letter

I just thought I'd share with you a letter I received from Larry Brody a few years ago, a producer of several TV shows.  I entered a contest and Alter Ego won second place.  And he had some good things to say.  It's short, but also very sweet...

Hi.

Got your request for feedback about your entry into the People's Pilot and am glad that you're taking this opportunity to make an impression on future television programming so seriously.  We at TV Writer.Com believe in what we're doing and hope that we can pass on the insights you need.

ALTER EGO is the kind of project that appeals to me personally.  I began my career writing s-f and have produced several superhero shows.  I like what you've got there and thought your script was very well written.  I'm impressed with your talent.  Keep me posted on what you're doing, please.

As you've probably heard, all networks and studios these days want "high concept" ideas.  The real definition of high concept is "execution-proof."  It means an idea that is so cool on its face that it'll succeed no matter how badly it's done.  ALTER EGO, however, will depend on its execution.  It can be THE TICK or THE FLASH or BUFFY depending on who runs it, and that's a major problem these days.

The second reason this is tough is that it's a comic book style series not associated with an existing comic book.  And I don't think I need to tell you, that except in extremely rare cases, writing a series based on unknown superheroes is a waste of time.  It's a hard truth, but it's a truth nonetheless.

Hope you take the spirit of these comments as they were intended, as useful criticism for improving your chances in the future, and that you continue taking those chances.  There's potential here. Stay with it.

Thanks for your entry,

Brody