For the last year or so I've been developing and writing a six part, 30 minute comedy series. I've got three episodes in the latter draft stages and three at first draft.
One of the principle characters was written with a particular actor in mind and I felt confident enough to send him the pilot episode after I'd made contact with him on Facebook. After about a week he replied to say he thought it was funny, he liked it and if I were to approach a production company I could tell them that he was onboard. This is the first time I've ever sent anything out, so I was pretty gobsmacked. He also gave me some really useful feedback and it was clear that he got the whole concept.
He is out of the country until later this year and one thing I don't want to do is pester him. And if I'm honest I'm scared of him!!!

So, can anyone please advise me what the hell to do next? Everywhere I look the doors are closed!!

Cheers guys!

How are the doors closed? What have you tried so far?

To have talent on board is very helpful - and if he's someone Prod Co's are interested in will certainly ease the way.

'Who is the actor?

Quote: Lazzard @ 19th January 2015, 12:31 PM GMT

How are the doors closed? What have you tried so far?

To have talent on board is very helpful - and if he's someone Prod Co's are interested in will certainly ease the way.

View original

I've not sent the script to any Prod co's yet but there lies the problem. I am a newbie, so obviously anything I send out will be unsolicited. How do I make it a 'solicited' ?

From the research I've done there doesn't seem to be many avenues for newbies. I'm aware of the BBC Writers Room but that's it.

Quote: Marc P @ 19th January 2015, 12:55 PM GMT

'Who is the actor?

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At this stage I'd rather not say. It's still early...

What these guys don't want is piles of scripts - often written in crayon - blocking up their letter box/inbox.
Do some research first - don't blanket mail - try to show them you know what they do and how their skill-set might be right for your idea.
Tell them who it is that has expressed interest - include their positive comments - and give them a brief summary of the idea.
Then ask if you could send them the script.
I reckon you'll get a fairly good pick-up rate.
But don't bullshit them about the actor - they'll be able to check!

You might consider a literary agent.
I got mine because an actor had shown interest in something I'd written, and the sniff of a possible earner hooked him.

Good luck.

Quote: Dr Feelgood @ 19th January 2015, 2:02 PM GMT

I've not sent the script to any Prod co's yet but there lies the problem. I am a newbie, so obviously anything I send out will be unsolicited. How do I make it a 'solicited' ?

From the research I've done there doesn't seem to be many avenues for newbies. I'm aware of the BBC Writers Room but that's it.

At this stage I'd rather not say. It's still early...

View original

If he's getting you the gig you will have to say at some stage. I would be a bit wary of attaching talent to a project ahead of it is all I would say. (Can kill the deal before its even started!) Speak to an agent first. Actors, like some writers ahem, are basically just whores for hire, the bigger the actor the bigger the fee is all A lot of actors will just take the work and if he is just saying mention my name I'm on board, is really just the same as saying attach me without any involvement on my part.

The main thing here is don't be scared of him. He is just a person, and if he is interested then make him demonstrate that interest a bit more professionally than he has. Again tough love but - actors are sometimes driven by ego and money making - not necessarily by artistic sensibility. If you don;t believe me watch a television programme tonight. It is also true that the better the actor, the more confident he/she is, less ego driven and far more likely to have a meaningful discussion with you.

Be your own producer here - if you have serious talent attracted to the work, you can make it happen at least to the next step. The catch 22 is for dweebs. Step up and take the opportunity, find out what is what!

That really is some great advice, thank you both.

I will keep you posted!

Best of luck with it. Has the actor done sitcom before?

Can we have a guess at the actor?

Quote: Dr Feelgood @ 19th January 2015, 3:25 PM GMT

That really is some great advice, thank you both.

I will keep you posted!

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Do that.

Like your name - are you a fan?

Send your script - explaining the attention it's attracted - to some agents. This week.

If the talent is someone commissioners are interested in, they'll at least give you a meeting.

Don't send anything... pick up the phone and speak to people first.

Not all Mr Writer. Everybody sends in letters. Make some calls find things out first is my advice, to whom to send etc. Not picking on you sorry if that seems so, I disagree a lot with some of the advice on here and jump in, but I am an equal opportunities twat in that regard

Nobody is going to jump up and down about a spec script sent in where the writer says a famous actor wants to do it. Production companies work with famous actors all the time - they make them famous after all. Secondly they would want to know why the famous actor didn't approach them with project. Thirdly most won't even get that far because it will have been filtered out before the person who should be looking at it does - that is the nature of the beast. And unfortunately for us all - rightly so. Producers, unless they know someone, will treat scripts with 'names' attached from unknown and unsolicited writers with a degree of scepticism, because they would expect such approaches to come from agents, professionals like themselves or the actor himself.

The best pitch is always a prepared pitch. Your script is unsolicited but you can at least try to get some solicitation to it before presenting it unheralded through a letterbox to a script disposal factory. Which is what the BBC and most production companies are with regard to unsolicited material - they just don't get read.

If you have a bit of a USB a bit of added value, make it work for you. Network, speak to people (INCLUDING THE ACTOR!) maybe the actors agent, if the actor had been in a sitcom before, find out about that company.

99 percent of all sitcoms ever made were not made by a script sent in on spec.
This is a true statistic. People are people, and people buy people before they buy product. So speak to people, the idea of the writer in a garrett being discovered is just wrong nowadays. I have been a hermit now for some years and I can tell you it is no way to get work!

Congratulations!

Sounds like I should fire up Facebook and touch base with Eric Bana, Reece Shearsmith and that coloured bird off of Archer.

I once had a chat with an actor who seemed very interested in an script I'd written. I sent him the stuff we had talked about and he didn't respond. I chased it up a couple of times and didn't ever get a response. Not even a thanks but no thanks.

I had another experience where a potential opportunity was celebrity led and I ended up losing out because I handled it badly.

For me, naivety = very burnt fingers. My advice to you is to take advice from those who have experience, like Marc.