I am currently an article and blog writer as well as a cybersecurity expert. Even though the majority of my efforts consists of working on the front and back end of content management systems, it is important to pinpoint my previous desire to work as a dramatic writer in theatre and film. During my undergraduate years I took this very seriously, I took every playwriting and screenwriting classes offered by both Saint Louis University (SLU) and Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). I used as much of my elective courses as possible to experience dramatic writing within the classroom.
However, after graduation I learned that it is extremely difficult to balance creating your art and making a living at the same time. Over time I decided not to focus on dramatic literature and pivot to something that is in demand. I knew that I wanted to do something in STEM. So I chose the letter “T” and began the process of getting a graduate degree in technology; it became one of the best decision that I’ve ever made. Arts Tribune is on the cusp of being a digital brand that a global audience will be interested in. While I may not have the type of career that I wanted originally (which would be very similar to Tyler Perry’s) I am in a position to highlight and influence the creation of art and its distribution through arts communities all over the world. Writing is one of my best skills, but I am not the best writer in the world. However, I have discovered the best digital platform and method of writing for influencing creative minds, their agencies and patrons of the arts.
Earlier in the year, I received a Facebook message from one of my best friends who lives in Arizona. He told me that he had produced a pilot script and that he submitted it to Netflix and the streaming service was impressed by it and is strongly considered turning it into a TV show. My friend asked me if I could proofread and edit the script just to get a fresh set of eyeballs to observe the creation and also he knew that I had a talent for dramatic writing. Of course, I said that I would be honored to read and find areas in the script that can be further developed.
My initial reaction was one of surprise because my friend used to live in St. Louis while he was attending one of the Universities and he never mentioned that he also had a passion for dramatic literature. If I know about this during those years he and I could have collaborated and perhaps have produced quality work for the big and small screen. My friend is more interested in the film and television aspects of dramatic writing. I enjoy those aspects as well, but developing multi-dimensional characters for the theatre is one of my favorite areas of the discipline. All of the plays that I’ve worked on from when I was aa kid all the way through undergrad, I could channel my personal experiences as an actor and put it within my writing in order to create interesting characters. If we ever collaborate I think we would balance each other out and create some really strong pieces.
Even though I found out about his scriptwriting at a later date, it was an honor to look over the script. The first thing you should do when you are editing a script for Netflix is to not freak out. It is very easy to be intimidated by doing work that could potentially appear on one of the top streaming networks. It is important to treat it like any other script, where every word matters and all character actions have meanings. I combed through the script and I only found 3 minor things that I would change, otherwise it was a perfect script and after analyzing it I now understand why Netflix may be giving it a chance.
We talked about my potentially coming onboard as a staff writer for the show. However, I think at this point I would be more successful as a Content Contributor, a writer that is not fulltime but can come in on a parttime basis and generate ideas for episodes. This would allow me to continue to develop Arts Tribune and work on the show at the same time. I really feel that Arts Tribune can be an inspiration to artists and patrons from all over the world, and I need to have the flexibility to ensure that the platform reaches its highest potential.
Another key aspect of editing the script is to not be afraid to say that something needs to change. The role of the editor is to discover errors but also find areas that can be further developed. If an editor is afraid to say no then it will have an adverse effect on the production.
The last thing an editor would need to know is if after reading the script, they believe they can turn it into at least 100 episodes. This is one of the most important factors because once the show is over, whatever company owns the rights to it will try to get the production in a syndication deal with a traditional television channel or streaming service.
In order to edit for Netflix or any other streaming service all you need are the skills you’ve developed as a writer, not being afraid to pinpoint errors and discover if the production can reach 100 episodes or more.