what individual story events, or “beats,” need to happen in order to bring these larger stories to life. (I.e., if your TV show is telling a season long story, or “arc,” about a girl named JESSIE deciding to leave her fiance, we need to see several things: Jessie and her fiance together, Jessie being unhappy with her fiance, Jessie deciding to leave her fiance, Jessie deciding how to break up with her fiance, Jessie preparing for the break-up, Jessie actually breaking up with her fiance, Jessie in the aftermath of the break-up, etc.)

The writing staff then spreads these events over the course of a season, where each becomes the basis for—or even just a part of—its own episode. Each episode is then outlined by the staff, then assigned to an individual writer to write. Once the script is written, the writing staff often rewrites the script together, in the Writers Room, all at the same time.

Because TV shows must get an episode on the air each week, they are often under very strict deadlines to have outlines, scripts, and “shooting drafts” finished by specific deadlines. So if the writing staff’s process is too slow, they’ll quickly feel the heat and pressure of being off schedule… and that slows down everyone else from the costume designers to the directors to the set-builders.

9. Is it nice to see a piece of your work transfer into televison, books, or magazines?

Yes!! It’s awesome!! I am by no means Hollywood’s most successful writer or producer, but I’m proud of the work I’ve done… and even though I’ve written articles and produced TV episodes, it’s still a thrill to see my name on screen or my byline in print. It’s a little bit of validation telling you that this thing you love, this thing you set out to do, this dream you cling to because you’re afraid there’s NOTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD you’re capable of doing… isn’t just a hoax. And believe me… most of the time, you’re pretty sure it’s just a hoax. So seeing your name in print or on-screen is an INCREDIBLE feeling!

10.What is the average salary range for this position?

Salaries vary from job to job, and a writer’s salary on one job may be different from his or her salary on the next job. It’s the writer’s job (or his agent or lawyer’s job) to negotiate his payment each time he gets hired… and, hopefully, to get an increase from the last job. An entry-level writer probably gets paid only the minimum payment and may make $60,000-$70,000 per year. Mid-level writers can make $200,000 per year. And experienced showrunners, or head writers, can make well over a million dollars a year. But it's hard to give a specific average salary because so much depends on the show, the network, the level, and the experience of each particular writer.

The Writers Guild, however, does mandate certain minimum payments. The minimum for writing a single one-hour drama episode of television (like CSI or Law & Order), for instance, is $31,748. For a half-hour (My Name Is Earl, Two and a Half Men), it’s $21,585. Movies have a similar structure. You can download the Writers Guild’s “Schedule of Minimums,” which details minimum payments for many kinds of film and TV writing HERE.

Anyway, I hope all this helps, Corey! Good luck with the paper… and definitely write back and lemme know how it goes!

Chad

READER QUESTION: How Do I Pitch or Distribute My Web Series?

Chad — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:51:03 GMT

Hey, screenwriters—

Today’s question comes from John… who actually sends in several questions, so I’m gonna spread them out and answer them one at a time.

So, first up, asks John, “what are the outlets for showing a web pilot or pitching a web series? We have a solid, comprehensive plan for the show we're working on and about 12 other ideas for short web series. We'd just like to talk to people about them.”

Well, the answer is: there is no answer. Or, rather, in the wild and untamed world of the Internet, there’s not just one answer, and of the many possible answers or paths out there, none is necessarily better than the others. But here are the primary avenues for getting your online series out there…

• DO IT YOURSELF. Literally. In the age of YouTube, Bebo, and MetaCafe, it’s never been easier to produce your own series and distribute it to audiences. The trick, of course, is getting people to find and watch it, but the mechanics are in place for any producer needing a “portal.”

I know this seems generic and haphazard, but the truth is: THIS IS THE BEST WAY OF ATTRACTING ATTENTION AND GETTING YOUR WORK SEEN. One of the most popular Internet series of all time, Lonelygirl15, became an Internet phenomenon simply by posting shortform episodes on YouTube.

And fortunately, because it’s the Internet, you don’t need to post your work on only one site. Sites like YouTube and Blip.tv don’t have exclusive rights to any of the videos there, so I recommend posting your projects on AS MANY SITES AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN: MySpaceTV, Vimeo, Revver… everywhere you can think of.

• FIND A FINANCIER. This is basically how traditional television works. A writer or producer with a show idea pitches it to a financial backer (in TV’s case, usually a studio), who then ventures into the marketplace to find a distributor (a TV network). This same model can occasionally work in cyberspace. Many TV studios have started online entertainment divisions, like Warner Brothers 2.0, dedicated to finding and developing selling online content. They then license the show to a portal, like MSN or Yahoo, just like the would a television show to a network. Sometimes they produce the show themselves and put it on their own website, like with NBC’s Coastal Dreams.

Other companies are standalone companies that are solely in the business of producing Internet shows... such as Next New Networks, which is flush with $15 million in venture capital. They then sell these shows to other distributors themselves, or create their own distribution sites or portals.

