Positive Energy/Prayers/Wishes/Vibes

Okay, fellow COHers. I don't know if this is appropriate or not, but it just occurred to Mr to use the energy force of this forum, so here it is.

I'm on my way out the door to a meeting. Yes, it's late. Yes, it's Sunday. And yes, it's Mother's Day. But it was either this, or wait three weeks.

I'm doing my first meeting with a potential investor. I've written a comedy series that I'm convinced I can get an audience to subscribe to. Now, before you say it, remember that I'm looking for positive energy here. I get enough of the "Who do you think you are, Netflix?" already.

And before you ask, I don't believe in crowdfunding commercial projects by taking money and not giving people a return on their investment. Documentaries, community projects, not-for-profit humanitarian efforts, yeah. But not something where I plan to make a bunch of money. I just don't see any fairness in that.

So... in about half an hour, send whatever positive forces you can muster my way.

Thanks.

                     

All the vibes I could drum up!  Good luck!

Wishing you the very best Way2!  You and a comedy series are a perfect fit.  You've entertained here and provided much comic relief when really needed.

Fingers, toes, legs and eyses rxcsossed ofr u.

Okay had to uncross the eyes damn difficult to type like that. (Crossed fingers weren't a problem using hunt and peck)

Lorna, you're a huntin'pecker????

yea mel huntin always huntin

Positive vibes .  

Way2Old -  You know I think you're a comedy genius. If the series idea is half as good as the things you post here, it's a winner. GO GET 'EM!! Sending all positive vibes, everything crossed and prayers to boot!  

Sending positive vibes right now....You have already made me laugh today, so go get em!

amaretti wrote:   Positive vibes .  

From me too!

Best wishes!

You guys are the best.

The guy loved the idea, laughed in all the right places... and still gave me a lot of, "Why hasn't someone already done this?" Not the series, the business plan.

So, I don't know.

But I felt the vibes. Real, true thanks.

Oh my positive vibes come late - stupid time difference. But happy to hear it went well. Guess you could convince him with your talent   

So what will happen next? Do you have to wait until this guy gets back to you?

I cross the fingers for you. Wish you the best of luck   

Good on you Way, my vibes were late but you know what they say about that - all the best to you

good!
I am coming late so by me GOOD LUCK BABY!!!   

Brake a leg !  

Way2Old4Dis wrote:You guys are the best.

The guy loved the idea, laughed in all the right places... and still gave me a lot of, "Why hasn't someone already done this?" Not the series, the business plan.

So, I don't know.

But I felt the vibes. Real, true thanks.

Still the vibes are being sent....they survive the time travel well !

Wishing you Good Fortune in Your Ventures.


 

Way2Old - So how long before you know if anything will come of this? I'm so excited for you!   

Sorry to have missed this yesterday but I'm happy things went well for you. Hope you continue to receive only good news! Your talent is obvious-your sense of humor/comedy is a delight. Love reading your posts. I'm sending the most positive energy I've got your way for continued success.

I have a vibe it went very well, hope I´m right this time.   

You guys are the best.

When you do 'spec' writing, the timetable is basically 'never as soon as you need it to happen.' If I were a known entity, and dealing with an established financier, I'd expect a decision and deal within 2 weeks. But I'm not, and this investor is a private citizen with discretionary money, and knows very little about movie and TV financing except that he can make more money from it.

He likes the package I presented. He called this morning and asked for the episode scripts. I've written 10 first-season episodes, but I only sent the pilot. If he wants to see more, that will take some sort of commitment on his part.

I feel good about the way it went, and next-day follow-up requests are usually a good sign. But you just never know.

Last month, I was literally an elevator ride away from the meeting to close a financing deal. The woman and I were in the parking lot of my attorney's office when her husband called her and told her to nix it because he didn't feel comfortable (it's her family money). So months of work and resources were gone, just like that. My heart still hurts from that experience.

But that's the business. You can only eat what you kill.

We should keep this thread open for anybody who needs a jump in the life force battery

Thanks again.

  This sounds great. Just be patient....no one has it easy to walk up the ladder. Maybe you will win this time. 
Last experience was really bad but remember    and sometimes we need it to fight more for our dreams. And maybe the last people were not the right once. They didn't believe in your work otherwise they wouldn't have backed out....So forget about it.

