What to Do When You're Unemployed

Check out this great post from Josie Campbell at KeyPA.net discussing the bright side of unemployment.  Post includes links to writer's groups, comedy troupes, and suggestions on how to be productive when you're not "working."

Congratulations to Emmy Winner (and former IPS assistant) Erin Levy

During In Plain Sight's second season, Erin was the EP's assistant.  She left the position to become a writer's assistant on Mad Men...

Erin Levy's 'Mad Men' rise

Writer began as an assistant on drama's third season

CYNTHIA LITTLETON | Variety

Erin Levy's story is an intriguing parallel of the Don Draper-Peggy Olson track on "Mad Men": Promising young talent comes into the office, impresses the in-house creative genius, who decides to give her a big chance with a big assignment.

 Levy, who shared the drama writing Emmy win with "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner, was the writers assistant on the AMC drama's third season. By the end of that season, she had been enlisted to co-write the show's rollicking season conclusion, "Shut the Door, Have a Seat."

"I would say that Matt was a bit more nurturing of me" than Draper was to his one-time secretary, Levy mused.

Weiner has a history of guiding assistants to writing slots in the show, starting with Robin Veith, the assistant who helped him pen the "Mad Men" script nearly a decade ago and was also nommed for writing for the show this year (for the "Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency" seg).

Levy first caught Weiner's attention when she was a student at USC in a writing class taught by Weiner and one of her assignments was to rewrite a screenplay. The two kept in touch after the class ended. Early last year, when Weiner was looking for a new writers assistant, Levy was an easy choice.

Levy noted how much she learned just being in the writers room of "Mad Men," particularly from her demanding boss.

"One of the things you do as an assistant is take down notes when he is talking," Levy said. "It's a great thing to learn from his style" of developing stories and dialogue.

Levy has graduated to a full-fledged writer's slot on the current season of "Mad Men." She even scored a rare solo writing credit on the Aug. 22 episode, "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword."

Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com.

How Many Scripts Do I Need Before An Agent or Manager Will Sign Me?

Generally speaking, at least two. You will occasionally hear stories of agents signing talent based on only one script, but it’s unusual. There are several reasons why:

Agents want to know you can generate material, that you don’t take five years to write every screenplay. They want to know you have more than one idea. That you can write distinct voices for multiple characters. But most importantly, they need you to have more than one sample because executives almost always ask for more than one sample.

For instance, last week I pitched a pilot to two cable networks. Even though I have written multiple scripts for an actual series, they wanted to read me. Before even agreeing to hear the pitch, they asked to read one of my spec pilots. After the pitch, one of the networks asked to read a second sample.

When networks are considering a pitch from a new writer (meaning a writer without a laundry list of impressive credits) they’re not only buying the series, they’re buying the writer. The executives want to know your voice, your style, your tendencies, etc. If an agent signs a client who doesn’t have at least two samples, it’s very difficult for them to “sell” the client to executives. Additionally, in the world of TV, showrunners often ask for two samples from a low level writer before meeting with them.

[For those of you wondering if I sold my pitch, we’re still waiting to hear…]

Attn: Alice Park

Dear Alice,

I know you're reading this.  Don't ignore me.

I hear you're moving to LA... eventually.  Call me when you get here.  We'll do lunch.

Sincerely,

Jessica

Anatomy of My Career [13 Years in the Making]: Part I

I rarely write about myself on this blog, for the same reason I don’t write Facebook status updates; I can’ t imagine anyone would be entertained by reading snippets of my life [nor do I enjoy posting personal details so that people who don’t know me can comment on them]. However, I feel posting a timeline of my career may be helpful to writers who are wondering, “Am I climbing the ladder fast enough?”

When I decided I wanted to be a writer, I had no connection to the industry. I had no idea what the timeline of a TV writer’s career looked like. I constantly panicked asked myself, “Am I networking enough? Am I writing enough? How long does it really take to break in?”

The truth is, every TV writer’s career path is different. Some people seem to break in overnight. I did not. Below, I’ve mapped out my career -- every script I’ve ever written, the major connections I’ve made, etc. -- in chronological order. I hope this post provides answers for students who have the same questions I did. For instance, “Yes, it’s normal to write a couple of scripts that you don’t want to show anyone before you write one that you’re proud to submit. Or, in my case, four scripts you don’t want to show anyone…

Part I: The High School & College Years

1997: My sophomore year in high school, my best friend and fellow writer, Gina, and I bought tickets to the Daytime Emmy Awards in New York City and snuck into the pre-awards show dinner (and later, the after party) where we met actress Beth Chamberlin. Beth sent us shooting scripts from the daytime drama, Guiding Light, to provide us with examples of correct script formatting. These were the first real scripts I had ever seen.

