Category: Resources

40 years worth of TV writing experience and info, yours for the taking.

Troy DeVolld: On Flexibility

by Troy DeVolld

When I was young, I wanted to be a cartoonist more than anything.  I went to college, put out a couple of books that only did so-so in the marketplace, and came home one Christmas break to find an offer from an old friend to write a few commercials for Woody Woodpecker’s 50th Anniversary merchandise.  It wasn’t the same as my dream of working in comics, but I thought it might be fun.  It turned out to be quite an adventure and led to writing some regional television.

I was flexible, and it paid off as I discovered a talent for writing in a different medium.

I continued down the path as a writer, found myself an agent, and tried my hand at writing feature screenplays.  A few were well-received, so after I went to film school, I eventually moved to Los Angeles to chase that dream. read article

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie

how-to-be-awesomeChapter 53 – More on the Tween Front
by Leesa Dean

So I met with Kai yesterday. I’ve been SO busy, working till midnight most nights animating and in post, working on THE TOP SECRET project, but had promised him we’d get together to discuss the project we’re doing.

Before we got into it, we discussed the Disney buying Maker for $500 million news and, on the heels of that, AwesomenessTV buying Big Frame for $15 mil. Big Frame has more than 300 creator-run YouTube channels and more than 3.6 billion views to date. And it’s projected that together, AwesomenessTV and Big Frame will deliver 80 million subscribers and nearly 1 billion views a month.

Maker is huge and much bigger than Big Frame, but Big Frame has a couple of hit shows like DeStorm Power and Squaresville. AwesomenessTV, the digital media arm of Dreamworks Animation, was created by Brian Robbins, who’s an actor (among other things, he starred in Head of the Class), director and producer whose focus is mainly, you guessed it, tweens. Did a mention AwesomenessTV is also now a tv show on, where else, Nickelodeon. read article

John Ostrander: Whore to Culture & Other Working Relationships

john ostrander logoby John Ostrander

I’m over at Facebook a fair amount. I use it not just for friends and family, people I actually know, but also as a way to keep in touch with fans which I think is important. I try to give them a good personal experience with me because I value them; their support enables me to make a living as a writer. Some publishers have an interest in hiring me because they know I have my own fanbase.

So I post things and answer questions or notes – sort of like at a Con – and it’s nice. Most of the fans are very respectful; sometimes, maybe a little too respectful. There have been those who refer to me as “master”. I appreciate it as a token of respect but, to be honest, I’m uncomfortable with it. To my mind, I’m just a working guy and my work happens to be writing. It’s how I make my living – buy food, pay the bills, and so on.

I’m a professional writer and I take great pride in that; people pay money to read what I’ve written and, as I’ve said elsewhere, that’s something I’ve never taken for granted and never will. There’s a big demand on your dollar today (mine too) and if you spend the money on one thing chances are you aren’t spending it on another. Maybe if you buy a comic I’ve written you can’t buy some other comic. So it’s my job to make sure you get your money’s worth. read article

Peggy Bechko: 6 Things that Could be Keeping You from Writing Success

holding-backby Peggy Bechko

So, what holds you back? What keeps you from writing what you want to write, from getting it out there and being published? Recognizing what might be holding us back as writers could well be key in helping us to move forward.

You want to create worlds, right? Whole new places in space, time, and experience for readers to go. And readers, that’s the experience you’re in it for, right? Those new places, those new adventures.

Worthy goals to be sure. read article

munchman’s choice: “A push for more N.Y. ‘writers’ rooms'”

Welcome back for Day 2 of munchman Weekend. Are we having fun yet? Nevermind. Of course we are. And it continues with:

And now for some overlooked news of great relevance to writers living in New York who want to work in TV but don’t want to make the necessary step of moving to L.A. Some idiot’s actually trying to make your wrong-headed, totally ignorant non-move possible:

writersroomby Nicole Levy

When CBS bought the pilot she’d deliberately set in New York, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen had to negotiate with the network to staff the production in the city. read article