Really hope it will work out this time. Keep us posted....Maybe one day we have a thread here about your work in the Party section   

Stay cool you will manage perfectly  

Sorry I didn't see this thread before, time difference&work...etc...but,

I am sending you aloooooooooot of positive vibes right now                           
You are amazing and I wish you all the best!

Way2Old
Be very very careful you don't lose your ideas to an unscrupulous person who'll use them for his own advantage.
It happens !

Way2Old - This really sounds promising. I hope it works out for you, but if it doesn't work this time just remember Our Hero wasn't a star first time out, and look at him now! Follow his advice and keep putting yourself out there and it WILL happen. Good luck!   

Joanna wrote:Way2Old
Be very very careful you don't lose your ideas to an unscrupulous person who'll use them for his own advantage.
It happens !

Thanks, Joanna. I register everything with the copyright office before showing it. But being careful isn't always enough. Intellectual property theft has happened to me, and it's devastating. But the only way to guarantee your work is never stolen is to create it and then lock it away in a drawer.

Thanks for looking out for me. ;-)

So, the potential investor has called back with all kinds of questions, the kind that show he's been doing some research. Good indicator. He's still skeptical about why nobody else has used the business model I'm proposing, but in his words, "I can't argue with your numbers." So he wants to "share the risk" and find an investing partner. Another good sign he's seriously interested.

The downside is that he wants me to make a pitch video. That's understandable, and actually something I've thought about, but it means I have to print money on the Lexmark to get it made. I plan to make a play for him footing the bill for at least some of the video -- which gets him more vested -- but still...

Here's the thing. Everybody in the business talks about having "skin in the game" on a financing deal. Nobody considers the time, effort, and talent that goes into writing the screenplay or teleplay as "skin in the game." It's not equity, even though it's what gets the director and talent on board.

**sigh** Exciting. Exasperating.

LizzyNY wrote:Way2Old - This really sounds promising. I hope it works out for you, but if it doesn't work this time just remember Our Hero wasn't a star first time out, and look at him now! Follow his advice and keep putting yourself out there and it WILL happen. Good luck!    

Yeah, but George was younger and a lot better looking.

Way2Old4Dis wrote:

LizzyNY wrote:Way2Old - This really sounds promising. I hope it works out for you, but if it doesn't work this time just remember Our Hero wasn't a star first time out, and look at him now! Follow his advice and keep putting yourself out there and it WILL happen. Good luck!    

Yeah, but George was younger and a lot better looking.

Yea and that's the shit of Hollywood. When I see some of these actresses they have out there in blockbuster films who can't act for crap it reminds me that Hollywood is run by a bunch of horny old men.

Way2Old - Don't you dare let that kind of crap stop you! You have the one thing that really counts - TALENT. Not being a 20 year old Victoria's Secret model shouldn't hold you back - it just means you have to fight a little harder. Once you get your foot in the door you'll be on your way. Be like the Little Engine That Could - "I think I can, I think I can" and you will!      

Look Way2 I win the lottery tonight you've got your backing. And you can take that to the bank.

Of course, I have to win the lottery first. :-)

And I'll toss in some of my lottery winnings too Way2!!!

Such support for somebody you don't know is phenomenal.

I'm in about the third iteration of my life. I can take the hard knocks and keep going.

And I would take your lottery money in a New York minute.

"He's still skeptical about why nobody else has used the business model I'm proposing, but in his words, "I can't argue with your numbers." So he wants to "share the risk" and find an investing partner. Another good sign he's seriously interested."

Oh, this sounds so familiar to me! If it´s new, it´s risky. If it is already used, your work is copy or copy from the copy.

If it´s any consolation these got rejected repeatedly too:

Stephen King:" We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell."

The Diary of Anne Franck: "The girl doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the 'curiosity' level."

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s (later Sorceror’s) Stone was rejected by a dozen publishers, including biggies like Penguin and HarperCollins. Bloomsbury, a small London publisher, only took it on at the behest of the CEO’s eight-year old daughter, who begged her father to print the book. God bless you, sweetheart.
  