1998: As juniors, Gina and I co-wrote our first script, a spec episode of Guiding Light, for our writer’s workshop class. The script was read by Beth, our teacher, and our 10 classmates. Despite our prayers, the script did not land us a job on GL and we were forced to continue our high school career.

1999: Gina emailed Mickey Dwyer-Dobbin, the Executive in Charge of Production at Procter and Gamble, and told her our story: We’re from Kansas. We want to be writers. We’d love to meet you.

To our amazement, Mickey emailed us back and invited us to her office in New York City. We flew to the city for spring break, met with Mickey, and asked her for an internship, only to be told that interns must be college age. Mickey encouraged us to call her after completing our first year of college.

2000: Gina and I moved to St. Louis to attend Webster University. During my four years there, I wrote a spec Frasier, a spec Seinfeld, an original screenplay, and a stage play. Those four scripts were read only by Gina, my professors, and select classmates. My stage play was exceptionally awful. Gina’s was selected by the university to be performed by the Webster Conservatory.

2001: Post freshman year of College. We called Mickey, landed internships (Gina at Guiding Light, me at As the World Turns) and were then told by Webster that we were unable to received college credit for our internships because we were freshman. Internships are supposed to be completed junior or senior year.

We went to New York anyway.

(For those of you wondering how I could afford to move to New York, as well as fly there several times while in high school: I began working at a local bank as a teller at age 16. I worked 3 pm – 6 pm five days a week, 8 am – 12 pm every other Saturday, and full-time every summer. When I moved to NY, I took out a five thousand dollar loan for housing and extra spending money, which I repaid monthly until after I graduated college.)

2002: My sophomore year of college. Mickey contacted the Dean of Fine Arts at Webster University and encouraged him to meet with us and consider a collaboration between the School of Communications and the Conservatory. The collaboration: Gina and I wrote and directed the pilot and second episode of an original half-hour series. Other SOC student participated as DPs, sound designers, PAs, etc. Conservatory students participated as actors, set designers, costumers, and make up artists. We sent the tapes to Mickey. She congratulated us… and didn’t offer us a job. We were forced to continue our college careers.

2003: I moved to LA the summer between my junior and senior year of college to intern at Beacon Pictures (this time, for credit, which was required to graduate.) I found a room for rent on Westside Rentals and my parents loaned me three months of rent, which I finally repaid when I landed my first writing job at In Plain Sight.

2003: I spent the fall of 2003 writing a 65 page, four-month story projection for Guiding Light. I sent it to the P&G executives I met while interning in New York. They congratulated me, but did not offer me a job. I was forced to complete my last semester of college.

2004: I graduated Webster in May of 2004. Soon after, Gina moved to LA. And I moved back in with my parents, determined to pay off the remainder of my NYC loan, as well as my credit card bill, by the end of 2004.

After six years, seven scripts, four years of college, two internships, one 65 page long story, and $7500 in loans (not counting student loans for college), I had a BA in scriptwriting.

And I moved back in with my parents to work as a bank teller.

A month later, I was offered a job with a local news station as a camera operator/set PA for their morning show. I wanted the job, but it paid virtually nothing. So I did both; I worked from 3 am – 7 am at the news station, 9 am - 6pm at the bank, and from 8 pm – 2 am, I slept.

It’s important to note that during these six years, I was not writing full time. Not even close. I was busy with other things, like high school. And trading clothes with my girlfriends. I was not actively trying to break in. But I was networking to the best of my ability and doing everything I could, while attending school, to create opportunities for myself, as well as to take advantage of the opportunities I was offered by others. (And praying that one of those opportunities would turn out to be my “big break.”) The fact is, my experiences in high school and college didn’t result in a big break but rather, little breaks, that helped build a resume that eventually landed me a PA job on According to Jim.

My plan was always to move to New York City after graduation to write for daytime television. But by 2004, soap opera ratings were steadily declining and very few writing staffs were based in New York. All signs (and my father) were encouraging me to move to LA.

But I hated LA.

To be continued…

Pitch Your Idea to Amex and Tribeca Films

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Now Taking Submissions for September's Special Feature

I'm looking for a TV pilot or short film to feature for the month of September.  Click here to learn more about the submission process.

The Wall Street Journal: Revenge of the TV Writers

Annoy a television writer at your peril: You could wind up committing unspeakable crimes or dying a horrible death—in prime time. Settling scores with difficult stars, clueless executives and childhood enemies.

By AMY CHOZICK

The Wall Street Journal  |  Arts and Entertainment

AUGUST 20, 2010

After several seasons of disappointing reviews, writers on the USA network's mystery series "Psych" decided to get revenge. They crafted an episode involving a psychotic killer doctor. The deranged murderer's name? Ken Tucker, who in real life is the mild-mannered, 57-year-old TV critic for Entertainment Weekly magazine.

