Working on 2009!

Ho hum, the year is finally ending!! Thank God! Why? Because, I am super excited about 2009. I had some amazing things happen in 2008, but let's just say I can't wait until January 2009. I finally got to do what I have always wanted to do and that was to take the year and pitch my own ideas. After being in production since 2003, all I really wanted was to use my creative mind to come up with show ideas. This is what I want my career to be. I want to be behind it all, in the mix to some degree but really the one who created the series.

All in all, I gained some of the most valuable experience ever with my pitches and my new and old connections. I got to go out to every major Network Executive with Comedian Christopher Titus and pitch our concept "The Devil's Workshop." I also got to pitch pretty much every development executive in town. My success rate wasn't bad either. I had six concepts and two of the six garnered options. One went all the way to NBC execs and one is still being negotiated for a deal (let's hope they renegotiate a better deal this time around). I was on the cover of Kiplinger's Personal Finance as well as featured in several major articles online and in magazines.

I am gearing up to hit the Hollywood streets again with my next six pitches. Of course Jose Canseco is one of them, Girl Powder, Eli Davidson, and two of my own ideas without a brand. I have a few meetings set up in 2009, including one with Jayson Dinsmore over at NBC. We are also waiting on one production company to decide on optioning a new one that we pitched out in November.

My instinct is that in January things will totally pop. I am looking forward to 2008 coming to a close and 2009 kicking off with a big bang! Thank you to every Network Executive, Development Executive and friends and family and most of all Chris Ryan at Oceanside Entertainment for supporting me in my career to sell a reality series. And while I have not officially sold one yet, I know I will -- I am soooooo close and am confident with the two options I still have out there, its going to happen. It has not been a year yet, but come March it will be...so thank you for the greatest 9 months ever.

Lunch with Canseco

I had lunch with Jose Canseco and his girlfriend Heidi. Two of the nicest people I have met. What I can say about our lunch is this: Jose Canseco deserves a second shot with America and he also deserves to be forgiven by America. This guy deserves to have a chance to rise back up again. This may not be with baseball, because I know that baseball is less forgiving than the average American will be. America is all about comebacks. Can you imagine being 38 runs away from 500 home runs away from entering the hall of fame, but never able to have that chance again because you are basically banned from baseball forever? That sucks. All the guy has known his whole life is baseball. I feel for him and I am creating something that will give him the chance to make a comeback to re-invent himself. I believe in Jose Canseco.

Through the Grace of the Universe - Jose has entered my world!

The Universe is good to me. It only took less than a week for it to give me the answer that I was looking for! I am now in contact with Jose Canseco's team. They like the concept and we are meeting up to build on what I have created. I am currently reading Jose's book "Juiced," and am learning a bunch about Jose and of course, steroids. I just loved the A&E documentary that Jose's team and Heidi Northcott did recently, which is what inspired me to want to create a show around him. I believe that he will reconstruct and rebuild himself to become strong again!

I had a pitch meeting this week at PB&J Television. I just loved the ladies there! I am confident that they will want to develop something with the talent that I presented to them.

I am looking for a paying producing gig, while I get my own projects off the ground, so if you know of anything please get in touch with me!

Jose Canseco, would you please call me?

It's been a long time since I have written! To be honest, I am BORED of waiting for my lawyer to come back with a better offer for the one option. I also took on a new project producing for an internet start up and yes I am bored with that as well. What I really miss is the excitement of coming up with something NEW and fun to pitch!!

I have a great concept that I want to pitch that centers around Jose Canseco and his journey to rebuild his life and have a second career. The guy is totally broke, and for one of the greatest all time baseball players he hit rock bottom a few times, and I know that he can hit the top again. I saw his A&E documentary and ever since I can't stop thinking about creating my next show around him. I've gotten through his first gatekeeper who has forwarded my info on to him, but I may just have to go down to Barney's Beanery and hang out sitting pretty on a bar stool to talk to him. BUT in the case that you may have contact with him could you please email me or get in touch with me asap!! I know he use to live in Encino...

So if you are reading this Jose, "pick up your phone and call me," that is if you have a phone - Just kidding. Seriously, lets make some money together! We can package this up all nice!

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.