Stephanie Bourbon is the most watchable writing guru on YouTube today…and her tips are solid, helpful, and mostly painless as well. Don’t believe us? Take an eight and a half minute look and learn what you need.
Stephanie’s YouTube Channel is HERE
Former Larry Brody student Stephanie Olivieri Bourbon has found great success as a writer and illustrator. Now she’s branching out into video with a series of extremely helpful ones about – surprise! – writing and illustrating.
Latest News About Writers & Other Mostly Living Things That Are Doing Better Than We AreWhoa, first Love & Money since 2015. How time flies when you’re scaling the ladder to sucksess. Mama told me there’d be decades like this, but the Evil Angel of Ambition wouldn’t let yer friendly neighborhood munchero fly toward the light.
Well, WTF, this little muncher is still alive, well, and getting into as much trouble as possible. Now if only that $$$-grasping old gomer who calls himself LB would loosen his hold on that Black Card he pretends he isn’t carrying and pay me now and then, all would be almost right in this world.
Oh well. Onward and upward…and downward too. (We shouldn’t go in that last direction because it’s the kind of commentary that attracts lawyers just when you need them least – i.e. most of the time – but munchacockaderio here always had a soft spot for being slapped in the head.
MOST POSITIVE TV related bit this munchperson has heard in awhile (like since 2015) is that The Fabulous Furry Freakbrothers, one of my grandpa’s faves back in the early 1970s when his brain still worked well enough to let him muddle through pretending to read underground comix in his college’s student union, has been given the go-ahead for eight TV episodes on one or another of the thousand and six streaming or maybe even broadcast channels nobody ever watches next year.
Why is putting something this long past its prime selling date worth cheering about? Well, it’s a paycheck for writers Alan Cohen, Alan Freedland, John Altschuler and David Krinsky, who deserve to be working more than they’ve been. And of course there’s the Nostalgia thing . Now showbiz titans can wave this little green light around and say, “Who says we don’t make shows for old farts? Of course we do, see?”
AND HERE’S a positive thought for Stranger Things fans who’re crying in their CBD oil because Jim Hopper AKA actor David Harbour dies in Season three’s finale while helping close the gate between Upside Down and the real world. Harboureeno’s Stranger Things contract says they own him till the end of Season Four, which means a miraculous reappearance is in sight. At least till we read about him having been signed for a whole nuther Netflix series the Duffer Brothers are secretly finalizing Right This Very Moment.
What’s that you say? Munchenhaus should of warned you about the above spoiler? Fuck that. Real men don’t watch TV to be twiddled and twaddled around every badly plotted and unbelievable twist and turn of the storyline. We watch it so we can be amazed by how much better even the least impressive entertainment can be while we’re on pouring Johnny Walker down our over-aggressive throats. Man up, you snowflakes! (Heh, I originally typed “snotflakes.” Maybe I shouldn’t correct it next time.)
A+E NETWORKS AKA The Networks Formerly Known as A&E has promoted Patrick Vien to Group Managing Director of International. What does a Group Managing Director of Anything do over at A+E? Smart question, mein freunde. Good thing you asked the right dood. After a little digging, munchenheimer has discovered that Group Managing Directors oversee strategy in specific geographical areas where whatever group they’re part of “holds sway.” Yeppers, that’s what the PR person said. “Holds sway.” So now you know and we’re good here, yeah? As long as nobody asks what kind of strategy and WTF holds!#@ingsway means.
If you’re saying to yourself, “My friendly neighborhood munchadoodledoo dodged a pretty tricky bullet there,” you’re right. C’est la vie, n’est pas?
SPEAKING OF people being named Bosses, Netflix has named Jackie Lee-Joe its (their?) Chief Marketing Officer. For those not in the know (yes, I’m so sad for you not being as inhipandfriendly as moi), Jackie Lee-Joe is in fact a woman (probably even a CIS woman) no matter what her name suggests. Another victim of POS – Parental Overcuteness Syndrome, not that other phrase this acronym usually means – perhaps?
Anyway, Ms Lee-Joe used to be CMO AKA Chief Marketing Officer at BBC, where quality instead of marketing or sales has always been the name of the game, so arriving at a company where despite all appearances insiders know damn well that marketingmarketingmarketing rulez definitely is a big step up for her.
Chloe Dan is out as Senior Vice President of Drama at 20th Century Fox TV after two years on the job. Rumors say she was let go before her contract was up, but so many different reasons have been given for why she was shitcanned that the gossip seems as likely to be malicious as it is to be true.
Ah, Hollywood! A place where everybody’s a high school mean girl regardless of age, gender, job description (or acronym), or personal preference. Consider yourselves warned, children! Stay on the interwebs, where nobody has any reason to try and screw with you because you work for free just like me!
According to various sources, Edward Sabin of A+E Networks (you remember them, yaz?) has decided to leave his gig as Co-Executive Managing Director, International, his partner in co-ness having been none other than Patrick Vien, whom you also should remember considering that his name came up only about 700ish words ago.
The press release about this event seemingly having been written by the A+E powers that be, all we know is that Monsieur Sabin has departed to launch a new business. Sounds like a dood who could need some cheering up. Whaddaya say we all chip in and take him to The Original Pantry? After all, Google gives the place 4 1/2 stars. Have your people contact my people to make this fine thing happen.
