"90% of all development deals are bullshit. They post an article w/ your pic and it doesn't mean anything."
A few years ago a more seasoned writer was talking to me about development. He said that it was fine but not something to chase. It wasn't a big deal and -often- it was a trap. He said that so many young writers get development deals that pay them money upfront. The agent gets money, some attention, and then they are sent to development hell. They spend years fiddling around with a project no one is going to make. On the off-chance they do manage to get through hell, they won't be given a green light until they find a showrunner, and few showrunners want to take on an inexperienced writer. When the writer then tries to just get staffed, they have a black mark against them: they have no track record. Even worse...they're old news.
I told the writer that I knew of success stories, but I was assured that those were a very small percentage. Lighting in a bottle. He said it was better to get experience. The real development isn't in practice. The real development is doing the actual thing. Theatre suffers from the same problem: young writers get workshopped to death, but the real growth happens in actual productions. He said the most important thing is to get on a show. It's better to do 'the thing.' When the time comes, you can sign on to a project without any babysitters or nannies.
I think about how many tv writers and playwrights are nannied to death, smothered by the good intention of safety measures. Our arts would be better if we allowed young writers to take the training wheels off. Fail and fail again...until you fly.
A few years ago a more seasoned writer was talking to me about development. He said that it was fine but not something to chase. It wasn't a big deal and -often- it was a trap. He said that so many young writers get development deals that pay them money upfront. The agent gets money, some attention, and then they are sent to development hell. They spend years fiddling around with a project no one is going to make. On the off-chance they do manage to get through hell, they won't be given a green light until they find a showrunner, and few showrunners want to take on an inexperienced writer. When the writer then tries to just get staffed, they have a black mark against them: they have no track record. Even worse...they're old news.
I told the writer that I knew of success stories, but I was assured that those were a very small percentage. Lighting in a bottle. He said it was better to get experience. The real development isn't in practice. The real development is doing the actual thing. Theatre suffers from the same problem: young writers get workshopped to death, but the real growth happens in actual productions. He said the most important thing is to get on a show. It's better to do 'the thing.' When the time comes, you can sign on to a project without any babysitters or nannies.
I think about how many tv writers and playwrights are nannied to death, smothered by the good intention of safety measures. Our arts would be better if we allowed young writers to take the training wheels off. Fail and fail again...until you fly.
1 comment:
Just wanted to let you know that today's comment on Artistic Development, and your last comment on Arts and Salesmanship, are both directly on the mark. Great insights into our artistical dilemma of how to move forward in a world where everything in monetized--which is why there are endless development workshops in theater, so often for a fee. Compliments. DJG.
Post a Comment