Development Meeting

So.

I had my first Development Meeting.

I have to say that because it was the first -- something to be remembered. From what I've heard, getting a meeting can sometimes be hard. That the meeting was to discuss my ideas for an original TV show? Kind of awesome.

Anyway -- the meeting.

First off, it was over the phone. This was useful, considering people were in several cities, including both LA and Toronto. It was also hard, because I couldn't see the people I was talking to. I couldn't read the visual cues they might have been sending.

Mind you, my friends would argue that I'd have missed them in any event, so not a big loss.

In general, the meeting was basically a long, open discussion. Everyone on the call had different ideas and different thoughts. I had been warned about this in Austin -- but being on the receiving end of it was odd. It was like a weird form of deja vu -- being in a situation I had heard about, but never expected to be in.

One thing I was surprised by -- they kind of deferred to me when it came to the concepts. People asked questions, gave comments, said what they liked, offered open ended questions about where things could go -- but they made a point of saying I would have a lot to think about, and should use what I thought was most right for the story.

In other words, they treated me like a real TV writer, with all the confidence that entails.

Now, I just need to prove that their faith is well-deserved.

So -- next steps. I need to write an extended pitch, similar to the first one I wrote back in the fall. This will be a bit more complex, because of the type of show -- but will follow the same basic premise.

Then, we'll likely have another call. After that -- who knows. I guess we'll see.

Delay!

The call is now tomorrow morning.

Thank goodness --- a bit more time to prepare!

Yikes

So apparently, the next step in the process is a call with the development company to discuss my concepts...

Like, in an hour from now. Nothing like advance notice.

Yikes.

Development Update

I finished my three new television show concept sketches right in the nick of time.

What amazed me was that I had initial comments the very next day (the first time around it was months before I heard). Comments were quite positive. Mind you, they're apparently having a meeting next week to discuss this in more detail -- so I am sure the hard comments are still to come.

It's interesting -- because I'm treating this like a fun, kind of awesome project. And yet, the experience (even more than the first) is following the traditional early development path, which I learned when I went to the Austin Film Festival last year.

And that makes me smile. I love that I am getting the chance to see the process from the inside -- getting a chance to be a part of it. It makes it more real, more doable.

I'll let you know what happens next.

Where did the month go?

I don't actually remember most of January.

You can blame that on some wacky cough medication. Now, I am on several inhalers, and -- while still sick -- feel I may have finally hit the bottom of the slope and can now start the long journey back up to to full speed.

It better not take another six weeks. Seriously.

On the good side, the TV pitch (formerly known as the secret project) is still under consideration for development. Things were slow moving in January but it seems they may hold interviews with potential writers in the coming weeks. In other words, it isn't a "we gave up" yet. So that's a good thing.

In the interim, I was asked if I'd be interested in throwing out some concepts for another type of show. Similar to the first request, this one seems to have originated from a "broadcasters are interested in [fill in blank] shows.

Did I mention my brain hasn't worked properly in six weeks?

I said I'd see what I could come up with. It just might take a while. After all, I need a chance to recover first.

In the meantime, I probably have the brainpower to watch a bunch of procedural dramas.

After all, it would be research.