Screenwriting : Virtual Writer's Room by TJ Colvin

Ok. This is going to be a long post.

I’m a writer/director who has directed several indie features as well as a couple of pilots (including one that went into turnaround twice). I’ve directed actors you may know, which in Hollywood obviously means nothing. My day job is as a director/writer for an award-winning production house that specializes in cinematic training videos for large corporate clients across the United States. Which, again…in Hollywood means nothing.

This brings me to this project…I’ve got a riveting (in my mind) pilot script that has received great coverage, but still no real movement.

Logline: After a homeless veteran goes viral for an interview denouncing his local congressman, he reluctantly agrees to join forces with three young, ambitious staffers and runs for Congress himself.

Think The West Wing…but grittier. Yet, it’s still fast-paced and moves.

One BLCKLST review said “This pilot is engaging from beginning to end, and it creates plenty of momentum going forward to coax the audience back for more. The lead characters are perfectly castable too - an attractive quality for networks hoping to put top talent in those roles to help market the show. This wouldn't be an exorbitantly expensive or complicated hour to produce either, and the tone of the show could work on a variety of networks.”

Another BLCKLST review said “This timely television pilot quickly situates itself into the current political climate with its particularly poignant series premise…not only does this feel exceptionally grounded in the social media culture of the country today, but also becomes a great platform for a television series with an unlikely candidate for public office capitalizing on his moment of fame. Of course, any analysis of this pilot must undoubtedly focus on the rich social commentary of its material. This pilot has quite a lot to say about the current homelessness crisis this country faces and uses its dramatic storylines to deftly shine a light on this issue through an entertaining television series - something the elevates the power & importance of the material here. If a series of this nature were to make it to the air, there is great potential at bringing these issues to a mass awareness - the textbook definition of content that can make a difference if greenlit. The reveal at pilot’s end also nicely gives this series a cliffhanger ending to fuel interest for episode two.”

My goal at this point is to raise the funds to film the entirety of the first season myself. It would be under the Ultra Low Budget agreement. Thankfully, I own multiple 4k cameras, cinema lenses, lighting and grip equipment and because of my day job, have a large contingent of cast and crew willing to take the risk with me.

Ok, so if you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering why I posted in the Screenwriters forum. Here goes:

I am looking to start a virtual writers room for this “show.” Ideally, I’d imagine that four or five other writers and myself would get together one Saturday or Sunday for a day-long Zoom call. We’d go over the pilot and flowchart what a potential season would look like (8 to 10 episodes). Ideally, each of the writers in the virtual writer’s room would be responsible for at least one (45-60 page) episode. Each writer would be paid a small stipend of $250 for the episode and would be allotted points and a sliding fee scale assuming the project sells.

If there is actual interest, I will be selecting individuals based on their writing samples, so please be prepared to submit. My pilot has an extremely diverse cast, and I would be looking for writers to reflect the diversity that already exists in the pilot script.

I’m happy to provide a link to the script, my pitch deck, and a link to my director’s reel to those who are interested.

Thanks for reading!