Boring Future Generations

Winning!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:17:00 +0000

Woo-hoo! We've now more or less broken even in contest and fellowship entry fees because after several delays and then a few weeks of utter silence (I understand, these things take time), Creative Screenwriting just announced the winners of their AAA Contest and our spec of The Good Wife is one of them!

Charlie Sheen never had it so good. Except, you know, when he did.

Here is the list of winners. Congratulations to everyone!

AAA Screenplay Contest Winter 2010-2011 Winners
And Finalists
(For Semifinalists and Honorable Mentions, click here)

Title	writers	prize	category	subcategory
Feature Film
Shiny Penny	Dan Shea	Grand Prize	Feature	Sci-Fi or Fantasy/Drama
Dead Below Zero	Edward Case	Second Prize	Feature	Horror Genre or Horror-Comedy
Dec Homer's Odyssey	Alex Drummond	Third Prize	Feature	Romantic Comedy Genre

Top Ten Finalists
Wipe	Ben Arnold	Top 10 Finalist	Feature	Thriller Genre
M.a.x. 101 - Edge Of Forever	Sam Lu	Top 10 Finalist	Feature	Sci-Fi or Fantasy
Ticket to Mars	Jason Ginsburg	Top 10 Finalist	Feature	Sci-Fi or Fantasy
Rising Phoenix	Ryan Mukai	Top 10 Finalist	Feature	Sci-Fi or Fantasy
Somerville	James C. Victor	Top 10 Finalist	Feature	Drama Genre
Oathkeeper	Elisa Graybill	Top 10 Finalist	Feature	Sci-Fi or Fantasy
Olympian (tie)	Tamsyn Harker & Esther Venning	Top 10 Finalist	Feature	Drama Genre
The Best Part of the Day (tie)	Betty Ellington Smith	Top 10 Finalist	Feature	Drama Genre

Best Comedy
Dec Homer's Odyssey	Alex Drummond	Comedy Prize	Feature	Romantic Comedy Genre

Best Creature Feature
Dead Below Zero	Edward Case	Creature Feature	Feature	Horror Genre or Horror-Comedy

Best Thriller Or Drama*
Wipe	Ben Arnold	Best Thriller	Feature	Thriller Genre
* "Best Thriller Or Drama" was not an official prize category. However, judges and contest management agreed that this script, which finished second in the feature judging overall, merits special recognition. Because it did not fit one of the genre categories in which cash prizes are offered, we created this additional category to recognize this script.

Best One-Hour TV Show

The Good Wife: Slippage	Josh Weiss-Roessler & Juliana Weiss-Roessler	First Prize	TV--Hour-Long
Lie To Me: Lost And Found	Jenna Ryan	Finalist	TV--Hour-Long
Men Of A Certain Age: I Feel Like Having Me Some Ribs:	Dan Shea	Finalist	TV-Hour-Long
Mad Men: The Lion Sleeps Tonight	Alex Simon	Finalist	TV--Hour-Long

Best Half-Hour TV Show
Parks and Recreation: Renaissance Faire	Julie Cross	First Prize	TV--Half-Hour
Modern Family: Our Sacrifice	Garron Ma	Finalist	TV--Half-Hour
The Walking Dead: The Drowning Pool	Jeremy McCann	Finalist	TV--Half-Hour
Modern Family: To Catch A Thief	Matthew Kellard	Finalist	TV--Half-Hour

Best Opening
Dead Below Zero	Edward Case	Best Opening	Feature	Horror Genre or Horror-Comedy
Dec Homer's Odyssey	Alex Drummond	Best Opening	Feature	Romantic Comedy Genre
Rising Phoenix	Ryan Mukai	Best Opening	Feature	Sci-Fi or Fantasy

In less funny GoT news...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:43:00 +0000

The members of the Broadcast TV Journalists Association just named Game of Thrones as one of their 10 (yes, 10!) nominees for best dramatic series this year. Awesome news for a show that's like the medieval fantasy version of The Wire.

