State of The Script (011)

Recently I have attributed a large chunk of my writing woes to the post meeting blues, so I might as well report on how that last meeting went. Last Friday, the 24th of July, we met with an independent production company interested in “Sitcom Pilot 1,” or SP1 for short. SP1 is the script that I wrote based on the one-woman show of a standup comedienne. I suppose it doesn’t hurt to mention that this comedienne also happens to be my girlfriend. The show is written for her to star, which can be a difficult sell since she is not quite famous.

The meeting went rather well. The head of the television department praised the writing, calling it hilarious and smart. The president of the company added his praise, and offered up certain partnerships ideas that would help us sell the show. We were told that because we are new writers, a network will most likely attempt to purchase the show then replace us with their own writing team. We would make some money selling them our idea and then we would be left in the dust. This isn’t what we want. The president of this small company knows that we want to maintain our creative control. We are told that one way to go about that is to partner with an established showrunner that believes in our abilities and would be willing to stick her neck out and take us under her wing. The president of the company has some ideas about how to go about this, but no final decisions were made in the room. And now we wait….

In the meantime, a major film and television star’s production company read SP1. They have a first look deal at one of the major networks. We got the script into their hands thanks to a friend of the family connection. These connections rarely amount to much, but in this case it may have started a relationship that could be mutually beneficial in the future. The director of TV development read SP1 and praised the writing. Ultimately, she passed, citing that the network they produce content for is looking for single-talent driven shows, rather than workplace comedies. She asked that we please send her more material in the future that is appropriate for their company. When the comments are genuine, and I sense that they are in this case, I’m learning to look at positive passes as small victories.