Not unlike business plans, it seems like one needs to have a “social media plan” these days. In the past year, many people I know have abandoned Twitter or left Facebook or joined Instagram. And I seem to be in the midst of that periodic flurry of people following me on Twitter or giving me a long treatise about why they want to connect with me on LinkedIn. So for future edification, but mainly for…
Earlier this week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka the people behind the Oscars) announced they were adding a “Best Popular Movie” category. (I mean, it’ll probably be called “most bestest outstanding achievement in popular film” or something like that, but you know what I mean). On the one hand, it’s their awards and award process, so change away. On the other hand, why shouldn’t they tweak and adjust and change their…
For the past few weeks, I’ve been handling the catering orders for our Jabberwocky Audio Theater recording sessions and revisited one of my life’s perennial sources of both comedy and drama. People get flustered with my name. This, in and of itself, is not an issue. It’s more when people seem to feel that I somehow picked this name just to make their lives more difficult is where it gets annoying. All of you with “odd” names…
Most of the creatives I know instinctively want an audience. When they think about why, the immediate answers of “someone who likes my work” or “someone who buys my stuff” are natural. I mean, what’s not to like about emotional and financial validation? Bring forth the audience! But building an audience is hard. In fact, it’s something of a slog — a seemingly Sisyphean slog (which I’m experiencing first-hand as I try and build an audience for…
If you’re a regular listener of Scriptnotes, you’ll know that the hosts (especially Craig Mazin) have little time for screenwriting “gurus.” So you probably won’t be surprised by the this article by Stephen Galloway that was in The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week all about the high cost and non-return of many a “pitch fest” held in New York and L.A.
Regular readers of this blog may recall that I often post about both the future of TV and Netflix in particular. So of course I was interested in Daniel D’Addario’s piece in Variety about both Netflix and Amazon pitching their visions of streaming futures at the TCA press tour. Enjoy the speculation.
I know I’m not the only one who grew up collecting movie and TV soundtracks… and the opening themes of many works retain an almost Pavlovian response on me (and I’ve also tested this on my kids in the name of parent science: the Fraggle Rock theme still works). So naturally, I thought of the memorable Doctor Who theme what with the current sweepstakes I’m participating in (as Jabberwocky Audio Theater). Josh Jones over at…
One of the biggest things an indie writer needs to do is to build their audience. Furiously hard-working scribe and publisher Russell Nohelty has been trying to figure out ways to do that — and share what he knows. You may remember me talking about him and his efforts to help you sell your soul last year. Well, fast forward to this year and my main outlet of writing is, of course, Jabberwocky Audio Theater.…
In these here United States, it’s Independence Day! Because October 19th is a ways off and it’s not as socially acceptable to shoot off fireworks then. So before you go re-watch President Whitmore give the aliens what for, why not enjoy this staging by the National Archives?
I’m currently reading Brian Jay Jones’ biography of Jim Henson, so it I came across this video about current Sesame Street muppeteers at just the right time. Enjoy!