Never TRUST a Friend. Still Hurts-A True Story of the Nasty Side of The “Industry.”

About 7 years ago I entered a drawing contest and won! (Still haven’t received the poster I was supposed to get). Then I was talking to the artist who created the character I drew for the contest, when he discovered I was a writer, he asked me to write some shorts for him. For no pay upfront, but the promise of more work and money in the future. I was a published author, but still was rather new to the business.

I did, I wrote tons for FREE, but I loved it and loved the character so I didn’t mind. I even had a few stories published (for promised of money in the future-still haven’t seen a dime) in his graphic novel which came out in 2009-we all went to the SD Con to promote.

Okay so I was still writing shorts for FREE-yes FREE because he was my friend and I trusted him.

In summer of 2011 he said he wanted me to write an entire novel for this character, I told him I needed to be paid, he promised that was coming, but first- we were going to create a TV series from this character.

I was offered a writing job from him and was hired, signed a contract-was told that I was the creator with him and head writer. We worked for about 2 months, then the contract was cut short with no explanation whatsoever and when I asked the creative executive and very good friend of my good friend he answered with anger, like I was confused. I never officially got a reason, then they told me it was “on hold” but they loved what we were doing and we would get back to work ASAP.

When I was on the job, I had zero creative freedom and was told something different from my friend every time I spoke to him, not even once a week-the exec thought we were talking daily but we weren’t. That said, I followed all his story instructions even though as a TV writer and a novelist I knew things wouldn’t work. My friend kept telling me that he wanted to hand it over to me and have me run the whole thing yet he struck down everything I suggested.

Finally come mid Jan, the project came to that screeching stop and I was out of work. I was promised a year, I got two months. It was awful. I was worried because I had moved back to LA on my own dime for this.

But I tried to stay positive because my friend and the exec told me we would be back to work in a month, two at the most. Well Feb came and went and so did March.

In April I emailed the exec checking in and my friend. NO REPLY, but they both deleted me from Facebook.

Now lemme back track, I am only on FB because this friend talked me into getting on it when we were first friends in 2006… so we were close FB friends. The exec and I had only been FB friends for like a year, but still we were all friends, actual friends.

They deleted me, NEVER REPLIED to my email asking if we were starting soon.

Then finally at the end of April 2012 my friend sent me a nasty email saying that the producer has the right to hire whomever he wants to write-with again no reason to why I was off-and I understand, I’m not a child, but again, I signed a contract. The exec emailed me telling me that they canceled the project and wouldn’t be needing any writers at this time. Again, I signed a CONTRACT for X amount and got way less than that. WAAAAY LESS.

Needless to say, this friend used me, and tossed me aside like I was garbage and a 6 year friendship and tons of free work was tossed away.

Come to find out my story ideas are being used in books and in a production without me getting credit or anything.

I don’t hate my “friend”—- I was the one that was stupid enough to give him free stories for years. I was the one that trusted his word.

I was the one who…wait! He royally screwed me over and the moral of the story, be VERY careful of doing free work for friends. It is really bad in most cases. When I talked to many TV writer friends and showrunners, they all told me they were nervous for me when I started this job and also gave me lawyer numbers etc.

I am more sad than angry, but apparently the show is going forward, even though I was told it was canceled. Another friend, an actual friend sent me the poster today and said, “Isn’t this the show you created a couple years ago and wrote the pilot for?”….

I feel like a schmuck for trusting and it’s been a struggle to turn the other cheek, but it is what it is.

This is why I will NEVER work for FREE again, ever and even if someone is a “friend” I am lawyering up when offered a real position.

Trust is not a good word in this business and I haven’t blogged about this and it’s been hard to keep quite, but I had to share so none of you will make the mistake I made.

Busy Writing!

So I am always amazed at those who write on TV shows, novels and work full time and blog-seriously that is not me, although I do try.

Lemme catch you all up. I finished my dialogue workshop-WHO SAID THAT? early because the students were so awesome and did their assignments early. I will have another one, but not until spring and here is why.

