Checking in with 2006 Teleplay Sitcom Winner Todd Linden

This week we decided to check in with last year’s Sitcom Teleplay Competition Winner Todd Linden. Todd won with his spec script “My Name is Earl.” We thought we would check in with him and see what he is up to now.

Mary: How did you hear about the Austin Film Festival Teleplay Competition? Why did you enter?

Todd: I first found out that the Austin Film Festival had a Teleplay Category after applying the year before to the Warner Bros. Writers Workshop. The director of that program informed us about it. I went online that night and read all about the competition on the AFF website, knowing immediately that I would be submitting my specs there. I submit my spec scripts to as many legit contests and fellowships that I can find, because the more places that read my stuff, the more chances I have to get noticed. The Austin Film Festival gave me that chance to be noticed.

Mary: The AFF Teleplay Competition only accepts specs for currently airing cable and network television shows. Has having a spec for "My Name is Earl" been helpful when pursuing work?

Todd: Well you're not going to get a writing job without examples of your writing to show, so having an "Earl" spec, as well as several other specs, has been a key part of my search for that first staff writing position. But you have to stay current so people know you're in a constant state of writing. Showing a Friends spec you might have written five years ago is going to seem recycled and lazy. Just like AFF, the industry wants to read spec scripts of existing shows to judge your understanding of character voices and ability to come up with creative and solid storylines. I write my specs with that in mind, and then look to contests like AFF to help promote the scripts I've written. Now that my "Earl" spec won AFF, I can send showrunners and studios a critically acclaimed script, which may give it a boost over the competition.

Mary: Since the festival, what have you been up to?

Todd: Writing, and writing a lot. I wrote a spec pilot. Currently I'm working on a couple of different scripts including a "How I Met Your Mother" spec. When I was in Austin I met Brant Rose of the Brant Rose Agency. After winning the sitcom category, he showed interest in meeting me. I met Brant and his partner, Toochis, back in L.A. a couple of months later, and I have since signed with the Brant Rose Agency. I'm still looking for that first professional writing opportunity, but it is such a weight off my back and an added motivation knowing that everything I write now has the ability to be seen all around town with help from my agents. Along with all the writing, of course, I still have to make money, so I continue working in television production. There are pros and cons to working in TV Production as a writer: the main con is you work long hours and have less personal time to write, but the main pro is you meet so many people in the industry who might be able to help you down the road. With all the talent you may have, this is still a profession based on connections.

Mary: Would you encourage others to enter the Teleplay Competition?

Todd: Absolutely. This competition got me my first agent! If you've written a spec script, submit it to as many contests as you can. And if you haven't written a script yet but you want to be a writer, use AFF's deadline as the motivation to start writing. We're all fighting to get noticed, so why not get your stuff out there to as many outlets as possible. By entering the competition I gave myself a chance. By becoming a finalist, I got a free pass to all of the screenings and panels the festival had to offer, which was amazing. And by winning, I have grown more confident in myself as a writer and I have found an agent to get my material out there. Winning that competition was an honor I'll never forget. All you have to lose is a few bucks, but what you have to potentially gain is a chance to launch your writing career.

The Austin Film Festival Teleplay Competition deadline is June 1st. We accept any spec for a currently airing network or cable television program. For more information on this year's Teleplay Competition check out www.austinfilmfestival.com.

One on One with Curtis Burch and Latitude Productions

This year the Austin Film Festival added a new category sponsored by a growing company, Latitude Productions. We thought we would take some time to learn a little more about Latitude by asking the President of the company, Curtis Burch to share with us his background and to discuss what Latitude Productions is all about.

Mary: What is Latitude Productions?
Curtis: Latitude Productions was created to provide an experience for writers and filmmakers different than the one most often provided by the studio-based system that I have observed first hand for the last twenty years. What the studios do clearly works on it’s own terms and the studios are powerfully successful entities. Latitude exists, however, as a place where smart, creative people who love and know movies can work in a climate of trust and dignity, where there is no attention given to power politics or to what’s “hot” and what’s not “hot”. It’s the kind of place that I imagined existed when I was a kid and I dreamed about being in the movie business. I was disillusioned when I finally got into it and now I’m trying to rectify the situation for myself and for others whose work I admire. Already, having just gotten started putting together my first slate of development projects, I have found that I am able to create a different relationship with writers than I was able to create when I worked in the system. By that I mean direct and honest “one-on-one” communication, without any attention to how it’s going to play to some kind of higher corporate entity.

Mary: What are you looking for in a script/and or writer?
Curtis: I’m interested in writers who would never think to write something just to sell it. I’m looking for writers who love story and who haven’t been overly influenced by other movies that are currently being produced by the system. I respond to writers that have respect for the great stories that have come before them and who care about character and theme over structural paradigms. As for the type of script, I have no preconceived notions, and certainly not any particular genres in mind. Whatever it is, it must be smart and have about it a joyful expression of the form.

Mary: Your website discusses a "void that exists in today's movie business." What is this void and how does Latitude Productions hope to fill it?
Curtis: I have this belief, which is by no means original, that when the “American Independent” movie was created in the early Eighties, as a response to the “Popcorn/Comic Book/Exploitation” trend that the studios adopted in the late seventies, that it ended up being an over-correction. And that what it left was a state of polarization. Practically everything that is made today is considered either “commerce” or “art”. The void I refer to is that state in the middle, the kind of movies the studios used to make that were both artistic and commercial. Occasionally, the system will make something that falls in between, but it’s often by accident. I’m interested in filling that void with movies that are the best of both worlds.

For more information about Curtis Burch and Latitude Productions visit www.latitudeproductions.com. The Latitude Productions award Looking for adult/character driven scripts with a budget of under 10 million dollars. For a list of this year's complete Screenplay and Teleplay Competition rules please visit our website at www.austinfilmfestival.com. Early deadline is May 15th and late deadline is June 1st.

We are looking forward to another year of inspiring entries!

Roadside Attractions takes COLMA

Congrats to Richard Wong and the entire COLMA team! The musical indie which played the Austin Film Festival in October has been picked up by Roadside Attractions. We'll let you know when this amazing indie hits Austin again. From the Hollywood Reporter:

'Colma' in tune with Roadside Attractions
By Gregg Goldstein

April 6, 2007
NEW YORK -- Roadside Attractions has nabbed all worldwide rights to the irreverent indie "Colma: The Musical."

Richard Wong's first feature follows three rebellious high school grads on a voyage of self discovery in Colma, the San Francisco suburb known for its many cemeteries. The gloomy environment provides the backdrop for more than a dozen musical numbers shot in digital video.

"That someone can go out and make an accomplished, full-blown musical on their own is a giant evolution in independent film," said Roadside co-president Eric d'Arbeloff. The distributor plans a domestic theatrical release of "Colma" this summer.

"Colma" earned an IFP Gotham Award nomination for "Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You" last fall and an Independent Spirit Award "Someone to Watch" nom for Wong earlier this year. The film won special jury prizes during its debut at the San Francisco International Asian-American Film Festival and at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

Wong co-wrote the project with H.P. Mendoza, who composed the score and stars in the film with Jake Moreno and L.A. Renigen.

The deal was negotiated by Roadside's d'Arbeloff with Nguyen "Wyn" Tran of sales agent The Institution on behalf of the filmmakers.

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