Saturday, January 27, 2007
Networking (baby steps)
It seems like on every message board I visit, every blog I read, every podcast I listen to, some of the same key pieces of advice are repeated over and over again. At least as far as screenwriting goes. Since the prospects of making it in Hollywood are so fraught with peril and the very good chance of failure, I figure it's a good idea to take heed of the advice that shows up more than once.
One of these key pieces of advice has been: Network. And no I'm not talking about the excellent Paddy Chayefsky-penned film. It seems like "networking" is one of the key components of a career in Hollywood. Who you know and how you use (though not in the pejorative sense necessarily) who you know, that's what's important. It's not the be-all, end-all. But it certainly matters.
Who do I know in Hollywood? Not much of anyone.
Or so I thought.
Let's look back several months into my past. There I am sitting on the couch in my apartment. I've got the TV tuned to Channel 11. The CW here in Brooklyn. I'm watching one of my favorite TV shows, Veronica Mars. VM is a show that I even want to try my hand at writing a spec for soon.
This season the show is doing 2 arcs and then wrapping the season up with a series of stand-alone eps. I was watching the finale of the first arc. And it's pretty good (as I've come to expect). When all of a sudden...Holy crap! I had one of those weird, "Did I just see that?" type moments.
I saw my freshman year RA on Veronica Mars. I couldn't believe it. I mean I knew the guy went out to Hollywood to pursue the whole acting thing. But to show up on one of my favorite shows? I couldn't believe it. So I made some phone calls and yep sure enough it was him. That's not all. I also read praise for his performance online from the show's creator Rob Thomas. They were gonna bring him back for another episode(s). Not too shabby at all.
Now normally I'd just let something like this go. Shrug my shoulders and go, "Meh. Pretty cool." But not now. Not when I'm in "writer" mode. I figure if ever the door of opportunity was open, it was now. So I got his e-mail from a mutual friend and shot him a quick note.
Nothing special really. Just congratulated him. Told him I was a big fan of the show (always nice to be able to praise things without lying). Then I mentioned my screenwriting aspirations. I asked some questions about the script for VM. I didn't want to come across like I wanted something, y'know?
I shouldn't have worried. In reply, he sent me an extremely encouraging e-mail (which is always nice to see) and...the cherry on top...a copy of the script from the episode he appeared on (along with a promise to send the scripts of his following appearance)! How cool is that? Very cool. And I made sure to write back immediately and thank him.
It was really a helpful gesture. As I mentioned, I want to write a spec VM. However I was concerned that the structure of the show had changed since the move to the CW. It felt like the cold open was shorter (and perhaps some other changes as well). Unfortunately, I didn't have anything to check my suspicions against. Until now.
So now my plans to write a spec VM are back on in full effect. I need to study this script I have. Watch a few downloaded episodes, over and over again. Then try and hammer out another outline. The first one was kinda...yeah the less said about that the better. I know VM might not be the most popular spec right now and that specs of existing shows aren't that hot period BUT it's something that I want and need to do. I like to think of it as a learning exercise.
For those curious, I'm also considering speccing one or more of these shows: House, Dexter, and Heroes.
So yeah, networking. It's not much progress in that department. But it's some. And for today, that's enough.
One of these key pieces of advice has been: Network. And no I'm not talking about the excellent Paddy Chayefsky-penned film. It seems like "networking" is one of the key components of a career in Hollywood. Who you know and how you use (though not in the pejorative sense necessarily) who you know, that's what's important. It's not the be-all, end-all. But it certainly matters.
Who do I know in Hollywood? Not much of anyone.
Or so I thought.
Let's look back several months into my past. There I am sitting on the couch in my apartment. I've got the TV tuned to Channel 11. The CW here in Brooklyn. I'm watching one of my favorite TV shows, Veronica Mars. VM is a show that I even want to try my hand at writing a spec for soon.
This season the show is doing 2 arcs and then wrapping the season up with a series of stand-alone eps. I was watching the finale of the first arc. And it's pretty good (as I've come to expect). When all of a sudden...Holy crap! I had one of those weird, "Did I just see that?" type moments.
I saw my freshman year RA on Veronica Mars. I couldn't believe it. I mean I knew the guy went out to Hollywood to pursue the whole acting thing. But to show up on one of my favorite shows? I couldn't believe it. So I made some phone calls and yep sure enough it was him. That's not all. I also read praise for his performance online from the show's creator Rob Thomas. They were gonna bring him back for another episode(s). Not too shabby at all.
Now normally I'd just let something like this go. Shrug my shoulders and go, "Meh. Pretty cool." But not now. Not when I'm in "writer" mode. I figure if ever the door of opportunity was open, it was now. So I got his e-mail from a mutual friend and shot him a quick note.
Nothing special really. Just congratulated him. Told him I was a big fan of the show (always nice to be able to praise things without lying). Then I mentioned my screenwriting aspirations. I asked some questions about the script for VM. I didn't want to come across like I wanted something, y'know?
I shouldn't have worried. In reply, he sent me an extremely encouraging e-mail (which is always nice to see) and...the cherry on top...a copy of the script from the episode he appeared on (along with a promise to send the scripts of his following appearance)! How cool is that? Very cool. And I made sure to write back immediately and thank him.
It was really a helpful gesture. As I mentioned, I want to write a spec VM. However I was concerned that the structure of the show had changed since the move to the CW. It felt like the cold open was shorter (and perhaps some other changes as well). Unfortunately, I didn't have anything to check my suspicions against. Until now.
So now my plans to write a spec VM are back on in full effect. I need to study this script I have. Watch a few downloaded episodes, over and over again. Then try and hammer out another outline. The first one was kinda...yeah the less said about that the better. I know VM might not be the most popular spec right now and that specs of existing shows aren't that hot period BUT it's something that I want and need to do. I like to think of it as a learning exercise.
For those curious, I'm also considering speccing one or more of these shows: House, Dexter, and Heroes.
So yeah, networking. It's not much progress in that department. But it's some. And for today, that's enough.
