Blast From The Past

So yesterday I finished the first draft of my first spec script in probably three years. Man that felt good. As anyone viewing my posts on DD last night can probably tell I celebrated the achievement a little too much than was good for me. But hey, when you've being doing nothing but write other people's projects for 3 years I think I can cut myself some slack.

The problem was I forgot at the time I had a meeting today. Or rather didn't remember until I was too drunk to worry about it.

The meeting was with the H.O.D of a big prodco. Lets call her S, and she was the first person I ever had a meeting with in this Biz. That was maybe 10 years ago. I haven't seen her since but she claims, with some justification that she was the one who started my career.

I had written a couple of movie scripts, got an agent on the back of those and they had gone out to a few people. At the time S was with another prodco. One of their freelance readers had read my script for another company but mentioned me to S. I was like a kid at Christmas when my agents called to say she wanted to meet.

I was also as green as grass. I had no idea what these 'meetings' entailed, how I was supposed to act. Hell I didn't even know very much about writing. I had read precicesly one book on screenwriting and didn't know a MDQ from a duck's arse.

So I turned up. She was charming. Of course they had no interest in my movie scripts but were looking for TV ideas, and did I have any? I didn't even know enough to have thought that was a question they might ask. So.......no was the answer. But I would think about it.

And I did. I came up with an idea. Phoned her. She loved it. But of course me being a completely new writer she really needed a script to show her boss. Could I knock something up?

I was full of piss and vinegar then so I did. Wrote an hour long pilot over a weekend. She loved it and passed it to her boss.

I waited. 3 days I think. Then phoned. Any news? Ummmmmm.......no, it's only been like 3 days. Ah okay. I waited another week. Then phoned. Any news. Ummmmm........no it's only been like 10 days. Look I'll phone you when he's read it okay?

So about another week later and I'm actually at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships [see how this is etched on my mind] when my phone rings. It's S. I can tell from the tone in her voice that a downpayment on a porche would not be appropriate. Her boss loved the writing but couldn't get on board with the concept. Sorry.

I made hopefully cheerful sounding 'Oh well, another time' noises, but I was gutted. I thought that having an exec 'love' your work was your passport to fortune and glory. The rug had been well and truly pulled from under me.

Jeez wasI green.

Anyhow, exec musical chairs is the name of the game and S swiftly moved to another prodco. I haven't seen her since.

But......that script? The one I wrote over a weekend. Well it got me just about every job I've ever had. So I guess she did start my career.

Cut to this morning and I wake up with a mouth like a wrestler's jock-strap. This meeting had been arranged through my agents about a month ago, so I gingerly double checked to make sure it was today.
Yup, 'fraid so.

Now, pitching with a hangover is not really the way to go. But hey, S was really keen to see me, she'd always been a big fan, she loved my work and was looking forward to hearing about my projects.....blah, blah, blah. And truth be told I was quite looking forward to touching base with her and catching up on the last ten years.

So I had my bi-weekly shave, put on a fresh shirt, bought some really minty chewing gum and headed off.

Nice offices. Nice receptionist. No S

She had forgotten to put my meeting in her diary and gone off to another one.

Dopey Cow. Real keen to see me!!!!!!

But there you go. I waited 10 years, I guess I can wait a couple more weeks.