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TV Calling

Showrunners are now figurines

We’ve reached a new apex in TV branding thanks to Funko.

The vinyl figure company already (re)packages and sells every brand/product under the sun, including ones based on MLB mascots, NFL/NBA players, Magic the Gathering, and “ad icons”. Also, this thing:
Blue Crystal Heisenberg

They can now add “TV writer/showrunner” to their list of nonsensical “Pop!” vinyls.

Coming this week to 2015’s San Diego Comic-Con: a Bryan Fuller vinyl figure.

Bryan Fuller Vinyl Figurine

No, this isn’t part of some weird promotional kit. Or another campaign to save a certain NBC serial-killer series.
This is an actual figurine people will buy and solely exists because Bryan Fuller is, well, a celebrity.
That’s right: a TV writer is a celebrity. And his name doesn’t rhyme with “peedon” or “bananams”.
It seems I was more right than I cared for when I declared that TV writers have now become brands.

The Bryan Fuller figurine will be “extremely limited”, much like the number of new Hannibal episodes left to air.
I’m holding my breath for an Aaron Spelling/Dick Wolf action pack during WonderCon 2016.

Seven Years of TV Calling

Seven Years of TV Calling

Seven years ago to this day, A TV Calling was created.

I can hardly believe it. SEVEN years! We ain’t getting any younger.

It’s been a blast looking back at our seven years over the past seven days. Reminded me of that time we did the same thing for our one year anniversary.
Incidentally, I’m on a Parisian trip at the moment, meaning I’m writing this anniversary post in the very same place I started this site: my parents’ basement my Paris bedroom. Hard to imagine that seven years ago stood in this place a little blogspot thing. And now, look at us!

Since I love me some stats, here are some to accompany the birthday:
To date, there have been, not One Hundred, nor Two Hundred, or Three Hundred, or Four Hundred, or even Five Hundred, but 564 posts in total. An average of 1.54 posts a week. (It should be a bit higher, but let’s just forget the dark ages of 2011-2013.)

My most popular posts have been three staples of spec writing:
– The “Bix Six” TV Writing Fellowships
– The yearly (as-of-now 2015) Comedy Spec List and Drama Spec List
– Ten Spec Writing Rules (and why you should care)

Past the writing side, my next most-popular posts have been the Lost letter and “How to get an agent“. Surprisingly, my Cabin in the Woods review of the script (pre-release) is also a well-read item. Also worthy of mention: the Six Feet Under and Friends Screenwriting Lessons.

Over the past seven years, the site was visited by over 12,780 different cities in 203 countries. We’ve also had people from all 50 states, trailed by the Dakotas and Wyoming. California is well ahead with nearly 40% of all U.S. users.

We should talk about changes to the site itself. We’ve seen three iterations of the design. Every change was made to highlight the great content and facilitate access. This trend is about to continue with our next evolution.
I’ve been talking about a new design for the past month, and we are on the verge of breaking our mold once again. Tune in later this week for the big reveal.

Yes, I’m still teasing! I’m still on my way back to LA! It’s going to be great!

I do get all tingly looking back at the first four posts of June 2008.
The first sentence ever written on the blog was: “Yes I’m lazy.“ And, yeah, I’m still pretty lazy. In fact, most of this post is basically a retelling of my post for the one year of TV Calling. Lazy. I did warn you in the first sentence.

Over the years, I’ve also received many kind letters. Unfortunately, some fall through the cracks. I may not have time to respond to all, but do believe I read them all. That is why I wanted to take this opportunity to say, to everyone, from the bottom of my keyboard: THANK YOU.

Thank you for your readership. Thank you for your words. Thank you for your faithfulness.

My goal, as stated way back when, has always been the same:

[Guide] other struggling writers out there in their daily, and not-so-daily problems. I hope my trial and errors will help show that nothing is impossible when you pour your heart and soul into it.

If this site helped even one person, then we can safely say our mission–our journey has only begun.

Hold on, I need to grab a Kleenex. These damn allergies I tell ya!

…

I’m back. So. What have we learned over the past seven (!) years?
Many, many things. Too many things. Let’s just pick one. Bears can dance. Yes, that sounds about right.

