I was told the only time you need an agent and the agent wants you is when you're earning so much that you don't need him in the first instance.
Payment Page 2
Hi all
Thanks for your many reply's of congratulations, I really appreciate it. It's thanks to this website that my sitcom was picked up. The producer literally wrote "Sitcom writers" into a search engine and my name came up. As with most things in this business, it's all down to luck.
I now have the hard copy so I shall be posting clips on a website very soon, I appreciate all comments on it, good or bad. Although not filmed entirely the way I would have liked, I couldn't be around for most of the rehearsal progress, it's still a good step on the way to hopefully getting it made.
For those of you who want to know how to go about getting your own work published, first get someone impartial to read your work. Marc Blake offer's a great service and the advice he gave to me was invaluable. Again I found him through this website, and what better place to ask for hints and advice than from a website full of writers? Sadly most companies don't accept work that isn't sent to them through agents (this is unsolicited mail) but there are plenty of companies who do accept scripts, so just keep plugging away.
Most of all, and I know this sounds cheesy, but in the immortal words of Bon Jovi, Keep the Faith! I've been working on various projects for the last 8 years, and it's only just happened. It may still not happen but I'm trying not to think of that!
Good luck to everyone out there with their projects. If you like Spaced or Black Books then hopefully you'll like my sitcom (although maybe not in it's current format!). If you don't like them then you may as well be dead!
Speak soon people. I need to be out back in my box before the light excites me too much!
I like Spaced so good luck. By the way, just read your profile. What ITV competition did you actually win?
The competition was a strange one.
Every year, ITV run a training day which gives, mainly the back stage staff a taste of what it's like working on a professional tv programme. Usually they use one of their own in house scripts, last year they did a version of Abigails Party, but this year the producer decided to take a risk and use an outside script. He sent out a load of e mails to various people and mine was the script that was choosen.
Apparently it's been such a succsess that they're hoping to revive it again with different scripts maybe later this year or early next year. If I hear anymore about it, i'll let you all know
The writers guild give an example of a contract with the BBC on theyre site, they wreckon in it that an hours episode is appro £8,000 and half an hour half that. Well done and good luck. Smack on the back for ya !
Howdy!
The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2007 states that the BBC pays a minimum of £7504 for one performance of a play written by a beginner, while an established writer can expect £9739. It also says that a 50 minute episode of original material in a series pays $5650 to beginners and £5075 to established writers. It doesn't say anything about 30 minute episodes or sitcoms specifically, but this may give some idea of what sort of money a writer could expect to make.
Stu