Writer Signs Shopping Agreement With Director & Producer After Connecting Through Stage 32

I’m a professional comedian, actor, and “wannabe” writer. For over 22 years I’ve been performing as a stand-up comedian. When I was studying law to get my law degree, and then when I was working as a prosecutor I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be a “stand-up comedian”. But it happened. Pursuing a career in the performing arts was never something that was considered an option when growing up in the 80s. My dad was old school, he was a military man and he hammered it into me that, “You go to school, then you go to university and get a degree and then you get a job” and that is how a lot of creatives grew up and that’s the path I took when I left school.

But then a freak accident happened and I ended up on my back for 3 months after back surgery and it was during this time that the idea of being a “comedian” started filling my daily thoughts. I did after all make all my classmates in school and university laugh all the time and was told all the time, “You should be a comedian.” So I took the plunge and got up onto a stage for the first time in 2001 and the rest as they always say is history.

So, twenty-two plus years later I’m still doing the thing that I love. I’ve performed all over the world, I’ve headlined at some of the most famous comedy clubs on the planet, I’ve appeared on Comedy Central and now I’m one of the most booked comedians headlining on cruise ships all over the world.

I’ve also acted in commercials, plays, short films, and feature films.

It was during that dreaded COVID time that I had to relook at my life and thought, “What if live comedy never comes back again?’ This very idea terrified me. I wasn’t built for the corporate world or any other real-world job at all. My wife then said to me, “What about your writing? You’ve always been writing since we met. Do something with that.” That little spark of encouragement ignited into a flame and I dusted off all my old notebooks and found USB’s filled with ideas and thoughts and scribblings and started to write.

A novel, a TV screenplay, 2 short film scripts, and a feature-length script were the result. I found sites where screenwriters could enter their screenplays into competitions and that’s what I did. I was pleasantly surprised when I started placing in these competitions and then even won some. Then I started to believe in myself and asked myself, “Myself, what if you can actually do this for a living?”

I then did what all writers do: tried to sell my stories. Delusions of grandeur filled my head and as I scoured the internet for production companies, producers, and agencies, I was greeted with the words that have destroyed many a writer, “NO UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS.” How the heck was I, a newbie, supposed to make it in this cutthroat industry?

Enter Stage32. I joined during the pandemic and started trying to absorb as much as possible. Then I saw the Pitch Sessions and Script Coverage section and started to submit my works. My short screenplay, on its first submission, got a double recommended and I was over the moon. Hollywood and the big time, here I come. Nope! The lesson you learn so quickly is that this is not an industry for the faint of heart.

The world then returned and I jumped at the opportunity to get back onto stage and start making a living again. The scripts and screenplays were put onto the back burner, I had a lot of catching up to do after two years of famine.

I still continued to write and then by chance, a few months back, I found my old laptop in a storage box in the garage. I fired it up and by some miracle, it still worked. I started scrolling through the files on my desktop and found a file I hadn’t thought about in 20 years. It was my unscripted reality TV show idea. I transferred the file onto a USB and onto my new laptop and read every single thing I had written. The amateur that created this idea was now a seasoned professional in the performing arts and with all of that knowledge I’d gained from the industry and from everything I’d read and learned on Stage 32 I reworked every single part of it.

I researched and wrote and rewrote some more and finally I had a pitch document that I was proud of. I then decided to do a Pitch Deck for it and with the guidance of some amazing people on Stage 32 I made what I thought was an incredible deck. I was ready to pitch my unscripted show.

I scoured the Open Writing Assignments on Stage 32 in the Writers Room, and the Pitch Sessions to find someone that was accepting unscripted TV show pitches with no luck. I pitched to 3 execs that accepted “all kinds of TV” and none of the feedback was great and went nowhere. Some notes were given, which I took onboard and reworked my pitch document again.

I kept checking back, week after week, to see who was available on the Stage 32 Pitch Sessions, that wanted unscripted TV shows. Then, BOOM, there they were. Valerie Idehen, a seasoned television producer, multi-cam director, development creative, and content developer was looking for unscripted TV shows. I did not hesitate and submitted my pitch. And then the wait began.

A few days after the submission deadline I got an email from Stage 32 with the magic word, CONGRATULATIONS. My heart started racing and I read the email. Valerie loved my pitch and wanted to meet. I couldn’t believe it. I went and read her feedback and it was all 5’s. I was blown away. I then went to her notes and all she requested was a meeting and would love to see a Pitch Deck. I then got the email introducing me to Valerie and I replied immediately, sending her the deck. A day later she replied and the meeting was set up.

We met last week, Valerie in LA, me in the UK, and we clicked immediately. A few tweaks to the deck were needed and a Shopping Agreement needed to be signed and she’d be ready to pitch to some of the biggest names in the industry! Names I’d only be able to dream about getting my show idea in front of, but they are definitely the right names.

The agreement has been signed and the deck is being tweaked. The ball is rolling.

I’m still in disbelief but I keep looking back at the emails and the feedback and the Shopping Agreement and then it all becomes a reality.

That idea, that thought, no matter how silly you think it is or was, and no matter how long ago it might be, it’s not a waste of time and it’s not pointless. Dust it off and look at it with a fresh pair of eyes, you might be sitting on something magical and then when the right person comes along, send it their way. What have you got to lose?

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Got an idea for a post? Or have you collaborated with Stage 32 members to create a project? We'd love to hear about it. Email Emily at blog@stage32.com and let's get your post published!

Please help support your fellow Stage 32ers by sharing this on social. Check out the social media buttons at the top to share on Instagram @stage32 , Twitter @stage32 , Facebook @stage32 , and LinkedIn @stage-32 .