Hi Gang, hope all's well with you!
Me? How's old Sheiky doing? What's he been up to we wonder?
Damn good of you to ask...
Once upon a time, as the story often goes, it was Jan 1st 2008 and an unknown scribbler with the made up name of Sheikspear surfed out into the inter-webby what-not thingy declaring he was going to set the screens aflame with his witty scripts.
Lucky us, you cried...just what we need...
Yet another spec monkey clogging up the slush piles
So, anyway, off I jolly well went. I had a bash at the keyboard, read all your blogs, asked some stupid questions and read a ton of scripts.
And through a bit of luck, dogged perseverance, and a lot effort cranked out the odd "not too bad" yarn. Even sold a couple. A comic strip for a band that split up before the comic got printed and a short for a "Producer" who didn't even have a camera. Hmmm. Ho Hum...
Still, carried on, onwards and upwards. Well, bit sideways and back-steps really, for a while. But then I made loads of new friends (and not all out of wood and paper) through this 'ere blog and on Talent Circle, Face ache, Myspace, going to writer events and the like. Found out it's called networking and it's a very good thing to do. It is. Do it, if you don't already.
Advertised for any lonely, er, I mean sociable, screenwriters local to Pompey, the jewel of the South, and came up trumps: bagged a pro-writer who I conned into letting me co-write two projects with her (both ongoing) and joined a talented, diverse screenwriters group who meet in an arts center with a bar! Lovely. The bar and the group.
Spurred on by the infectious enthusiasm of (or the wine bought by) the group leader Roy, I formed my own liddle band of ne'er do wells into a fledgling guerrilla (or gorilla?) film company, 2Scribes ( http://2scribes.yolasite.com/ ) and made two 48hr films with them. We made the films in 48hrs, you must understand. They weren't 48hrs long. That would be stupid. They would, of course be continuing drama series if they were that long for chrissake! And who is this Chris anyway?
The team were great, we worked well together and all learned a helluva lot. And quickly too. They are currently shooting another short at the mo' and will be making another of mine, er, shortly.
Nearly got a huge bucket of cash from Screen South to make a film when I was a finalist in their 2009 digi-shorts thingy my jig.
Close, but no
Had a few meetings. Had their people call my people (the wife).
Swapped loads of business cards.
Ended 2009 with a slate of diverse, exciting scripts written and a number of quality enquiries from producers via my updated website, some of whom actually have access to crew, cameras, studios and even funding...
Please feel free to take a gander at my updated website http://garethturpie.yolasite.com/ yourselves and let me know what you think. Cheers for that!
2009 also landed me my first two BBC contracts!
Two BBC contracts? Wow, Sheiky!
Well, ok, technically, it's actually only one, but they send two, so my copy now has pride of place on my office wall. To encourage me to earn some more. Contracts. Keep my head above the radar, so to speak.
The lovely, talented Phil Differ at the comedy unit in Scotland, eventually gave in, it seems, from under the barrage of sketches I sent him and used a couple on his fab show Watson's wind up.
And fame and riches duly followed. The End. Ahem.
Well, nearly...
Another of my shorts is slated to be captured onto digi-whatever-they use now instead of film, in sunny June. Can't wait. But I'll have to, cos they're calling the tune!
And tonight, our very kind and far sighted local radio station, Express Fm treated me, and a few other lucky scribes to a Radio Soap Master class with top Archers scriptwriter Louise Page 'cos they want us to write a new Portsmouth located radio soap.
2010, come on son, bring it on.
Sneaked in a bit of round up there. And only nearly a month late.
Still no-one will notice...
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