Let’s celebrate what we’ve accomplished while looking as to what’s ahead: more writing tips and tricks, more business advice, more interviews, more insight, more scripts (yes!), more you name it.

It is a great time to be on TV Calling.

Welcome to Year Eight.

Seven Years of My Life 101 (or Life of Alex)

Seven Years of My Life 101 (or Life of Alex)

And now for something completely different. Or exactly what this is all about.

We’ve seen the evolution of TV Calling’s content (and form). Today, I’ll be talking about, well, me. Alex. The man behind the machine. Or the keyboard.

This site is named A TV Calling for one simple reason: television is my calling. I created this website to chronicle my own journey into the TV writing business.
I used to talk daily on this site. After all, it used to be a more traditional blog. Fortunately for readers, it evolved into what it is now. (But what is now?)

You can track seven years of my life through this site. I feel old.
When I started A TV Calling in June 2008, I wasn’t even in Los Angeles. Or the US. Or the Americas. I lived in Paris (not the one in Texas).
As I wrote in the very first post of this site:

If all goes to plan in 5-year time I should be in L.A. for good.

700 days later, I had moved from one side of the world to another. I was living in Los Angeles.

For people who are wondering how I got to live and work in the US–I won my green card. In the lottery.
On October 2, 2008, I registered.
On May 28, 2009, I got the white envelope.
On March 13, 2010, I received my Green Card.
Boom.

I explained the entire, lengthy process in “How I got my green card“.
Before I had it, I looked up all my alternative visa options, then listed them in details in two parts: Visa Breakdown (Part One) & Visa Breakdown (Part Two). There’s also the post about the application process for the lottery.

Yes, it was, and still is, fairly off-subject with the whole TV writing business thing. But I’ve had a couple people request direct links to these.
And we’re talking about my life here!

I get to be a little off-topic at times. A lot of the times.

There’s that time I mentioned I had a Furby.
There’s that time I had issues with one of my hard-drives. And that time I had HDD troubles yet again.
There’s that time I posted a photo of Waldo.
There’s that time I posted a photo of my suitcase.

It’s relevant!

Oh, in June 2009, I chronicled my ten days at the Cannes Film Festival, or as I put it: “How I Survived the 62nd Cannes Film Festival”. There was just so much to say (and show), that I did it in three parts:
– Episode I: The Sleep Deprivation Menace (Thursday, May 14 to Sunday, May 17 2009)
– Episode II: Attack of the Celebrities (Monday, May 18 to Wednesday, May 20 2009)
– Episode III: Revenge of the Films (Thursday, May 21 to Sunday, May 24 2009).

On September 2009, after the Fringe bashing I mentioned yesterday, it was officially reveled that I am an asshole.
It’s always a good laugh to read flaming comments, so here it is for the seven year anniversary:

If you honestly think that your stupid post will steer people away from watching Fringe, YOU ARE SADLY MISTAKEN! Grow up, asshole!

Touché?

In August 2010, I moved to Los Angeles (meaning I’ll celebrate my five-year move this year).
Incidentally, it was then that I cut back on the personal meanderings.
Maybe I should get back to that at some point.

Several of the Scribosphere Carnival topics were related to my own processes. One was about my TV writing workflow:

Unlike some writers, I actually prefer to write in the comfort of my own home instead of going out to a coffee shop (and spend $5 on a latte).
With that said, I like to create an appropriate “space” for the magic to happen. Even if my desktop is in the bedroom, I will try to physically separate the “writing workspace” from where I sleep by moving stuff over to the living room.

Another (lengthier) one was about criticism: how to give it, how to take it, how to get it. Did that sound dirty?
And the very first Scribosphere Carnival was a time-capsule from 2013 for the year 2014. I was hoping to nab a writer’s assistant position by then. Things didn’t work in my favor. Alas.

So. Seven years later. Where am I? Who am I? What am I?
Existential questions we won’t get the answer to.
But one thing’s for sure: life is hard. And that’s that.

Looking back at seven years’ worth of personal content makes me almost teary-eyed. Or my allergies are acting up again.
I hope to continue aimlessly writing about my journey on this big ball of dirt hurling through space.

Let’s conclude with one of my favorite quotes, and the one thing summarizing everything we’ve seen up to this point: “Never give up, never surrender.”

By Grabthar’s hammer, what a site!