"It was never 'Dr. Tucker' or just 'Ken.' It was always 'Did Ken Tucker eviscerate the body?'" says USA original programming chief Jeff Wachtel.

Hell hath no fury like a TV writer scorned.

In the movie business, writers hand over a screenplay and creative power to a director. In television, the writer rules. Writers often make the creative and day-to-day managerial decisions, even if their work weeks can be unglamorous, pulling late nights in their sneakers surrounded by empty take-out pizza boxes.

They also possess a little-talked-about power: the written word as a way to settle scores, keep high-maintenance actors in line and poke fun at anyone who gave them a hard time in junior high.

With more network shows premiering this fall than in any of the past three years, and original cable shows continuing to multiply, more and more writers are creating TV episodes—and poking needles into a few voodoo dolls along the way.

For his part, Mr. Tucker says he was delighted to be the inspiration for a heinous villain in the "Psych" episode. "It shows you're not wishy-washy. You have strong opinions and people react strongly to them."

When the lead detective wants to discuss a serious matter with his partner in the drama "Detroit 1-8-7," which premieres on ABC Sept. 21, he will only talk via cellphone, even when the two men are in the same car or sitting together at a coffee shop. "That's a reference to a passive-aggressive Hollywood producer who will go unnamed," says executive producer Jason Richman, referring to a power player who goes to great lengths to avoid face-to-face confrontations.

Some gestures are more casual. Before he created "Mad Men," Matthew Weiner worked as a writer on "The Sopranos," where he put the name of a former employer who had wronged him on a gravestone in the background of a cemetery scene.

"Unless you're Spielberg or Scorsese," says "Cougar Town" co-creator Bill Lawrence, "there's no other gig where you have that kind of power."

A head writer (or "show runner") on a TV show is not only responsible for each script and the show's overarching narrative. He or she also oversees the cast, crew and production team and serves as a liaison to studio and network executives. A team of supporting writers helps develop story arcs, pitch ideas for characters and contribute dialogue.

The appetite of television is huge: 22 episodes each season, from September through May. For a network drama, that comes to a 52-page script every eight days, or the equivalent of producing about 10 movies a year. Writers are desperate for fodder. Sometimes it's ripped from the headlines; sometimes it's closer to home.

"When you're churning out an enormous amount of material in such a short period of time, you really do reach inward to locate personal experiences that you can extrapolate to your stories and characters," says Steven Bochco, co-creator of "Hill Street Blues," "L.A. Law" and "NYPD Blue."

"If there was an annoying kid in our lives, we'd do a show about an annoying kid," says Philip Rosenthal, creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond."

The practice isn't all puerile payback. A sharp pen and the threat of an unappealing storyline can help TV writers keep a production—and the egos involved—in check. In popular imagination, Hollywood is a place where luminous actors reign supreme and the brains behind the operation are secondary.

In reality, crossing a TV writer is "suicide," says actor Ed O'Neill, who played sad-sack dad Al Bundy on "Married with Children" and now plays the patriarch on "Modern Family." "I've heard many stories of someone getting brutally murdered on a show because they insisted on a bigger trailer," he says.

There's a common technique among writers, USA's Mr. Wachtel says. "When actors are acting up, you call them into a story session and say, 'You know, there's a very high mortality rate lately on the streets of Chicago'" or wherever the show is set. "Friends" spoofed the practice in an episode in which Joey gets a job on a soap opera. After he brags to a reporter that he writes some of his own lines, his character plunges down an elevator shaft to his death.

"Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf is legendary for his willingness to devise storylines that eliminate even the biggest-name actors if they get in the way of a production. NBC thought the legal drama wouldn't survive without Michael Moriarty as executive assistant district attorney Benjamin Stone. But after disputes led to the actor's departure, writers created a plot that had Stone promise to protect a witness, only to have the Russian mob rub him out. Stone resigned, Mr. Moriarty was gone, and the show went on for 16 more seasons.

Mr. Wolf says he learned an important lesson when he saw Lyndon B. Johnson take the oath of office after John F. Kennedy's assassination: "Everyone's replaceable."

Last year on "Desperate Housewives," Nicollette Sheridan's conniving Edie Britt died after almost being strangled to death, driving her car into an electrical pole, and then stumbling out of the car unaware she was standing in a puddle of water. A power line snapped and she fell to the ground, electrocuted. Ms. Sheridan says Edie's gruesome death was retaliation for accusing creator Marc Cherry of physically assaulting her. In April she made those claims in a $20 million lawsuit against Mr. Cherry, ABC and Touchstone Television Productions.

"We investigated similar claims made by Ms. Sheridan last year and found them to be without merit," ABC Studios said. A spokesman for Mr. Cherry says the decision to write Ms. Sheridan out of the show was made months before the alleged incident took place and that her character "had simply run its course." An attorney for Ms. Sheridan declined to comment.

