Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 267

July 19, 2018: Today!

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10:45 a.m.: Marc Bendavid, Dark Matter’s ONE, was in town for a limited time only. Fortunately, I was able to book early to avoid disappointment.  We discussed ailments, pending projects, and early retirement.  Also, the fact that there’s better eating in Rome than Budapest!

12:00 a.m.: Lunch with the gang from Company A.  About a month ago, I pitched them a half dozen ideas and, today, they made their selection.  A little surprised yet no less delighted by their choice – and you will be too if you were a fan of THAT episode.  We made plans to get together next week and commence the development process.

1:21 p.m.: Received the list of prospective candidates (and supporting materials) for the writers’ room of that pending sci-fi series.  Lots to get through tonight.

1:45 p.m.: Rumblings the deal is almost done on securing the film & television rights to that horror novel.

3:00 p.m.: Lattes with the gang from Broadcaster A to discuss their notes on the last draft of the sci-fi pilot.  We decided to keep the final reveal and revisit if once the show gets picked up.

4:23 p.m.: Received more notes on the series overview for that horror series. Hmmmm.  Honestly thought we’d be on our way to script by this point.  At this point, beginning to question whether I’m the guy for this particular job.  Conference call tomorrow – which should shed some light on the situation.

6:15 p.m.: Arrange departure time with Ivon (driver and future on-set producer?) for tomorrow’s pre-pre-PRE-production location scout with Project A’s creator/director.

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7:05 p.m.: Take the dogs out for their last walk of the night.

Full day!

July 18, 2018: Week’s Best Comic Book Covers!

These caught my eye…

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Batman #51 (cover art by Elizabeth Breitweiser)

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Batwoman #17 (cover art by Dan Panosian)

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Falcon: Take Flight (cover art by Jesus Saiz)

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Ice Cream Man #5 (cover art by Frazer Irving, Martin Morazzo, Chris O’Halloran)

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Old Man Hawkeye #17 (cover art by Marco Checchetto)

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Shipwreck vol. 1 (cover art by Phil Hester)

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VS #5 (cover art by Tom Muller, Eric Ribic)

Which were your favorites?

 

July 17, 2018: Introducing Baron’s Book Blog Blab Blog!

July 16, 2018: Anthony Lemke spills his secrets!

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Who is this handsome clean-shaven devil holding up the two flavors of soft serve: salted maple rosemary and pistachio?  Yes!  It’s none other than Anthony Lemke, Dark Matter’s THREE/Marcus Boone, who was in town shooting…something.  Given his love for cider, I figured a few glasses would loosen his lips and have him reveal everything about the production and his role in it.

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Six cider flights later – and he revealed all!

Now YOU have to buy me six flights to get ME to talk.

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Pictured above – the batch of hot sauce I made today.  Ingredients include tomatoes, sweet onion, shallots, garlic, maple sugar, maple syrup, cherry-apple butter, apple cider vinegar, mango, and hot peppers.  Actually, a medley of hot peppers that, without a doubt, included carolina reapers.  I know because the sauce is not just hot, it’s kick you in the back of the throat hot.

Hmmmm.  After months of actively avoiding the wordpress upgrade, I’ve fallen victim to it and am now unable to adjust the size of the photos I upload.  I may have to switch out of this antiquated theme background.  Stay tuned for a new look blog in the coming days!

Update on the project front = There is no update on the project front.  No word on that option, that pilot, that overview and pilot pitch, those comic book ideas, or that deal.  I am making progress on the polish and, later this week, I have two broadcaster meetings lined up AND a visit to some potential standing sets for the show I may or may not be doing.

Today, I leave you with more Dark Matter-themed artwork from Andy W. Clift (follow him on twitter – @AndyWClift)

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Raza vs Black Ship (black and white)

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Raza vs Black Ship (color)

July 15, 2018: Dark Matter Art by Andy W. Clift!

I first came across Andy W. Clift’s work while perusing Comixology’s new release section,  taking notice of the lovely retro cover for the first issue of his Captain Cosmic comic book –

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I ordered that first issue, loved its fun sensibility, and followed him on twitter.  Recently, I reached out to Andy to find out if he’d be interested in rendering Dark Matter in that same lively style.  Well, he was more than happy to oblige and here is an initial sampling of his take on the The Raza and its crew…

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The Raza in FTL (black and white).

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The Raza in FTL (color).

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Our favorite gunslinger, THREE (black and white).

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Our favorite gunslinger, THREE (color).

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Our resident swordsman, FOUR (black and white)

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Our resident swordsman, FOUR (color).

