Jeryl Parade
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Was my post from yesterday removed? I thought I had clicked on Post after typing it.
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Jeryl Parade 10 Most Interesting Things
A. What is most unique about your villain and hero? Villain is D who can be physically scary but ultimately holds back because to engage IRL takes too much effort. Crystal is the heroine who is successful in business but has a dream to be a singer/songwriter.
B. Major hook of your opening scene? Cybersex in the 1990s
C. Any turning points? Crystal & D (cybersex buddies) discover they live in the same city & decide to meet.
D. Emotional dilemma? Crystal tells D he looks & feels like the man she always thought she would marry, but knows he’s not.
E. Major twists? Crystal is trapped in D’s house because her expensive car is locked in his garage, he has no landline (just a modem) & she has no cell phone in 1996.
F. Reversals? Crystal lunges for the garage door opener.
G. Character betrayals? D pins her. Tells her to stay until 8 AM when he will make her breakfast. H. Or any big surprises? She leaves when he is asleep at the crack of dawn.
2. Make a list of any other things in your script that could interest a producer. There are other men that embody 90s trends, such as a corporate hotshot whose pager keeps going off, a grunge rocker & a dot com investment banker.
3. Organize both and select the 10 most interesting things:
Crystal’s news Website makes her a ton of money when her dot com goes public. Crystal takes the first steps toward becoming a singer/songwriter. Crystal is ahead of her time in doing whatever she wants sexually & unapologetically.
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Jeryl Parade Producer/Manager
How will I present myself & my project to a producer?
My 90s is a Web series I have written & filmed as a proof of concept for a 1/2 hour or 1 hour show. It will be screened at festivals in 2023 & can be shown to investors. The series explores romantic relationships in the 1990s. The protagonist is Crystal whom I see as a composite of two of the most iconic female characters from 90s TV: Whipsmart Amanda Woodward (played by Heather Locklear) of Melrose Place & quirky Ally McBeal (played by Calista Flockhart). Like Amanda Crystal is a successful media executive. Like Ally Crystal has 90s dating challenges. The series can appeal to two huge demographic blocks: 1) GenX for their nostalgia for the era in which they came of age & 2) GenZ for their longing for a less plugged-in world.
How will I present myself & my project to a manager?
Hi! My name is Jeryl Parade & I am the writer/director of a new Web series, My 90s. This is my 3rd project that looks at romantic relationships through the lens of time. I guess you can say that is my brand! The 1st was my hit DC Capital Fringe play Girl with Two Belly Buttons. The 2nd was The Elite 8, an award-winning Web series screened at festivals worldwide. I also wrote the pilot script & the series bible for The Elite 8 as a 1/2 hour show. That attracted some attention at Digital MIP-TV in Cannes in 2021. My goal is to engage the audience in the same way my favorite shows & the characters hook me. I will follow any advice that helps me to achieve this.
What I learned today?
I am not here to try to find a job as a screenwriter. I am not sure a manager would want to take on someone who wants only to develop & sell her own projects.
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Jeryl Parade Marketing Components
What I learned doing this assignment: While I have loglines for all 6 of my Web series episodes, I do not have one logline for My 90s as a 1/2 hour show.
Logline: TBD (I will fill this in with my next edit.)
Marketing Concepts: The two I am choosing to elevate are in bold.
A. Unique. I do not know of any shows that look back at 90s from the perspective of a post pandemic world.
B. Great Title. My 90s. What makes it great: Succinct. Visual. Clear the series takes place in the 90s (what is now referred to as The Last Decade). “My” implies the story is personal & intimate.
C. True. Based on my own 1990s.
D. Timely. Reported in W Magazine there is a longing for a less plugged-in world.
E. It’s a first. N/A
F. Ultimate. N/A
G. Wide audience appeal. Members of GenX came of age in the 90s & comprise a fast growing consumer group of streaming TV.
H. Adapted from a popular book. N/A
I. Similarity to a box-office success. The series protagonist is in my mind a cross between the iconic 90s female TV characters of Ally McBeal & Amanda Woodward (of Melrose Place).
J. A great role for a bankable actor. The lead role of Crystal is perfect for an actress who wants also to sing.
Brainstorm
In the age of Big Tech there is a longing for a less plugged-in world. The GenZ trend of Cottagecore is an example of this. Post pandemic GenX is nostalgic for the cool music & fashion of the 90s. The series protagonist is Crystal who is a cross between 2 of the most iconic female TV characters of the 1990s: Ally McBeal because of her quirkiness & dating disasters & Amanda Woodward of Melrose Place because of her intelligence & ambition.
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Hi, I’m Jeryl. Nice to meet everyone!
I have written 3 feature screenplays, 3 plays (1 produced at DC Capital Fringe Festival in 2015), 2 novels (1 published by Simon & Schuster in 2012) & 2 scripts for Web series (which I also directed). My series, The Elite 8, was an official selection at Web & film festivals around the world in 2019-20. I then wrote a pilot script for The Elite 8 as a 1/2 hour show. That script won Best TV Pilot Script at LA Under The Stars in 2022. I recently completed production of my new series, My 90s.
My goal for taking the class is to get one of my series developed into a 1/2 hour or 1 hour show.
My 90s is my third project exploring romantic relationships through the lens of time.
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Jeryl Parade
I agree:
GROUP RELEASE FORM
As a member of this group, I agree to the following:
1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, teleconferences, communications, lessons, and models of the class available to anyone who is not a member of this class.
2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.
I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.
3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.
4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.
5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.
6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.
This completes the Group Release Form for the class.
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Jeryl Parade Project and Market
Genre: Drama/Romance
Title: My 90s
Concept: Series that explores romantic relationships in the 1990s. The protagonist is Crystal. She is a successful media publisher but is also pursuing her dream of being a singer/songwriter. The series touches upon 90s trends: Cybersex, pagers, grunge, the dot com bubble, Y2K hysteria & more. It also shows us what life was like before the ubiquitousness of mobile devices & MeToo.
What is most attractive: From 2020 to 2022 we the people of planet Earth have been through a lot. It is comforting to look back at the 90s as a time of great music, edgy fashion & cool new technology. What may resonate even more than the nostalgia though are Crystal’s journey from terrifying to inspiring men & her blossoming as an artist.
Target first: Streaming platforms
What I learned: The character arc could be what is most relatable about the show.