Comments on: Being Mitch Hurwitz

By: Anne Thompson

Anne Thompson — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 02:26:05 +0000

wish I could be there: I might learn something. will you have a long text of your complete speech? I’d love to read it.

By: annie

annie — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 02:33:56 +0000

I just wanted to speak about the AD part. Your show won FIVE Emmys! Shouldn’t that prove it’s great success? I think a problem is that FOX is ALWAYS changing around their time slots for regular shows and giving seemingly shorter seasons. I personally have been unable to keep memorized the few shows I would love to catch all the time. Then think family into the equation. Not everyone eats dinner on time, all the time, or at the same time. Anyhow, with two children, and just a part-time job, I’d be lucky to catch any show on time anymore. I had decent luck the first two seasons though, when I was a stay at home mom and there was a more regular time slot I was used to every week. I do hope you bring this show back. The laughter it shared with the world is immeasurable:)

By: Mitch Hurwitz

Mitch Hurwitz — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 19:45:18 +0000

I’ve always thought my show would work best as a series of illustrated cups — handouts from a fast food place, that kind of thing. It also works very well as a “tub decal” — I don’t know if that helps. I also should add that ten minutes might be too long to spend on being Mitch Hurwitz — I myself do it in very short bursts.

I’m so flattered that you would even attempt to help me with my problem — although I would ask that you don’t mention the huffing.

Let me know what you work out… and if I can help point young minds in a more successful direction than I myself have taken.

Good luck with it!
Mitch

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 18:38:36 +0000

I second the request for a podcast. I’d love to be there but I’m on the other coast.

Regardless, let us know how it turns out.

By: dilys

dilys — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 10:56:45 +0000

Very provocative. I hope you will give us a followup or transcript or MP3 of the lecture, since “Grant’s Remarkably Spry Godmother from Texas” can’t hop a plane today.

Your transmedia ideas are appealing. As you note the real capital has been built in the characters, their interactions, their history, their strengths and, particularly, flaws. A maxim from a sit-com writing course has stayed with me: once you really, really establish the characters and their habitual intersections, the audience laughs (a) at their being themselves; and (b) in anticipation of their being themselves.

The choice of media is the place for a sure hand, e.g. comic books probably not a demographic plus; short web-site, possibly animated bada-bings could be very good, possibly even funded with a product tie-in (though not an ad). How about faux reportage for airline magazines, e.g. an article series about Travels With Lucille tapping into Auntie Mame and Travels with my Aunt. The permutations are endless, and the AD demographic is quite literate, I suspect. It would be nice to have mild veto power centralized, so as to maintain some character consistency, and to obviate cheap transgressiveness.

And I really appreciate your attention to break-even points. Ya’ think?

So cool. I hope you get to team-manage this.