Parallel development and samples

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  • #16
    Re: Parallel development and samples

    Originally posted by Bono View Post
    I blame you, not me.
    Huh, you must hang out with my wife.

    Originally posted by Bono View Post
    Is the show you are talking about a new show or been on the air for 5 years?
    The show debuted earlier this year and got picked up for season 2 by the end of its run. I'm not sure of its ratings, and I don't think it was wildly popular. But any time something makes it to air, much less a second season pick up, that's a huge win in my mind.

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    • #17
      Re: Parallel development and samples

      It was a joke, but seriously, it was a long post and I read the first half then my eyes shifted toward the title and that thing about Craig Mazin so it was a very honest mistake. Next time go with FAKE TV TITLE HERE instead of real show title. I don't think I was the only one that didn't get it! But if I am, I still blame you. (still a joke.)

      More seriously -- if it's currently on TV and got picked up for season two... I don't see it being worth the trouble.

      Say you wrote THE OFFICE at same time. It's about an office with a documentary crew. I think you're saying it's that similar... I don't know how you have your own version of that unless you're NBC and do a spin off yourself .

      I guess we all could write about people that work in FIREHOUSE and talk to the camera, but I don't know if that's different enough. I think it's fine as a sample, but I don't think it's going to sell which I assume is your goal in all this?

      However if you're talking about a show like THE ROOKIE and your idea is an older guy changes careers to become a cop then you can't have your lead also be a cop. Same example, 60 year old joins the fire dept... I guess it's different enough, but probably not exciting enough to warrant 2 shows about it. Or you'd have to spin it so now it's the youngest person ever to be a cop like doogie howsier.

      There are tons of cop , lawyer, medical shows because they are easy to find stories for each week. So a lot of them are painfully the same setup, just different voices. So it's not like it's 100% dead ever. But for now, I think it is.

      I guess you'd have to PM someone with more info to give a true opinion. Or tell us if it is a cop show.

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      • #18
        Re: Parallel development and samples

        Also forgot to ask the question Are you repped? Where you repped when you said you "missed it by a week."

        Because your rep should be looking out for you one if they know you're writing it and also if you were repless than to make you feel slightly better you were not a week away...

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        • #19
          Re: Parallel development and samples

          Originally posted by Bono View Post
          But if I am, I still blame you. (still a joke.)
          Oh, I know! No worries. Though I wasn't joking about my wife blaming me for everything ...

          Originally posted by Bono View Post
          I think it's fine as a sample, but I don't think it's going to sell which I assume is your goal in all this?
          Nah, the only potential value my pilot might have would be as a sample. There's no chance it ever sells. Check your PM for details, and I think you'll agree.

          Originally posted by Bono View Post
          Also forgot to ask the question Are you repped? Where you repped when you said you "missed it by a week."
          Unrepped, but I try hard to keep my ear to the ground to avoid this kinda thing.

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          • #20
            Re: Parallel development and samples

            Originally posted by Cheese View Post
            Oh, I know! No worries. Though I wasn't joking about my wife blaming me for everything ...



            Nah, the only potential value my pilot might have would be as a sample. There's no chance it ever sells. Check your PM for details, and I think you'll agree.



            Unrepped, but I try hard to keep my ear to the ground to avoid this kinda thing.
            Good luck with whatever happens.

            And please tell me you named yourself after Cheese from THE WIRE.

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            • #21
              Re: Parallel development and samples

              Originally posted by Cheese View Post
              Unrepped, but I try hard to keep my ear to the ground to avoid this kinda thing.
              Not saying you don't do your very best to keep your ear to the ground. But, there's no possible way to gather the intel the BIGS have, as a lot of it is developed undercover. Not everything that sells is announced. My show wasn't. Nor was it on IMDb as "in development." This was after it sold, had a prodco attached, showrunners and a studio. Had it gone to pilot, someone with the same idea would have been a year behind me as there was zero intel about it in the trades. Though other agents probably knew about it.

              Even with a manager he didn't catch that we had a competing show. An agent likely would have caught it. MASSIVE intel.
              Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

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              • #22
                Re: Parallel development and samples

                Actually... To be super specific.

                WME definitely knew about my show, because one of their agents helped our team meet one of their A-list clients. Went out of their way to introduce us. Can you fukkin believe it, an agent being nice to the other team? Classy!

                I'd bet they took that intel and said to other clients "I wouldn't recommend writing a show about ____. There's this dude over at ___ who's pretty far along with some A-list showrunners attached." Managers wouldn't necessarily have that intel.

                On the bright side, now you have proof you can think of marketable ideas.
                Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

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                • #23
                  Re: Parallel development and samples

                  Also...

                  With my last show (pilot/bible) when I was working to get IP rights to a book I was like "BTW... Has anyone else contacted you about the rights?" They said "Yup." I said who? They're like... "JJ Abrams." Hooooly sh!t... (I did get the rights tho).

