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Everyone around you is a potential muse or potential character base. This post is mainly for myself, but enjoy it none the less.

While on the surface, tonight’s future memory may seem mundane, but I will remember the fun we had as if it were a life or death situation action movie and not the more realistic  future of intestinal gas.

Tonight, under the secret guise of a trip to the drug store,  I took a friend who is allergic to milk, gluten AND soy  just so they could get a taste of delectable junk food all while the significant other who would have chided them, was unaware. You must understand, that with those dietary restrictions, even a piece of bread will be viewed with the same hungry eyes as a slice of the best NY style cheesecake served at the top of the Empire State Building (they do that, right?)

We schemed, we lied, and then we drove to McDonalds.

Do I feel guilty being a part of this gastronomical adventure? Partially. But it was a bonding moment with someone who will undoubtedly end up as a character in one of my projects.

And as we finally arrived home, several chicken nuggets remained uneaten in the box, so to avoid detection, he dumped the remaining three nuggets into his jacket pocket  for later consumption while tossing the box into the dumpster. I hope the dog doesn’t catch on to his treasure, that could get ugly.

Just call me Bond, Junk Food Bond.

 

 

 

 

January always brings me a new start, and a fresh beginning full of opportunities to completely screw things up. But maybe, just maybe I’ve stumbled upon a good thing this year.

In December I interviewed with a small production company in Los Angeles that is seeking new writers to develop for several ideas they have in their collective think tank.  I received an internship out of the interview which hasn’t officially begun yet, but we’re already working together on a project that will hopefully be filmed this summer.

I can’t talk about it for legal reasons, but I’m excited to work with this company as the people who are at the top are a joy to work with on a creative and business level.

I’ll give out more details as the project moves along and permissions are set to speak about it.

Los Angeles is still chugging along, I haven’t tired of it yet, but I can say, if you intend to come out here during a big holiday (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, etc), you’ll find every tourist destination you want to visit over crowded and unpleasant to visit. If crowds aren’t a big deal to you, consider the subway because parking is horrible this time of year.

The only upside of this holiday season I’ve experienced has been my apartment. The loud neighbors to the East are out of town and the apartment to the West is empty. The peace and quiet around here has been dreamy for a writer like myself. I have one more week of peace left to crank out some good work before they return.

Also, my short film should be pretty much done by now. The vacation put a hold on the final bits so I have to contact the editor to see what’s up in that area of my life.

Did you make any resolutions for 2013?

I personally hate them because they set you up to fail, so this year, I’m really only going to go out of my way to stay positive.  As a screenwriter, I feel a lot like a salmon, fishing my way against thousands of other equally strong fish to make it to the breeding ground.  I only hope the metaphor diverges when I reach the pool and I don’t die after “making it”.

That would suck.

 

Summer? What summer?

This writer spent July and August confined to her apartment with bronchitis because she dared travel outside of her safety cage in Koreatown.  Basically, not much happened until September to which, I’ve been finishing pilots that were roaming about my head.

Two science fiction spec TV pilots were finished, one of which was comedy, the other an hour long drama. I’m letting them stew before they enter the editing phase. It felt good to finally get them out of my head.

I have also started a family children’s action adventure but it will be awhile before that one is finished.

Contrary to my previous apprehension at swimming in the Amazon Studio pool, I have  finally taken a dip.  I  submitted a proposal for a writing assignment that requires a re-write of a script they purchased the rights to and they’ll choose the winning writer at some point in the future.   I don’t think I could have approached this assignment proposal without connecting with the script, and it really did move me, even to tears and that’s pretty difficult for screenplay to do.  I thought it was definitely worth my time and effort to give it a shot.

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FYI: Amazon’s terms have been reformulated to be much friendlier to the writer and I can finally recommend them if you’re a new writer. This is a good place to apply your craft. AS may not be as intensive of an experience as Triggerstreet, but there are projects here to learn from and get feedback for your own…and you could possibly get an option!

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Let’s see, what else is happening? A short I shot last year is finally in final cut mode. We’re matching music and effects at this point, having finally reached picture lock. I owe my patience and gratitude to Devin Watson, my editor.  We make a pretty good team and I hope to be able to work with him again in the future.

What’s on tap for fall?  I’ve been given a job as an editor for a non-fiction book about lighting for concert and corporate events. Sounds positively dry, right? It’s far from it! The writer (a lighting designer) is very dynamic, has an unusual cult following because of his gifts and his work is reminiscent of Stephen King’s “On Writing”. Half of the book will be musings about life as a designer on the road and the other will be an application of his methods. Once we get a few solid chapters complete and ready to submit, I’ll be doing some footwork in the publishing world because he’s too busy to do it and I’m eager to swim those channels.

I’ve also applied to several studio internships, but those never seem to work out. They must think I’m over qualified and I’ll be bored and/or old as dirt, but what they don’t understand is I’m a sponge for pre and post production film work. I WANT to LEARN more, but no one seems to understand that. Why not hire someone with an established work ethic? Just because I’m over 40 doesn’t mean I can’t hop to it and deliver your coffee piping hot!

What’s with all the watery references? I must be thirsty.

Goodbye, Summer. Hello, Fall.

