Attack of the Waiting Game

After a few days of slamming and jamming I am back to the waiting game.

I have one TV series project that I’m trying to get to the pilot-order phase with Syfy. I have another project that’s apparently in heavy consideration at Syfy as well. My concern with the latter project is that there is a popular indie filmmaker out there who mentioned his intentions of starting a similar project (genre) soon. I’m not sure if this means my project gets extra fire or what.

But…since I like have the odds in my favor, I reached out to some friends last week and spread my net a little wider. We increased our arsenal of projects and hit NBCUniversal with both barrels and six more proposals. Most were made-for-TV movies but I included a two TV series in the bunch as well. I have two more projects to submit next week and then we sit back and wait.

Again.

Meanwhile I’m working on my first “low budget ethnic action thriller” project, Deterrence Theory. The script is complete. I’ll work on the proposal next week and then hopefully start approaching production companies for co-production partnerships.

There is no fate but what we make

If you’ve been following my journey you’ll know I’ve been working through an organization to submit fresh ideas to NBCUniversal and its affiliate cable networks.

While most of my energy has been to create, develop and write ideas for the cable channels I’ve always held the belief that network was where it’s at. Who wouldn’t want to see their series airing before Community or after Grimm?

Obviously the needs of network TV are different than cable, and my focus on the more approachable networks let nothing for the major network, which is in need of a major programming overhaul.

After grinding the past few days on a new crop of submissions I started thinking about ideas that might fit USA or NBC. Nada.

Then an image came to me. It was a logo for one of the biggest brands in the US. I mauled this logo using one of THE most generic phrases and then the logline started taking shape.

A few hours later I’m watching Fairly Legal and WHAM! The main character starts talking about MY SHOW and its RIGHT NOW concept. That was it. I sat down and wrote out a a synopsis of what the show is about. Now I can start filtering ideas and characters thru the logline filter and let her rip.

This is going to be fun. Channel 4 here I come. There is no fate but what we make.

Sci-fi, procedurals and horror, oh my!

My brain has been on fire during the past few days!

I go to bed thinking about ideas for series and TV movies; I wake up fleshing out my previous ideas and then I spend my days fine-tuning everything in my head. This week I sit down and prep six proposals to go to NBCUniversal.

My batch is an eclectic mix of series proposals, made for TV movies, sci-fi, procedurals and horror. Mid six-figures to low seven-figure budgets for the bigger ideas. I’ve previously focused my efforts on the Syfy network because that’s where I’ve had  a modicum of success. In reality, the graphic below is a better indication of how wide I’m spreading my ideas across the NBCUniversal family

As I become more familiar with what seems to “resonate” with the network powers-that-be, I tweak my pitches accordingly. It all starts with the pitch. If I can’t spit it out in one non run-on sentence the idea goes to the back of the line. I try to leave ample room for questions, not room for No‘s. It’s an artform, one that I am constantly striving to master, but I’ll be satisfied just being damn good at it.

In the meantime, I have to figure out how to make  Chiller  and  Cloo  my new best friends.

Onward and upward.

The Wild Bunch

It’s the case of some old folks who came too late, insulted the host, and stayed too long.
Who’s the Wild Bunch? Me, myself and I.

I grit my teeth when I look at the microbudget projects left to do. I’m salivating; the need to get back on set for one last score is extreme. I can taste it like the taste of copper in my mouth when I bite an enemy’s jugular. But these projects take a lot of time. Years from script to screen to distribution and I rather focus my energies on a higher rung on the ladder as opposed to a lateral move. I’m learning and burning as I become edumacated on the nuances of mid seven-figure film financing. So as the clock ticks down I wait for status on two potential ventures with Syfy.

But the Wild Bunch lives! The good news is that the window to work with Syfy, or any of the NBCUniversal affiliates, isn’t closing. the window remains open indefinitely. Booyah bitches. That means it’s back to the drawing board. I need more irons in the fire to pitch to NBC, G4, Bravo, USA, Syfy and the rest.

Brainstorming is the flava of the day. I’ve come up with two more sci-fi concepts for TV series. I’m working on a concept for a procedural for USA and a horror series for Chiller TV.

After some tweaking I’m submitting my buddy’s sci-fi concept too. Who knows, maybe there’s a career in developing made-for-TV movies. We’ll see.

Coming up for air

On March 19, my birthday, I received an email that my movie-of-the-week (MOW) proposal for a major cable network had met the preliminary requirements. They wanted more info on the project.

I’d written the script over a year ago to showcase my commercial, genre-writing abilities. Suddenly, there I was tweaking the script I wrote for fun for a possible deal with a major network.

I completed a lightening fast rewrite and polish on the 103-page script, drafted a rudimentary budget (using my homemade spreadsheet template), cast list, and product placement report.  I sent off the materials and figured I’d give ‘em two weeks and then I’d write it off and move on. The next day I was contacted with a request: Please send a short treatment.

Oh-kay.

I drafted a treatment (story form) hitting all the major beats and plot points.  When it came to description I went for economy first.  The treatment came in at three pages and I was happy.

As of right now the network has had the treatment for one day. The same rules apply. I’ll give ‘em two weeks. if I hear nothing I forget about it and move on.

But, if I do hear from the network again it means we’re closing in on a deal.  We agree on budget, cast and then hopefully they write me a check and I jet off to the emerging film production hub that North Carolina has become for  location shooting (The Hunger Games, Piranha 3DD and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island were shot there). Also, NC has a 25% tax incentive. Then we’d to a company move to San Juan, Puerto Rico to shoot exteriors and landscapes. PR offers a 40% tax incentive. These incentives/rebates effectively double my budget.

Best thing about this is that I wouldn’t have to make it work with strangers. I’m able to tap into an existing and familiar network of talent and crew to make this my biggest project so far.

More importantly, if the project happens it would open the door to doing more projects and perhaps a series with the network in the future.

But for now I’ve got scripts to read and scripts to write.