TICK… TOCK. THE WAITING GAME

Time, they say, is the great equalizer.  And now, panting and sweating, I watch the dust settle as my various efforts begin the necessary (albeit excrutiating) gestation period.

This is where the crocodile-skin ego comes in handy as the inevitable false-leads, brush-offs, empty promises and outright rejections begin to appear.  This is also, however, when the good stuff really starts.

I’m expecting a letter any day from the Academy in regards to the Nicholl Fellowship Competition informing me of whether or not I’ve made the quarter-finals.  And yes, I’ve been checking my mailbox three times-a-day.

I’m waiting for Collingwood’s lawyer to return from summer vacation so we can get the ‘LUCIDITY’ deal signed.  I’m presuming re-writes will commence shortly thereafter.

No news from the heavy-hitters south of the border as yet, but they’re on their clock, not mine.  That’ll change if ‘DYNAMO’ manages a quarter-final berth in the Nicholls, though.
The various other leads I’ve been chasing so far this summer all seem to be culminating in pitches, development meetings, readings and such, all as likely to put me on the map as not.  Yet, despite the fact that I’ve currently done all I can do with both scripts, there remains the uncontrollable element, the bitter variable of good or bad luck, which, for all my hard-work and savvy can leave me feeling quite helpless.  The cure?

There is non.  I’m just the writer.  The writer struggling to befriend the beast that could lift me on its shoulders just as easily as it could rip me in half like a phonebook.  This is where the men are separated from the boys, the amateurs from the pros.

This is were I keep writing.

In the words of William Saroyan,  “The writer who is a real writer is a rebel who never stops.”  

My non-business email address is rebelwriter@hotmail.com to remind me.

On that note, I’m happy to announce that I’ve begun research on a new project.  Until I’ve finished and registered a first draft, I’m afraid it’s going to remain under wraps, but I feel very excited about the project.  Like ‘DYNAMO’, it’s a true story set against the backdrop of WWII (one that’s actually been told as both a book and a film years ago, but is ready for a fresh, contemporary re-telling)

I wanted to follow ‘DYNAMO’ with another ‘big’ story (time, space and emotional bredth covered).  Not only for academic reasons, but commercial as well.  If ‘DYNAMO’ takes off the way it’s looking like it might, it would be somewhat anti-climactic to follow it up with a character-driven indie piece or an edgy dark-comedy.  It’s going to be a tough act to follow.  Also, I realized that it was my passion for ‘DYNAMO’ as a story that fueled/motivated me to write at what I felt was the top of my game.  I feel the same pride and possesion over this new piece, a story that has inspired me for years about a man whom I’ve idolized since I was a child.  Curious?  Good.  Hang onto that.  I’m a week-deep into research.   ‘FADE IN:’ is around the corner.

And ‘DYNAMO’ will not be a one-hit-wonder.

Meanwhile, Nicholl’s results are in any day.

TICK…  TOCK…

A NEW DEAL AND A DIFFERENT NOTE

Some good news first.

After much careful consideration, I’ve decided to sign a deal with Collingwood Management. I’m getting more for a one-year option than initially was discussed and they’re purchasing the script for higher-than-market Canadian price. It would be unprofessional to divulge exactly how much the deal is for (but suffice it to say, one could comfortably buy an SUV with it). I’m being kept on board for the first rewrite at a deferred scale wage and being given the opportunity to earn my first production credit. And, despite the deferrment, I’ll be written in to get paid first.

A lot of firsts, I know.
But then again, this is my first script. This will be my first sale.

I’m excited by the enthusiasm Dylan Collingwood and Kimani Smith have displayed. At this point, I feel confident that the production budget is attainable and the players involved are here to play.

Several things have been happening in cadence with this. Last week, my music producer friend, Gus Verstraten, approached me at work and informed me that a friend of his wife, Marie’s was a producer. A Mr.James Shavick. I’m not sure if ‘DYNAMO’ will be down his alley, as the only two projects he’s produced that I recognized were a Tennage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel and ‘BREAKER HIGH’. That being said, he may be able to provide a good referral. One thing I’ve learnt is to show the same amount of respect whether I’m dealing with an A-lister or someone I have to Google. The fact is, they’re all on the other side of the door that I’m trying to pry open.

The most exciting aspect of the connection with Gus is a musical one. He and my Dad, Pete Petley (an extremely gifted and fairly renown guitarist) have been streamlining their respective vocations toward a tentative foray into the world of motion picture soundtrack scoring. Having read ‘LUCIDITY’, they’ve been composing several pieces with the script in mind. I’ve piqued the interest of the guys in Vancouver, so maybe we’ll find a little creative synchronicity.

So, capping off, this is how the big picture looks to date:

-Collingwood’s lawyer is drafting up a deal that will put ‘LUCICITY’ into pre-production as soon as a budget is met.

-In two weeks, ‘DYNAMO’ either makes or doesn’t make the cut in the next round of the Nicholls Fellowship Competition.