 

 

 

 

Just a quick October update:

I found out today that my short (currently being edited) is in the hands of an editor that works at Paramount. So no rush dude: Take. Your. Time.

Finding this information out has made it very clear to me that networking pays off. Giving a little blood and sweat (aka free material) can be rewarding and in the interim you make contacts that will hopefully be with you throughout the rest of your career.  I’ve met some pretty awesome people in the last few months and it all started by asking for a loan of twenty five cents.

Forward. Onward. Upward.

With all of the irons I keep in the fire, you’d think one might be ready. It’s always the weird unexpected ones.

Last week, I helped an LACC film student who happens to be an established rapper in Los Angeles by providing material. He’s shooting it this weekend so I’m guessing by the first week of October, one project from my collection of sold material will be produced and tangible. I’m going to consider that a major milestone even if the three minute short ends up less than stellar. I have faith in the director, but not in the fast-paced last-minute schedule to ram this production into the can so quickly. But that’s just me.

I’ll post it here regardless of how good or bad it turns out.

I’ve been in Los Angeles for almost one year.  To cliche myself to death, “boy, time really flies”.  Things I knew would happen have, such as; I spend so much time with my “day job” to make the rent I have lost time to write. It’s all my fault really. I can make time but my brain gets exhausted when the creative side must spend it on web design rather than writing.

The agency that had my script FINALLY sent it on to the production company and big surprise the production company said: “no, not for us”. It took a full year and a half for the agency to push that through and that’s because they lost sight of me due to their high overturn of assistants. If you’re ever wondering why Hollywood churns out the same old crap, it’s because new writers starve to death in the corridor waiting to be read.  Needless to say, I’m kind of bitter but not surprised about the process. We’re not allowing anyone hold on to a script that long ever again.  I’d name names but for now I’ll just rage quietly at my desk and throw darts at the agency’s logo.

On the upside, an impending interview is on the horizon. I’m not hopping on one stone hoping to overturn it, however I am excited about it.  More later as it develops.

Also, I had the opportunity to move from the basic hamster cage to the deluxe model downstairs which now includes a kitchen. If only I had some large metal devices to cook food with so I could use that big blocky thing with instant fire taking up space across from the sink.

Before:

After:

The treatment I wrote for an actor’s reality show idea landed in Mark Burnett’s office last week.

Hmmm, let’s see….

Who is Mark Burnett?

He’s only the Godfather of Reality Television.

Of his many credits, these are some of my favorites: Survivor, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Rock N’ Roll Fantasy Camp, and my current favorite: The Voice

The Dog Girl is a fantastic idea about an actor struggling to run a busy dog training/hiking business while simultaneously trying to re-enter Tinseltown.

Our hero is 5’4″ and barely nothin’ on the scales, yet she has the ability to control and rehabilitate dogs any normal person might consider past their prime or too dangerous. Big dogs. Military dogs. Bully breeds. You name it, she’s up to the challenge.

I can’t wait to hear about the outcome on this project.

It’s always a great feeling when your work has helped someone else, regardless of how it may affect my future as a writer.

 

I can’t talk to much about projects that are in play or opportunities that are blossoming right now, so let’s chat about some other people I know.

1) My friend Gary, a fellow Triggerstreet member that I’ve known via the impersonal tubes of the internet for several years, has been SWEEPING the floor over at Amazon Studios. He’s won three prizes by now (I think) and there’s no stopping him. Actually, I can’t talk much about him either because I don’t want to blow his strategy other than to say how proud I am to know someone as awesome as he is.

I’ve lost out on the opportunity to enter any of these contests at Amazon because my material is either commissioned or already optioned. I have real world (as opposed to contest world) problems but I don’t know, I’d love to have some of that cash they’re giving out. If I could only find the time to write something for that contest that doesn’t interfere with my day job or my paid writing gigs.

2) I think that the reality show treatment I wrote last month is about to be pitched. The actor who commissioned it from me is almost done with her sizzle reel so it’s only a matter of time before we see how well the concept goes over.

3) I’ve had the distinct pleasure of meeting (via phone at this point) Thom Bierdz. I’m not a soap fiend, but you may remember him as Phillip Chancellor from the Young and the Restless. Many people might not be aware of this but he’s an author, an artist and he runs an international art contest for various mediums. An actor friend here in LA hooked us up because he needed some extra help marketing the contest. What can I say? I’m a bendy spoon for the likes of hunks like Thom.  If you want to enter this year’s contest please visit his site: http://www.americanartawards.com/2011callforentries.html

4) Another distinct pleasure has been percolating since my arrival to the apartment complex I rave (negatively) about. This complex is full of artists of one kind of or another and I’ve finally had a chance to meet and possible work with Percy Carey, the author of Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm. He’s such the gentlemen, and I hope my style of material is on his wavelength, because I’d love to work with him. We’ll see. That’s still percolating.

5) The last bit of news I have is about a job opportunity in NY. I applied and I’m waiting on an official date for my interview. It’s for a start up company that will arrive on the scene like Goliath looking for a Youtube/Hulu/Netflix sandwich.  But that’s all I can say about that.

So that’s June. It feels like a lot is going on, but when you cram it all in a box, there’s still room for more.