Reasons for not Blogging

My Little Protege Lacy!

I figured it was about time that I wrote about why I have not written any blogs for the last three weeks.  First thing, I have been totally consumed with a new project that fell in my lap with Branded Entertainment and the internet and I am rather liking it!  Secondly, one of my television options is being negotiated lawyer to lawyer.  Now that I have a great lawyer, it seems that the potential to get development money is really looking good on this one.  Thirdly, we also have two other parties interested and we're ready to play our cards right if the company starts to balk! Reason number four, I am too tired at the end of the day to be inspired to think anymore and write!!

For the next phase of pitches I need to work on developing the next six to take out with me.  I have three that are great and already ready - need three more.  Because I spent the last few months pitching, I am now working again with this project that I mentioned above, and the potential to rake in a boatload of cash is looking quite good!  

If you have an idea that you want to develop and partner up on, as I said above I am looking to develop three other reality ideas.  I get people every day that write to me and pitch me on the phone or email or in person, and I am on the hunt for a great project that will sell!!  

I thought a lot about the blog and want to retire it when I finally sell the project I spoke about that is in negotiation.  The reason I started this blog was to blog about the journey.  Its been about a month since I stopped pitching and I won't be pitching heavy like I was until next year. I did get some great feedback about the six concepts and for most every pitch they liked anywhere from 1-4 of them.  So I am proud of what I accomplished.   I won't be completely satisfied until I see it on the air.  

Lawyers, Options and Credits - Oh Boy!

It has all boiled down to Lawyers, options, credits and creating right now.  

I have been working with a few new partners on a couple of new reality ideas for the next round of pitching.  The last two weeks have been spent organizing my thoughts for new concepts, dealing with my entertainment lawyer and the negotiations on this latest option.  

As I wrote about in a previous post, I got an option for another project and landed a superb lawyer through my boyfriend and his long time lawyer's colleague on the tv/film side.  We want the best possible deal so that means getting the lawyer on the negotiations from the beginning. Because, I have only reached the Supervising Producing level, we are negotiating future credits. I know that I can do anything I put my mind to.  Other industry folks who don't know me well enough don't obviously know what I am capable of, like the Executive Producers that I have worked with.  Bottom line can she showrun?  Listen, I did a damn good job on the last job, and even though I have only one credit, I know I rock.  Just ask my old EP's, Network Executives and others that I worked with.  

So, we are negotiating the Creator and EP credits.  At this point, I don't care if I am Creator and EP and I don't showrun and deliver every episode.  You want to do that, than ok.  Pay me and I'll just keep creating and making more shows to sell.  That is the goal.  I am having a blast doing what I am doing...

Exposure

Wow, what a month of exposure its been.  I am estimating that I have had over 2 million people read my cover story about how I invested in myself and my cover story with Kiplinger's Magazine. Its kind of crazy when you think about how 1 million people got a magazine with my face on the cover, delivered right to their mailbox, along with another 200,000 that bought Kiplinger's on the news stand.  Then I had exposure on The Huffington Post, this post is the most widely read blog in the US.  (5.7 million people!)  The Publicity Hound also featured our story and that reached over 50,000 people.  Next up; Seattle radio.  7 million and counting.  

I'm waiting for my contracts for one of my options to be drawn up, but it looks like a Dunn deal...no pun intended.

Orchestrate Your Own Success

I am a strong believer in orchestrating your own success.  I've written about it in my previous blogs and we all know that there is no one who is going to do it for you, but you.  You have to navigate your road to your success.  

Opportunities will come and go.  You have to trust and jump and go for it because you deserve the best in life.  You can't see the best if you don't take the risk.  Create the life you want to live.  People who orchestrate their own success should never feel awkward or reluctant about creating advantages for themselves.  If you work hard you will get results.  