• FIND A SPONSOR. Many corporations and businesses are creating web shows to highlight and promote their products. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter has Sprays in the City, Purina has Snouts, and Snickers did Instant Def with the Black Eyed Peas. This is often referred to as “branded entertainment,” and while there’s a lot of it out there, much of it is developed internally. If you know someone at a company interested in doing branded entertainment, you may be able to get in to pitch your ideas, but most companies don't take pitches and cold calls from random producers or writers.

There ARE production companies, like For Your Imagination, that specialize in developing branded entertainment for other organizations, so if you have an entrée to one of these companies, that could be equally valuable. But you still need to prove you're a capable, competent producer, and the best way to do this is to produce and distribute things on your own to show off your chops.

Either way, however, you’ll probably need a pre-existing relationship. Also, because branded entertainment is designed to promote a specific brand or product, it’s rare that outside ideas are bought, because they’re rarely developed to meet that product’s special needs.

• JOIN FORCES WITH AN ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT OUTLET. This is probably the toughest row to hoe, especially because there aren’t many organizations focusing solely on finding and nurturing fresh with which to develop Internet-specific content. One of the best is SuperDeluxe, Turner's online comedy site, which works very similarly to a traditional TV studio and network. SuperDeluxe finds talented producers, like Honor Student (a sketch group/production company which produces SuperDeluxe’s Chasing Donovan series), then makes development deals commissioning original work. Michael Eisner also runs Vuguru, which produces Prom Queen and Sam Has 7 Friends.

Hooking up with these kinds of companies is, obviously, a great opportunity if you can get it… but these companies are few and far between. The best way to land one of these deals is to find success on your own, posting work on YouTube, FunnyorDie, etc., then attract the attention of bigger buyers and producers.

While none of these paths is easy, John, I think the best starting place is to simply get your work out there via as many platforms as possible—iFilm, Podshow, Second Life… wherever you can find eyeballs—and then promote the hell out of it. Your goal is to create work that’s buzz-worthy enough to go viral.

Unlike the network and studio systems of TV and movies, there isn’t yet a solid framework or pipeline in place to gather and develop online content. Part of this is because the world of Internet entertainment is still fairly new, and no one’s figured out the best way to find, develop, produce or distribute work… so everyone’s using different methods and processes.

But it’s also because there’s almost no money being made in the world of online content. People are experimenting with different models of monetizing content, but so far, no one is striking it rich… and the amount of income generated by online shows is tiny compared to the billions of dollars generated by TV shows. (To put this in perspective, online research firm eMarketer recently predicted that the U.S. would spend about $1.4 billion dollars this year on online video ad spending. Which seems like a good chunk of change, until your realize that includes ALL VIDEO AD SPENDING ONLINE… and it’s only 1/50th of what America spends on TV advertising.)

Plus, in the “Wild West” of the Internet, a professionally produced series like Quarterlife has no better chance of succeeding than a show like a Lonelygirl15, which began with a budget of a few hundred dollars in its producers’ bedroom. So while everyone understands that the Internet is entertainment’s next frontier, no one want to invest a lot of money in it.

Anyway, John—all of this just to say, again: your best bet is to put your work out there yourself, on as many portals as possible, and work your ass off promoting it.

And now, for your viewing pleasure... one of the great episodes of Lonelygirl15 that helped make it such a phenomenon before it blew up and the producers ruined everything by admitting it was fake. (Still, you can never get sick of some funky music, simple editing, and a cute girl in a swimsuit.)

LONELYGIRL15: SWIMMING!

And now, after watching a cute chick in a swimsuit, here's a quick scolding from Hayden Panettiere...

SEXUAL HARASSMENT PSA WITH HAYDEN PANETTIERE

READER QUESTION: If I Sell a TV Show, How Do I Protect My Merchandising Rights?

Chad — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 22:27:11 GMT

Today’s reader question comes in response to my animation interview with Charlie Stickney last week. BuffyFan47 asks an interesting question…

“I'd like to hear Charlie's and your advice on how an animation writer can protect themselves since - as you noted - they are not covered by the WGA. With tie-in merchandising worth potential billions (see the aforementioned Mr. Squarepants) how does one make sure that someone else doesn't make gazillions off their idea while they get cut out of the process and don't make a dime?”

Well, BuffyFan47, as you asked—Charlie and I put our heads together and basically had the same response.

“There are two types of shows one would write for,” says Charlie. “Pre-existing, and something you've created. If you're writing for a pre-existing show, you're not going to get anything in terms of a merchandising deal.”

In other words, if you get hired to write for Spongebob Squarepants, you’re not going to share in any of the show’s merchandising money, even though you're writing stories and dialogue for the same characters they're selling as toys, lunchpails, and T-shirts.

“Nickelodeon owns Spongebob [in partnership with Spongebob creator Stephen Hillenburg, which we’ll discuss in a moment],” Charlie explains. “And when you write for them, on one of their shows, you write on a work-for-hire basis. Which means -- everything you create belongs to them. It doesn't matter if the show's covered by the WGA, or if you have the biggest agent, etc. When you write for someone else, you're writing for someone else. The best you can hope for is to get the biggest check possible for the work that you do. (This is where having those WGA minimums would help.)”

However, if you create and sell your own show—like Stephen Hillenburg did with Spongebob Squarepants—it’s a whole different ballgame.