Way2Old4Dis wrote:So, the potential investor has called back with all kinds of questions, the kind that show he's been doing some research. Good indicator. He's still skeptical about why nobody else has used the business model I'm proposing, but in his words, "I can't argue with your numbers." So he wants to "share the risk" and find an investing partner. Another good sign he's seriously interested.

The downside is that he wants me to make a pitch video. That's understandable, and actually something I've thought about, but it means I have to print money on the Lexmark to get it made. I plan to make a play for him footing the bill for at least some of the video  -- which gets him more vested -- but still...

Here's the thing. Everybody in the business talks about having "skin in the game" on a financing deal. Nobody considers the time, effort, and talent that goes into writing the screenplay or teleplay as "skin in the game." It's not equity, even though it's what gets the director and talent on board.

**sigh** Exciting. Exasperating.

Say another party is interested.

Thanks again for all the support and advice.

I'm meeting with him in a bit. If he balks at underwriting a portion of the video, it will raise doubt that he would be a good financial partner (who would balk at a couple of thousand for something they themselves recognize is a step to so much more?). But if that is the case, I'll do what I've always done: keep plugging away.

I cross the fingers that it is this time REAL.....let us know when you are back. Good luck  

Yeah, so...

I don't know about this one. He's saying all the right things and asking the right questions, but even after I showed him a budget for the video that clearly demonstrated that what I was asking him to underwrite was one third of the cost (I would use camera, lights, etc from someone I know, and then somehow pull another third out of my ass -- didn't say it like that, of course), he won't pull the trigger.

I'm seriously considering cutting my losses. Won't repeat the last experience.

Way2Old - Give him a little time to think but keep looking for another source. Maybe Alisonfan is right - if he thinks someone else is interested do you think he would get on board or would he walk away?

Some people just need a bit longer until they know what they will do. Lizzy is right maybe he needs a bit more time....But whatever happens don't let it bring you down. Life has many doors to walk through and one day you find the right door.

Just keep your eyes wide open Way2.....and don't 
let your heart rule your head.
A little tiny bit of mistrust is a healthy attitude to have.

Good Luck. 

Way2Old4Dis wrote:Yeah, so...

I don't know about this one. He's saying all the right things and asking the right questions, but even after I showed him a budget for the video that clearly demonstrated that what I was asking him to underwrite was one third of the cost (I would use camera, lights, etc from someone I know, and then somehow pull another third out of my ass -- didn't say it like that, of course), he won't pull the trigger.

I'm seriously considering cutting my losses. Won't repeat the last experience.

Make him think you might be "snapped up" and someone else might be in the picture, it worked for Amal   

Can we say "Obsessed" with AA?  Geesh.

Yeah, I won't make any snap decisions, but I'm also not going to waste time and energy waiting around. I've cast the net yet again, this time in different waters than the ones I usually have the wherewithal to fish in. Friend-of-a-friend kind of thing. We'll see.

Sending you lots of luck Way - sometimes having the wherewithal is all it takes!

Way2Old - What are the chances you could merge the two? (The guy you have now and the friend-of-a-friend.) Maybe they would be more willing if there were more partners to share the risk?

Thought about that. Put feelers out on it today on both sides. They're polar opposites in experience and disposition, but it's worth a shot.

Thanks.

Good Luck! Are either of them already in the business? If they can't see their way to invest, maybe they know someone who would be interested. If they back out can't hurt to ask.

One is in the business, and I've had some very productive discussions with her. The private investor did not impress her, to put it nicely, when they talked.

I've had to redo some of the business plan because the young man I'd taken on as an associate producer has had his fill of rejections. He was slated to help with casting, locations, etc, and had nothing to do with the writing or packaging, so it's more of a time and energy hassle than anything.

I'll have to find some extra freelance work to cover the video myself. Any answer that takes this long is a 'no.' And that means a 'no' on the full investment as well, I'm assuming. Otherwise he'd be doing what it takes to make this happen.

Oh, for the day when this relatively small amount of money isn't such a big damn deal.

But the friend-of-a-friend has offered to send the pilot to a few producers she knows, so now I'm pursuing a sale as well as an investment to produce it myself. A sale would mean making somebody else rich, but, hey, beggars can't be choosers.

Try Channel 4 TV in UK ?
 They encourage independents.

Way2old4dis, I hope the next move will bring some success for you and makes YOU rich