I've always been a go-getter, there is no doubt about that.  I have an option for project #2 that looks like it will have huge potential.  (That's option #2 in this round of pitches!) Along the way I have had one person besides my other half, that has believed in me from our first meeting.  His name is Chris Ryan. Together we make a great team.  I have someone that books my meetings, negotiates my contracts and keeps me in the loop with new executives and new production companies.  From the seeds we have planted over the last three months, I have some great contacts that I can go back to and pitch my next set of six concepts.  But it all comes from me orchestrating my own success.  Before Chris, I would cold call and set up meetings on my own and pitch what ever executive would let me pitch.  

My first "development deal" (if you want to call it that, I chock it up to a learning & great work experience from Howard Schultz, to build my creative skills) in Hollywood was with Lighthearted Entertainment about 4 years ago.  I had a great creative writing partner who had a contact there and we set up a meeting and pitched.  It was literally our first pitch out and they liked what we had.  I learned so much from this deal.  In the end I learned that sometimes you have an idea that you think works brilliantly, it gets refined and refined over and over until everyone has a say and then its too late... your deal is up, and they lose interest.  That never stopped me.  I kept orchestrating my success.  I still pitched, and still came up with fresh ideas even when people said "keep at it, you'll get a hit someday."

Act fast.  Be creative.  Come up with as many alternatives as you can to try and make it work. Give it your best.  There is no guarantee and in Hollywood they can open the trap door from under your feet at any time.  Whhooopp...

Success in Sight

For the last week I have been thinking about success. There are lots of successful people in our world. A few of mine; Oprah, Ben Silverman, Mark Burnett, Cathie Black, Eli Davidson, Ariana Huffington, Tom Brokaw, Warren Buffett. In the book 'Basic Black,' by Cathie Black she states that "no one can define success and personal satisfaction for you, except you."

I got into a funk the last two days, I think because options and decisions are taking a long time. I started to get frustrated thinking about how long it takes and how much patience and time it takes to actually pitch, develop and sell a concept. For two days, I had to tell myself that the frustration will pass, the frustration will pass. For a milla second, I did think about what would I do if I did take on another career?! Dear lord that thought passed too, because honestly I couldn't think of too many other things that I want to do - I love producing and creating television way too much.

It all started in second grade. At my house in Massachusetts we couldn't watch television after the nightly news ended. So, this meant going to the bus stop the next day and listening to Katie (my friend for almost 32 years - since Kindergarten) tell recaps about tv at her house the night before. I was tormented with tales of the Love Boat, Charlies Angeles and Fantasy Island. In a good way.

Some days I would listen intently and savor every morsel of what happened the night before aboard the beautiful ship traveling to tropical or mysterious country, with vacationers aboard the "Love Boat" where Gopher, Dr. Adam, Isaac, Julie and Captain Stubing tried their best to please vacationers and sometimes help them fall in love.

Other days she dripped small sexy details about my favorite characters on Charlies Angels. Three beautiful ladies Jill, Sabrina and Kelly who went undercover to solve crimes. God I loved hearing about them. Kelly Garrett was my favorite (Jaclyn Smith). I had all of the collector cards. In fact in second grade I remember Katie and I laid them all out (they had a puzzle on the back) and they blew away and Rusty Bent (the bad ass in our grade) started to collect them and threatened to keep them. I cried and told him they weren't mine, and eventually he gave them back.

The moral of my rant about not being able to watch tv as a kid...I went in to school and retold Katie's stories just as they were my own, as I if I had watched them. In fact I hadn't - but nobody knew that I hadn't. And in second grade my love for television stories and shows was born.

So two days ago, that thought of frustration came and went. Things take time. And I define my own success. People can comment or have an opinion about anyone and their success, but we as individuals are the ones who define our own success. It also takes direction, purpose, vision and action. I am living my best life, doing what I love and I define my success. I am confident in my abilities and that I am a talented successful producer. God, I love television. Now somebody BUY a show - not just an option - a Flat out BUY... :) He he.

On a side note...I need a new creative partner...got any ideas you want to collaborate on?

