I am Not Peter Baynham
Monday, February 27, 2006
That’s right, I’m not. But on Wednesday, March 1, 2006, I get to sit down with him and talk about being funny.
Hang on. Let’s back up and explain some of this. The constant reader may recall that I have sporadically mentioned a television show I co-created with Adam Belanoff, loosely based on my life. You may also recall that we recently sold the show to Showtime. Well, what’s happened since then is that Adam got a really great job as supervising producer on The Closer, and given that it was a new genre for him, found the work schedule on writing and producing at his new job too much to handle also working on our pilot. Adam’s the best, and soon as he realized this, he stepped aside to let ICM and I find a new writer for the show.
So, last week, my fellow-producers and I put out a call to CAA, UTA and William Morris in addition to ICM, to tell of an open writing assignment at Showtime. The scripts started pouring in, and we weren’t terribly impressed with most of the samples submitted. But then, my agent was inspired, and realized that ICM also represented Peter Baynham. He mentioned it to me, and I just about took Matt’s ear off with a yelp of delight.
Peter Baynham, in my humble opinion, is one of the best damn comedic writers on the planet. I’m a fan of dark British humor, and no one has been better at that in recent years than Baynham. From his radio series Harpoon to his incredible animated series I am Not an Animal, he’s a master of the modern farce, and potentially a perfect voice for Affluenza.
I just so love this hobby of mine. Because on Wednesday, I get to sit down and talk about this show that I’ve created and the characters I’ve dreamt up to one of my writing idols, with the possibility of him taking on the job of bringing it to life. Life doesn’t get any better than that.