More of Andy’s work in the coming days.  In the meantime, if you want to check out his creator-owned comic book, The Adventures of Captain Cosmic, you can do see by purchasing it here.

Tomorrow: Answers, answers, answers!

Ideally.  But problem more questions.

Oh, and dinner with Dark Matter’s THREE, Anthony Lemke.

July 14, 2018: From green light to blinking yellow to full-stop red! The realities of the television business!

Thanks to everyone who congratulated me on the various projects I’ve got in the works.  Of course, the mere fact that I’m busy doesn’t guarantee anything.  Three months ago, I had almost eighteen different projects on the go, most of which have since dematerialized like a red-shirt ensign teleporting planetside so that he can lend Kirk some much-needed back-up.

Don’t get me wrong.  A couple of the projects I mentioned yesterday look very promising, but I know from experience not to take anything for granted.  I learned that lesson the hard way not too long ago…

I received an email informing me that a green lit show was looking for a showrunner and those involved were eager to work with me.  I needed to get on the phone with the president of the company that week!  So, I read all of the supporting materials, then got on the phone with the president of the company and discussed everything from the show’s budget to where we would shoot.  I was told we would need to move quickly!

I spent the weekend reviewing the materials so that we could hit the ground running on Monday.  Which came and went with no word.  Then Tuesday came and went.  Then Wednesday.  I emailed the president of the company wondering what was up.  Wasn’t this supposed to be a fast track project?  No response.  Thursday. Friday.  Finally, Monday, I was contacted by their director of development who apologized (they were away) and, over the course of the conversation, informed me that the project was not, in fact, green lit.  It was a script to series deal (And, days later, not a script to series deal either).  I would need to prepare and pitch my vision for the prospective series.

And so, I spent the better of that week reviewing materials and putting together a detailed pitch of the series pilot and a series overview.  I got on the phone and pitched my take to the director of development who was very positive, offered me a few suggestions, and then set a time for me to pitch the broadcaster.

The following Monday, I pitched the broadcast exec.  He had a few questions.  I answered.  I was thanked for my time and then…nothing.  While I wasn’t expecting an immediate response from the broadcaster, I assumed I’d at least receive an email from my partners on the pitch letting me know how they thought it went, offering me some sort of timeline.  Instead – radio silence.  The next day, I reached out to the director of development who informed me they expected a decision later that week.

Then on Friday, I received a call from the president of the company. And by the tone of his voice, I could tell it wasn’t good news.  “I hate making these types of calls,”he began and I felt bad.  Not for me, but for him.  I wanted to tell him that I believed we had a great pitch and that we could just take it somewhere else.  This wasn’t the end.  But, as it turned out, it was the end.  For me anyway.  “As you know,”he said, “we went out to a number of different showrunners for this project.”

Actually, no.  I didn’t know.

Apparently, the show had been picked up, but the broadcaster had elected to go with someone else’s take.

Normally, this would have been cause for frustration, but not to the extent I experienced that day mainly because I had been misinformed about a project that had gone from a green light to a blinking yellow to a full-stop red.

The incident soured me, not only on the industry as a whole, but on a few people as well.  Still, it did teach me a very valuable lesson about not counting your chickens before they’re hatched – or crewing your production until you have a signed contract.

So, for the time being, I’m going to pretend I haven’t been offered that showrunning gig, or been hired to write that pilot script, or am on the cusp of having that series I’ve been developing for the past nine months green lit. Instead, I’m going to keep working and focus on those comic book projects.

Oh, and maintain my torrid reading pace.  So far this year, 226 books and counting!  A job would really throw a wrench into my book-a-day average.

July 13, 2018: Project Updates!

Over the past several months, I’ve had multiple projects on the go.  A number have fallen by the wayside, leaving me with about a half dozen serious contenders…

Project A: As I mentioned last week, this sci-fi series is a go.  I’ve started the creative ball rolling with series creator, discussing series, seasonal, and character arcs, technology, the pilot, plot developments, and reveals.  Also, have discussed brass tacks production issues, everything from standing sets to visual effects, casting to scheduling.  If everything falls into place next week, I’d like to start assembling the writers’ room with an eye to an initial two-week gathering to discuss broad stroke creative issues and break the first episode, then a lengthier period to break the rest of the season.

Project B: Received broadcaster notes on the pilot and bible for this sci-fi project.  Great input and I don’t foresee any problem addressing the network requests/concerns.  Hoping to have the polish delivered before month’s end.

Project C: Delivered a revised bible and pilot breakdown for this horror series last week and now impatiently await a green light on the script.  If I don’t hear anything by Monday, I’ll follow up with an email on Tuesday.

