Entrepreuners: Am I one?

A few weeks ago I went to this amazing event through the entrepreneurs association in downtown LA. It was a huge party on the rooftop of this building and you could see all the buildings around us and the LA world beyond those buildings. however it wasn’t the view that impressed me, it was all the people who were there to celebrate the 4 year anniversary of this entrepreneur organization called Techzulu. this org fosters and encourages the creativity within the tech industry ie you know all those apps people create… people unlike me who are crazy smart and can invent things?? Yeah, this party was celebrating all those people who have start ups. So during the party my friends and i wander downstairs and meet someone of the inventors who all have tables downstairs… and that’s when I start to hate myself. I see all these people, and they’re so smart and tech savvy and have invented apps and technologies and I dont know they all seem like that crazy doctor from Back to the Future who helps Michael J. Fox. I mean, how did they think of these inventions?! My brain in no uncertain terms does not work that way. I dont invent… or do I?

That’s when I realized that maybe I don’t invent technologies that are going to change the world or cure cancer or give children in rural africa access to doctors in the US through an iphone app… but I invent TV and movie characters. I invent TV worlds and the things that take place in those worlds. And if you’re totally not buying my contribution to this world as a TV writer… I wrote this pilot a few years ago where the main character had invented something that failed and her family made fun of her for it… it was called “paw-parrazi” which are cameras you attach to the feet of your pets to watch what they do all day while you’re at work. If all else fails, I guess I could go try and market and sell that… I wonder if the people at Tech zulu would be impressed by that invention? I’ll get back to you on that!

What Spec Script Should I Write?

I get a lot of questions from you guys and I love them! So I decided to address one I keep getting to help those out there who still might be looking for the answer.

SHOULD I WRITE A SPEC SCRIPT OF A SHOW I WANT TO WRITE ON?

When I was first starting out as a TV writer, every thanksgiving I’d go home and my mother or some family member would say to me, “Why don’t you write for friends, that’s a great show?” Me: Oooh my Goodness, why DON’T i write on the #1 show on TV? Why didn’t I think of that?”

The reality is of course I wanted to write on friends, but it doesn’t work that way. But I wrote a great FRiends Spec script, well…. great considering it was the first script I ever wrote.

Last year I wanted to write on Modern Family, but I’ve never written with any of the other writers on the show, my agent doesn’t have any clients on the show and I don’t have a family of my own. Thus, I will not be writing on that show. Does that mean because I want to write on it that I shoudln’t have a Modern Family spec? Of course not. The bottom line is, you should write whatever show you think you can do the best job on. That’s it. If you love that show, know the characters voices inside and out, find yourself in the grocery store thinking of how Phil Dunphy would react to a person who has 25 items in a 15 item or less line, then YOU SHOULD WRITE A MODERN FAMILY REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT TO WRITE FOR THE SHOW. You write it because you’re going to write a kick ass script. If you deep down want to write on Modern Family, then you obviously connect with that show and can probably write a fantastic spec that will get you noticed by a showrunner or TV exec or Fellowship reader, that’s what you should be shooting for. when you’re just starting out, don’t limit yourself, do whatever you can do to get noticed.

The idea of “don’t write a spec of a show you want to write on” is an antiquated notion. That might be how it was in the 80s or 90s, but not any more. So if you’ve read a website or a book by someone who wrote on Mary Tyler Moore and retired before the world knew who Monica and Chandler were, let a current TV writer tell you how it REALLY is.

Another truth: In order to get an agent and get on a show you’re going to need more than one spec script. So say if you want to write on Modern Family, that’s great to have goals, but feel free to write a modern Family and then if you’re up for a job there, you can send over the spec of your How I Met Your Mother. Or your original pilot which is all the rage these days. More on that in another post.

Final word: write what you know you can write best, don’t worry about what shows it may or may not eliminate you from, you’ll be paying people 10% of your salary eventually to worry about that nonsense for you. JUST WRITE!

Stand up Comedy… notes

Since I started my script doctor business a year and a half ago, I’ve been challenged in so many ways. I’ve had clients all the over the world, including those where English was not their first language and I’ve had clients who really had no idea how to write a script so I had to walk them through it and the result was a great re-write that got them into a writing fellowship! Really amazing things have happened and I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to work with so many talented writers with incredible potential that is going to get them really far.

But today is a first. I have a new client who wants me to give her notes… on her stand up comedy routine. Now I know comedy, I’ve written on some of the best comedies in our time, so i know what’s funny and what is not. But listening to a stand up routine and then giving notes on it? Can I do this?

When I give notes on a comedy script, I’m not just looking at the jokes, you can always come up with new jokes, it’s the story and plot, tone and characters that most people struggle with and I can really talk through solutions with clients when I meet with them, creating like a mini-writers room between the two of us, it’s really quite fun! But a stand up comedy routine, is just jokes. That’s it. jokes. What if I don’t laugh AT ALL? I mean it is noon on a thursday in my apartment, it’s bright out, there’s no drunk guy in the front row heckling, there’s not two drink minimum… wish me luck.

Confession

I haven’t blogged about TV writing in a while because I’ve been in a funk. I can admit that, right? I just haven’t been in the mood to do any writing, thinking about writing, dreaming about selling a hit TV show… I’ve just been… funky.

Last month I went out with my pilot idea based on my life this summer. I met with every production company in town, people loved the idea and after much thought I took it out to the networks with Dreamworks. The people at Dreamworks TV are so awesome. I’ve worked with them before on a show for ABC and always knew that I’d one day be back in business with them.

