From The American Pie Guy

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  • From The American Pie Guy

    http://www.terrafirmafilms.com/emerg...s_program.html
    http://www.pjmcilvaine.com/

  • #2
    Re: From The American Pie Guy

    Check out their credits here:

    http://www.imdb.com/company/co0163783/

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    • #3
      Re: From The American Pie Guy

      What do you guys think? A legitimate opportunity?

      Their questionnaire suggests they're looking for comedy more than other things.

      Also no clear FAQ. Can internationals apply? Do you have to live in LA? Are the meetings online?

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      • #4
        Re: From The American Pie Guy

        I've met with Greg Lessans over there and he's a great guy and tremendous champion of new voices. This program should be very beneficial for those who can take advantage of it.
        "I hate to break it to you but there is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent.- - Don Draper

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        • #5
          Re: From The American Pie Guy

          This program's been around for years and years. Never heard of any success stories with it. Anyone?

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          • #6
            Re: From The American Pie Guy

            Originally posted by joe9alt View Post
            I've met with Greg Lessans over there and he's a great guy and tremendous champion of new voices. This program should be very beneficial for those who can take advantage of it.
            Joe, did you read the description? These terms are more restrictive than any normal free option! Basically, they are a production company and they will "accept" writers into a "program" during which they will help the writer develop material for three months. They will be attached to produce that material, and they will apparently be attached to produce ANYTHING the writer creates for a year afterwards????!!!

            And signing a free option with a producer who wants to develop it is a bad thing?

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            • #7
              Re: From The American Pie Guy

              For an unrepped writer living in LA I think it's a good way to get a toe inside the doorway. Like I said, I met Greg and he's a cool, honest cat. I'm sure these guys will do all they can do to help their writers get repped, etc. Off the grid writers need a foot in the door any way they can. I never said I wouldn't work for free for a producer. I'm working for free for a producer right now. I said I would never sign anything that tied up my material unless I was getting paid. There's a difference. With no money involved a gentleman's agreement is enough in my opinion but I wouldn't knock others who decided to sign a free or a $1 option. People need to garner champions for their work. People need lines in the water. If signing a $1 dollar option or writing free for a producer is the only way for the writer to do that then who am I to knock it? To my knowledge I never have. Nobody is optioning anything these days. An A list producer has attached a director to one of my pieces who I've just finished a rewrite for. We're about to go out to cast now and nobody has been paid dollar one and nobody has signed anything. It's all being done on handshake agreements. Most material needs to be packaged nowadays. That's just a hard fact of the business but it's a fact most of us will have to learn to live with.

              Everybody bitched and moaned about the terms of the Marvel program, too - I would take that in a nanosecond if offered to me.
              "I hate to break it to you but there is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent.- - Don Draper

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              • #8
                Re: From The American Pie Guy

                This is a quote from Greg Lessans of Terra Firma....he said he'd try to post soon to answer questions.


                when i get a sec i'll post something to allay their fears. just about everyone that has come through the program has loved it -- and a bunch have gone on to great things. that legal language is actually pretty standard -- if a company works on anything for months, a formal attachment is the norm. and i think the guys on the site don't understand that the language doesn't means terra firma "owns" their script -- it just means we're attached to produce (which, in many circles, is a good thing). for what it's worth, we haven't had a single complaint, and the program's been running for years...
                "I hate to break it to you but there is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent.- - Don Draper

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                • #9
                  Re: From The American Pie Guy

                  Originally posted by joe9alt View Post
                  This is a quote from Greg Lessans of Terra Firma....he said he'd try to post soon to answer questions.


                  when i get a sec i'll post something to allay their fears. just about everyone that has come through the program has loved it -- and a bunch have gone on to great things. that legal language is actually pretty standard -- if a company works on anything for months, a formal attachment is the norm. and i think the guys on the site don't understand that the language doesn't means terra firma "owns" their script -- it just means we're attached to produce (which, in many circles, is a good thing). for what it's worth, we haven't had a single complaint, and the program's been running for years...
                  This is my point, what they are doing is standard, it is what producers all over town do, it is what my company does. But you get people posting that you should "never" sign a free option, and that people who "work for free", i.e., develop w/ a producer are idiots and are being used by these scumbags. For newbies, getting the opportunity to "develop for free" with a solid producer is an opportunity that they would do well to consider. But, you get folks on DD, many of whom have no real experience, making all sorts of general claims about this being a bad idea, and it can cause people to make the wrong call. So, although the "first look" concept Terra Firma is utilizing is more restrictive than most "free" development/writer relationships, I personally don't have a problem with it.

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                  • #10
                    Re: From The American Pie Guy

                    I'm with you, SBS and Joe, otherwise I wouldn't have posted it.

                    People, wake up! This is a LEGIT COMPANY with BONAFIDE CREDITS.

                    Honestly, if my daughter was in LA, I'd tell her to submit.
                    http://www.pjmcilvaine.com/

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                    • #11
                      Re: From The American Pie Guy

                      More from Greg Lessans of Terra Firma on this...


                      As far as the emerging writers program, the biggest success stories so far are 3 working tv writers, one feature guy who became a disney fellow, and another whose project we're now developing with a pretty cool director. plus, there are a handful of others we're still working with (and have high hopes for), even after they graduated from the program...
                      "I hate to break it to you but there is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent.- - Don Draper

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