When you sell a TV show to a TV network or studio-- whether it's animated or live-action-- you truly sell them the idea. In other words, you relinquish most of your writes and they own the majority of the idea, usually including all merchandising rights. However… they’ll often let you participate in ownership of the idea, offering you a limited number of percentage points in the idea (every show ha 100 percentage points).

I.e. Let’s say you create a show called Wally’s Wacky Fun World, which you sell to NickToons, the company that makes Spongebob. NickToons will own the idea outright, but they may give you 5 of the show’s 100 percentage points… entitling you to 5% of the show’s backend profit. This includes all monies from syndication, movie deals, merchandising, etc.

The number of points offered a show’s creator varies from show to show, depending on the clout of the creator, how savvy his agent or lawyer is, what duties he’ll be rendering on the show (is he gonna stick around and run the show himself, or just pass it off to another producer?), etc. If a big star or another important producer is attached to the project—or comes aboard—he or she may also get some backend points. The network or studio tries to keep as many points as possible, and they rarely give away more than 30.

This holds true for live-action shows as well, although live-action shows don’t usually have as many ancillary products as cartoons. A few shows—usually sci-fi hits like Buffy, Alias, or Heroes—may have toys, comic books, novelizations, etc., but most don’t. (I’ve never seen anyone carrying around a Gil Grissom doll.)

Whether in the process of selling an animated project or a live-action series, “it's up to the writer to look out for themselves,” says Charlie. “Which means… if a studio or production company wants to option, buy or develop your idea, you need to have a lawyer or an agent look over your contracts. If you don't have one, this is the perfect time to get one. Coming to an agent with a deal in hand that they can commission is one of the surefire ways to get represented.”

READER QUESTION/GUEST PERSPECTIVE: How Do I Break Into Clip Shows?

Chad — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:43:34 GMT

Hey, screenwriters--

Today's question comes from loyal reader Valerie, who writes...

"Hi Chad!... I am interested in creating clip shows and would love to hear your valuable insight on these types of programs (ie. where/how to license footage, how to sell them (Pods or Network), general production tips, etc...)."

(For those of you who aren't familiar with clip shows, they're TV shows that rely on clips of other shows, a la E!'s The Soup, VH1's Best Week Ever, etc.)

Well, Valerie-- to answer your question, I've brought in a special guest. Here to give you the low-down on clip shows-- how they work, how to write for them, and how to break in-- is K.P. Anderson, the executive producer of what is undoubtedly the funniest clip show on television... The Soup. K.P. is not only a successful stand-up comedian whose appeared on Comedy Central's Premium Blend, he's written and produced for great shows like Politically Incorrect, Mohr Sports, The Wayne Brady Show, and Last Comic Standing. You can visit him on MySpace and check out his comedy schedule at www.myspace.com/kpandersonlive.

But in the mean time, here's K.P. to tell you everything you want to know about clip shows...

CHAD: The Soup, like many other half-hour TV shows, airs once a week. But unlike half-hour sitcoms like The Office or Samantha Who?, The Soup is dependent on that week’s pop culture happenings, so it can’t be written or produced far ahead of time. What’s your process for putting together an episode of The Soup? Walk me through your process, beginning with putting together an episode and ending with airing Friday night.

K.P.: Monday we sit around and wait for shit to happen…usually by Wednesday, some shit happens…

Monday, we take a look at the week ahead and start to come up with ideas for bigger pieces that can be built around TV events or movie openings or a pop-culture story that won’t go away. So it’s a day to plan out commercial parodies, fake movie trailers and the like. Joel McHale as Rainbow Brite was born on a Monday. We also start to watch shows from the following weekend, look at the news and begin writing monologue jokes.

Tuesday we put the bigger pieces in to production by getting network approvals, ordering any costumes or sets and tracking down footage to support them. We also continue looking at the headlines to see who is going to rehab, who is getting arrested and who is marrying Pam Anderson. (It’s like jury duty for guys who itch.) Also on Tuesday we have our first of two clip meetings where myself, our other EP, Edward Boyd and [host] Joel [McHale] if he’s available look at the clips the staff has collected thus far. Once we pick the clips, we head back to the offices to write introductions and jokes or sketches coming out of them. On Tuesday night, I usually take the collected works of the staff home with me and put together a rough scripted rundown of the show for us to see what we have and where we have holes heading in to Wednesday.

Wednesday is when the show really starts to come together. One more round of monologue and another clip meeting, then we shoot any footage we need of Joel or others for any of the pre-produced pieces, we also shoot our “Condensed Soup On Yahoo” promotion and then the writers jam out the rest of the wraps for the clips while the production staff gets busy editing clips preparing pictures and all of our supporting footage and editing the pre-produced pieces. Meanwhile, I collect and edit the final wraps and shoot out the second draft of the script, which goes to the network and all of our necessary legal and standards and practices people. After that, the producers keep working on getting everything prepared, the writers get a breather and I watch whatever we’re covering for the “Let’s Take Some E!” segment. Around 9:30 Wednesday night, Edward and I make the rounds to watch the edited clips and the pre-produced pieces and discuss what’s working and what isn’t. Then we call it a night while some of the producers stay on to finish up the pre-show prep.