-I’m awaiting word from producer Robert Lawrence to see if he wants to move forward with ‘DYNAMO’. See if he passes it on to Spielberg. In the meantime…

-Jenna Zuzchlag at The History Channel is pitching ‘DYNAMO’ to her execs next month.

-I’m awaiting word from the Alliance Atlantis Producer Submission Site in regards to the same.
-Zach Feldburg at Showcase is waiting for me to fax signed release forms so he can pitch ‘DYNAMO’ to his people.

-Producer James Shavick is currently reading the script.

-Additionally, a hard-copy is currently en route to London to be entered into the BBC Writers Room drafting process.
-Pete Petley and Gus Verstraten are composing/producing pieces that could potentially be used to score ‘LUCIDITY’

-The Vice-President of National Geographic Kids is currently reading the treatment for ‘DOWN UNDER.

I’m thinking all bets might soon be in…

ECHOES FROM ATLANTIS AND THE ENGLISH ANGLE

I received an email from an associate producer at Alliance Atlantis today.  Attached was a release form as she plans on pitching ‘DYNAMO’ at their next executive meeting, which is in a couple of weeks.  Needless to say, I’ll have that in the mail by the end of today.  (and that came as a response to yesterdays wave of emails)

I remember when I first started working this system.  It would take weeks, sometimes months to get a response from anyone anywhere on the ladder.  Now, it seems I’ve attained a certain level of ’street-cred’, as it were.  I think it’s more or less, the accumlative effect of names-dropping, networking and sheers luck. (which I’ve never been short of!)  Of course, a killer script helps too.

(which reminds me, for any of you who haven’t had the chance to read either property, ‘LUCIDITY’ and ‘DYNAMO’ are both download-able from this site under ‘SCREENPLAYS BY DYLAN K. PETLEY’)

I received a second email back from yesterday’s barrage.  This one came from an individual at the BBC who re-directed my query to their literary-scouting vehicle, THE WRITERS ROOM, which is basically set up like any studio system this side of the Atlantic — layers and layers of readers protecting a handful of execs from drowning in the thousands of scripts they receive yearly.  However, fueled by the recent wonderful reception and nominal success of ‘DYNAMO’, I have a hard copy en route to the UK as we speak.  They’re looking for TV films and miniseries that include an overtly British element.  I figure a soccer film fits the bill quite nicely.  And it would be nice to have an excuse to visit the Old Country again.

So another day and two more ducks to add to the row.  Smells like imminent success…

EMAILS, PHONECALLS AND YERBA MATES

It’s been a busy, albeit productive morning.

Started with a phonecall to Chris in Calgary. We’re gearing up ‘DYNAMO’ for the execs that he pitched in Banff. Then it was time to hit the delegate list for more targets. Incidently, I found out that Robert Lawrence is reading the script this week, but you can never have your eggs in too many baskets. Although I’m really holding out for a meeting with Mr. Spielberg himself, some attention from some of the other big boys can’t hurt. There’s always the ideal scenario of a bidding war driving the purchase price through the roof. That being said, I spent the rest of the morning sipping yeba mate and email the ‘DYNAMO’ pitch to everyone in Banff that we didn’t have the pleasure of accosting. Now, it’s a bit of a waiting game to see if anyone at Tricon, Lionsgate, A&E, NBC Universal, Alliance Atlantis, BBC, History Channel, Showcase, UKTV or CBS Paramount beat Lawrence to the punch. Of course, with the first round results of the Nichol Fellowship Competition only three weeks away, the landscape could change even more for the better in the very near future, so I suppose it’s an inescapable case of ‘time will tell’.

It looks like (providing they agree to some minor contract modifications) I’m going to be signing ‘LUCIDITY’ with Collingwood Management. There’s an outside chance that an independent here in Victoria might pull an eleventh hour counter-deal, but my man on this end has yet to see if his producer can sweeten the deal. I figure the window is about a week long before Collingwood’s lawyers wave a pen at me, so hopefully, again, I’ll have been able to generated a couple of choices.

Whoever said the wheeler-dealer side of this industry was no fun?

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

I think we can all agree that luck, in whatever volume, plays a part in every success.

You can imagine my suprise when I received an excited phonecall from Chris (now residing in Calgary) who proceeded to tell me how he successfully pitched ‘DYNAMO’ to uber-producer Robert Lawrence (‘MOZART AND THE WHALE’, ‘DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE’, ‘ROCKSTAR’, ‘CLUELESS’…) Lawrence requested a copy of the script and it went out yesterday with the express purpose of landing on Spielberg’s desk. Oh yeah, did I mention they’re friends and associates?

Well over a year ago, when I first discovered the story of ‘DYNAMO’, I turned to my FX buddy and occasional collaborator, Jason Hollefreund and said,

“This is a beautiful story. I want to write it.”

He looked at me as he lit a cigarette.

“You should. It’s got Stephen Spielberg written all over it.”

With some luck, maybe it will.

D.