Show Me The Money

In the last few months the words “Book Club Distribution” have become as elusive to me as the words “Work Out Every Day.”

When Book Club began (I know, I’m talking about it again…feel free to navigate back to Facebook, or Twitter, or that website you were looking at that you don’t want anyone to know about.)

But seriously, when Book Club began the feeling of all involved was that if we just made this one pilot Hollywood would come knocking! They would burst down our door with streamers and money and a maybe a gold leaf plaque that said something like “BEST WEB SERIES IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.”

It was a glorious feeling.

It was an uplifting feeling.

It was a shortsighted feeling.

Now, as another month sneaks up on us, we are still waiting for that call from Hollywood.

I’m starting to think they lost our number and maybe I should try calling them.

Yes, hello? Is this Hollywood? Yes, I’m just calling to tell you that we are still waiting! What? You’ve never heard of us? But…we did this really great pilot of a web show about a book club and – What? Oh, no…I’m not a millionaire….I beg pardon? Oh, um…no I would really prefer to keep my first-born child. But thanks for asking.

Apparently, you not only have to create your own work (check!) but you also have to create you own distribution deal. Everyone always told us that if we just took the time to create what we believed in, work would come to us. It turns out those people failed to mention they already had major connections in Hollywood.

Hollywood is full of people with money. But guess what? They are all financing their own movies.

So this begs the questions, how to three young producers who live in small apartments and consider “splurging” turning on the air conditioner, find the funds to film the first season of a really great show?

I think this is all coming to light for me because I’m in panic mode.

I’m just done waiting around. I feel like if I have to follow one more dead-end lead my head might explode.

And then Hollywood will be sorry!!

Or they’ll rejoice because they can stop listening to me call them and ask for funding…

I’m sure you’re all wondering how much our little web series could possibly cost.

Let me say, it’s a lot more than you might think. To do it well, to pay people what they deserve and keep up the quality we set in the pilot it would be…are you ready? Somebody make sure my grandmother has oxygen…

$200,000

For twelve episodes.

It sounds like a lot, right?

But then, if I think about what people spend on TV shows out here (7 million an episode!!) it sounds like pennies.

But it’s not pennies to those of us who actually count our pennies.

And so the search continues.

I cannot tell you how maddening it is to have the actors, the scripts, the crews, the location, and the passion. And just not have the money.

It’s like building the perfect car and not having money for gas.

For those of you who think I’m losing faith – I’m not. So many people have told me Book Club is worth something. That it’s a great comedy worth funding.

And it is.

We just need to find the people who say that and then hand us a check.