Thursday morning, we get together with Joel, view any clips that came in overnight on Wednesday and punch up the script. (Joel is very key here. He thinks very much like a writer and has become incredibly proficient at knowing his own voice. He’s really great in the room which is not something that can be said for all hosts.) Then we take a break from each other while the network and legal notes trickle in. We adjust the script to accommodate those and around 6:00, we head down to a green room in the bowels of E!, where Joel rehearses off the teleprompter and we lightly punch it up one more time. At 8:00 we head to the stage and shoot the show. It takes about 2 hours. Sometimes stuff doesn’t go as planned and we huddle up and come up with a new way to go and keep moving. When we’re done we go home and repair our marriages, or just drink.

Friday we get together for a couple of hours. We talk about the previous show and how well we pulled it off. Make adjustments for the next week and then lightly go over the week to come and start cooking up ideas. Then we flip each other off and go our separate ways. Not really. Friday night the show airs and usually over the weekend we wind up e-mailing or calling each other to talk about how things played again. We have a pretty close staff and we’ve been together for a long time (3+ years without anyone leaving), so we must either really like each other or no one else will talk to us.

This is the longest answer you’re getting out of me. If I have to go in to this much detail again, I quit.

How do you get the clips you use? Do you have to license them? Are they free since they’ve already been on TV? Does clip availability affect what bits and jokes you end up doing?

We get the clips an abundance of ways. We have a staff of 15 people who all have DVR’s and watch them relentlessly. We also have a new computer program that allows us to program in shows and watch them directly on our PC’s.   It’s cool, but it’s top secret. We might be part of a government experiment like thalodomide and not know it. We also pull stuff off the web sometimes.

There are a bunch of “Fair Use” laws surrounding how we air them. It’s complicated and if I tried to explain it, I’d screw it up. Sorry.

Yes, I suppose clip availability affects the bits and jokes we wind up doing in that of a clip isn’t available, we tend to not do a joke about it. (Did that come off a-hole-ish? It’s who I am. You asked…)

Imagine someone wants to sell and produce their own clip show like The Soup. What are the creative elements that make a clip show unique and sellable? I.e.—does it need a host attached? Just a writer/producer with a strong vision? A list of sample jokes? A sizzle reel? What should every good clip show have, or do, in order to make it different… and attractive to buyers?

Now why would I tell anyone that? You got the production schedule for free. The rest will cost you.

Actually, there are a lot of clip shows out there. I’d take the question beyond what sells a clip show and if you want to sell something think about what makes any pitch sing. Every network is different in their perceived needs, so you want to tailor your product to fit the customer. All of the things you asked about above are basically important elements at some level to someone. Tough question to answer. Might be a good time to mention I didn’t create or sell The Soup. I came on to run it in the second season after the “What The? Awards.” And a few (I don’t recall how many. More than 3, less than 20) episodes of The Soup.

And the follow-up question… what should a clip show never do? What creative elements are inappropriate in a clip show and would make it unsellable?

Sucking is bad. Sucking and being overly expensive. Comedy shows need time to build an audience. If you burden yourself with too much overhead it lessens the amount of time a network can tolerate your crappy ratings. The audiences become very loyal if you can hook them, so just try to stay on the air while you’re working out the kinks and growing your base.

Once our hypothetical producer has developed her clip show creatively, what’s the best way to go about selling it? Should she partner with a producer or production company? Should she go right to a network? And how does she know what are the best place to pitch her clip show?

I don’t mean to be a jerk, really, this is an honest answer to a common question. If you have to ask, you aren’t ready to be in charge. Networks buy from either people they’ve already worked with or people they are trying to steal from other networks. It takes no experience to come up with a good idea for a show, but it takes an awful lot to run one and the networks have very short lists of people they will allow to run shows.   (Until The Soup I was not one of those people.   I got very lucky to meet with network and studio heads who were willing to give me a chance.) Find yourself one of those people and then go to the network. And don’t ask. You used up all your good will with me with that first question.

To figure out where to pitch it, look at what type of programming in which an individual network engages and then either add them or cross them off the list. If you have a show that you think could work at both Spike and Lifetime, odds are you aren’t thinking it through. And don’t pitch where it’s not wanted. Not even “just for practice”. You may one day have an idea you want to bring back to that place and they will remember how you wasted their time. (And no, they won’t remember the good pitch they almost bought.)

As a writer and producer on what is definitely TV’s best and funniest clip show, what rules or tips have you picked up in production that you’d pass along to a freshman producer? If someone came to you saying, “KP, I’m about to start production on my first-ever clip show, what should I keep in mind, practically speaking, as I dive into production,” what are the 3 most important tips or rules you would give them?

1.    Make sure a hypothetical person buys you a drink before you start answering her questions.

2.    Be malleable. Listen when your buyers talk. You might know funny better than they do, but they know their audience or at least their company’s perception of their audience better than you. Don’t be unfunny just to get along, but be willing to scrap something over which you can’t agree and go a different way that is still funny.

3.    Talent speaks. If it doesn’t feel right coming out of your host’s voice, change it. No matter how brilliant you think it was. The host has to feel good about the whole show. One sentence is not worth throwing off his or her groove.

