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Standards and Practices Jan 18, 2007

Show notes

I have a friend, actually, I do, this part is true, who currently has a show on the air, and in a recent episode, they had a joke that was a bit too risqué, a bit too explicit for network television. Now what happens in this case is, usually, the joke appears in the table draft, which the actors read at the table reading, which is attended by about sixty thousand people from the network and the studio, all of whom gather in little clumps afterwards to think things over and decide exactly which parts of the script were the funniest, freshest, and most lively, and then ask for these specific parts to be removed...

Getting Things Done Jan 04, 2007

Show notes

For the past week I've been reading an excellent book called Getting Things Done by a very interesting guy named David Allen. The book's title sort of gives it all away: it's a book about, well, Getting Things Done, and it's a pretty thorough, compelling system for organizing your life and work for maximum productivity...

We're Cranking! Dec 21, 2006

Show notes

For the next, oh, ten seconds, I'm going to be lying to you... The script? It's going really well. It's basically done, we're just tweaking things here and there and trying to get it down to a tight 40 pages. You should be getting it very soon. Really, you know, in the next couple of…you know…just in the next…you know, sooner rather than later, of course. Of course. Seriously. We're cranking on it...

Don't Invest Dec 14, 2006

Show notes

We're halfway through a script -- it's going pretty well, it's funny and different and, oddly, fun to write, and I turn to my writing partner and say, "You know, this is really good. I really like this script. It reminds me of the first play we wrote together, back when we were I college. What I really like about it is...

Passion Project Dec 07, 2006

Show notes

Every now and then I make the mistake of reading an essay by a writer writing about writing. I know you've all read this kind of thing before. It goes, "The craft of writing -- and I call it a craft, not an art, for there is too much an element of joinery and carpentry to be pure art -- but it's an ancient craft, the craft of the shaman in the fire circle, the troubadour, the world creator"...

Why Are You Here? Nov 23, 2006

Show notes

I ran into a guy last week, in the waiting area of a big TV network. He was there to pitch a show, which was odd, because up until that moment, I had been pretty sure he was out of the business...

Change It All Around Nov 16, 2006

Show notes

A few years ago, we had a show on the air and we were stuck writing an advice scene. You know what I mean: main character is in some kind of quandary, goes to another set somewhere where a colorful supporting character is often found, asks colorful supporting character for advice, which is given, in interesting and amusing dialogue, thus preparing the way for the conclusion and resolution of the quandary...

Don't Lose Your Soul Nov 09, 2006

Show notes

Year ago, when a friend of mine was leaving his small town in Missouri to drive to Hollywood, to be an actor, his mother hugged him good bye and said, "Don't lose your soul."...

Merchant Banking Nov 02, 2006

Show notes

When I tell people that I write television comedy -- actually, that's a bit of a lie: I never tell people what I do for a living, if I can help it. When people ask -- on a plane, or in some kind of casual never-going-to-see-the-person-again situation -- I almost always say, "I'm a merchant banker," which leads to precisely zero follow-up questions. I mean, when you tell someone you're a merchant banker, they don't then ask, "Oh, have you worked on any private equity deals I might have heard of?" And they don't say, "You know what's wrong with the capital markets? Let me tell you... " and they especially don't ever say, "You know what would be a great private equity deal? My life! Seriously! You should come to my office and meet my co-workers and then do a private equity round of early-investment financing with them!"...

Zoom Up Oct 26, 2006

Show notes

I only know one way to pitch a show, and that's to pitch the story of the pilot. That, of course, is how the audience is going to experience it -- and they, ultimately, are going to decide whether to stick around or see if there's a CSI on somewhere, and there is, there always is -- so when it comes time to pitch a show, we usually go in, sit down, and tell a story...

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