Sci Fi

Well, I've worked a week now at the Sci Fi Channel and it has been very educational. Cable television is a very interesting world, similar to the national networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.), but also very different. The people in my office are very friendly and casual (we wear jeans regularly). Though they are also very busy people.

The development office is divided between alternative development (animated, reality shows, and late night) and scripted development (normal 1-hour stories). There are four development executives that work with production companies to create various shows on the Sci Fi Channel, such as: Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, Stargate: Atlantis, Dresden Files, etc. Currently I work mostly with the alternative side, assisting the executives with their organization of shows like Who Wants To Be A Superhero, Ghost Hunters, Destination: Truth, etc. I'd rather be doing more in scripted, but I'm still thankful for the experience I'm getting. I may soon work more on that side, but most of the production of those shows are in British Columbia so there's not much chance of getting closer to the production.

However, last week I did get to walk around on the set of Who Wants To Be A Superhero. It was very interesting watching the dozens of people that are needed to successfully pull off a reality show... Yesterday I also sat in on a video conference meeting with our staff in L.A. and the New York Sci Fi staff (who mostly handle promotions and marketing). It was strange sitting at a long table and watching a video screen of a room full of other people at a long table who were 3 time zones away!

I've been able to watch shows that have not aired yet and read scripts for shows that won't air for another 6 months! I also get to read scripts for potential shows/movies that the network is considering; giving my own notes and thoughts on the various projects. Most importantly, I'm learning how this business works. Even my supervisor (an assistant who is probably 23 years old - yes, humbling) doesn't know how everything works. But every day I pick up a new term or a new understanding of the TV arena. I'm glad to be working in TV for now. Film projects may be a part of my future, but there are great advantages in TV as well.

One of the biggest changes I've made has been learning to do without my car... With gas prices ridiculously high out here, we're trying do drive as little as possible. Thankfully, my office building is just across the street from a subway station. So I leave each morning at 6:45AM and catch a bus outside our apartment - to a commuter train at 7:18AM - to Union Station in LA where I get on the subway that takes me to Universal City, arriving around 8:25AM. I'm usually there before most everyone else. The mornings have been fairly quite, so I usually get to read or catch up on shows I'm unfamiliar with. But the afternoons are normally crazy: making dvd duplicates, revising documents, always something different. They say I can sit in on pitches soon - that will be cool!

Though I'm usually gone 12-14 hours each day, this is a valuable experience that many people would love to have. I am hoping to write a few spec scripts for Battlestar and Atlantis. Since I have direct access to the execs who run these shows, there's a possibility this could lead to a meeting with writers or even my script getting picked up... Who knows... More soon!

Desert towns and tall buildings

Last week I took a road trip with my good friend Jacob Roebuck and another friend, Dave. We traveled east to Roswell, New Mexico. The purpose of the trip was to scout locations for an upcoming film project that I am writing called, "Coyote County Loser". It was a productive trip where we took many pictures of various locations, brainstormed story and plot formation, and made valuable contacts with the locals. The story is set in a small desert town, so since Jacob's inlaws live there (and are extremely hospitable to all) he thought it would make for a worthy and cost-effective production location.

It is always a joy to visit Roswell and Jacob's inlaws, Bill and Polly Hartman. There is something about the desert that excites and inspires me... We also stopped in Tucson at the home of Polly's sister, Ann. She lives in an adobe house on the edge of the Saguaro National Park, so we woke up the next day to a beautiful (though harsh and dangerous) landscape of brush and cactus. Writing this screenplay has been really fun and I'm excited about the project, but I'm also not sure what is going to come of my upcoming internship at the SCI FI Channel. If another opportunity does not present itself when my intership is through, then I will devote the rest of this year to helping produce the film with Jacob. He is the driving force behind producing this film, but I'm hoping that I can stay involved to the end as well.

Speaking of the internship, I drove by the NBC/Universal building where I will be working (as SCI FI Channel is owned by NBC/Uni). It is in Universal City in the middle of Hollywood. The building is near the Universal Studios and is about 30 stories tall! I was quite impressed and intimidated at the site of it. Supposedly, much of the NBC/Universal corporate activity is centralized in this building, so I will be in the thick of one of the world's largest media giants... pretty cool. I begin there at SCI FI on Wednesday and I'm not quite sure what to expect. But they always seem excited about my coming when I speak to them on the phone. Obviously, there will be a blog soon about my entrance into this entertainment machine.

Another fun thing that happened this weekend (while Jenny has been visiting Arkansas) is that an article written by my wife has been posted to a new online women's magazine called ZIA. I'm very proud of her as it is a well-written article, and already there has been great feedback about it from readers! Here is the link.
http://www.ziamag.com/index.php/zia/story/the_demise_of_prince_charming/

Well, we're still loving California as it slowly-but-surely continues to feel more like home. Hopefully I'll have energy at the end of this coming week to give an update on the intrigues of working at a national cable TV network!