4.    (Because I was a jerk again with the first one) Don’t hire people who you like but really don’t think can contribute to the show. Hire people you like whose contributions you think will make your show better than you could do on your own. If you can’t find those people, you are over-estimating yourself and your idea. It’s a clip show. It’s already a collaboration.

For all the aspiring writers out there who would love to write on The Soup, how do you hire your writers? What kinds of samples do you look to read? What do you look for in those samples? And once you like someone’s writing and meet with them in person, what qualities do you look for that aren’t on the page?

I’d say write samples that make you laugh and sound like the host of the show could and would be excited to tell them. That’s a little ethereal, but if you look at your written material and think about great comedic hosts, you’ll be able to identify who would and wouldn’t deliver them best. Oh, and don’t send in the bible. Send the best stuff you have for that show. If you can’t edit yourself then someone would have to edit you and that someone is busy and would like to see his four year-old daughter before she’s five.

As to what I look for in a prospective hire off the page, I’m not really one to size up the cut of anyone’s jib. Funny is funny and talent is usually a bit weird, so pesky things like hygiene and hustle can really get in the way of good hiring decisions. I just plug my nose and hope they show up on the day I invited them to swing by.

And lastly… it’s very hard—if not impossible—for a total newbie to just create a TV show idea and set it up with a network or production company. I always tell aspirants the best way to sell a show is to get a job in television (usually at the bottom as a P.A. or assistant) and work your way up the ladder until you have enough experience and connections to sell a show. So if someone wants to create and sell clip shows like The Soup, what’s the best way to break in? Or, to a total newbie who wants to be in your shoes, what career-path advice would you offer someone who wants to steal your job?

So you tell people the same thing I told you. Great. Could have mentioned that four questions ago and saved me from looking like an a-hole…anyway…like I said, I didn’t create or sell The Soup, so there’s that.

Also, I’d encourage you not to try to follow my path. Not because it’s bad, it’s great, but that’s my life. My life might suck to you. I’m only being a little flippant. As writers and producers, we aren’t exactly deep-sea fisherman, but our careers are more like lifestyle choices than most people. So in order to stay in the game without burning out, you have to make sure you feel rewarded and challenged by your career in a very deep sense. We work long hours and take it very personally when our products don’t work.    When we aren’t working (and even when we are), we have to smile and network and create on our own and it occupies a much bigger portion of our time than the people with whom we went to high school who now have goofy things like trophies for softball and parents who still talk to them.   So you have to love your career like it’s your hobby. Your career will define you to a great deal, just make sure to get over yourself long enough to have someone to thank if you ever get a non-softball related trophy.

Having said that, here’s the basics as I see it. Seek out projects you love. Find your way out of projects you don’t without burning bridges. (Here we are not in my footsteps any longer.) Write every day. Don’t be afraid to turn in. Take criticism. Be reliable. Seek to learn without being annoying. (In other words, shut up and listen once in a while.) Work at a level above the job you have (eventually someone will notice and give you that job). Get over yourself. Have respect for other people around you. Don’t undermine people. Everything in this business is collaborative and if you get a reputation for backstabbing or undermining, all cliché’s about this town aside, you are done…or working on Tyra.   (Why would I say that?)

There you go, hypothetical producer. I hope I answered all of your questions. It would complete my bucket list.

-- KP

Thanks a million, K.P. And for the rest of you, here are some clips of The Soup for your viewing pleasure...

THE HILLS RETURNS

VAJAPOCALPYSE

RAINBOW BRITE: THE MOVIE

GUEST PERSPECTIVE: Charlie Stickney... Writing For Animation

Chad — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:31:54 GMT

Hey, screenwriters--

One area of entertainment I've never worked in-- but often get questions about-- is animation. And with all the booming animated projects out there-- Family Guy, The Simpsons, Drawn Together, The Incredibles, The Triplets of Belleville, etc.-- I decided to spend a few minutes with my friend Charlie Stickney, a screenwriter, artist, and producer here in L.A.

Charlie spent several years developing shows for Mike Young Productions, a successful production company specializing in children's animation like Growing Up Creepie, Pet Alien, and Dive Olly Dive! Charlie wrote and produced Horrible Histories, where he was also the voice director and directed voice talent like Billy West, Cree Summer, Jess Harnell, Steven Rea, and Billy Idol. He also developed Voom HD's Cosmic Quantum Ray, Junk TV at MTV, and the Irish series Dumped for Telegael Media. Charlie recently set up screenplays at Revolution Studios and Abu Media, and in what little spare time he has, Charlie works on his popular webcomic, Vince Germain.

Charlie has forgotten more about animation than I could ever hope to know, but he gave me a great intro lesson to the world of animation, how it works, and how to break in...

Charlie—I’m gonna be honest: I know virtually nothing about how animation is developed, sold, or produced. So my first question is: if you want to write animation, do you also need to be an animator? Can you write animation if you’re not also an artist?

The short answer is no, you don’t need to be able to draw, or animate to have the ability to write a kick-ass animation script. However, having a good visual sensibility (camera placement, movement, composition, etc.) is a huge asset in animation writing.
Whereas in a teleplay (and to some extent the screenplay) “directing” of the camera is frowned upon, in the animation script, the “calling of the shots” is often required.