I am working on the sequel to my alien YA novel, RYUAN. I am doing this during NaNoWriMo-National Write a Novel in a Month, month. I have been writing about 1500-2000 words most days during lunch, but yesterday I didn’t write for many reasons during lunch-all good though. I am behind. I am working full time as an illustrator and finishing up some freelance, but I will not be defeated, I think I am at 17,000 words, so I will finish, just less time for blogs.

Last month I did my Daily Ghost-http://www.thedailyghost2012.blogspot.com/ so that took time and of course was moving and trying to get my life back after the hellacious year I had from Jan until basically Sept 10th-when I started at my new day job that I love.

I was asked about Popular, the YA book I wrote during Camp NaNo, well to be honest, I wrote it, it’s done, but needs some reworking and editing. The main character, Skywalker Holden (yes her mother was in love with Luke and obsessed with Star Wars-not unlike myself-so the poor girl, goes by Skye, but everyone knows and makes fun of her.) is great, but some of the side characters need some work. Hey my father just died, what do you expect?

I am also trying to get another book ready to donate to the Bridge Rail Foundation…

These things all take time and somewhere in there I am trying to have a life.

So I apologize for not blogging as much on here as I was, I will def soon, especially with Oscar season here.

New TV shows I love: Last Resort and Nashville are my stand outs.

I love the new cast members on GLEE.

General Hospital is still good and that’s about it.

Hope you are all doing great and writing tons. If you want to buddy up for NaNo, I am stephnewyork.

Rest in Peace Alan Kirschenbaum

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Alan Kirschenbaum

 

Today in Hollywood the comedy stopped

as well learned of the sad news that funny man Alan Kirschenbaum had taken his life. On the outside, and IMDB everything looked great, but obviously something was terribly wrong. I didn’t know him. I always wanted to work with him or at the very least take one of his classes. I followed him on Twitter out of respect and he was funny.

People often seem fine on the outside when they are really tragically sad on the inside. Suicide is something that is so hard for people to understand, but you have to know that it’s never your fault. Except I think in the case of my uncle Ricky, who when he was sixteen-long before I was born, took his own life but wrote my Dickens-esq grandfather telling him that it was his fault-in that case yes, it was maybe. But really at the end of the day it’s the person who decides to do it. Ultimately no one can change someone’s mind when they are in that dark place.

It breaks my heart that three people in Hollywood all took their lives recently and I just wonder what was so bad that they didn’t see that they had another way.

Rest in peace Mr. Kirschenbaum your spirit will stay with those of us forever and I hope that things are better on the other side.

If you are in that place, and I know it’s bad, really bad, please get help.

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

1 (800) 273 TALK

Nashville Keeps Getting Better

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Nashville

Remember how I did an online dialogue workshop? Well my students were so ambitious that we finished a few weeks early, which is exciting. Here is even what’s more exciting, the new ABC show, Nashville. This is EXACTLY what I have been talking about. The characters speak so real and without telling us what is going on, what they say is showing us their past, their future and their present. It’s amazing and I am so happy that every Wed night I get to enjoy such a great show for one hour. You must tune in, especially if you have taken my online workshop or want to, or are a writing creating characters. Nashville brings it every time!

So Many Things to Say!

First of all CONGRATS to all my TV writing peeps who made it into the fellowships and the semi finals, or finals for ABC. Not sure where they are this year. I am excited for you all.

NASHVILLE pilot was awesome.

LAST RESORT is fun.

MODERN FAMILY is HI-LARIOUS as usual.

I have been insanely busy with a move, starting a new awesome illustration day job, writing like crazy and other things…so please forgive me for not being around much.

I promise to get back to it. Thanks for reading and please follow me on Twitter.

 

Deleted my other blog

Hey everyone, most of you were on my other blog as well, Script Concierge. I have decided to just stay on this one for now. If I get really busy then I’ll do another one at some point. Thanks heaps for reading and staying involved.

My online dialogue class for novelists starts tomorrow night, there is still time to sign up.

Happy Writing!

Todd Manning in Port Charles?

