Archive for the ‘Pitfalls and Mistakes’ Category

That’s F@&K’n Stupid!

Research, social media, and your face.
As you research television shows that are in a similar genre to yours it’s not uncommon that you’ll have to watch some shows that you consider to be utter crap. Some of them probably ARE crap. Yet you still have to watch them so that you know the ins and outs of what’s on TV. …readmore

The Notebook

Well I didn’t see that coming. I lost my notebook.
You know the book I say you should always have with you? The one you take everywhere? To the gym and the movies and on dates and vacations? Well I use mine religiously and it has pages and pages of notes, and it’s gone.
I have searched everywhere. My office is now in shambles. I have gone through every jacket pocket. Every bag. Every cupboard and shelf in the house. It’s gone.
The reason it really pisses me off is, well, there’s two reasons. …readmore

My Blown Meeting

Many years ago when my first show was just a baby and I had no idea what I was doing I managed to get a meeting with the owner of an online gambling website. This guy had heard about my show and liked the premise and had money to burn. Perfect.
I was hoping to get some funding from him to make my show independently and then sell it. Now I have since learned that doing it that way is a very risky venture because you can’t know what the broadcasters are looking for, however, I didn’t know that then and I was pushing forward in the hopes of getting my show made. …readmore

They Stole My Show

This is a true story about a friend who didn’t register his show with the WGA.
A friend of mine pitched a show to some production companies. He had shown me the pitch materials including a nicely shot Teaser Reel. It was exceptionally done and I thought it had some legs to get picked up. He was told by all of the Production Companies that it wasn’t a show.
Cut to two years later when a well-known home repair TV show host comes out with a new show that is my friends show. Start to finish. I’m not saying that what happened was wrong or illegal (this is me covering my butt) but you can bet my friend is thinking that if he had spent that $20 on registering it with the Writers Guild he might have had some legal recourse. …readmore