Here’s an example from a show I worked on.

INT. HIGH SECURITY AREA - ON THREE CELLS

SMARTY-PANTS stands in a large cell sleeping (SFX: SNORING) - on a
floating cot. A SALAMANDER scurries across the floor in front
of the cell.

                            MAMA SMARTY-PANTS (O.S.)
                      (proudly)
                Yes, Little Smarty-pants! My precious
                little genius!

PAN TO MAMA SMARTY-PANTS AND ARTIE AMOEBA. Mama is incarcerated in
a high-security hamster cage (with running wheel), and Artie is in
a small Plexiglass cube with a small lock on the top. As they talk,
one of the Salamanders “investigates” Artie’s prison.

                            ARTIE
                        (pretends to be bored)
                In case you hadn’t noticed, your baby
                genius boy is in jail! What kind of
                genius gets caught?

ANGLE FAVORING MAMA as she angrily grabs her bars and glares at Artie.

                            MAMA SMARTY-PANTS
                He invented the greatest, most dangerous
                machine in the universe -- THE STRING-O-
                MATIC!!!

CLOSE ON ARTIE IN F.G. - MAMA SMARTY-PANTS IN B.G. Artie turns his
back to Mama Smarty-pants, smiles -- he’s manipulating Mama.

                            ARTIE
                         (sarcastic)
                Oooh, String-O-Matic -- that’s a scary
                name... like “custard,” or “puppy.”

ZOOM IN ON MAMA’S ANGRY FACE as she describes the String-O-Matic.

                            MAMA SMARTY-PANTS
                Like an angry spore knows anything.
                The String-O-Matic is a work of evil art.

As you can see, calling the shots ultimately means there’s a lot more work for the writer to do. Page counts for a 22 minute animated show can run as long as 35 pages. On the flip side, it gives the writer much more control in the visual pacing and look of the episode (a selling point for the writer who aspires to direct).

It must be noted that there are many exceptions to this rule. Some animation directors don’t like the script to impinge on their artistic freedom. Others don’t have the time to prep the storyboard artist on how they should visually break down the script, and will send the script back for revisions if the action is “under-called.”   Some shows start with a storyboard first and then hire writers to fill in dialogue to supplement the gags that the artists have already come up with.

A good rule of thumb is to always ask the showrunner before you go to script, to what extent they want the shots called. If you’re writing on spec, I would suggest trying to get an actual shooting script of the show that you want to write for so you can confirm the format. If you can’t get a sample, call all the shots. You can always take them out afterwards.

So… what’s it take to sell a new animated TV series? For example, if I want to sell a new “traditional” series, I put together a pitch that details the world of the show, the characters, and some samples stories or episodes. But animation has a whole other component: the animation. So if someone’s pitching an animated project, do they need to already have drawings of the world and its characters? Or could having completed visuals hurt the project, since a studio or network may want voice in that development? Does a writer pitching an animated show need to have an artist attached to the project?

Having designs aren’t necessary. Having a great idea is.

Equally important is pitching the right project to the right studio at the right time.
If the studios like your idea, they have the numbers for hundreds of artists on speed dial.

That’s not to say that having some hip designs won’t help sell the project. If the designs are finished, and the scripts are done, the studio has to sink far less money into development to get an idea of what the series would actually be like.

HOWEVER, for a couple of reasons, I would proceed with caution if you want to include drawings with your pitch.

Firstly, many studios like to be involved in the development process. Others have a style (see Klasky-Csupo) that they don’t like to deviate from. If they think you are too locked into a style of drawing they don’t think fits in with what they want to do, they might pass on your project.

Secondly, your pitch is only as good as it’s worst part. If the drawings aren’t up to par with the writing, you’re only hurting yourself. If the designs appear amateurish, your writing will appear amateurish.

Thirdly, unless you are a professional animator/work in the field of animation, you are unlikely to have good perspective on what qualifies as a professional quality drawing/design for animation. The Captain Jetpack drawing that your friend the aspiring artist did, that to you looks like it came straight from a comic book, may be impossible to animate on a television budget. Or worse yet, to the discriminating (read: snobby) eyes of the studio’s artistic director, Captain Jetpack’s design might be simply deemed not to be any good at all.

So if you have a partner who you objectively know “rocks the house” as an artist, then collaborate away. Otherwise, stick with what you know, i.e., the script.

If you’re developing an animated project, how do you approach it differently because it’s animated? In other words, do you develop characters differently when they’re animated? Do you tell different kinds of stories? Does the animation free you, or inhibit you, as a storyteller?

Animation definitely frees you as a storyteller. Budget isn’t the same concern. It costs the same to have someone draw a house on Mars as it does one in Los Angeles. But I think you’re right when you say that it might, or should dictate the kinds of stories you tell.

When developing an animated property, I think a good question to ask yourself, is if this particular project is best served by animation. If one looks at the best animated films --Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Ratatouile, Monster’s Inc. – we see a group of subjects, toys, fish, monsters, rats, etc. that would be incredibly expensive to try to do as live action films. In fact, trying to make any of those universes seem realistic, might border on impossible. Yet, when animated we get lost in them. A world that’s completely inaccessible becomes second nature to us.