On the whole, their list of nominees is pretty great, and I can't really argue with much of it. Scroll down on the Deadline story to see the whole list. Here are the drama series nominees:

Boardwalk Empire - HBO

Dexter - Showtime

Friday Night Lights - DirecTV

Fringe - FOX

Game of Thrones - HBO

The Good Wife - CBS

Justified - FX

The Killing - AMC

Mad Men - AMC

The Walking Dead - AMC

Stupid Ned Stark

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:37:00 +0000

Despite misspellings, this meme is pretty great. Even better is that it comes from a blog called Winter Is Coming, Bitches.

My favorite: "Household guards not being discrete enough? Stroll into brothel yourself."

Fall TV Faceoff!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 20 May 2011 17:28:00 +0000

Well, it's done. Network shows have been chosen for the fall and the cleanup crews have made all the upfront locations bright and shiny again. Overall, I have to say I'm pretty excited for the new fall season. Lots of shows I'm interested in, though I'm still mourning the loss of a few *cough*Poe*cough*Locke & Key*cough*.

But now there's a bigger problem -- how the hell am I going to watch all of them? I can't think of the last time so many shows I want to check out have been scheduled in competing timeslots, especially on Friday. It's great and all that Sci-Fridays have returned, but there are literally too many conflicting shows for my eyeballs and DVR to keep up with. But what can you do?

Below is the fall schedule grid for the networks. Which shows will you be watching? And what do you think will succeed or suffer a quick cancellation?

*Note: I couldn't fit the whole table side-by-side, so click on Sheet 2 for FOX and CW.

Must. Stop. Obsessing.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 09 May 2011 20:03:00 +0000

We're only about a week out from network upfronts, and you can just feel the nervous crazy coming off of TV writers. Which pilots will make it? Which won't? Why was that one picked over my favorite?! Will I have a job for the fall?! Will I lose out on being put up for procedural shows because my pilot is a soft, character-based family drama? Why didn't I write that fantasy pilot that would have been a perfect sample for one of the 9 fairytale pilots in contention for shows? What's happening? Tell me!

And even though you know that no one really knows anything until everyone knows everything, you find that Deadline has owned your soul for the last week or so when you realize that you've been refreshing the page every hour or so.

Take a deep breath and repeat this mantra: There's nothing you can do.

That's right, I said it -- there's nothing you can do. But instead of letting that debilitate you, allow it to free you. Write something new. Go to the dog park or the gym. Cry about the Lakers. Read more Song of Ice and Fire (it's really good!).

Most importantly, take a deep breath and go on with your life... because after next week, it's going to get even crazier.

With all apologies to Chris Morgan...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:14:00 +0000

...this is pretty damn funny:

Today Now! Interviews The 5-Year-Old Screenwriter Of "Fast Five"

Thanks to Adam for this (I totally stoled it!).

Fantasy Pilot League

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:16:00 +0000

I'm totally stealing this idea from someone (thanks, Clayton), but I just think it sounds like so much fun, and might be a way to soften the heartbreak you feel when your favorite pilot inevitably doesn't get picked up to series -- have a fantasy pilot draft with your friends!

Huh? If any of you play fantasy football, this will be a pretty familiar idea. Form a league with some friends and set a "draft day" to pick pilots you each think will move on from to becoming actual shows next year.

The best/easiest way to do this is to limit your selections to network shows -- ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and The CW -- since cable channels tend to announce their new shows at different points throughout the year.

Try to pick enough people for your draft so that everyone can get an equal number of shows -- and set your draft day soon, because upfronts are just a few weeks away. Here's the calendar for May:

May 16 - NBC

May 16 - FOX

May 17 - ABC

May 18 - CBS

May 19 - The CW

The person who ends up getting the most pilots picked up to series is the winner! Or, if you're really ambitious, you can continue the contest into the actual season to see who ends the year with the most shows still on the air.

I wonder what kind of prize you should win for something like this...?