To be sure, many TV shows rely on star power, and killing off the main character is not an option. "Moonlighting" creator and head writer Glenn Gordon Caron left the series after production problems and widely reported disputes with actress Cybill Shepherd. On the other hand, NBC managed to keep "Valerie" going after lead actress Valerie Harper was fired, renaming the sitcom "The Hogan Family." When CBS had recently undergone travails with Charlie Sheen of the hit sitcom "Two and a Half Men," Chief Executive Leslie Moonves joked to advertisers, "I'm happy I didn't have to come out here and try to sell you 'One and a Half Men.'"

To writers, bringing actors down a notch is sweet revenge. Some love to tell the story of the time an actor uttered a familiar lament to Mr. Bochco, the producer: "My character would never say that."

Says Mr. Bochco: "I told him, 'Maybe your character wouldn't say that, but he's not your character, he's my character, and he's saying it right here." He pointed to the script.

When actors were being demanding on hospital drama "Chicago Hope," creator David Kelley sent a scene to the ensemble cast in which hot-shot surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Geiger gives the fictional doctors a lecture about appreciating their profession and not being greedy. The actors got the hint; the scene was never shot.

Back when "Fantasy Island" was one of TV's biggest hits, producer Aaron Spelling called actor Hervé Villechaize into his office after the actor asked for yet another raise. He walked into the supposedly private meeting only to find that Mr. Spelling had assembled dozens of little-people actors, a clear message that he wasn't the only one who could shout, "The plane! The plane!"

Writers must be more careful these days with network legal departments cracking down on the use of real names, characters too close to real life or the offing of an actor for reasons other than story development. An interior designer who claimed he was the inspiration for the character Jack McFarland on NBC comedy "Will & Grace" sued co-creator and one-time friend Max Mutchnick for portraying him as "flamboyantly gay, constantly over the top, promiscuous and irresponsible," often wearing a turtleneck with a sweater tied around his neck. The case settled in 2003.

A writer on "Frasier" based Dr. Frasier Crane's high-school crush Lorna Lynley on an unrequited love of his own. Then he began to worry that the real Lorna would recognize her name and sue, especially since the character (played by Jean Smart) came back into Frasier's life as a chain-smoking, whiskey-swilling pill popper. First the writers pranked him, hiring an actor to serve him with a lawsuit. "It really freaked him out," says producer Christopher Lloyd, who worked on "Frasier" before co-creating "Modern Family." Later, they changed the name to Lana Gardner, without explanation. This placated the writer but confused some of the show's more attentive fans.

Says Mr. Lloyd: "There's no shortage of nerdy writers, each of whom had girls in high school that would never look at them and ended up in 'Frasier.' "

The network "suits" who the writers incessantly complain are meddling with their work are also an inviting target. "Seinfeld" regularly put executives into episodes, including a dour NBC chief, played by Bob Balaban, who gets food-poisoned after Elaine sneezes on his pasta primavera.

Former NBC entertainment president Warren Littlefield, who inspired the character, says he loved Mr. Balaban's interpretation and the digs at network TV. "You have a pretty big audience to air your dirty laundry if you need to," he says.

Another "Seinfeld" character was "Crazy" Joe Davola, who dressed up like a clown and stalked Elaine. He was based on an executive of the same name at competitor Fox, but only because show runner Larry David liked the sound of his name, and would repeat it again and again. The real Mr. Davola says he gave Mr. David permission to use his name, and has been receiving special treatment at hotels and restaurants ever since.

David Kohan, an executive producer with longtime collaborator Mr. Mutchnick on the new CBS comedy "$#*! My Dad Says" (pronounced "Bleep My Dad Says"), says comedian Elayne Boosler treated him so badly early in his career that he tried for years to get revenge. Finally, a character on his show "Boston Common" was stopped at the airport for making a wisecrack about a bomb. "He said 'You're going to arrest me for telling a stupid joke? Then why don't you arrest Elayne Boosler?'" Mr. Kohan says.

Ms. Boosler herself would never partake in such "petty payback," she says in an e-mail. "I've noticed that true success and happiness tends to erase narcissistic grudges, real or imagined, from memory. I love using my powers for good."

TV writers are unrepentant. "If we get cut, we can cut them back," says "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane. In the Sept. 26 premiere of the new season of the show, a character is murdered with a blunt object—a Golden Globe statuette. It rankles Mr. MacFarlane that the show has never won the award.

Prizes were also a subject for a character in "The Sopranos" named J.T. Dolan, a writer with gambling debts. Down and out, he tries to pawn his Emmy award. "If it were an Oscar, maybe I could give you a little something, an Academy Award, but TV?" the clerk replies. Creator David Chase says the storyline "describes the life we all lead, waiting for meetings that never happen, winning an award and then not working for two years."

