Rejection letters Page 2

Standard rejection letter I'm afraid.
Doubt they made it past the first ten pages - if they had you usually get some sort of reference to the actual content of the script.
I shouldn't worry about it.
And, no, they don't want to hear from you again.

Prod Cos. that read unsolicited material are a bit of a lottery.
Try to get yourself 'solicited', so to speak.
E-mail a company, describe your sitcom and if it piques their interest, one or two might ask to read it.

Be aware - if you do get this sort of traction and you deliver poor quality, you won't get a second chance.

Quote: sootyj @ 3rd April 2014, 9:36 AM BST

I was part of a mob that chased 3 paedophiles out of our neighbour hood

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I thought it was mostly media types where you lived?

Exactly

Quote: sootyj @ 3rd April 2014, 9:36 AM BST

nb typical BCG all the time in the world to argue the merits of a rejection letter, but not my latest skit.

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Sorted.

(Though I've still not read all your 1st gig guide yet...)

Dear SootyJ
Thank you for posting your latest skit
We found it warm & funny but felt it lacked a coherent story

Quote: Steve Sunshine @ 3rd April 2014, 1:24 PM BST

Dear SootyJ
Thank you for posting your latest skit
We found it warm & funny but felt it lacked a coherent story

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P.S. We're amazed you write at all with someone's hand up your bottom.

Quote: beaky @ 3rd April 2014, 1:33 PM BST

P.S. We're amazed you write at all with someone's hand up your bottom.

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Dear Cheeky Beaky Productions

It was your hand and I'm keeping the watch.

Quote: Steve Sunshine @ 3rd April 2014, 1:24 PM BST

Dear SootyJ
Thank you for posting your latest skit
We found it warm & funny but felt it lacked a coherent story

View original

Dear Mr Steve Socalled Sunshine

Thanks for your feedback, but I am a pizza delivery man.
And where as my mighty meat may lack coherence, it does need paying for.

Yours sincerely
double cheesy productions

Dear SootyJ,

Thanks for your recent submission, but we have no plans to eat anchovies in the near future. Have you tried submitting to Chicago Town?

Yours Sincerely,

The Brothers Mario

Getting back on topic, yep, it's deffo a rejection letter.
They simply change the middle line slightly, dependant on what they wish to say about the submission.

I also recognise which prodco it is. Clue: There is a colour in the name.

My reply from the company was slightly different. I sent them a police drama, and although they enjoyed it, they said they didn't wish to develop it as they already have a police show on TV.

Oh, I was also invited to send something else in.

Therefore, in your case, as they said "good luck with developing your idea," it looks as if they meant, "good luck with sending it elsewhere."

If a rejection letter doesn't include an invite to send another script, then it's probably not wise to pursue the company any further.

Also, you say it's the only prodco you found who accepts unsolicited material, but if you look hard enough, you will uncover a few more.

Quote: Mikey Jackson @ 3rd April 2014, 11:15 PM BST

Also, you say it's the only prodco you found who accepts unsolicited material, but if you look hard enough, you will uncover a few more.

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How is your sitcom with Nigeria TV coming along? Have the blood diamonds come through yet?

I had a gameshow in Lagos

You're going to be a millionare

as soon as you send me your bank details

Ha ha, it wasn't Nigera, it was in Ghana.

Not a sitcom, it was a one-off drama. A film-maker out there had set up a prodco and had contacts working in one of the country's TV networks.

He contacted me via my website, interested in one of my sample scripts at the time. At first I thought yeah right, especially as he was offering money for the use of the script. You can imagine what I thought. Oh, here we go, he'll be asking for me to send him three million quid by Western Union as a "deposit" in a minute. But no. He genuinely wanted to make it. Anyway, in the end, after a really long "development" period, the project fell through because he couldn't get enough funding.

That's not my only African experience. I met the guy in charge of a South African prodco a while back in London whose company films worldwide sports events, but is looking to get into comedy production for the South African market. This led to me joining the writing team for a sitcom they are currently pitching to networks.

All in all, it just goes to show, why only try to punt scripts out to UK companies when there is a whole world out there?

It's funny. Ben, this is the second time you've mentioned this African thing when I've contributed to a thread about prodcos, and both times you've got the country wrong.

I can't see what there is to ridicule about tapping into overseas writing markets.

Yup my freelancing life is scattered with projects, where producers hired me to write the initial script and no more.

I had one where the client was planning on doing training with a series of sitcom style episodes on internet security.

Alas he bought the first bunch of scripts and no more.

It's easy to forget just how expensive making television is.

Quote: Mikey Jackson @ 4th April 2014, 11:18 AM BST

Ha ha, it wasn't Nigera, it was in Ghana.

Not a sitcom, it was a one-off drama. A film-maker out there had set up a prodco and had contacts working in one of the country's TV networks.

He contacted me via my website, interested in one of my sample scripts at the time. At first I thought yeah right, especially as he was offering money for the use of the script. You can imagine what I thought. Oh, here we go, he'll be asking for me to send him three million quid by Western Union as a "deposit" in a minute. But no. He genuinely wanted to make it. Anyway, in the end, after a really long "development" period, the project fell through because he couldn't get enough funding.

That's not my only African experience. I met the guy in charge of a South African prodco a while back in London whose company films worldwide sports events, but is looking to get into comedy production for the South African market. This led to me joining the writing team for a sitcom they are currently pitching to networks.

All in all, it just goes to show, why only try to punt scripts out to UK companies when there is a whole world out there?

It's funny. Ben, this is the second time you've mentioned this African thing when I've contributed to a thread about prodcos, and both times you've got the country wrong.

I can't see what there is to ridicule about tapping into overseas writing markets.

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Nothing to riducule, Mikey. It just sounds novel.

I've written plenty for foreign climes recently, so certainly don't think there's anything wrong with it. I've earnt more 'out' of the UK than in it.

Quote: Lazzard @ 3rd April 2014, 10:14 AM BST

Standard rejection letter I'm afraid.
Doubt they made it past the first ten pages - if they had you usually get some sort of reference to the actual content of the script.
I shouldn't worry about it.
And, no, they don't want to hear from you again.

Prod Cos. that read unsolicited material are a bit of a lottery.
Try to get yourself 'solicited', so to speak.
E-mail a company, describe your sitcom and if it piques their interest, one or two might ask to read it.

Be aware - if you do get this sort of traction and you deliver poor quality, you won't get a second chance.

View original

Now there's a thing that's worth pondering. It seems obvious now you say it, but I'd never considered this before. So I guess use the Sitcom Missions and Trials and Writers room as much as possible as they give you numerous chances and then, when you're super confident you've got something Fawlty Towers/OnlyFools/Home to Roost good do you bother Prodcos.

Good tip.