# Done Deal...



## kid-surf (Mar 25, 2010)

Got a deal after busting ass for 2 years. Not sure if it's going to make the trades, I would seriously doubt it, but who knows? Probably can't say anything specific about it as the deal is in progress...negotiations over $. Otherwise it's a done deal. [But I can say that it's with fancy people...studio deal]

Thanks, homies, for the support over the past couple years...and/or allowing me to vent out.

Upward and onward...


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## JohnG (Mar 25, 2010)

FANTASTIC NEWS!!!

great stuff, Jay.


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## choc0thrax (Mar 25, 2010)

Sweet! Congratulations!


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## RiffWraith (Mar 25, 2010)

Good to hear - best of luck! :D


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## cc64 (Mar 25, 2010)

Hey Kid,

congrats!

Just hope that your prose will still grace our pages when you're big. :D 

Seriously, when i joined the forum you where pretty active and your posts where one of the strong points of this forum =o 

Best,

Claude


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## autopilot (Mar 25, 2010)

Yippe! Chookas Kid!


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## bdr (Mar 25, 2010)

Well done! Need a composer....?? :lol:


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## Christian Marcussen (Mar 25, 2010)

Congratulations!


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## stonzthro (Mar 25, 2010)

It really CAN happen then!


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## Lex (Mar 26, 2010)

Congrats..

aLex


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## kid-surf (Mar 26, 2010)

Thanks dude!

Btw - Choc0, you get the script? Not that you need to comment [in fact, don't mention the title in public], just wondering if it went out...don't want you to think I flaked.


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## choc0thrax (Mar 26, 2010)

kid-surf @ Fri Mar 26 said:


> Thanks dude!
> 
> Btw - Choc0, you get the script? Not that you need to comment [in fact, don't mention the title in public], just wondering if it went out...don't want you to think I flaked.



Nah, I didn't get it. Thought maybe you'd forgot.


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## kid-surf (Mar 27, 2010)

Interesting...It was supposed to go out to you weeks ago. Somebody's assistant is getting a spanking. And not just because they didn't send this out...I'm looking for any excuse to. Not sure if you'll like this one, doesn't seem like your thing but who knows. Look for it in a week or so. 

The one I'm working on now, that's the one I think you may dig. Although, I don't know when I'll be able to finish it with this latest development. Hopefully sooner than later.


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## choc0thrax (Mar 27, 2010)

Cool, thanks.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 27, 2010)

WAY TO GO, Kid!!! You deserve everything that comes to you (as long as it's good, that is!). =o =o


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 27, 2010)

WAY TO GO, Kid!!! You deserve everything that comes to you (as long as it's good, that is!). =o =o


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## kid-surf (Mar 29, 2010)

Thanks, Ned! Hearing "WAY TO GO" once is great but twice is much more fun! =o 

On me ---> o-[][]-o


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## germancomponist (Mar 29, 2010)

Congratulations Jay!


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## madbulk (Mar 29, 2010)

awesome news. 

congratulations, man.


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## jonathanparham (Mar 29, 2010)

Oh We knew you when. Congratulations


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## nikolas (Mar 29, 2010)

Well done and all the best! May this thread be the best of luck you can get and not jinks it in any way possible!


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## Ian Dorsch (Mar 29, 2010)

Congrats, kid, that rules. :D


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## Elfen (Mar 29, 2010)

Heh Congrats! Let us know of the progress. Wish you success in the next development stages. Hopefully a greenlighted production in the next months. :mrgreen:


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## Farkle (Mar 29, 2010)

Congratulations, Kid! I know (from your posts) that you've been "putting in the flight time" to get to this point in your career, and I'm so glad it has worked out for you! Keep us in the loop ò­‡   ËÀn­‡   ËÀo­‡   ËÀp­‡   ËÀq­‡


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## kid-surf (Mar 31, 2010)

Thanks homies! 

A round of root beer on me ---> o-[][]-o


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## drasticmeasures (Mar 31, 2010)

kid-surf @ Fri Mar 26 said:


> Um, a little early to think about a composer...



That line made me laugh....I get told that one ALL the time!

Congrats, Jay!