Unlike a movie, a TV show is a living organism, with storylines changing weekly. That means nods to real life can backfire. David Zabel thought it would be a nice tribute to name an earnest young medical student in "E.R." after his wife. A few weeks later, the plot called for killing her off. "I just couldn't do it," Mr. Zabel says. "I had to come up with a better storyline to let her live." (He did.)

One night, the writers on Fox's animated show "American Dad!" were at their bowling league. One of them put his iPod on the speaker system. After a few songs, the head of the league yanked it off, saying he didn't like their taste in music. Incensed, the writers crafted a character the next day which they referred to as "A--hole at a bowling alley." Even though that moniker wasn't used on the show, the character was.

"We would never say it to his face though, it's better to just air it on a prime time show," says Jordan Blum, a writer's assistant.

"We're all writers," adds co-creator Mike Barker. "If we weren't cowards, we'd be actors."

Write to Amy Chozick at amy.chozick@wsj.com or follow her on Twitter: @amychozick

PALEYFEST: Fall TV Preview Parties

Click here for more info.

Trend Alert: Creating Facebook Pages for Fictional Characters

The following article from The New York Times discusses the trend of creating Facebook and Twitter pages for fictional characters.  How do you feel about creating fake profiles for marketing purposes?

The Language of Fakebook

Photo: Erin Schrode

Schrode and Hannah Grosman, “stars” in “My Darklyng.”

By KATIE ROIPHE

Published: August 13, 2010

I HAVE a feeling that if Andy Warhol were alive he would be spending the summer writing a novel that takes place in real time on Facebook. In that spirit, Lauren Mechling and Laura Moser have been writing a clever serialized novel on Slate called “My Darklyng.” Their innovation: the plot unfolds not just in text but on Facebook and Twitter.

For the purposes of what they affectionately call their “gonzo art project,” the veteran young-adult novelists Ms. Mechling and Ms. Moser created a fake Facebook page for their main character, 16-year-old Natalie Pollock. What’s fascinating is that Natalie’s page may seem fake and stilted and artificial, but only in the way all teenagers’ Facebook pages seem fake and stilted and artificial.

Which is to say “My Darklyng” offers a brilliant commentary on how fictional teenagers are on Facebook. Their stylized, mannered projections of self are as invented as any in a novel. There are regional differences, of course, to the mannerisms but there are certain common tics: Okayyyyyyyyy. Ahhhhhhh. Everything is extreme: So-and-so “is obsessed with.” So-and-so “just had the longest day EVERRRRRR.” They are in a perpetual high pitch of pleasure or a high pitch of crisis or sometimes just a high pitch of high pitch. Holden Caulfield might have called it “phoniness.”

A 14-year-old I talked to about this sent me a message that pretty much sums it up: “I write more enthusiastically on Facebook than I actually am in real life. Like if I see something remotely funny I might say ‘HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA,’ when really there is no expression on my face.”

Another girl tells me she spends one, or maybe three, or maybe six hours a day on Facebook. She gets updates and messages to her phone during the school day, when she is not on summer vacation, hanging out on Facebook the way some people in a quaint and distant era might have hung out at a pool. It would be hard to say exactly how much time we are talking about, but suffice it to say: it’s a lot of time.

In the dark, medieval days before the Internet, teenagers were forced to scribble their stagiest experiments in self-hood in journals and notebooks, or to express themselves through their clothes. The high drama was the same, the amped-up, overstated processing of life the same, but the media available were inferior. How amazing to be able to tell your 1,344 closest friends, “guess who I saw at the Apple store? I died it was so awkward!!!!!!!” Or “ I am so freaked out and excited about tomorrow I can’t stop eating, are you experiencing this?” or “Robert in twilight is so ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.” Facebook gives the exhibitionism, the pure theater of those years, a whole other level of stage.

In “My Darklyng’s” intriguing meta-commentary, there is a certain cross-pollination of what might be considered real life and fiction. Ms. Mechling and Ms. Moser hired a 15-year-old, Hannah Grosman, to be featured in photographs and videos for the character Natalie’s Facebook page. There are real people commenting on Natalie’s page; Hannah uses one of the photos from a photo shoot of herself as Natalie with another actress as the profile picture on her real Facebook page. A video of a kiss at the World Cup was posted on Natalie’s page just minutes before one of Hannah’s real friends posted the same thing. So it is no longer art imitating life, or life imitating art, but the two merging so completely, so inexorably that it would be impossible to disentangle one from the other, rather elegantly making the point that these media, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, all this doodling in the ether, involve wholesale inventions of self, not projections.

