The TV Writers Vault | Scott Manville, Madeline Dimaggio Producer Interview

The TV Writers Vault is very pleased to have Madeline DiMaggio, Writer/Producer for Honest Engine Films, and Executive Member of the TV Writers Vault with us in our continuing series of conversations with key Industry Executives.

DiMaggio has worked as a creative consultant and story editor to Paramount Studios and has written over 40 hours of produced film for prime-time sitcoms, one hour dramas, TV pilots, soaps, animation, and feature films. She has produced “Surviving Eden”, starring Peter Dinklage, Jane Lynch, Sheri Oteri, and Michael Payne, and the documentaries “Stir It Up” and “Humble Beauty”. She co-wrote the Movie Of The Week “Alibi”, starring Tori Spelling, and the feature film “If the Shoe Fits” starring Rob Lowe and Jennifer Grey. Her book-to-film feature, “Catherine Called Birdy”, with co-writer Pamela Wallace (“Witness”) was developed and sold to Ben Myron Productions, and the screenplay “Murder with Privilege”, a true crime story, was sold to Showtime.

Scott Manville: Hello, Madeline. I have to point out that you have an extensive background, not just as a Producer, but as a Writer. Its great to know that you understand the challenges of conceiving and executing good material. Do you still work as a Writer? If so, is your work focused strictly on projects you're producing at Honest Engine Films, or do you work with other Producers and Writers on their own projects?

Madeline Dimaggio: Yes, I still work as a writer. Currently I’m writing a TV movie for Incendo Films. I keep this separate from Honest Engine Films, although I have projects there, too. I also consult and work with a small group of writers in a development workshop. A number of these scripts have been optioned. One just sold. This is also apart from the work I do at Honest Engine. They are not developed for the company, but we have on occasion optioned one or two.

At Honest Engine we produce low budget features/cable, and documentaries. We often work with other producers and would love to get a series off the ground. We have a number of optioned books right now. One book we are developing for a series. If writers are interested in the workshop or consultations they can visit my website Cre8ascript.com.

SM: Can you give us a more specific view of project scouting at Honest Engine? What is your focus?

MD: My focus changes with the market. If I hear that Lifetime is looking for a wedding movie then that’s what I will look for. If Disney Family is skewing older and a making movie like Labor Pains about a young woman who pretends to be pregnant in order to avoid being fired from her job, that pretty much gives me an idea of what I can take in. I had coffee the other day with a producer who said she was looking for a one hour pilot. She said she was open to everything so long as it was fresh and had legs. That’s vague, it’s what everybody wants. I asked her what I should stay away from—what didn’t she want? That’s when I got a much better idea of what she was looking for.

SM: How did you get your start in the industry, and what's the road been like for you?

MD: The road has been very bumpy. There have been terrific highs, dismal lows, big money and no money. For me, there is nothing more creatively satisfying than writing, and when I am getting paid for it there is nothing better. I have never spent one day bored. I love the freedom of writing. I can take my laptop anywhere. I can get up at 3: AM if I want to. I love the silence and alone time of writing and I love collaborating when you have a good partner. As a profession it’s all very exciting and sexy and addictive. But you pay a price for it. It’s a career choice that is not for the faint at heart. If you are security minded don’t go there.

I started as an actor. That’s where I got my training. I got my degree in drama, then moved to New York where I studied and did a lot of Summer Stock. I returned to LA and spent my time doing cattle calls and very little acting. I never intended to write. I actually started writing only to get in through a side door—I wrote a part for myself into a script. The script sold. I never got the part. When the door opened I went in. Acting came much more naturally to me. Writing was hard. I learned structure from plays and dialogue from all my parts, but I knew squat about TV writing. Pitching came easy to me, but once I got the job it was murder. I was pulling triple time trying to pull it off. I was very fortunate to get paid while I was being tortured.

SM: What advice can you give to the Writers and Creators at the TV Writers Vault who may be getting projects reviewed and rejected by Producers, or have sold projects but haven't had that breakthrough project that goes the distance?

MD: The writers who are going to make it don’t need my advice. They won’t quit. In my book How to Write for Television (Simon and Schuster 2009) I tell the story of one of my former students and showrunner, Kevin Falls. Kevin wrote seven spec films and none of them sold. He asked himself one day what he would do if he never sold anything. Do you know what his answer was? He decided he loved it so much he was going to keep writing anyway. That defining moment determined Kevin’s outcome. Today he has four Emmys.

SM: When reading a pitch/treatment, what is important for you to see in terms of structure or content?

MD: I look for the writer’s voice—something that promises to be unique and entices me to want to read more of them. I look for great characters, stand out ideas, and knowledge of structure. If it’s overwritten you know you’re in trouble. They haven’t learned the haiku of writing,

SM: Are there any specific types of projects, subjects, or themes, that you gravitate toward?

MD: I like everything if it’s written well.

SM: If you could Write and Produce for any show currently airing, which would it be, and why?

MD: That’s a hard one. “Dexter” is terrific. I would love to write for Showtime or HBO. I love almost all the cable shows. The writers are given terrific license and they are all good. On network TV I would fit well on Castle. I’m strong with dialogue. I love hour shows with good banter and humor. I’d have fun on “Supernatural”. If things got rough I could always go to the set and check out those Winchester boys. That said, maybe I should be writing for “Cougar Town”.

SM: In the "machine" of Hollywood, how important is "Idea"?

MD: In television, the Idea is King. The story you choose to develop for a particular show is absolutely critical to being noticed. Don't think because your spec is a sample and not intended for a sale that originality and content are not crucial. Television is fast. Producers need product. They have an entire season of episodes to fill. Week after week these shows have to be knocked-out. They need writers who they know will come up with something good in the writing room.

Your idea needs to be fresh, unique, and original. And it needs to have a voice, and that takes work. It means you keep on writing until you find it. It’s what sets you apart from all the other writers. It’s hard to define, but easy to spot. By the second or third page the reader says, “There’s something special about this writer.”

Scott Manville: Can you give us a brief outline of the process you undertake when preparing a project for delivery to a Network, and what you typicallyy face in a Network or Studio pitch meeting?

MD: This totally depends on the project. If it’s for an existing TV show I’d pitch the hooks that sell, i.e. – a quick set up, the star drives all of the action forward, everything builds to the act ends and twists and turns in the plot. Never give them too much. If you give them too much you don’t get the job.

SM: Thank you again for sharing with us, Madeline. We'll be looking out for great things from Honest Engine Films!