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## Daniel James (Apr 1, 2010)

Congrats :D


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## Brian Ralston (Apr 1, 2010)

Good to hear Jay! o-[][]-o


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## lux (Apr 1, 2010)

Man we definely need nice scripts, congratulations Jay!


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## kid-surf (Apr 2, 2010)

Thanks guys! More FREE root beer on me --> o-[][]-o 

...with a Patron chaser.

Nathan, what's even more funny is that I've heard that line a million times myself.


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## synergy543 (Apr 2, 2010)

Congratulations and good luck with the gig Jay.

o-[][]-o Cheers!


Is it really greener on the other side of the fence?


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## kid-surf (Apr 4, 2010)

Thanks man! o-[][]-o 

Yes and no. [I go long]

Bad news first: You're still trying to please people who don't always have the same [exact] ideas, want's/needs of the project that you do, so you are left to incorporate their ideas or 'we' don't move forward with this project. But that's not such a bad thing, said and done.

Good news: Important people actually listen to you, intently, as you're the guy who can make them money, as opposed to costing them money. Feels like candid camera, like someone will jump out and yell "just kidding...we don't really care what you have to say."

Initially, that aspect was hard for me to wrap my head around, as I was so used to playing the more passive composer role. As the composer we 'react' to whatever the directive is, as the creator we 'enact' the directive and therefore must be convincing in our committal to what that is. Suddenly, you realize "Oh...duh...I'm supposed to take control of these meetings, that's what these studio people WANT me to do". You suddenly realize that there's nobody in the room who knows more about just how to make this project work than you. Coming from the composing world, it's a surreal feeling.

So, I guess the point is that, yes, it's greener on this side of the fence. As a composer I felt like I was struggling to land projects that were below me [projects I myself would not have been proud to have written/directed/created]. As a writer/creator I'm afforded the luxury to be working with very smart people, very important people, people with a taste level that matches mine - which feels very liberating, as before I felt suffocated. On this side of the fence I have representation from the premiere agency on the planet, several agents - where they actually dig in to make things happen for me and in ways I could not on my own. As a composer all I had was a hip-pocket offer where 99% of the responsibility was still on me. As a composer I had no minimum fee nor a guild/union affiliation. As a writer/creator I have both. As a composer I had little chance to be in business with a studio. As a writer/creator I am in business with a studio with no previous studio credits. 

I suppose one of the biggest personal victories is the respect thing: As a composer I never felt any true degree of respect [particularly from friends in the business who are fully established in the studio world as executives, agents, producers, etc]. As a writer I feel as though I get respect at the studio level...not A-list respect, just, now that I have a deal I'm considered "legit". Though, friends may not want to admit it, they do, consciously or subconsciously, look at me a little differently now, kinda' like "Oh...he got a deal with _____, interesting...I didn't realize he was for real". Not that I fault my friends for it, it's just the way it all works. Perception being everything matched with the principle that nobody wants to be the first one to give you a deal, therefore that first deal being the hardest.

The biggest personal victory is: Self respect. The realization that I wasn't crazy after all. Many days I had to wonder, as it is unheard of to go from never having written anything to landing a studio deal in a matter of 20-something months. For some crazy reason I felt I could do it...despite some of my writer-director pals thinking I had lost my mind, that I was encroaching their territory and therefore out of my league. 

And by the way: I wanted to be represented at this particular agency since my wife began working there *SIXTEEN YEARS AGO*. I never gave up on that idea, took me 16 [brutal-ass] years to see it through...as I watched people around me go from nobodies on to huge successes while I toiled away in the studio, year after year, facing one dead end opportunity after the next...going on TWO DECADES. It's enough to crush you, but somehow you get back to your feet to fight another day. And I do feel that it's worse when you see, first hand, all these people becoming successful while you are not, the whole thing chips away at your soul. It's the idea of "out of sight, out of mind", when your wife is an agent it's never out of sight or mind, it's always SMASH in your face. In the early years I was VERY envious of my wife's success, which turned to jealousy once she became an agent and I was still a nobody, see *I* was supposed to "make it" first, as I had been a creative long before the idea of working in the business ever occurred to her, long before we had even met, going back to when I was 12 years old writing/recording songs with my buddy in his bedroom on a 4-track. But that was more than 10 years ago that she became an agent. In that time the jealousy shifted back to envy and finally disappeared entirely...once again I grew to be proud of her accomplishments. However, in those 16 years it was very difficult for my wife to watch me be disappointed time and again...she was my biggest fan convinced that I had a degree of talent that just wasn't being appreciated on the levels she thought fitting, her level...thus, she wanted this deal [the one I just made] more than I did...if that's possible.

