Brevity.
I’m leaving on vacation in less than an hour, so what better topic to discuss than brevity.
Emails. Phone calls. One Sheets.
These all have one thing in common; they provide you with the opportunity to be loquacious; to use three words when two will do.
Emails – Write the email and then hack it to bits to be sure it is as succinct as possible. I try to make mine no more than three sentences long.
Phone calls – When you’re on the phone with an Exec (or anyone you want something from) make sure you know what you want from the call. Get it, and then provide them with an opportunity to end the call. Sure, you don’t want to end the call too early in case there is more they want to discuss with you, but don’t draw out the conversation by asking dumb questions you’ll regret later (speaking from experience).
One Sheets – These should be designed to whet the Execs appetite, not give specific detail. Those details are for follow-up calls, emails, and meetings. Your One Sheet gives the overall jist of the show’s characters, settings, and stories, not the shows episode ideas or script format breakdowns.
Got it? Good.
I. Am. Outta here…. (if anyone is in Maui this week I accept free drinks from strangers)