My name is Tomas Boykin. I've been a member of Stage32 since 2013. Which is how long I've been attached to Unit L/M. I became aware of Unit L/M when a dear friend/colleague and writing/producing partner Richard Mueller invited me to become a part of the project as an actor. I read it. I loved it. I took a meeting with Mueller and the guy who came up with the story. Who is currently still living the story. His name is Tymon Shipp. Mueller and Shipp were interested in me playing a role in Unit L/M. I should add that Unit L/M was originally a feature film. But I immediately saw it as a tv episodic. Mind you this was before the phrase Peak TV was being thrown around. Excited, I not only asked Shipp and Mueller if they were ok with changing it to a tv show, but also if I could come on as a producer. They said yes. It bears mentioning that Tymon Shipp is entering his 30th year working in LA Probation. So our connection to the source material is at the very least intrinsic. At any rate, after 25 plus iterations of the pilot script, a carefully crafted pitch deck/bible, and a one sheet and a few notices of interest from notable networks, we're still in the hunt for the right network/showrunner. Now, I've often seen and received numerous notices about industry related webinars, etc. And I'm sure most of them are very helpful (for a price). But, this being a networking site, I figured not only that I'd share my career status a Producer/Actor/Writer but also share our written pitch. The plan is to develop the material we have into a deft true to life portrayal of corruption in the Los Angeles Juvenile Justice System. Unit L/M has been described as Oz meets the The Wire. Are you an EP/Showrunner/Network Executive/or a power broker of IP in the vast ever evolving landscape of television and streaming? Well, here's a written pitch of Unit L/M:
Unit L/M PITCH
Let us imagine, the son of a corrupt probation director, a kid who’s in juvie himself becomes
the victim of a contract killing because of the outstanding gambling debts owed by his crooked father.
Enter Leonard Malone, our much ostracized, old-school veteran probation officer
who takes the fall for the kid’s murder. Malone is suspended by his superiors for negligence. Ironically,
it was Malone who cautioned that inadequate staffing could inevitably lead to such a tragedy. It was
Malone who complained about suspected corruption. This of course, fell on the deaf ears of his
superiors; higher ups told him to shut up and upper management told him to stay quiet, keep it to
himself. And, to assure themselves that he stayed quiet, nefarious figures within the rank and file put a
contract out on his life.
So, Leonard Malone is summarily murdered while on suspension. His murder is painted as a home
invasion gone wrong.
Enter J. T. Meriwether, our protagonist. Like Malone, he’s an old-school veteran
probation officer. He’s ex-military. As a friend and protégé of Malone, Meriwether’s a bit of an idealist in
that he still believes in many of the virtues of rehabilitation. But, don’t get it twisted, Meriwether’s no
fool. He’s not buying that his friend and mentor was killed during some botched home invasion, and
he’s determined to find out what really happened.
Enter Daniella Malone, Harvard law grad, federal agent, FBI. She’s in from San
Diego to attend Malone’s funeral. She joins forces with Meriwether and together not only do the 2 of
them set out to solve her beloved uncle’s murder, but they also begin to uncover just how widespread
and how far up the chain of command this corruption goes.
Unit L/M is a microcosm. It’s the industrial complex, if you will, of corruption in the juvenile justice
system with the city of Los Angeles functioning as its bureaucratic backdrop much like the city of
Baltimore did for HBOs The Wire. And J. T. Meriwether is the probation officer battling organized crime
in a juvenile detention facility incarcerating kids for profit. Why? Because locking up kids is big business.
We'd appreciate notice from anyone within this vast Stage32 networking network who'd know how to move Unit L/M to the next level.
Thank you.
All the best,
Tomas Boykin (Producer/Actor/Writer)