I have been watching General Hospital for 32 years! Yes longer than some of you have been alive. I started watching it when I was a child and no not because my mother watched it, she actually hated soaps, but when my friends Katie and Becky were obsessed with the Cassadines  I tuned in. I cried for days when Laura went missing and watched Lucky grow up and saw Brenda get involved with mobster Sonny Corinthos. I know these characters and their backstories better than they probably do.

Now, One Life to Live. My sister watched that one in high school, so I started watching that one as well and it soon became one of my favorites. I was lucky enough to do extra work and a couple small speaking parts on OLTL when I was in NYC in the early ’90s, and I watched it every day until it went off the air earlier this year. Which broke my heart by the way.

Soon after OLTL was gone some of the major players showed up in Port Charles, and I was skeptical at first, but now I LOVE it. Todd Manning being my favorite character from One Life, I was beyond happy when he made his way into Port Charles.

TODD MANNING BELOW: Roger Howarth top photo and Trevor St. John below.

Roger Howarth plays Todd brilliantly and I remember when I worked on OLTL, at the rape trial for Marty Saybrook, I met Roger and he was so gracious to a new actress. That said, Todd is a great character and Roger does a great job, as did Trevor St. John when he took over the role for many years.

The reason I bring all this up today is because the reason Todd Manning is such a great character all goes back to the writing. He has specific personality traits and ways of speaking that are uniquely “Todd”. I hate it when I see spoofs on soaps and they make all the characters sound exactly the same because in reality, they are usually all very unique and Todd Manning is a perfect example of great character development.

This from Wikipedia:

Originally, the character was conceived as short-term; Howarth is credited with “turning what was a day player role into a compelling, long-term characterTodd is initially designed to be a ruthless, cunning and one-dimensional villain, with significant trouble with the law. This began to change when the popularity of his 1993 gang rape of Marty Saybrooke, noted as one of soap opera’s classic, “most remembered and impactful” storylines.

If you don’t watch General Hospital, tune in for a few weeks and watch Todd closely, the way he reacts to things, how he speaks-the words he choses-they all show us who he is and what is behind those words.

I’m So Crazed…..Story of My Life

So since I’ve seen you all,  lots of things have happened.

I made it to semi finals in a writing contest, but not the finals. Didn’t make it into the semi or the finals to two of the writing fellowships I applied to. Didn’t get into the finals of a film fest, but received a hand written note on my rejection-and it did make sense.

I was approached by a couple agents—-fingers crossed—-need a new agent.

I got a writing job doing children’s stories for a mobile app-it’s part time, but always nice to be hired to write.

Continuing on other hired to work on projects.

As well as my dialogue class starts next week!!

And I was asked to submit my screenplay-one of them-to a producer.

AND I have been busy working tons of freelance gigs-hoping that will change soon as an awesome art job may turn into full time day job soon, which would mean, only 40 hours a week of work, and more time to write on the side. I have always loved both my day job and writing, but sometimes when I am on 100+ hours a week, and have no time to write, it can be hard. I am happy that a balance may be happening soon.

This all said, CONGRATS to all my fellow writers who have advanced in the fellowships. I have worked, briefly, on a couple of shows and been hired to create a show so maybe the fellowships just aren’t for me, I don’t know, but I do know that I am happy for everyone. I believe there is enough writing for all of us!

Okay, enough about me, how are you? Tell me!

Labor Day Discount on my Who Said That? Workshop

So a lot of writers have been messaging me asking for a discount on my online workshop and since I am also a writer, I get it. I am offering this, $50 off the full price of the workshop through this weekend. So stop by mywebsite

www.stephanieolivieri.com 

and sign up for the discount-note you can pay on either the homepage and or the Who Said That? page.

As well I am willing to work with writers who need to make a payment plan.

Happy September and happy writing!

Writing Articles

As if blogging, teaching a workshop, writing a book on craft, and of course writing my screenplay and new pilot weren’t enough, I am now writing articles on character.

Here is the first one in today’s WriteOnOnline newsletter, please share it and feel free to contact me for info on the workshops or individual services.

http://writeononline.com/2012/08/27/characters-and-dialogue/