HWAS Networking Event Tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:34:00 +0000

Hola.

Not burnt out on all the various networking events with staffing season upon us? Me either (he lied)!

Hollywood Writers Assistant Social (HWAS) is having a little get together tonight for some drinking and schmoozing and more drinking.

When:

Tonight! 8:00 PM

Where: RUSH STREET

9546 Washington Boulevard

Culver City, CA 90232

"You know what's cool about The Killing? That there's nothing 'cool' about The Killing."

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:44:00 +0000

That's what I turned to Jul and said a week ago as we were watching the premiere, and I feel the same way after having seen the third episode.

Now, don't misunderstand -- The Killing is awesome. It plays out like you're watching a more or less real time investigation in a very realistic fashion, seeing how this one event (a missing -- and we quickly discover, murdered -- teenage girl) affects the lives of a variety of people in a city. The cops leading the investigation. The murdered girl's family. Her best friend, classmates, and teachers. A councilman running for mayor and his campaign. We're with all of them and feel for every one, and I'm just as engaged by their personal struggles as I am by the slowly unspooling investigation.

So what does that title mean? Well, that there's no flash. No pizazz. No 'hook.' Our cops don't have any super special skills that they have to use to solve the mystery every episode -- they're just detectives. No flashbacks like another season-arc show, Damages, to whet our appetites for what's to come and wonder how we'll get there, the show just plays out linearly. There's not even that much in the way of shock value -- what little blood, sex, or gore they have is downplayed, and the story twists feel natural rather than, well, shocking.

And what was amazing to me, watching that premiere, was how engaged I was without any of that superfluous noise. An event occurs and we bear witness, discovering character only in how people react to the situations they are put in. The Killing is a slow burn, to be sure, but it's also just good old fashioned storytelling.

Guest Post: Turn Your Screenplays Into Books

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:41:00 +0000

Hi gang --

I don't know how much of this I'll actually be doing, but while Juliana and I are navigating the waters of rep meetings during our first real staffing season, I thought I'd post this article from some friends, who have actually started doing this with their own scripts. It's certainly interesting, and the idea of cutting out the middle man is always appealing. Judge for yourself.

How To Be A Paid Writer In Less Than A Week

We've all been there. You toil away on your screenplays, only to never be able to a Hollywood insider to read them. So your hard work sits unread on your hard drive. You start to wonder if you're ever going to make it. If you'll ever land an agent. If you'll ever get your script produced. It's time to stop leaving your writing future up to Hollywood. It's time to take charge of your career. We were just like you. We spent years having our work ignored by agents and managers. Then one day, everything changed for us. Now we actually get paid to write. And you can too.

Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? But the fact is, there's still hope for your unproduced screenplays. They don't need to sit on your computer completely unread by everyone but your Mother. Thanks to the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook, you can turn your unproduced work into digitally published books. Best of all, you can finally be a paid writer.

How's it work? Turns out, it's simpler than you think. The days of printing out your self-published books, then trying to hawk them to brick and mortar stores are over. You can do it all digitally now for free. Through Amazon's Direct Publishing System (https://kdp.amazon.com) and Barnes & Noble's Pub It Platform (http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com), being published is only a few clicks away.

How easy is it? Well, all you have to do is upload the Word file of your document, add a cover photo and description, then your book will be digitally published and available onwww.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com in less than three days. You can choose to get paid by check or direct deposit into your bank account.

How much will you get paid? You get to decide what you charge for your material. If you charge $2.99 or less, you get 35% of each unit sold. When you charge $2.99 or more, you get 70% of the royalties. Most of the ex-pat screenwriters that have been successful have priced their work between 99 cents and $2.99.

What can I publish? Screenplays, Short Stories, Stage Plays, Novels, Poetry. Anything and everything if you want. But although you can publish screenplays, I don't know how much of a market there are for them. We've had much better success novelizing our screenplays. But it's entirely up to you.