So we booked the network pitches and went door to door pitching the show. And I had so many laughs, even the ladies at CBS laughed and for those of you in the know, you know they NEVER EVER EVER laugh during a pitch. It’s their “brand” i suppose. The guy from dreamworks was like “ive never seen them laugh like that in my 16 years of pitching to them. So as you can imagine, I was on a total high. AFter each pitch I would go home and dream of a bidding war that my idea was going to be involved in. I’m not a proponent of war, but this was a war I could easily get behind… but then nothing. No one bought the idea. And I was left with my pockets empty going huh? But eveyone laughed and loved it. even the cbs ladies… that has to mean something, right?

NOPE!

Naturally I was crushed, disappointed, thought of becoming addicted to something, wanted to run someone over with my car… only to realize I didn’t even have a car, it died along with my dreams of a bidding war, on my drive home from my NBC pitch. And hitting someone with a bike was clearly not going to be an effective way to get across my message.

so I went into a funk. Wanted to give up.

But instead, I kept my head down, my energy positive, and kept going no matter how frustrating it seemed, no matter how close I got, and no matter how impossible it seemed to get over that rejection hump. I regained my faith that things would work out. I had faith that if I kept my head down, kept writing, it would evolve eventually into the job that was right for me. MANY writers would have embraced their day job and put the writing aside much earlier.

Let’s face it, writing is freakin’ hard. You never feel like you’re done with a script, it means sacrificing your weekends, your time with your friends, spouse, kids, because you just want to get that script done outside of your 9 to 5, monday to friday job. It’s a hard thing to do when the reward is so minimal, so far off, and seemingly impossible to those around you. Most people don’t get our type of crazy obsession like that. Most people don’t understand that when you’re writing, you can be working on your story while you eat dinner, finding character traits in business meetings, and finding plot points on your morning hike. It’s a pretty constant obsession.

When people ask me ‘am I good enough?’ ‘Do I have what it takes?’ ‘Should I keep writing?’, I generally say the same thing. If you CAN stop writing, do. There are many more ways to make much more money, jobs that allow you some sanity when you come home at the end of the day, and many other creative outlets. But if you can’t stop, don’t ever see a world where you aren’t writing, then you’ve got the bug. And if it hasn’t paid off for you yet, use my story as inspiration. It will. I firmly believe that if you keep your head down, keep writing, the reward will come eventually. It becomes not a matter of IF my writing gets noticed, but WHEN you’re writing gets noticed.

And so I’m back baby! I hope you can find inspiration in my story since it’s not unique to me at all, it’s happening to every TV writer who went out this year and didn’t sell the show of their dreams. But that doesn’t mean they won’t go out and do it all over again next year because that’s what us writers do!

Hey all my TV writers!

Breaking news!

FOX is launching a new diverse writers program! Always great to have another presitigious program to try to be a part of. It’s a great way to develop your skill in a safe, supportive environment.

I also know how hard it is to break into this business. You have these huge dreams, but dont have contacts and can’t just move from Ohio to Los Angeles to “see what happens.” That’s not always realistic. Initially the program is for more experienced writers but starting next year it’s for entry level writers.

“the initiative “is designed to nurture experienced writers with diverse voices, backgrounds and life experiences and create a strong pipeline of well-rounded talent for potential staffing as writers, story editors or showrunners on Fox productions.”

I was in the amazing Warner Bros. Workshop, having that gave me credibility and launched my career, so i’m a big fan of all these programs. I also used to read for the ABC /Disney fellowship and loved reading scripts from up and coming writers. I just love seeing who is coming up and how I can help them.

the deadline is november 9th for the program for more established writers and they have to be nominated by agents/managers/studios etc. Here’s a link for more infor. www.fox.com/audiencestrategy for some reason my blog wont link directly to it, so just copy and paste, i’m old school baby!

And good luck! I’m here to help get your script into the best shape possible to get you into these programs. I’ve been in your shoes and written scripts that got me into the programs that changed my life. Let me help you do the same!

The New Girl

Are you guys wanting to get a jump on a spec for the hot new TV Shows of this season?! Of course you are! So here’s a script for one of the hottest comedies this fall season. The New Girl. You can grab it below. I can’t link to it cuz I no smart!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f7pOGoA7Ad59ew1TZD4G0gLhLFunB2Bs2Em2TUlZ7K8/edit?hl=en_US

It’s pitching season!

So today I’m off to FOX to pitch my TV show comedy pilot idea! Cannot wait to get out there and have people hear my idea! The big question is, should I shower beforehand. This is a question I’m sure most writers experience. You sit alone all day every day and no one sees you, so you can wear the same outfit every. single. day… and I have no problem admitting that i’ve done this… more than once.

But it’s 8:30am and I’m finding it difficult to motivate to get out of bed and jump in the shower. Of course I had no problem getting out of bed an hour ago to drive to the coffee beAN to get coffee. But i digress.

Today is FOX. The least favorite part of the pitch process is the questions you get afterward… you never know what they’re going to be and typically they’re the lamest questions you could ever think of… but you would never think of them, fellow writer, because we don’t think in marketing a TV show terms, or time slot terms, if the show is funny, then buy it, end of story. That’s how i think. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to sell a show to a network, so wish me luck, hopefully i’ve hit all the arbitrary targets the networks have.