So when developing your show, think what about it needs to be animated. Use that as additional inspiration in shaping where you go with it. What do you want to show the world that only animation can truly make come alive? If you can’t find that need, then maybe your project would be better off as a live action program.

While I routinely get killed for saying this, King of the Hill always strikes me as a program that could have best been served as a sitcom. As funny as it is, it’s still a little flat. Imagine any episode of that show filmed with John Goodman as Hank, Ryan Stiles as Dale, Katey Sagal as Peggy, Neil Patrick Harris as Boomhauer… heck, let Brittany Murphy, who does the voice of Luanne, play her in real life. You’re telling me she couldn’t nail white trash?... please.

The truth is for all the advances in CGI (Computer Generated Images), the human figure/actor encompasses a world of nuance that animation isn’t even close to recreating. (Especially when it’s as flat as King of the Hill) Let actors do what they do best -- act. Let animation do what it does best --create new worlds and new ways of telling stories that we’ve never seen before.

Once a new animated series enters development, how does the process proceed? Walk me through the evolution of a series from the moment it’s pitched to the moment it debuts on TV… and how the writer is involved.

Unlike in television where the writer/creator is often the driving force behind everything, in animation the writer is more akin to the screenwriter; a piece of a large puzzle. Again, this is contingent on who the writer is, what they’ve done before, who the producing partners are, etc. So with all those variables, perhaps it’s best if I just walk you through the standard animation development process.

Once a studio has decided to develop a project, they will quickly hire a director/art director. This person will work on developing the look and the animation style of the show while the writer is fleshing out the series bible. (Note: The “series bible” is a guide to the world and the characters of the show, not a religious manifesto) These things are often done in concert with one another, as the style of the animation can often determine the scope of the stories and the world. (What’s easy to do in 2D cell animation isn’t the same as what’s easy to do in 3D CGI)

A quick example: Squash and Stretch animation, where the characters are, well, squashed and stretched by boulders and various taffy-pulling machines gone wild, is difficult to animate with a computer. If you had a show that required a lot of physical squash and stretch gags, (SpongeBob SquarePants) it might be best to develop it as a hand drawn cell animation show. Whereas Robot Wars the Final Battle definitely would be best served as CGI.

Once the bible has been finalized (both in terms of look and written content) the studio will then proceed to hire writers. This process is different than in television where it’s typical to hire a staff of writers to break down and script the episodes of the series.

Animation writing is more of an open call audition/pitch process. The studio will call the agencies and tell them that they are going to be giving out writing assignments on a new/new season of a show. The interested writers will then show up for a big group meeting where the producer/showrunner will tell all the assembled writers what the new series is about, what kind of stories they are looking for, and how many scripts they are planning to buy. Each writer is then given a series bible and sent home. The writers are then required to put together pitches for episodes that they would like to write. If the showrunner likes the idea, they get the job and the chance to write the script they pitched… if the showrunner doesn’t like it; it’s back to the drawing board. From a writer’s POV this is an incredibly unfair process, as you often have to pitch 3-5 one-page story ideas just to land a single writing job. (Or worse, you write up 5 ideas on spec and none of them get bought) But since animation writing isn’t covered by the WGA, *sigh* the studios are able to set their own terms.

(A quick addendum – there are a few exceptions to the writing process that I’m describing. Most notably, FOX's primetime animation programming (The Simpsons, King of the Hill, American Dad, etc.) is covered by the WGA. These shows run writer’s rooms more akin to that of other primetime live-action sitcoms.)

Once a script is finished, it is sent to the art department, so they can design all the secondary characters and locations that are in the episode. (The primary characters and locations have already been designed and were in the bible.) Writers often need to ask what locations they can use/create before beginning a script, as each new element will need to be designed for animation. Think of it like a television show. On Desperate Housewives they have standing sets (their houses) already built for each of the main characters. When an episode takes place outside those pre-existing parameters, a new set has to be built, which takes time and money. Studios don’t like to spend money, and hate wasting time (which costs money). So if you want to be hired again, really be sure to ask your showrunner what the parameters are before you begin scripting (If they want the shots called, how many locations/characters you can create/ what the deadline is, etc.)

The next step is to record the episode. This is a stage where the animation writer actually has a little input. The writer is often invited to the recording session to provide clarity, intent, and on the spot rewrites for the voice actors. This is not to say they get to direct the voice recording. That’s the aptly named Voice Director’s job. But if an actor is butchering a joke, it’s entirely acceptable for the writer to politely mention it to the voice director, so they can coax out a better performance.

For the writer, the recording session is usually the end of the line. As we are focusing on animation writing, I’ll just quickly gloss over the remaining steps of production.

After the script is recorded it’s edited for time. (The actually running time of the episode – 12 minutes, 22 minutes, etc.) It’s then sent to the director and the storyboard artists who break it down into visual beats. The animators are then given the finished storyboard and voice recording to work from. They animate (with computers or pencils), shoot/scan it, and send it to an editor who puts it together. A post-production mix later, the episode’s ready for primetime.

