Well, here are my thoughts as I lay in bed this am.
We have a saleable show. Do we have a hit? Well, we think so. But hits are made - not just born.
Once we're on-air we can market the thing like crazy - but that takes time, and energy and not necessarily but it doesn't hurt - money.
True overnight successes are possible...but rare. Most of television and the entertainment industry is much like all others - success comes from hard work. Now we'd all agree that there's been a helluva lot of hard work involved already. But production of a tv show is just one aspect of development. And now we're in phase two. Marketing and Sales.
Most big Hollywood films have credits up the ying yang at the end - and that's because what's needed to create them is money. All those various production entities kick in some of the cash and the project is done. Even the really big guys and the guys with exceptional track records have to raise the cash to do the deal. We are an unknown entity with no track record. We really have to keep that in mind.
There are two ways of looking at it. Put in the cash ourselves and keep the equity. Or bring in new money and reduce our share of the potential.
I believe we are now at the stage where some big decisions will need to be made. Once we have the full report from Sandra Carter Global and Milt, we will have a picture of what the show's potential might be. But even they could not accurately predict whether or not it will be a hit - look at all the shows that fall away after the fall launch - no one can say for sure what the public will latch on to. (This year's sleeper hit is Ugly Betty)
Unky Duck is obviously a believer and I really am too. I believe that once we get it going we can really do well. But I have limited resources (cash) and I know C & P are pretty much in as far as they can be too.
It would seem that we should be thinking of Mipcom as our test market to help us make the next set of decisions.
Again, our picture will be clearer once we have the full report. We haven't heard anything from Joseph and his group - but we're not the only show he was representing. They will be analyzing how they did themselves - then they'll worry about letting the product producers know what went on. Hopefully, that won't take too long.
I, for one, am really encouraged that most of the meetings that Milt had pre-set up went really well - they all wanted to buy it. It would seem that Joseph's team must have had some success as well.
I thinking of planning to go to NY and meet with the SC people maybe as early as week after next. I think it will be worth it to meet with them face to face and talk some real turkey.
I think C & P (and Allan) have been very generous in supporting this project on a basic wing and a prayer without any guarantees and without really a reasonable projection of what the potential might be - particularly if the show sells but doesn't become a hit.
Once we have all that info we can decide what to do next. We can whoa and see what happens with Deborah and the European Satellite Network. Or we can see the opportunity and take steps to finance the rest of the 7 or 8 episodes.
Here's what I'm thinking. I'd like to shoot a new episode in Costa Rica. I have all the plans in place. I figure I can swing it on my own if need be.
We'll see what P comes up with as he searches out funding possibilities. (I have a few calls to make in that area as well.)
And, we'll wait and see what the reports are from the East.
These are morning thoughts.
