This week's guest blog comes courtesy of the talented Tim Drucker (CC'd) who is currently working on a new series called Hot Fail. Interested in finding out more about what that is? Read below:
Excelsior!
"AH! I'm raising money and filming an independent pilot in Los Angeles!" That is my mantra right now (if mantras can be screamed in your head on loop…I find it calming). As daunting as that all sounds, especially the fundraising part, I am incredibly lucky to have a great collaborator and fantastic contacts in the film world that have been helping us put Hot Fail together.
This project started in the best possible way…over too many glasses of wine at happy hour. My friend (and actress from my musical FAT CAMP) Tracy Weiler was telling me crazy story after crazy story about these insane dates she was going on. Off the cuff I said to her "we should write a pilot about your dating life and call it Hot Fail". And the rest is history. Well, the rest is actually us slaving for months over a pilot script, a show bible (where we create the entire roadmap for the characters and season one), production costs and ultimately how and when to film the show. As first time television writers we need a finished product to show to people so we can say "Look! This show is funny AND we know what we are doing!"
As luck would have it Tracy booked a lead in another independent pilot in New York this season and starred in an independent film this winter so she was able to make a ton of excellent contacts that we are using to work on our project in LA. Then as we were figuring out who to cast it turned out that so many of our friends in LA are perfect for the show along with the fact that they have really excellent sitcom credits. In a matter of days we had an A-Team assembled.
Now all we need is money! But it's more than just money that we are looking for in the Kickstarter campaign we are doing. It's also about building support and interest in the pilot, engaging an audience of our peers and through online crowd sourcing raising awareness that will lead to other favors---like Michael letting me guest blog about the project! However, getting the backers is awesome and I have been genuinely touched by the friends and loved ones that have contributed to the project thus far.
Television is a new frontier for me, but as a comedy writer it is a really important step that I segue towards. I remember when I was doing my first show (Perez Hilton Saves the Universe) at the Fringe and I had no idea what I was getting into. I had co-written it, self-produced and was in it. I ate, slept and breathed that show for two months of endless, exhausting and totally rewarding work. What it turned out to be, besides a critical and box office hit ;), was a grad school crash course in the business of theater. Likewise, making this pilot on our own is the same crash course in the best possible way.
I really believe in this show we have written. It's very funny, very truthful and ultimately very relatable. Thanks for taking the time to read about our journey so far. I hope you enjoy our fundraising videos and please feel free to share our link, follow us on Twitter (@hotfailproject) and like us through Facebook!
Thanks so much!
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