One predominant fictional argot of Facebook for teenagers would be breathlessness or emphatic speech. Their pages are peppered with “Okkkkayyyyy” and” HAHAHAHA. “ and “OMG!!!!!” You can find polite little girls cursing like sailors on Facebook. Everything is louder, more ardent, capitalized. This is a way of dramatizing or raising the stakes on even the most inane or banal exchange: You don’t just look cute. You look soooooooooooooo cute!!!!!!! For every piece of idle communication it is as if you are stranded on a desert island, waving your arms and jumping up and down to get the attention of a passing plane.

One of the other great adolescent poses of Facebook is irony at all times. So if you say, “can’t wait for the Lady Gaga concert,” you might add “lol” or you might say “Hey you are at camp and I’m in England, but I just wanted to let you know that I miss youuuu hahaha” to make it clear that you are not really looking forward to anything or expressing an actual emotion in a way that might be overly earnest or embarrassing.

Many, especially slightly older teenagers, seem to like to parody the Facebook norms even as they embrace them. The idea is that you are pretending to speak in the common language of Facebook, and are in fact speaking in that common language, but are aware of how unoriginal you are being; so when you write “omg” you are ironically commenting on the use of “omg,” but when other people write “omg” they are seriously saying “oh my God.” This very delicate balancing act is artful, in its way. Your character is now employing the clichés of the genre, but with satire, or maybe that would be satirrrrrrrrrre.

It is, in short, a brilliant stroke to use Facebook for novel writing, because in general Facebook feeds on fiction; it consumes it, and spits it out in every direction.

Being “friends” on Facebook is more of a fantasy or imitation or shadow of friendship than the traditional real thing. Friendship on Facebook bears about the same relation to friendship in life, as being run over by a car in a cartoon resembles being run over by a car in life. Facebook is friendship minus the one on one conversation, minus the moment alone at a party in a corner with someone (note to ninth graders: chat and messages don’t count); Facebook is the chatter of a big party, the performance of public cleverness, the facades and fronts and personas carefully crafted, the one honed line, the esprit de l’escalier; in short, the edited version. Do you know anything at all about your Facebook friends? Do you, in spite of the “missssssssss you girlieeeee!!!!!” and the “I cantttttt believe you are going awayyyyyyyyyy,” care about all of them?

It should be said that adults are not necessarily less fictionalized, or more themselves, on Facebook; they are simply less natural, less conversant, less in their element, when they fictionalize. How many people do you know who are in the midst of some great existential or marital crisis, but whose Facebook page is all family photos from the south of France, or the Vineyard, or Bangkok, and charming things their children said?

Somewhere in the gap between status posting and the person in their room at night is life itself. So fiction is the right response, the right commentary, the right point to be making about who we are in these dangerously consuming media, in these easy addictive nano-connections.

It is not, alas, “The Sun Also Rises,” but Facebook is the novel we are all writing.

Katie Roiphe teaches at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University. Her last book is “Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Marriages.”

WGAE's Web Series Summer Camp

Via deadline.com:

WHAT: The WGAE is holding the first “Web Series Summer Camp” - a day-long event featuring workshops, a screening, and networking opportunities for web series writers and producers. 

The event is open to experienced web series writers and producers and also novices serious about creating original, quality content for new media.

WHEN: Saturday, August 28, 2010

WHERE: WGAE, 250 Hudson Street, New York City

WHO: Leaders in digital media, the New York entertainment community, and the legal community will be among those leading the day’s workshops.

WHY: “Web Series Summer Camp” is part of the WGAE’s continuing Writers Guild 2.0 initiative, which includes seminars and events for current and prospective members, a job training program, and a sustained organizing effort in digital media.

REGISTER: “Web Series Summer Camp” is open to WGAE members, as well as non-members. For more information, contact Ursula Lawrence, WGAE strategic organizer, at ulawrence@wgaeast.org.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF WORKSHOPS

10:00 AM: Welcome by WGAE Executive Director Lowell Peterson

10:30 AM: Demystifying Branded Content
Speaker: Wilson Cleveland – senior vice president and principal of media and content development of CJP Digital

10:30 AM: Legal Basics and Intellectual Property Online
Speaker: Laverne Berry – entertainment lawyer and president of NY Women in Film and Television

11:30 AM: Monetization and Promotion
Speaker: Josh Cohen – co-founder of Tilzy.tv and CIO of Tubefilter

1:00 PM: Festival Basics

1:00 PM: Introduction to the International Academy of Web Television
Speaker: Ned Canty – festival director of New York Television Festival

1:00 PM: Working with Guild Agreements
Speaker: Connie Best – AFTRA New Media Specialist

1:00 PM: Writing Drama and Indie Soaps for Web Series
Speaker: Martha Byrne – writer/creator of hit web series Gotham

1:00 PM: Web Video Distribution Basics and Advanced Syndication
Speaker: Paul Kontonis – vice president, group director, brand content U.S., The Third Act at Digitas

