Hollywood Stuff

So about a month ago, I got an email from a guy saying that he’d just come across PARALLAX on Amazon, loved the concept, and wanted to know if the film rights were available. Now I get these types of emails a few times a year; Hollywood and I have flirted a lot over the years, but no one’s ever scored a home run. As a result, I was a bit cynical – especially since someone else had written within the hour to ask the same thing. But I wrote back and we started a dialogue. The guy was going on a cruise and intended to read the book while he was. I prepared to wait.

About a week later, I got an email from Mexico from this same guy saying, “It’s good, Jon. Real good.” He went on to say he wanted to pretty much reach everything I’d written, did I have any scripts I could send him, that sort of thing. He also sent along a bio sheet about himself and the company he helped found in Los Angeles. Being the sometimes cynic that I am, I was still finding this all a bit much, but what the hell, it could turn out to be something…

I sent him 30 pages of a script I’ve been tinkering with over the years. It’s not finished by any means, and to be completely honest, it sort of meanders, because I didn’t really have a clear grasp on the story itself. But it’s fun and I like it.

This past Monday, I get a phone call. It’s him.

Without going into too many details, it is exactly the type of phone call a lot of writers dream of getting. And for someone like me, with all sorts of ambitions beyond writing books, it was rather an amazing conversation. Last night, we spoke again – this time he was in Las Vegas where he lives part time due to the fact that he produces one of the most successful shows out there – and finalized things.

I am very happy to announce that I now have myself a manager. Christopher Pratt of Elements Entertainment will be handling my Hollywood career. Christopher and Elements are a young, aggressive talent management agency and I couldn’t be happier. First up is for me to send over an overview of what I’m working on, what I’ve already done, and what I’d like to do. I have a conference call next week with Christopher and another partner as we lay out a game plan for how they’re going to “introduce” me to Hollywood. This not going to be like what happens with 99.99% of authors who get their stuff optioned and then their work lingers in development Hell for years (no offense to those authors, it’s just that I don’t want to earn a few measly grand every so often from options.) Christopher and Elements have a plan and I’m damned excited about the future.

Apparently, I’ll also probably have more “staff” in the near future – including a Hollywood agent and an entertainment attorney to navigate the vast complexity of film & TV contracts (been needing one of those anyway re: THE FIXER). So things are getting interesting, to say the very least. I’m going to be getting a fantastic education and I can’t wait.

Come along on the ride!