That’s it for now, munchalados. Don’t forget to write in and tell yers truly of any and all showbizjj-related positional changes in yer life. Cuz yer fave TVWriter™ Influencer can’t wait to writewritewrite the next episode of this column on accounta I lurves me every chance I get to work for -goddammit – free!
Looks like we at TVWriter™ aren’t the only ones lovin’ on TVWriter™ alum writer/editor Herbie J Pilato’s new Amazon Prime series Then Again with Herbie J Pilato. Here’s one of the most enjoyable articles we’ve read in a long time.
Go Herbie J!
Amazon Prime has recently become home to Then Again with Herbie J Pilato. Hosted by Herbie J Pilato (a prolific historian of popular culture), each episode is a discussion with legendary figures of television and film about a specific show. The first season is still rolling out on Amazon Prime but it will have three episodes dedicated to old school science fiction, fantasy, or related genre shows. Of these three specific episodes, one features Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott, and David Selby of Dark Shadows (1966 – 1971); another stars Robert Conrad of The Wild Wild West (1965 – 1969); and the third features Burt Ward of Batman (1966 – 1969).
More Than Nostalgia: Understanding Entertainment Escapism
One of the many things that stood out to me about this series is that in an era of never-ending reboots and sequels, fans rarely get a moment to reflect on and thoroughly explore what shows in the 1960s and 70s were like. In addition to Then Again with Herbie J Pilato offering a nostalgia trip, it is also dedicated to exploring why certain television programs have stood the test of time. As Herbie J Pilato explained, “Beyond the homespun/nostalgic element of classic TV shows, there is a certain clarity in their presentation. The storytelling has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and most of those endings are happy. The characters are more distinguished from one another; more defined. They don’t all look alike, sound alike, or act alike, which is the case with much of new TV shows. The majority of classic TV characters are not sarcastic, mean-spirited, or edgy, as they are today. And when it comes to the actors and their performances on the classic series, the likability factor is huge.”
Building on Pilato’s words, Joel Eisenberg (one of Then Again’s executive producers) added that the show’s that Pilato is covering have remained important because they represent pure escapism that many wanted in entertainment during the 60s and 70s. “The shows we feature from our first season were from the 60s and 70s. Turbo-charged times that called for escapism in its entertainment,” Joel explained to ScifiPulse. “The shows we’ve featured still stand out as they remain some of the most purely entertaining shows on TV.”
Yeah, that’s it, baby. Aural, as in “of the ear.” Whether you call them audio series or audio dramas or entertainment podcasts, scripted series of the type that once dominated the airwaves way back when your grandparents were kids are in the midst of a rebirth, and we’re glad to see it.
Podimo, a Copenhagen-based startup building what it hopes will become Europe’s “Netflix for podcasts,” has raised €6 million in seed funding prior to launch. The round is co-led by Germany’s E.ventures and Denmark’s Heartcore, reflecting the young company’s two planned country launches later this year.
Founded by Morten Strunge, who has a track record in subscription media products via audio books service Mofibo (which he sold to Storytel), Podimo is hoping to capitalise on the rise in consumption in podcasts. Ambitiously, this will include both a free and paid version of its product, with the aim of creating a reliable revenue stream for podcast producers. The startup’s other founders are Nikolaj Koppel, Andreas Sachse and Sverre Dueholm.
“Podcasts have finally come of age and we are seeing a lot of demand for audio content globally across many different demographics,” Strunge tells me. “Consumers are increasingly looking for premium, ad-free services and we see a huge potential in the podcasting space.”
The Podimo app has been designed to provide a “superior experience” in discovery and recommendation compared to existing podcast streaming and download services. The idea, says Strunge, is to make it as seamless and easy as possible to find your next podcast.
“We believe that with the fast increasing amount of podcasts available, curation and discovery becomes more and more important to both unfold content in a relevant context and to the right individual user, which will benefit both podcast creators and consumers,” he says.
By launching a freemium model, where a paid version provides unlimited listening and features, Strunge believes there is an opportunity to work closely with podcast creators to strengthen the podcast ecosystem and make it less reliant on advertising revenue. “We want to become the preferred partner for creators, by both working closely with their content, curate and match it with each individual user, but also by offering a superior monetisation model,” he explains….
Are you writing a podcast series? The PEOPLE’S PILOT 2019 Spec Pilot Competition wants you!
ReviewGeek.Com is looking for a few experienced writers to join their team on a freelance basis. We’re talking about a technology website focusing on saving everybody time and money when it comes to picking the best and most suitable “toys” to shell out hard-earned money on.
The site puts it this way:
Whether you’re standing in a store aisle debating between products on the shelf or shopping in bed with your phone, we’re here with the best recommendations, tips, and guides. We pore over every new product so you can quickly find the best fit for your needs and lifestyle instead of wasting your free time sifting through endless reviews, comparisons, and comments.
Review Geek’ pay scale starts at $100/article, and their ideal candidates “can contribute four or five articles ” a week ranging from 800 to 1600 words each.
Clearly, this is an entry-level gig, but, hey, if you get it, you’ll definitely be able to smile at yourself in the mirror and go, “I’m really a writer!” or “Yeah, baby!” or whatever it takes to get you through the day.
Interested? Just about everything you need to know, including the specific requirements and how to apply, is HERE
As usual, we’re reporting, not recommending. If you follow up, please let us know how the experience went, and if you get the job, don’t forget to tell us so we can enjoy your good fortune with you.
Break a leg!