1:00 PM: Building an Audience With Social Media
Speaker: Jeremy Redleaf - creator of web series Odd Jobs; winner of the 2010 Streamy Award for “Best New Web Series”

3:30 PM: Series Development – Platform and Distribution Basics
Speaker: Kathleen Grace, founder of Next New Networks

3:30 PM: Show Running for Web Series
Speaker: Al Thompson, award-winning creator of multiple web series including Johnny B. Homeless and Lennox Avenue

5:00 PM: Keynote: Creating the Successful Indie Web Series
Speakers: Tina Cesa Ward and Susan Miller- creators of the award-winning web series Anyone But Me

How NOT to Write A Spec

From By Ken Levine:

I have read some bad specs in my time and now offer some suggestions of what not to do based on actual scripts I have read…or at least attempted to read.

Don’t view the show from the perspective of a fly. I once read a WINGS spec as seen by a buzzing fly. I offer this as the first example because I know so many young writers fall into this same trap.

Don’t put yourself into the show and make yourself the lead character. I once read a CHEERS where Alan had more lines than Sam & Diane combined. Alan? Who’s Alan? Alan was one of the extras. And so he remained.

And just because people tell you you look like Kaley Cuoco (pictured above) doesn’t mean you should write a BIG BANG THEORY entitled “Penny’s Sister”. If I get a script with a photo attached I know I’m in trouble.

Don't submit specs for canceled series. You are not going to get a job off your spec OLD CHRISTINE or I MARRIED JOAN.

Don’t hand write your script, no matter how good your penmanship. Send your spec in a UCLA blue book and you’ll get an F.

Don’t invent a format.

Know the characters. I read a spec MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW where Mary wondered what to get her husband for his birthday. Her “husband”???!

Keep in mind the production parameters. A MASH I once read featured this:

EXT. YANKEE STADIUM – DAY

Hawkeye is on the mound during the World Series. 60,000 people cheer.

Huh????? Ask yourself the following question: Can anybody other than Peter Jackson or James Cameron make this? And if the answer is no, especially for a multi-camera show that takes place in a living room, then don’t do it.

Similarly, avoid dream sequences. THE MIDDLE is not looking for the next Fellini.

Don't require 3D or IMAX for your sitcom pilot to work.

Don’t hinge your show on stunt casting. I read a BECKER where former President Jimmy Carter came in for a check-up and offered dating advice. Yeah, President Carter gets his physicals in the Bronx. And yeah, President Carter is always available to guest on a sitcom and advise a character to say whatever is necessary to get laid.

I was going to recommend you don’t do like one aspiring writer and make a joke in a CHEERS about Diane’s pussy because it’s crude, offensive, and inappropriate, but I saw the same joke two weeks ago on TWO AND A HALF MEN.

Still, I’d like to think there is some line of decorum and taste left. I once read a NEWSRADIO where the story was the Dave Foley character comes into his office in the morning and discovers a semen stain on his couch. Then the episode went downhill.

Don’t marry off any of the main characters.

Don’t kill off any of the main characters.

Don’t go the first ten pages before doing a joke. This even applies to many drama specs.

Don’t do the “supersize” hour episode.

The last sentence in your script should not be “To Be Continued”.

Don’t change the characters’ reality to fit your story. Tracy Jordan is not Jewish. THAT’S why he can’t have a bar mitzvah.

Don’t include a cover letter telling the producer that you sent him a copy of the script months ago and that he was shirking his responsibility by not reading it. Our agent did this once and trust me, David Lloyd was not amused.

And finally, avoid this ploy: I once received a spec MASH with a note that read “This script was written by my brother. On his way to the post office to mail it he was hit by a car and killed. I’m sure he would have wanted you to read it anyway. P.S. If you want any changes I can make them.” He received a touching rejection sympathy card.

Just remember this, when producers read your script they want to like it. They want to discover the next Larry Gelbart. It only helps them. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by doing something stupid like relying on Jimmy Carter to get your laughs.

Check Out DEVOUR

Click here to visit DEVOUR

HU Special Feature - ANOTHER LIFE

August 2010

Another Life

Nathan Ruegger

Growing up in L.A. is not what it's cracked up to be. In a town of sunshine, glitz, and glamour, I saw the personal dramas kept hidden from prying eyes.

I saw my neighbor crawl into my backyard, overdosing on cocaine as my father held his hand and prayed with him before he died. I saw my third grade classmate throw rocks at my brother's head just because he wanted to see what real blood looked like. I saw alcoholism, divorce, and disease slowly squeeze the life out of happy families until there was nothing left but silence.

"Another Life" came out of the need to show L.A.'s true face, to tell a real story about the little secrets we keep pent up inside and our struggle to overcome them. I wrote and directed "Another Life" as my student thesis film, shooting it over ten days on a modest budget with the help of family, friends, and some brilliant filmmakers. Now we're in consideration at over 40 film festivals around the world and my fingers are crossed.