What do we do once we've published our work? Now you get to be your own agent. How much your work sells is entirely up to your ability to market. You have to become your own agent. You hit up the amazon forums, social networking sites, get the word out about your work. Amazon and B&N both have active and helpful forums for self-published authors (www. kindleboards andwww.nookboards.com/forum). Is marketing your writing easy? No. But if you put in the effort, you'll see results.

The good news is, many self published authors have gone on to make good money. One author, Amanda Hocking, has sold over 2 million copies, and recently had her books optioned for movies. Another, H.P. Mallory, has sold over 100,000 copies. Are these results typical? No. But the fact is, even if you only sell 100 books a month, that's a hundred more than are reading your work now. And you can finally say you're a paid writer. Besides, it doesn't cost you anything.

Take us for example. We converted our zombie screenplay Undead Reckoning and vampire script Hollywood Vampires into novellas, uploaded them a month ago, and have sold over 100 copies. With our 8 books combined, we've sold almost 500 copies in less than three months. In years writing screenplays, we made no money, and could barely get anyone in Hollywood to read our work. But now the digital publishing revolution is here. Take charge of your career now.

Kevin Michael & Lacy Maran are the authors of 99 cent ebooks Cupid's Dating Disasters, The New Wizard Of Oz, Cruising For A Boozing, Hollywood Vampires, and Undead Reckoning. You can check out their work at: http://lacykevin.blogspot.com

Pilots, Pilots Everywhere

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:48:00 +0000

First off, I just have to say that I love how we've doubled (tripled?) the number of people following this blog by NOT POSTING for the last 5 months. Maybe we should learn from that. Or maybe that's just the power of getting into NBC's TV-writing program.

Now, to business. Tis the season for TV writers to do any and everything to track down all of the scripts going to pilot and power through them, which is exactly what I've been doing for the past month.

I've managed to get my grubby little hands on all but a few *cough*ALCATRAZ*cough*, and I've been pleasantly surprised with how much I like most of what I've read so far. Viewers who like sci-fi/fantasy and smart, character-based dramas might have a great season of TV to look forward to, depending on what actually gets picked up to series.

What have you all been reading, and what are your favorites?

Officially on the Verge

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 14:32:00 +0000

Referring to two things here.

One is Lonestar's status as a show on the verge of not only likely getting canceled, but as one that might not even have the second episode aired. I'm a little late to the game here as Amanda and others have already called on people to watch the show, but consider this a reminder before it *hopefully* airs its second episode on Monday. It's not everyone's cup of tea, and frankly I think FOX set it up for failure by placing it in one of the toughest timeslots on television, but if you like smart, nuanced drama, with morally ambiguous (or stunted?) protagonists, it deserves your attention.

Two is our still somewhat shocking acceptance into NBC's writing fellowship program, where we'll be spending the next 12 weeks working with Jen Grisanti, Karen Horne, and the rest of our fellows -- most of whom we've yet to meet -- crafting a spec and an original pilot in the hopes of getting staffed on an NBCUniversal show at the end of it. But right now I can't even think about that; we just want to come up with a kickass spec idea to write. Methinks we'll be watching lots of TV over the next week and a half... wish us luck.

Happenings are afoot (size 13)

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:16:00 +0000

I don't know what that title means either, but I do know that one-armed dude just kneed centaur guy in his chest-crotch. Take that!

Also, I believe that future generations will look back and remember this as the summer of stuff.

Stuff like PAing and sometimes assisting. Comic-Conning as "professionals." Missing part of Comic-Con to be an actual professional. Coming closer-than-ever-before-(in progress, don't jinx it, don't jinx it) to-fellowshipping. Whistling past the graveyard of looming unemployment. Again.

And freelancing.

Mostly freelancing. A whole boatload of freelancing.

Search our names (mostly Jul's) and you will find articles on every subject known to man and dog, but there's also been a shocking amount of paid commercial script gigs, writing for company websites, and ghostwriting. Of novels. Crazy, right?

So what does our future hold?

I don't know. Stuff, probably.