                  Often you're way later than you think.
                  Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Parallel development and samples

                    Originally posted by GucciGhostXXX View Post
                    Not saying you don't do your very best to keep your ear to the ground. But, there's no possible way to gather the intel the BIGS have, as a lot of it is developed undercover. Not everything that sells is announced.
                    Without a doubt. It kinda makes me wonder how writers are approaching new material since the bigs are fired right now. What back channels are they using to vet their ideas? How many of them are hitting up their "former" reps for info?

                    At any rate, I took two important lessons from the experience:

                    1. I'm capable of coming up with good ideas.
                    2. I need to write my good ideas faster.

                    Originally posted by GucciGhostXXX View Post
                    WME definitely knew about my show, because one of their agents helped our team meet one of their A-list clients. Went out of their way to introduce us. Can you fukkin believe it, an agent being nice to the other team? Classy!
                    Ah, c'mon now! Where's the cynical GGXXX we've come to love? WME's class might've benefited you, but you know they were working an angle!

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Parallel development and samples

                      Originally posted by GucciGhostXXX View Post
                      Also...

                      With my last show (pilot/bible) when I was working to get IP rights to a book I was like "BTW... Has anyone else contacted you about the rights?" They said "Yup." I said who? They're like... "JJ Abrams." Hooooly sh!t... (I did get the rights tho).

                      Often you're way later than you think.
                      I should probably finish out this story then I'll shut the F' up.

                      I fist had this idea years ago. My agent at the time said "Nope! Too far fetched. You'd need IP anyway. The idea is too big." Years later I learn some guys are doing it for real. But, their story had already been in Details, GQ, CNN, NPR, WIRED, BBC, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Popular Science etc etc etc. I'm like "Fukk... there's no way this is still available." To my fukking absolute shock... IT WAS AVAILABLE. What??? How? Whatever, lemme try to get it. Flying up to meet them (Silicon Valley), proved to them that I was serious and passionate, they didn't care about money, only ideas. You can probably guess what the competing show was, even though it wasn't about that. I did land a big name producer with it (Think: Rudin type), but it didn't sell.

                      POINT: Regardless. Always try. You never friggin know.

                      Here's the irony. The show my agent suggested I do instead (years earlier) was word for word what Silicon Valley is. But who knows if mine would have sold, it wouldn't have been a comedy. So, probably not.

                      While I'm on the subject of fukking up. The showrunner for a show that's starts with the letter [H] (follow?) was interested in doing my other show as a dark comedy, cutting it from a one hour show to a half hour show. I stupidly passed. "I don't know how to write dark comedy." My fiancée read it years later and was like, "Dude, this IS dark comedy, idiot. It's satirically funny in spots."

                      ME: "Oh... oops."

                      POINT: Any time someone legit wants to work with you FUKKIN' DO IT (learn on the job)! Even if you think it's outside your wheelhouse and not exactly what you're imagining. I stupidly turned down an opportunity. NEVER DO THAT!
                      Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Parallel development and samples

                        Originally posted by Cheese View Post
                        Without a doubt. It kinda makes me wonder how writers are approaching new material since the bigs are fired right now. What back channels are they using to vet their ideas? How many of them are hitting up their "former" reps for info?

                        At any rate, I took two important lessons from the experience:

                        1. I'm capable of coming up with good ideas.
                        2. I need to write my good ideas faster.
                        Yup!

                        Agreed, there's hella intel not being passed around right now to clients (or maybe it is? I'd be curious to know). I imagine agents are still collecting intel industry wide.



                        Originally posted by Cheese View Post
                        Ah, c'mon now! Where's the cynical GGXXX we've come to love? WME's class might've benefited you, but you know they were working an angle!
                        Ha! Right!? Fukkers... I hate it when they do something nice. Makes me look soft. LOL. But agreed, I'm sure they took that intel right back to the agency.

                        Staff meeting: "Just so we know, there's a writer working on a show about ____ with ____ showrunners and ____ producers. It sold to ____." Got it. Noted.

                        Still, I got to meet who I wanted all of us to meet. A Nobel Prize nom. Time mag 100 most influential people in the world. A dude who's a big deal. That's the type'a **** I try to set up. And I often pull it off. Was hard to strategize. The team was like "Oooooh NEAT! We got to meet one of the biggest people in the world of ____." I surprised them. The WME agent came over and was like "Hi, I'm ___ with WME, I represent ____, I think I might be able to bring him over in 15 minutes. I can't promise, but I'll try. So and so (company) is paying him 100k to talk to him for one hour, so we'll see." The team was like "Fukk is she talking about? Meet HIM? Tonight??" Me: Sly grin. "Yup..."

                        That's one reason to staff me. I'll be like "You know how we're working on ____. I arranged for us to meet ____, but we gotta be there at exactly this time on this date. That's the only time they have available for a year. I've been working on this for 3 months going back and forth with their people." That, or I'll just say, "we all have to meet at ____ at ___ O'clock. Trust me. You'll dig it. I have a surprise for you."

                        That's when sh!t gets fun for me. When it's REAL. BLAST!
                        Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

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