"Another Life" is a neo-noir thriller about a young female veteran who has three days to kill an innocent man or they both die. To find out more, watch the trailer below and check out our website at anotherlifefilm.com, or you can email me directly at anotherlifefilm@gmail.com.

Learn What It Takes to Become a "Made in NY" PA at a Free Panel Discussion

On Tuesday, August 17, 2010, the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting and Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, in collaboration with Harlem Stage, will present “Made in NY” Production Assistants: A Peer-to-Peer Discussion at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse. The panel will give interested young New Yorkers the opportunity to hear first hand from other young people who have started their careers in TV and film production with the help of the “Made in NY” Production Assistant Training Program, which provides free job training for those otherwise lacking access to the entertainment industry. The panel is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6pm; the panel begins at 6:30 pm. The Harlem Stage Gatehouse is located at 150 Convent Avenue and West 135th Street in Manhattan.

Developed in partnership between the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting and nonprofit Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI), the “Made in NY” PA Training Program provides unemployed and low-income New Yorkers with four weeks of free, intensive training that prepares them to work on New York City sets and in production offices. Since its launch in 2006, more than 200 New Yorkers have been certified as “Made in NY” PAs and have worked on over 1,000 productions, including “30 Rock,” “Sesame Street,” “Gossip Girl,” Sex and the City, The Smurfs and Enchanted. Many graduates of the program have advanced to higher level positions in the locations and camera departments, among others.

“Made in NY” Production Assistants: A Peer-to-Peer Discussion will feature a panel of “Made in NY” PAs who will talk about their experiences working in the entertainment industry and the opportunities that they have received through their training. Representatives from BWI will also be on hand to answer questions about how to apply to the program.

“New York City is home to over 100,000 New Yorkers who make their living working behind the scenes,” said Commissioner Katherine Oliver. “Our office is committed to diversifying our local industry through workforce development programs, like the ‘Made in NY’ PA Training Program, so that more women, people of color, and economically disadvantaged New Yorkers have access to new opportunities in film and television production.” For more information about these programs, visit nyc.gov/film .

“We know there are many young New Yorkers ready to work hard and make their contribution to the industry, but they don’t know where to start,” said Katy Finch, the program’s director. “If you think a career in film might be right for you, we encourage you to come to the panel.” BWI provides two years of job placement and career counseling to certified “Made in NY” PAs, so they can not only find their first jobs, but move up the career ladder. For more information about BWI and the “Made in NY” PA Training Program, visit www.bwiny.org/.

“Made in NY” Production Assistants: A Peer-to-Peer Discussion begins at 6:30 pm. Doors open at 6 pm. Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. RSVP to rsvp@film.nyc.gov by Friday, August 13. The Harlem Stage Gatehouse is located at 150 Convent Avenue and West 135th Street in Manhattan.

About the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting
As the first film commission in the country, the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting is the one-stop shop for all production needs in New York City. The agency markets the City as a prime location, provides premiere customer service to production companies and facilitates production throughout the five boroughs. To learn more, visit www.nyc.gov/film.

About Brooklyn Workforce Innovations
Brooklyn Workforce Innovations helps jobless and working poor New Yorkers establish careers in sectors that offer good wages and opportunities for advancement. The nonprofit offers free training and job placement in film production, commercial driving, cable installation and woodworking. To learn more, visit www.bwiny.org.

About Harlem Stage
Since its inception, Harlem Stage (formerly Aaron Davis Hall, Inc.) has earned a local, national, and international reputation for world-class programming and commissioning of new works. Established in 1979 as part of The City College of New York, the organization became an independent non-profit in 1983. Harlem Stage has hosted legendary artists such as Harry Belafonte, Max Roach, Bill Cosby, Abbey Lincoln, Maya Angelou, and Tito Puente. Its primary mission is to perpetuate Harlem’s contributions to American culture by presenting and supporting the development of new work and the work of emerging artists, providing educational opportunities to thousands of public school children each year, and connecting programs to the community’s rich cultural traditions. Harlem Stage opened its new facility, the landmarked Gatehouse, in October 2006.

Sigalert.com - LA Traffic Updates

Yesterday, KeyPA.net wrote this great post on LA traffic and directions, which reminded me to post a link to Sigalert.com.

Sigalert.com provides (almost) real-time traffic updates.  It will even estimate your travel time, based on current traffic.  It's basically my home page. 

Enjoy!

Submit Your Film or TV Pilot To Be Featured on HU

Do you have a film or TV pilot you'd like to share?  HU is now showcasing a new project every month in the SPECIAL FEATURES section.  If you would like your project to be considered, email me the following info:

• Title of Project
• Synopsis
• Link to the Project

I look forward to your submissions!