Seattle Radio - Chat With Women on Oct. 13th!

Want to hear tips for Investing in Yourself? Tune in October 13, 2008, as Coach Eli Davidson and Nicole Dunn will be guests on "Chat With Women," Talk Radio Show! Stay tuned for more information as we prepare to chat about "Investing in Yourself" with my recent cover story on news stands - Kiplinger's Personal Finance - October 2008.

"Chat With Women," hosts Pam Gray & Rochelle Alhadeff are two women who are hilarious! They have funny, life changing & inspiring insights on the radio and on internet radio too!

Chat With Women airs LIVE every Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM on KKNW 1150AM

Check them out on the Internet at:

http://www.chatwithwomen.com








http://www.kiplingers.com

Reality Power List

I am a daily reader of Daily Variety. When my good friend told me to take a look at the Hollywood Reporter for the Reality Power List, I couldn't wait to blog about it on my blog. I knew exactly who the #1 person in Hollywood was going to be, and was right! So read the pre-article taken from the Hollywood Reporter and I included the link so you too can go HU?!

"There are two kinds of people in Hollywood: Those who thumb their noses at so-called “reality” television and its over-the-top populism; and those who are concerned less with the demise of Western civilization and more with entertaining (and, yes, even enlightening) an audience. This list is about those latter people. With unscripted fare now dominating primetime and bringing new viewers to obscure cable networks, few are still arguing that reality TV is just a fad. Even with “American Idol’s” slight ratings slip this past season, Fox is the No. 1 network when it airs and No. 4 when it doesn’t. NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” reigned as the summer’s highest-rated series, and this month brings the return of juggernauts like ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” CBS’ “Survivor” and NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” — franchises that are far more reliable than almost anything in the scripted world. That means — brace yourself — the time has arrived for the producers and executives influencing the reality landscape to be spotlighted for what they are: some of the most powerful people in TV. The Hollywood Reporter stranded its editors in a conference room on a deserted island until they came up with the first-ever list of reality TV’s 50 most powerful forces. Consider us a panel of snarky judges evaluating each figure based on his influence over American unscripted television. Candidates escaped elimination based on the number of shows on the air, the ratings and influence of those shows, and the ability to get a new show made, with special deference given to the pioneers in this nascent genre. Foreign execs weren’t eligible, nor did we consider traditional talk shows or live events like sports or news. These are the people most responsible for reality TV’s dominance and those shepherding its bright future. Go ahead and thank them or blame them."
-- Intro by Randee Dawn

I am going to give you the top ten. Guess who is #1? Give Up? Well its the man Titus and I were set to pitch an amazing 6 times, but for reasons we will never know each time he cancelled & rescheduled at the last minute. We are still going back, its just a question of WHEN?!

1. Mike Darnell President of alternative entertainment, Fox Broadcasting
2. Cecile Frot-Coutaz CEO, FremantleMedia, North America (WHO?!!)
3. Craig Plestis Executive vp alternative programming, development and specials, NBC Entertainment (Biggest Loser fame)
4. Mark Burnett President, Mark Burnett Prods. (I've written about him, he's genuis and should be number 2)
5. David Goldberg President and CEO, Endemol Entertainment USA
6. Howard Owens Managing director, co-head of domestic television, head of digital, Reveille & Mark Koops Managing director, co-head of domestic television, Reveille (nice guy Koops)
7. Vicki Dummer and John Saade Senior vps alternative series, specials and late night, ABC Entertainment (Titus, Boyington, Foose and I pitched John)
8. Tony DiSanto Executive vp series, development and programming for MTV; head of programming for MTV2 (This guy deserves to be on the list working his way up from an intern!)
9. Simon Fuller Founder and CEO, 19 EntertainmentNigel LythgoePresident 19 Television; judge and executive producer, Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance"
10. Frances Berwick General manager, Bravo (A lady in her own right)

To read more go to: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ia0dd3fad69143d6191e58aa095b67d1a?pn=2