Huh. Guess We're Premiering in January

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:15:00 +0000

I'm always the last one to know. :)

Heart of Gold! I Find Josh Friedman's Life Disturbing...ly Awesome

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:21:00 +0000

And so does Nikki Finke.

If you haven't read this, do it now. If you have, read it again.

Countdown to Comic-Con or What I'll Miss Most About Missing Thursday and Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:57:00 +0000

This year, despite finally getting a professional badge -- uh-huh, that's right -- I am unable to attend until Saturday. Maybe late Friday if I'm lucky, but I'm not counting on it.

Luckily (or not, since I'm totally jealous) Jul is headed to the Con this morning -- and in fact may already be there -- so at least she'll get to tell me about stuff and hopefully pick me up some sweet schwag. You can follow her Con-ny updates on twitter -- @julweiss.

But back to me, because, well, of course... How could I possibly miss the first two days? Not to mention Preview Night -- dear God, did I forget about Preview Night?!

No. I most certainly did not. But I think I can reconcile missing it to keep my job whichohbythewaydidImentionisinaone-hourwriter'sroom?

Yeah, I'll be okay.

But in the spirit of lamenting and complaining because that's lots of fun, here is my list of things that I'm saddest about missing from last night through Friday.

PREVIEW NIGHT

I'm basing most of this on IGN's coverage, since the official calendar just lists programs. Which, of course, it should. (But that means a distinct lack of pictures, so... please head over to IGN for a visual.)

1. The Walking Dead booth -- realistic blood-spattered zombies on a faux set that you can take pictures with. Yeah, I think it's fair to say I'm excited about the show coming to AMC... and that's without ever having read the comic.

2. Hoth/AT-AT playset -- just looking at it makes me feel 6-years-old again. Except it would then likely be He-Man and (it goes without saying) unintentionally homo-erotic.

3. Pose as a Star Wars action figure inside a life-size fake plastic toy case -- do you really need me to tell you how embarrassingly awesome that is?

4. Free stuff!!! -- This would have been my first Preview Night, and I always hear that that's where they give out the best freebies. True? Who knows? But I wants it!

5. Pilot previews -- what I'd really be doing. It's just Nikita, but it would mean I didn't need to attend it later :)

THURSDAY

10 am - Megamind -- Sue me, I like animated features and this one looks fun. Plus, I'm really curious about it since the description several people have told me doesn't seem to gibe with the most recent trailer I saw. And since trailers never, ever... ever... ever... ever... ever lie, I want to know what's up with that.

11:15 - TRON: Legacy -- You know, I couldn't give you more than a vague outline of the first movie and I don't even know with 100 percent surety that I ever saw it all the way through, but for some reason I'm stoked about this sequel/reboot/whatever.

3:30 - The Visionaries -- JJ and Joss. That is all.

6 - Universal's Scott Pilgrim -- Read the comics and liked them but didn't love them. Still, the trailers look amazing, and I lurve Michael Cera.

9:45 - Mastermind -- the short film, bitches! Yes, I'm excited to see what Sullivan and Susan Lee got up to.

FRIDAY

10:30 - Stargate Universe -- Much to my non-Stargate-watching surprise, I kind of like this show. Quite a bit.

11:30 - AMC's The Walking Dead -- Did I mention how excited I was for this?

12 - Neighbors From Hell -- sadness that I won't be able to support my old coworkers, but even if you don't watch the show, the panel will be amazing since it includes Molly Shannon (SNL), Patton Oswalt (My Weakness Is Strong, Ratatouille), Will Sasso (MADtv), Kurtwood Smith(That '70s Show), David Soren (DreamWorks animation veteran), Kyle McCulloch (Mr. Wong), and Tracey Fairaway (Chicago 8).

2:15 - The Cape -- creator Thomas Wheeler wrote one of my favorite pilot scripts of the past few years -- Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas -- and when I found out this got picked up and he was the writer behind it, I more or less wrote him a fan-ish love letter begging to work with him. I have my fingers crossed for this to succeed.

