So... it's official. I suck at blogging. It's not so much that I suck at the actual writing, more that I simply forget I have a blog, and therefore don't write it.
But 2024 is a new year, and I'm committed to adding to this at least once a week.
2023 was a tough year for a lot of us writers. There was an enormous strike that screwed the momentum of a lot of projects. It also changed the landscape of what TV is probably going to be moving forward, and it's taking a good few months for Hollywood to truly get back into gear. While the strike ended in October, we still had to wait for the studios to make their deal with SAG (The Screen Actors Guild), and only after that was resolved did it finally feel like things were getting moving again. There were a few big sales in the final week of December, but they were all HUGE packages with the likes of Olivia Wilde, Ryan Reynolds, and Chalize Theron attached. Here are the links to them HERE, HERE and HERE.
So things are moving, but only with undeniable packages.
I think 2024 will see some exciting movement as studios ramp up buying again, and it doesn't require all projects to be super packaged up in order to sell... but I fear it will.
Two blog posts ago I wrote about my disappointment that Disney removed the film Ben and I wrote, The Princess, from its streaming platforms (Hulu here in the US, Disney+/Star around the world. It stars Joey King and Dominic Cooper.
Well, in November we both got a lovely surprise in that it is being released digitally (at least in the US) wherever you buy movies. So there are some links to The Princess.
If you haven't seen it, it's super fun. Go and rent or buy it today!
This year marks ten years since I, and my partner Ben, have been professional screenwriters. It's been an up-and-down journey that we are still very much on, so I want to write a series of posts about what I've learned over the last ten years.
I'll be starting off in a few days, going back to 2014, when I was still working at the Apple Store at the Beverly Center, LA, and about to have my first sale.
From there, I'll highlight the roller coaster that is life as a Hollywood screenwriter, so that anyone coming up behind us can learn from it in some way (or at least have a good laugh/cry at my expense).
In other news, I've written some fund short stories that I hope to get out into the world soon, as well as working on a new novel. My first book, Milly Tipton and the Spirits of Christmas is still on submission right now, and hopefully I'll have some good news on that soon.
Anyway, here's to a fantastic 2024. Let's make it rock.