Last weekend I attended Eddie Gamarra’s workshop about television and new media. Eddie is a literary manager/producer at The Gotham Group. He represents screenwriters, directors, animators, authors, illustrators, publishers, and animation studios around the world that specilizes in children and family entertainment. His main focus is in animation and literature ranging from picture books, novels, anthologies, and graphic novels. He is located in Los Angeles and his clients include numerous New York Times best-selling authors, illustrators, as well as Oscar, Emmy, Caldecott, Newberry, and Geisel award winners.
He had some interesting things to say, here are some:
1. The reason they tell people to start with selling your book and then approach Hollywood is because Hollywood buys all rights with any idea, so at least you if you have sold the book, then you still have something that will give you on going income.
2. No one reads in Hollywood. It is all concept – ideas – not story, not characters. So if you want to sell a book for a movie, etc. then you need to come up with a pilot script and movie trailer. It’s all sound bites in LaLa Land. If you are lucky a producer might hand your book to his housekeeper to read.
3. There’s no money in TV – it’s all merchandising. He coined a word, “Toyettic.” But remember once you sell your idea, you lose control over the toys and other merchandising ideas.
4. He said that your book will need a strong male character for it to make it in the movies, since there are about 8 male actors that will really sell a movie at the box office. The ladies don’t have that same affect on sales, so if your story is about a child, you need to make sure there is a strong adult male in the screenplay that will carry the movie.
5. Television is character driven. He gave the example of Homer Simpson. It is Homer and how the audience knows him that allows the show to go on for 20 years.
One thing you should know about the Gotham Group; they will not even open something sent to them unless you have been recommended by someone they know. So if you have something that is exceptionally great, you better find someone who could contact them on your behalf or it will never get seen.
Below are some photos of editors at the Friday night cocktail party.



If you attended the conference and want to share any of your notes or thoughts, we’d love to receive them.
Thanks,
Kathy