3 - Joss Whedon -- talking about being Joss. And yes, I realize that there's no way I'd be able to jump around to panels in different rooms like this were I actually there, but that's the beauty of not going -- I don't have to worry about that reality.

3:30 - MTV's Teen Wolf -- I'm curious, okay. Could it be the new Buffy? Well, no, but maybe the new Smallville...

3:30 - Writing for Television -- Is it just me, or are there a lot of writing panels this year?

4:30 - Falling Skies -- Spielberg's new one-hour show that isn't a ripoff of Land of the Lost. Not that that's a bad thing...

5:15 - True Blood -- The most fun show on television.

6 - Archer -- love this show.

6:30 - TV Guide 2010 Hotlist -- Morena Baccarin (V), Julie Benz (No Ordinary Family), Morris Chestnut (V), Keith David (The Cape), Summer Glau (The Cape, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse), Zachary Levi (Chuck), David Lyons (The Cape), Chi McBride(Human Target), Elizabeth Mitchell (V) and Kevin Williamson (Vampire Diaries). 'Nuff said.

With Great Numbers of Attendees Comes Great Responsibility

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:18:00 +0000

Most of you attending The Great Geek Orgy (aka San Diego Comic-Con) likely already know both of these things, but...

Wednesday thru Saturday of the schedule is posted on their website, and they are offering a nifty new feature this year -- you can plan and share your schedule with friends on Facebook, twitter, and (strangely) LinkedIn.

How awesome is that?

Finally, an easy way to plan for the panels you want to attend and not accidentally double-book yourself or plan for two panels back-to-back that are on opposites sides of the convention center (I'm looking at you, Jul).

News Alert! Jane Espenson Has a Twitter Account.

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:20:00 +0000

I have no idea how long this has been going on or why no one told me, but you can follow the talented TV writer at @JaneEspenson.

Apparently, she's been sharing writing advice and conversing with her thousands of fans for several months now.

We should start a Twitter campaign to get her writing a Glee episode. Who's in?

Want more Jane? Check out her blog for more writing advice or read my Pink Raygun interview with her in late 2007.

Interview with TV Writer Carla Robinson

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Another in my series of "Breaking In" interviews. This one is from Carla Robinson, who wrote for the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica.

As usual, a highlight from the interview:

What advice would you give to female writers trying to break in today?
I would give the female writers the same advice I give the male writers. Always wear a protective cup. And keep your work current and polished. I can tell you from personal experience that I only got a job because I kept writing even when no one was reading me. I have writing samples for procedural and character-oriented shows, and plenty of original material in my arsenal. I realize I sound like a deranged automaton, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to write a variety of scripts. It will help you in so many ways as you traverse this tricky world.

Read the full article.

Interview with TV Writers Kelley and Courtney Turk

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:48:00 +0000

Kelley and Courtney Turk are identical twins who are also writing partners. I interviewed them about breaking into the business and their sci-fi pilot The Identicals for Pink Raygun.

A highlight from the Q&A:

Kelley Turk: "Our first agent left the business without telling us. He was in the middle of switching agencies, and one day we called to follow up on a meeting we just had and couldn’t get him on the phone. Eventually someone told us he had left the entertainment business."

Check out the full interview here.

This is why I love The Futon Critic

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:38:00 +0000

I just realized it today, but they've started their pilot First Looks for the upcoming season. What does that mean? Reviews of the actual filmed pilots we'll all be watching or ignoring this fall. Today's is the new Shawn Ryan show Ride-along. Links to previous days' reviews are on the right side of the page.

Check it out!

Sell Your Screenplay to a Gaffer & Why Bad Screenplays Sell

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana) — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:01:00 +0000

"I’ve been receiving this question a lot lately so I thought I’d write an article about it. The question is, “Really? This script sold?? This is what passes for worth half a million dollars these days?? Are you f’ing kidding me??” Loose translation: “Why do bad scripts sell?” I think it’s a fair question to ask. But I don’t think it’s the right way to ask it."