For those writers who are interested in animation, but may know little about its processes or production, where can they start learning? Are there good books or magazines they can study?

Off the top of my head I’d say Animation Magazine (http://www.animationmagazine.net/) is a decent source for finding out what’s kinds of shows are being developed/produced.
There are scores of great books on animation. Hit the library. It’s good for that.

How about animation software? Are there some good beginners’ programs that writers can use to start playing and experimenting?

Um… you can get free trial versions of Flash and After Effects from Adobe. These are two of the most used animation and compositing programs. Other than that, search the web. New shareware programs pop up every day.

It seems that right now, with TV channels like Cartoon Network and Internet content exploding, there are more opportunities than ever for aspiring animators and animation writers. After all, an animated short can be produced entirely by one person and posted online… something that can’t be done with a live action film that requires cameras, lights, actors, etc. As media continues to evolve over the next few years, how will we see the world of animation change?

It’s already changed a lot. Ten years ago, 90% of the animation was done by hand. Today it’s a shock when someone pitches a show that’s not designed for the computer.   This trend is mostly driven by cost considerations. It’s far cheaper to do quality animation by computer than it is to something comparable do by hand.

As for how it’s continuing to change, the technology will continue to become cheaper and more accessible. The state of the art effects that you see in Ratatouille, will be free shareware that you can use animate on your computer. So basically anything that you can imagine you will be able to recreate.

Any last words of advice for aspiring animation writers and filmmakers out there?

The important thing to remember is that no matter how good the technology gets, no one will watch it if you aren’t telling a good story with interesting characters. It all comes back to the writer. Tell a good story and people will notice.

Thanks, Charlie!

If you enjoyed Charlie's advice, be sure to check out his web comic, Vince Germain, at www.vincegermain.com!

And now, for your viewing pleasure, here's a quick look at some fun animation projects out there...

THE PROFESSOR BROTHERS: BIBLE HISTORY #1

LIL' BUSH

WALL-E

Film School vs. The Real World: Part II (Thanks to Tim)

Chad — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:00:40 GMT

Hey, everyone--

Wanted to give a shout-out to Tim, and direct everyone to the comment he posted in response to yesterday's "Film School vs. the Real World" post. I had talked about two options for post-college life and breaking into Hollywood, and Tim adds...

"OPTION #3: Assuming that you have the $20,000+ a year to be able to afford grad school, you use that money instead to rent an apartment, and do unpaid internships to make viable connections in the entertainment industry. Interning a couple days a week will still leave you plenty of time to write, and the connections you make will give you a better chance to break into the biz."

This is great advice (thank you, Tim!). In fact, I would add two things...

THING #1: Even if you don't have $20,000+, GET AN INTERNSHIP. Internships are probably the best path to a full-time job. Interns on film and TV sets get bumped up to P.A.'s. Interns in offices and agencies become assistants. Most internships don't pay, of course... which means if you may need to get a real job as well. So get a night or weekend job waiting tables, running concessions at a theater, whatever you need to do.

(By the way-- I am not suggesting you become a waiter who then spends his days writing screenplays in Starbucks, hoping to "pound out" [gag] the next American Gangster, and get discovered. Don't become one of those. Ever. I'm suggesting you get a night job-- any night job-- so you can support yourself as you intern for free at a legitimate company during the day, learning ropes, making contacts, etc. Hopefully, that internship will soon lead to a paid gig, and you can ditch your job at AMC or Spanish Kitchen.)

Know this, however... in California, you may have an additional problem. Labor laws require all workers to be paid in either money or college credit. And since most internships are unpaid, they only give college credit. Which means you usually must be an enrolled student in order to get an internship. (I do a lot of internship placement with my alma mater, Vanderbilt University, and have gone through hours of dealing with this over the last year.)

This means if you're not a current college student, you have a problem. Fortunately, there's a way around it. You can often enroll yourself in an one- or two-credit class at a local community college for little money, then use that to get your internship. I've heard people often do this with Santa Monica College here in L.A. (although I don't personally know anyone who's done it, so you're on your own for figuring it out. Still-- it shouldn't be hard).

I know this means you'll be, essentially, PAYING in order to work for free, but the truth is... you're paying for A) practical experience you can't get in any class, B) contacts and relationships you otherwise wouldn't have access to, and C) a foot in the door that should, hopefully, lead you to your first paying gig and a long career in Hollywood.

THING #2: Even if you do go to grad school, you should absolutely-- without a doubt-- do as many internships as possible. This will start to give you some of the relationships and practical knowledge you won't get in the film school... the credit you receive will push you closer to graduation... and-- assuming tuition, room, and board are covered-- it's the one time in your life you'll be able to work for free and not have to worry about where your next meal's coming from. When I was at UCLA, I did internships at E!, Fried Films at Sony Pictures, the now-defunct A.S.K. Theater Project, and the Academy Awards.

Lastly, some internship-hunting resources...

• This post from January, on how to contact TV shows directly, gives some good tips and resources
• This post, on getting a PA gig, also lists great resources

I also recommend just contacting directly shows or companies you want to work for. The two posts listed above should help you do that.

Good luck!