White Guy Check-In
While I was in New York two weeks ago to get some time away from this crap hole (I DO love my house I suppose. I love Chris and my cats and my bed and living room at least) and get some writing done for my sitcom I sort of accidentally met a TV Producer. Rachel and I are snacking friends on Instagram but I had no intentions of meeting her, really, if it weren’t for Amanda, who knew that we’d get along like whatever gangbusters are.
Rachel produced reality tv, so she’s not exactly my niche, but that’s ok. She is a wealth of insight and help, offering to ask around for me for things like managers and ins in the field. She’s actually really funny and easy to talk to. I think we’re a lot alike only she realized some of her goals fifteen years ahead of me. She must have had an encouraging childhood. *shrug*
Anyhow, Rachel likes her job but her boss is a dicksucker. And that spurred on a conversation about how we as women still get treated as if we’re less than because our Big Dick Energy is seen as being a bitch or a know it all, and not confidence in what we’re doing. So in an effort to not let the negative bullshit of others get in our way we decided to tit up and be Patrick. Walk into a room for a job we have no business applying for because we are radically under-qualified for but our dick energy is so big and so good at faking it that we get the job and spend the entire job figuring out how to get other people to do the job for us so that we look like we know what we’re doing in the grand scheme of things.
That’s the energy we’re going for. Walk in like we’re the shit so that nobody can take their eyes off of us for a second. Ask for what we want so hard. See what stick, see what comes back. The worst anyone can say is nothing. And that’s more on them than on us because at least we went out on that limb in the first place and that’s what our BDE is all about. So we decided to implement a weekly White Guy Check-In where we list out three accomplishments this week that made us feeling like we were a real Patrick in our fields.
I won’t list hers because despite nobody actually reading this blog, that’s her business to share for herself if she chooses. Because, after all, SHE has a real job to keep and I’m just a loudmouth nutjob with nothing to really lose. So, last Sunday my WGC was that I 1. Began an onslaught of asking to whom I would send my info to about writer’s room spots to the Always Sunny gang on their various social media platforms. Not a huge thing but still takes some guts. 2. Started my application for New Play Exchange (which deleted itself twice and I’ve temporarily given up because it seems like their site is heavily problematic right now) and 3. Joined a few FB groups that stemmed from the writer’s class I was in over Spring. Followed and began chatting up the Brent Forrester socials that just became available for tips and info I can store away for later. It’s all nothing huge but little things add up.
So far this week for my dick swinging I mostly chatted with a few people I admire to get ideas for my next steps of writing and also getting my name out there: 1. Spoke to my friend Joe who is a Marketing genius about how to do out f the box work to get some name recognition. He deals with branding a lot and he is a good person to ask if you ever want help thinking of an uncommon idea to attract people. 2. Chatted a minute on Twitter with famed screenwriter Anna Klassen about these screenwriting contests that keep showing themselves to me. 3. Trying to twitter hit up Diedrich Bader for an interview. In accordance with Joe’s advice, I think I may try to interview a few actors I admire. I’ve taken writing classes. I’ve spoken to some writers. I’m in writer’s groups. I think talking to actors about characters they loved and would want to play and things like being on set and improv may be a good way to help my writing more so than another class that says the same thing over again. If I can build characters that actors actually WANT to play then that makes my script better than people who have no idea what actors would want and only want to tell their stories their way. I’m precious about my shit, but not so precious that I’m unwilling to learn from professionals. So that concept, which would be displayed here in interview and in my show, Magenta Giraffe, in writing is pretty Big Dick Energy. It’s been three hours and he hasn’t responded yet, but I did do a little research and wrote a few questions that are both not boring (I hope) and insightful.
I am also working on sending my play Eyes on the Flag to a festival in Toronto. It’s due on the 14th to be considered at all and I’m only now realizing that in my head I thought it was 25 pages because it’s 25 minutes but the goal is to make it 45 in the longer run. I also reached out to Christina about finding a 25/30 minute play to open this series that I want to build that all revolve around domestic violence and/or sexual assault. Nobody wants just one 40 minute play but if it’s marketing as a series and all travel and flow together in one cohesive topic, then we may be on to something.
I’m hella tired. Maybe I should reconnect this to my twitter. Also I miss NYC already and honestly why would anyone not want to live there? It’s expensive, sure, but like, isn’t it worth it? More jobs, more food spots, more pizza, no driving necessary, you can get places fast and meet up with friends without having to plan it out weeks in advance so you have enough time to hang and make the 40 minute drive worth it….