Project D: At this point in time, I really thought we’d be much further along on the the planned adaptation of this horror novel.  If the paperwork on the option is nailed down by next week, I fear scheduling conflicts may well force me to miss the boat on this one.

Project E: I pitched a production company five original ideas.  They’ve picked one they’d like me to develop for them.  Which one?  I find out on Tuesday when I go to lunch with two of the company executives.

Project F+: Yesterday, I sat down with an artist.  The day before, I spoke to my former writing partner about a possible collaboration.  I’m circling three comic book companies: Image (from an ownership standpoint, tough to beat their deal), Dark Horse (we have a pre-existing relationship), Vault (I hear great things about them from other writers).  Very excited about this one.

Projects Miscellaneous: I’m not going to bother giving them an alphabetical designation until things start to solidify on these various pitches, takes, and preliminary discussions.  But who knows?

July 12, 2018: Two Guys Eating Classic Candy!

Really, these videos speak for themselves.  I got together with my buddy Ivon and we spent an afternoon sampling classic chips, chocolate, and candy.  By the time we were done, I was exhausted and ready for bed.

At 4:00 p.m.

The chips…

The chocolates…

The candy…

 

July 11, 2018: Best Comic Book Covers of the Week!

These were my favorites…

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Domino #4 (cover art by Greg Land)

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Jirni Vol. 3, #5 (cover art by Michael Santamaria, John Starr)

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The New Mutants: Dead Souls #5 (cover art by Ryan Stegman)

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Old Man Logan Vol. 7: Scarlet Samurai (cover art by Mukesh Singh)

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Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 3: Remastered (cover art by Ashley Witter)

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The Dead Hand #4 (cover art by Jordie Bellaire)

And which were your favorites?

July 10, 2018: On meteor and lightning strikes and lottery wins!

My father was a student of the lottery.  Growing up, I remember him sitting in the kitchen every night, assiduously reviewing data amassed from years of weekly draws, every set of winning numbers carefully transcribed in a  set of dedicated books.  He would pore over these like a cryptanalysist seeking out hidden patterns, looking to identify elusive numerical biases.  When he passed away, among the things he bequeathed his loved ones was a set of lottery numbers my sister has since played on a dedicated weekly basis going on thirteen years now (along with a second set of potential winners that, mysteriously, came to ME in a dream some five years back).

I remember working on a show many, many years ago when, during a snack break between scenes, I got into a conversation about sin taxes – taxes on alcohol and cigarettes.  “How about a tax on stupid people?”offered the office P.A.  “They already have one,”replied the first A.D.  “It’s called the lottery.”

According to “the experts”, the chances of your winning the lottery are significantly longer than the likelihood of you:

Being killed by a meteor!

Being struck by lightning – twice!

Winning an Olympic gold medal!

Which is incredibly sobering and all until, really, you stop and ask yourself: When was the last time you heard of someone being killed by a meteor?  Or being struck by lightning twice?  Compare this to the number of times you’ve heard a lottery winner announced.  Also, I don’t have the statistics at hand, but if one were to tally up all of the Olympic gold medal winners and all of the big prize lottery winners over, say, the last fifty years, I’d hazard that the number of lottery winners is more than “slightly higher”.

Hey, that’s not to say playing the lottery is a smart move.  The odds against you are astronomical (though, clearly, much better than being killed by a meteor, winning an Olympic gold medal, or being struck by lightning – twice).  Someone once said: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”  And, while I think the clinical definition of insanity differs somewhat, I can see the logic in this.  Why would you keep playing the lottery if you never won?

Why was my father so captivated by the lottery that it became an almost obsessive hobby for him, keeping such meticulous logs, studying past winning number combinations with a single-minded commitment usually reserved for cancer research?  In short, why did my dad keep playing the lottery? Oh, that’s easy. Because he won.  Once.  And I’m not talking a free ticket or a couple of hundred bucks.  It wasn’t much in today’s dollars but, back then, it was twice what he and my mother had paid for their first home.  They used the money to pay off their mortgage, clear their debts, and set aside a modest sum for a rainy day.

For one crazy draw, he defied those seemingly insurmountable odds.  And then tried to do it again because, I suppose, statistically, you have no less of a chance of winning a second lottery than you would a first.

As for me, I’m not much of a lottery guy, preferring to pay the equally long odds of trying to land a t.v. show.  Still, whenever I see the grand prize inch past 50 million, I am tempted.  After all, I may not know any gold medal champions, but I have first-hand knowledge of at least one lotto victor.

Over to you…

Congratulations, you’ve won the lottery!  What will you do with your winnings?