This deal, for me, represents a 16 year struggle for inner peace and self validation. I've finally found it. Not that this is the end of the road, it's only the beginning. But this is a symbolic victory in ways that can't completely be put into words.

Point being: Never ask a writer a simple question... :D Yes, greener in many ways. 


Add that: Once something goes into production [whether it's this project or the next], once I'm looking for and finally working with a composer, I will have a first hand appreciation of what it's like to need to express yourself. I will find someone I believe in and not micro-manage them. It will be a true collaboration where they need not walk on eggshells for fear that I will freak out, I will stick by them as we figure out what works best...which means EXPLORATION to find that ORIGINAL music which best fits ONLY this project - I'll want something NEW/FRESH/ORIGINAL, something that few have had the balls to allow a composer to create - I *refuse* [repeat: REFUSE!  ] to temp. I suspect it will be that composer's dream gig. 

And as for the inevitable question...

Q: What makes you think you can oversee the music on your first project. 
A: Because I'm the executive producer/creator and..............I'm a composer. I know more than anyone else what the best fit is. 

Speaking of: I like the fact that, if this "goes", I get paid a nice fee every episode just for creating it, whether I write it or not. Though I'd want to write most episodes...so I can afford only the best puppy food [considering hookers and coke are out of the question]

I'll stop typing now...


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## synergy543 (Apr 4, 2010)

Wow! Now I know what to ask a writer next time I'm looking for a gig. :D 

Seriously though, your answer is very interesting. What you imply regarding the attitudes toward composers might be generally true today, although historically, composers have always been servants to others whether Kings, the Church, patrons, or choreographers. I think few composers have ever held power positions in the film business with John Williams or Hans Zimmer being the possible exceptions. Still, If they were to join in this discussion, I'm sure they would speak humbly of their roles.

Yours most humbly,

Greg


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## kid-surf (Apr 5, 2010)

True...

Historically most artists were [and in many ways still are] servants in one form or another...always for the same reason "we love what we do and would do it for free". It's very easy to take advantage of that situation [passion], as we all know. Though it's a trait that can't be bought...only its fruits can be bought...or licensed. 

But yes, the composer is trained to be humble, like a dog beaten with a stick. To successfully convince a studio to get behind one's project is, well, I wouldn't describe it as a matter of arrogance, more so a matter of conviction. Though, a type/brand of conviction most composers aren't afforded...only due to situational elements. After all, the writer/creator becomes the salesman once s/he's in the room with executives. The deal is usually made, or not, in the room...whether or not you actually receive the commitment then and there in the room. 

Switching hats takes a bit of getting used to...definitely.


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## synergy543 (Apr 5, 2010)

kid-surf @ Sun Apr 04 said:


> Switching hats takes a bit of getting used to...definitely.


Which will make the movie even more interesting!

And character movies are making a comeback - just saw "The Informant!" with its zany music and some great screen writing techniques with the self dialogue. Great fun.


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## Brobdingnagian (Apr 6, 2010)

Thanks for posting this jay.

You are a big man in my eyes for the courage to honestly post your feeling about your jealousy and how it came full circle.

Also the bit about self-respect. Funny thing, that.

Really pleased for you. I really FELT your frustration of 16 years and so happy that you found a way to make it all work for yourself.

Why shouldn't you have a major say in the music - you have been creating it since you were a boy and your opinion is certainly as valid as ANYONE else that is going to start speaking a bit too loudly about what they think is proper for your baby. You've come this far and fought many battles, what's one more? Honestly...

Thanks for sharing all of these insights/experiences with us over the last year or 2.

B


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