Tag: Larry Brody

Phoef Sutton – Writer for CHEERS, BOSTON LEGAL, TERRIERS – Speaks!

We’re in awe of this dood’s bio. Yeppers, Phoef is a dood. We think that’s very cool too. Anyway:

phoef-sutton-and-friend

by Daniel S. Boucher

Mini-Bio

Phoef Sutton was born in Washington DC. He cut his eye teeth as a playwright, but first made a living as a writer in TV. He worked on the classic NBC series CHEERS for eight years, and went on to write movies (THE FAN, MRS. WINTERBOURNE) and also serve as consulting producer and writer for BOSTON LEGAL and TERRIERS. He lives in South Pasadena, CA and Vinalhaven ME with his wife and two daughters. read article

Herbie J. Pilato: The Brady Bunch is Still the Best – and Here’s (the Story) Why

TSDBRBU EC004 by Herbie J Pilato

What first aired from the fall of 1969 to the spring of 1973 as ABC’s original half-hour family sitcom (created by executive producer Sherwood Schwartz – of Gilligan’s Island) has transmuted over the decades into syndicated reruns; with sequels, retrospectives and remakes on additional networks (CBS and NBC); for the big-screen and small; with DVD releases; on the live stage or the printed page; and certainly online.

First there was animated sequel, The Brady Kids (ABC, 1973)…followed by The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (ABC, 1976)…which gave birth to The Brady Girls Get Married (NBC, 1981)….

which led to The Brady Brides (NBC, 1981)…and then onto A Very Brady Christmas (1988)…which morphed into the serious-mindedThe Bradys (1990)…followed a few years later by the first feature film, The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)….and the subsequent big-screener A Very Brady Sequel (1996); then straight-to-video with The Brady Bunch in the White House…along with additional incarnations. read article

Kathy tries Amazon Storyteller

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Sorry, Kids. This Storyboard Page is NOT from Storyteller.

by Kathy Fuller

First things first–everyone writes differently. Everyone creates differently. Everyone finds certain storytelling tools useful, others about as valuable as used toilet paper. Taking that into consideration, here is my experience with Amazon Storyteller and why I won’t be using it again.

I decided to take a short story I recently self-pubbed, make it into a script, and upload it to Amazon Studios. Yeah, I know a “successful” script is a lot longer than sixteen pages (just like I know .99 is a lot to charge for 9 pages of story), but this is an experiment and I’m trying to figure out how this all works, including self-publishing. Better to mangle a few pages than a whole novel/script. Plus this story had been e-pubbed way back in 2000 before Amazon took over the world, so I didn’t have a problem using it as my guinea pig.

572dd52b08c105e058dcaef04cf7c11dStill, I privately submitted the script, describing it as a short film based on a short story. Amazon will look at the premise and evaluate it, then contact me if they’re interested. Since I’m 100% sure they won’t be, I’m not worried about it. read article

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 6/11/13

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are

  • Grant Dekernion (newbie!) has sold a new animatged comedy to FXX, a new spinoff network from FX. The show is about a gay white rapper recently released from prison and searching for redemption. (Newbie sells series about gay rapper? Why didn’t we think of that ourselves? D-d-d-dang.)
  • Roberto Orci (STAR TREK reboot and more) has written the pilot for a drama described as “a Latino James Bond” for the El Rey network, also a new spinoff, this one from parent company Univision. The series is about a soccer star/playboy who doubles as a spy and has already been green-lighted for production. (This one’s live action…although we’re sensing a certain animation type vibe.)
  • Amy Holden Jones (MYSTIC PIZZA) has sold THE BLACK BOX to ABC with an initial order of 13 episodes. The drama series follows a famed neuroscientist who struggles with mental illness. (How does she struggle? Does she know karate? Kung fu? Sorry, we’re just crazy, zany verb fetishists at heart.)
  • John Eisendrath (the upcoming series THE BLACKLIST) will be showrunner of THE BLACK BOX when it goes into production. (Cuz he’s really good in the room, we suppose. Although we have to admit to being impressed by his credit on FELICITY, which often seemed to be about mental illness, didn’t it?)
  • Tony Tost (LONGMIRE) is writing HEARTLAND TRUCKING, a drama pilot for Showtime about, you know truckers. Oh, and mobsters too. (Tost is very hot now due to the almost-success of LONGMIRE. We just hope that HEARTLAND TRUCKING will have a hero under 60…because LONGMIRE doesn’t, see, and…never mind.)

LB: Where I Write – Oh, and Why

Glad You Asked Department 6/10/13

question_ditkoAbout a week and a half ago, the lovely and talented Peggy Bechko wrote a blog article that we picked up and re-posted here at TVWriter™ in which answered the oft-asked question, “Where do you write?”

Until I read that, I had no idea that readers/viewers/fans cared where writers did their writing. I mean, I’ve sure never cared where other people write, or eat, or sleep, or have sex, or satisfy any of their other basic needs in life.

And as soon as that reaction equating writing to the basic needs of life sprang into my consciousness I realized that of course I should care about where writers write, and I should share it too. Because if, like me, you’re one of those people for whom writing is an absolute necessity, a primal urge that can’t be contained, you need all the knowledge you can get about how to best, um, satisfy that urge. read article