(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Story So Far starts HERE)
Well, this week has been busy, to say the least. I’ve been hard at work, not only with Cargo 3120, but in other areas of my life: real estate, acting, short films, and family. But, as I write this, I’m seeing that busy is not entirely accurate; productive is more like it. And all I’ve done is stick to my 2015 schedule: health, family, work, and passion.
I’m deep into the promo prep phase of the new series. And what that involves is brainstorming, writing promo bits, writing the trailer and figuring out a social media strategy.
I want to approach this show differently than I did Chilltown, which I essentially just launched without much forethought. Put out a trailer. Put out a few sneak peaks of the show. But I was learning while I was in the middle now.
Now, hypothetically at least, I’ve learned a few things so I’m trying to do this with some structure. It’s hard to tell when things literally change constantly and unpredictably all the time. The main thing is: how to stick out in a wildly glutted market? When you don’t really have a budget to pay a real publicist. It’s tough. And it takes time.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Story So Far starts HERE)
Okay, so it’s 6AM Monday morning. The day after I wrote the awe-inspiring blog post in which I break down my new schedule for 2015. Only, all those inspirational emotions are no longer with me. As a matter of fact, all I’m feeling at the moment is a strong desire to close my eyes. Y’all know what I’m talking about; when you make plans and you’re ready to go because everything is sounding so great in your head. But, once that moment comes to take action, you’re feeling little to none of that motivation at all.
Things are moving so quickly, not just on the personal front but in the world of web series/digital media.
First, tons of interesting and cool things going down on the web, including Discoverlaunching on Snapchat with partners Comedy Central, ESPN, CNN and more. This is the one I’m really keeping my eye on. Mainly because I’m thinking of doing some promo on Snapchat for my new series.
Also, Hulu just picked up a few more shows from YouTubers Freedie Wong and Flama. More instances where being online, staying consistent, not just with delivery of content, but also with your niche. For anyone out there thinking of launching a web series or show online, those are two biggies to keep in mind.
Short post this week cause I am BUSY!! Mostly doing rewrites, tightening, tweaking and finishing up the final few episodes of the Lele Show relaunch which has proved more daunting than I counted on. I’m preparing a ridiculous amount of material and there’s so much to organize, write and polish. But the one thing that stands out is: Kill your darlings.
What does that mean? It’s a phrase (possibly) coined by writer William Faulkner (“In writing, you must kill your darlings”) and, in general, known among a lot of writers, particularly screenwriters. It refers to throwing out jokes, lines, phrases, writing that you absolutely love love love but that don’t further the narrative. And that take away from it being tight and cohesive. Argh! It’s very tough to do. Especially when you’re writing comedy. And have to crank out joke after joke.
I’m raking the scripts over the coals. Tightening the narrative. Driving myself insane by cutting, tweaking, cutting. Mourning the loss of certain punchlines. Making sure the tone remains intact. And redefining and settling/on accepting that tone. Reading different versions to a select group of trusted friends for opinions. And the conclusion I’ve come to is: The only thing that really helps is…time. To give the piece space to gel and remove myself a bit so I can what really truly works. And…kill your darlings.