Pitching one project is hard enough, what the hell makes me think I can get four projects ready to pitch before summer? Not sure how that sounds to you, but it's (NUTZ) definitely a challenge. I sometimes get a wild hair up my backside and try to tackle nearly impossible tasks.
Why these four stories and why now?
When I wrote the first draft of Monarch back in 2010 I was frustrated with screenwriting. Once I left LA in 2001, I also lost touch with my contacts. Not like I had a rich vein of them or anything, but I knew enough people that had I stayed I could have fostered those relationships.
By 2009 I had grown tired of the Atlanta film scene as well. The tax breaks were new but my frustrations were not, and at that time all the projects were imported from LA and the talent in the ATL was not taken seriously. So, once I released Monarch, I decided to only work on screenwriting projects with other screenwriters. Hoping that they might bring connections that might help us get our projects in the right hands.
I met and worked with some amazing people over the past decade. During that time, I worked on nearly a dozen screenwriting projects. Even had a script that I worked on optioned by Tony Kaye (American History X). Many of those projects were collaborations with a number of brilliant writers.
It wasn't until the pandemic started that I actually worked on my first solo screenwriting project in thirteen years. A story that I had been marinating for nearly a decade.
That brings us to the four screenwriting projects that I am currently working on.
* Project #1 - My precious. A mini-series that was once a two-hour movie script. I have hidden this one away from the world for well over a decade. I actually started to write it as a novel series. The success of streaming services had me reenvision it as a six-part mini-series instead.
* Project #2 - Another older story that I liked so much that, in this case, I actually did write it as a novel series. Writing a screenplay is one thing, writing a novel based off of a screenplay is something else altogether. I have yet to do all the necessary rewrites on the novel series, which has bugged me. It is also why I have added it to my list of summer writing projects. This is the project from which Michaelmas originated. I have tried to make this project as timeless as possible so that no matter how long it takes to get in front of people it will still be relatable and won't be dated.
* Project #3 - This project is a collaboration that started off as something completely different than what it has become. It was originally meant to be a project that could be filmed here in Georgia on a shoestring budget. We wrote this in 2016. By 2017 I was busy working on three literary projects. It wasn't until 2019 that we started to work on this series, incorporating some of the work we had done back in 2016. We worked with a manager for nearly a year on polishing this story. She's ready to go, but the bible needs a polish.
* Project #4 - The Super Series. Three seasons wrapped into one intense season of awesomeness. This new vision to the series came about last summer as I was thinking of the third season for the series. It was then that I realized that I could use the third story as the central focus of a double-feature pilot to maximize the WOW factor. The whole idea about merging these was to give the entire season a WOW factor. To make each episode must-watch TV. I want each episode to feel like a stand-alone movie that people will want to rewatch over and over again. With easter eggs and cameos and a unique style that will make it stand apart from other series.
All four of these projects mean the world to me. And I write not to get paid but to tell good stories that I would want to watch. And I would watch all four of these TV Series because they offer what I like to watch.
Project #1 spans decades and blends sci-fi and horror thrills. I often try and think about the future through my writing and this tale was one of the first stories that I did that. Plus, there are current events that parallel events in this story, which I saw coming over a decade ago.
Project #2 is a proper sci-fi/horror anthology series, with seven 30-minute episodes. If you like Creepshow and Jumanji, then brother this is the series you don't want to miss.
Project #3 is another one of those stories where I sat down and thought about the future. Where Project #1 spans decades, this tale is set in the future and deals with survival in an Apocalyptic landscape.
Project #4 is the culmination of all that I have learned as a writer, with my penchant for blending tales together to create a more dynamic overall tale. The world build I did on this last fall helped relight my creative spirit. I will be ready to pitch this tale three different ways: As the Super Series, or using two of the separate pilots to pitch those two seasons on their own merits. I want to start by pitching it as the Super Series, but then be able to pivot, if necessary, to show how it can actually also be done as a more traditional type where you do one storyline per season. The only real change would be that the way the Super Series sets up the third story would have to change.
For me to be ready by my self-imposed deadline of April 15th, I will have a lot of work to do. Having all four ready to pitch is the plan. However, because there is loads of work to do between now and then, and I do intend on querying and pitching people this spring, I am willing to adjust based on where things stand. If I have to begin the query process with only two series ready to go, so be it.
I am also willing to streamline the pitch packages at this point. What I may be willing to sacrifice are two bibles for the older projects. While I still need to complete them, I know these projects like the back of my hand. And if I cannot complete them during the next two weeks, then I may push forward with pitching them anyway. A bible is a detailed breakdown of the entire series.
Having a bible, a solid pilot, a killer logline, a synopsis, an elevator pitch, and a project pitch for all four series is the main objective. I will query and pitch this spring. How many projects I pitch this spring will depend on these next four weeks.