Read the rest of this insightful article on the blog Script Shadow. It's worth a read!

Interview with TV Writer Jacqueline McKinley

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana) — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:26:00 +0000

Check out my interview with a real live, breathing TV writer, Jacqueline McKinley. Together with her writing partner, Antonia March, Jacqueline has written for four sitcoms — Smart Guy, Just Jordan, Will and Jada Smith’s series All of Us, and the Emmy award-winning Bernie Mac Show. The short films Move and Oxtails, which they wrote, produced, and directed, have appeared on Showtime and BET. To top it all, she’s a fellow UF alum! Go Gators!

One highlight from the interview:

"Can you share any Hollywood horror stories or funny anecdotes about breaking in or moving up staff ranks?

I have tons of horror stories. Getting fired off of my first staffed position on Smart Guy was my most memorable. I told my agent, I think they hate us, and she said that she hasn’t heard that at all and that I’m being paranoid. (I don’t know a writer who isn’t paranoid.) Well, I did the math; if we were able to go out for Thanksgiving break, then our option would have gotten picked up. It was the last day before the break, and the showrunners wished the staff a nice vacation. I was so thrilled; I thought we made it through. Antonia and I started to walk out the room when the showrunners said, “Jackie and Toni can we have a word with you,” and my heart fell.

A lot of my horror stories come from when I was a writer’s assistant. On Cosby, I’d leave work seeing the hotdog carts making their way into the city for the morning set up, and then after two hours sleep people would call me wondering where I was. On Cosby, that was my first time seeing how a big network show works. There was a lot of stress and firings. I remember this one showrunner was fired, and he was just kind of wandering through the assistant’s area. I asked him if he would like to order lunch, and he says to me, you know I just got fired. I said I knew, but he still has to eat. As an assistant, I knew his days were numbered before he did.

On another show, a fistfight broke out on stage between a writer and a director. There was always drama on that set."

Read the entire interview on Pink Raygun here.

From Nottingham to Robin Hood

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Sun, 16 May 2010 16:04:00 +0000

If you've got a half hour to spare, check out this insightful and painful-to-read post about how an apparently brilliant little feature script called Nottingham (about the titular Sheriff using medieval forensics to catch a terrorist stealing from people under his jurisdiction) was ripped apart and rebuilt to become the -- and this is literal, folks -- 111th movie about Robin Hood.

Dear Showrunners Seeking Script Coordinators and Writer's Assistants

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Thu, 13 May 2010 22:56:00 +0000

Hi there.

I know this is a bit unorthodox, but I thought I had just about as good a chance to reach you this way as I've had emailing friends and acquaintances, "networking," and desperately tracking down and calling production offices.

Here's the deal. I'd really like to work for you. I have experience as a writer's assistant, script coordinator, and Showrunner's assistant. I'm good, dedicated, and thrilled to work hard and utilize the skills it's taken me years to learn to make your show that much more awesome. You will be glad you hired me and comfortable knowing that my responsibilities are one less thing you'll need to stress about.

Unfortunately, there's a problem. You won't hire me. And it's not because I'm not qualified. It's not because I'm not great at my job. It's not even because I weirded you out in the interview. I never even got that interview because you don't know me. Or know someone who met me at a gym/bar/park/party/sex club and recommended me. Believe me, I understand how important your time is and how frantic your schedule must be, but I've seen just as many regrets as successes come from the friend/family pipeline.

So here's my proposal: this season, see just one person from that pile of hundreds (or thousands) who faxes or emails in their resume despite having no discernible connection to you. Think of it as giving back. Worst case scenario, it wastes the same amount of time as the weird kid your old boss asked you to meet. But if it does work out, you'll have one very grateful employee who knows they have you to thank -- not their old boss/uncle/friend on staff who convinced you to talk to them in the first place.

Thank you for your consideration, and I hope to hear from you soon.