PLANET O'CONNOR

Welcome to 2012

TOC — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:10:10 +0000

The new year is less than a week old and already plenty busy. Before I get to all that, I’ll do a quick recap of the year we just wrapped up.

I would be lying if I said 2011 wasn’t a challenging year. Just like nearly everyone else I know, I dealt with a lot of changes – some good. some bad. some just different, but when all things are considered 2011 was a much better year than 2009 and 2010 so we’re clearly trending in the right direction. Some highlights:

I did a lot of shows all over Los Angeles – mostly “reading/essay” shows, which got me on some new stages, introduced me to some new people all over town and, since some of the shows were recorded for various podcasts, got me a bit more into the ears of the world’s cyber-citizens.
TWO of my spec ‘sitcom pilots’ were recognized in 2 different writing contests, which raised my profile a little bit and gave me an excuse to finally travel to Austin Texas for their unbelievably awesome film festival.
I picked up some interesting freelance work – “adapting” the scripts of some Japanese anime feature films for their english-language DVD releases.
I had a lot of fun teaching some very funny & creative people in both improv and writing classes.
I wrote. a lot. You have no idea how much time I spent sitting right here, typing away… which is one of my favorite pastimes.
My home-away-from-home; Bang comedy theater got a big injection of new people, ideas & energy. This is always a good thing and it has definitely increased my excitement to “get down to the theater” just to see what is going to happen next.
I put my long-running punk-rock advice blog, Ask A Punk on “extended hiatus” after three and a half years of weekly posts (never missed a deadline people!) I didn’t take the site down, so if you’re interested, you can still go check it out and read every post. I’m still getting mail from some readers, which is nice, and I tell them the same thing I’ll tell you: I reserve the right to start it back up at any time… so stay tuned.
I entered the world of podcasting with an East Coast friend and, even though we’re still developing our ideas, it has been a lot of fun taking on the new challenge – both technically and creatively.
I saw Bigfoot. Twice.

Looking ahead now to 2012:

I already have some exciting shows scheduled (see the calendar link to the right of this post) including, in a few weeks, a return engagement at Comedy Central’s “Sit n Spin” show… one of my very favorite gigs here in Los Angeles.
Next week I start teaching a ‘level 2′ improv class at Bang.
I’m in the final draft stage of yet another spec sitcom pilot and the outlining stage of the one after that.
Even though I put AAP on hiatus, I’m still hitting my weekly deadlines on my cartoon blog, Another LA Cartoon. The feedback I’ve gotten on that has been thrilling and there might, might even be a small “gallery showing” in my future. More on that as it develops.

I hope 2012 is a great year for you, for me & for everyone.

( PS: OK, I didn’t see Bigfoot. )

Deep in the Weird of Texas.

TOC — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:39:37 +0000

… just back from eight days and nights in lovely Austin TX. Every (good) thing you’ve ever heard about the town or about the Austin Film Festival is absolutely true. The first half of the trip was an exhausting marathon of trying to cram in every panel, roundtable, screening and party I could into every day & evening. Once the “conference” part of the festival was over (on Monday) the last four days were spent just going to screenings and taking long walks all around Austin (ok, there were a few parties to attend as well.)

The change of scenery was probably good for my head and so much of what I saw and heard during the festival was exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries and get re-inspired. I can’t wait ’til next year.

September News & Comment.

TOC — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:43:08 +0000

Greetings. In an effort to (for once) not bury the lead, I’ll let everyone know that the big news is this: One of my scripts has “advanced” through the competition in the Austin Film Festival’s top-notch screenwriting contest. My submission in the “Original Sitcom Pilot” category made it into the top 10% of entries (out of nearly 6000) which is, apparently, a big enough deal to land me an invitation to the festival along with some “special access.” Who can say no to special access? …so I’m now mapping out a late-October trip to Texas, my first-ever visit to the Lone Star State. And since I’m being a bit self-aggrandizing with all this, I’ll mention just one more thing: The script that did so well in this contest is a different “sitcom pilot” than the one that was a ‘finalist’ in the LA Comedy Shorts screenwriting competition last Spring… so that’s two respectable showings for two separate scripts in just a few months. Not bad, and I’ll take it… sooner or later, people are going to notice these sorts of things.

More than telling the world or blowing my own horn, the preceding paragraph was mostly written for my own benefit – I sometimes need to remind myself that I do know what I’m doing when I sit down at the keyboard. Lately I’ve been wrestling with a 3rd draft of a script that just isn’t working… and it seems that the universe itself is telling me that this particular idea/script just isn’t going to come together in a satisfactory way. These things happen of course, but they can really take the wind out of a guy’s sails… but we keep typing/rowing until the wind finally picks up again to launch us in new directions.

And finally: Check out the calendar of upcoming shows (to the right –>)

I’ve got another reading/essay show coming up on Friday 9/30 and I’m very psyched for it. Come on by if you’re in LA (but call ahead, this show sells out every time.)

August News.

TOC — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:10:06 +0000

Yesterday, for the first time in over three and a half years, I did not put up a new weekly post on my ASK A PUNK advice blog. I have put the blog on what I’m calling ‘active hiatus’ for a while. The reasons for this decision are fully explained in last week’s post… the final one for now. Meanwhile my Another LA Cartoon blog will continue with weekly posts every Thursday morning, and the occasional bonus post every once in a while.

In other news, a quick look at my calendar of upcoming shows (over there in the right-hand column) will tell you that I have several reading/essay shows coming up in the next few weeks. I’m always thrilled to get the chance to tell some of my stories on both new and familiar stages. The more I rework these stories, the better idea I get of how they all fit together (or don’t.) I’m starting to look at ways to put all the stories together into one long form piece, even longer than the original ‘A Punk’s Tale’ one-man show. We’ll see what I come up with. I’ll add the project to the list. ha. While it is always good to have more ideas than time to execute them, it can be frustrating too.

…and speaking of shows, I recently posted a video clip from my latest performance at “Sit n’ Spin” on the Comedy Central Stage at the Hudson (LA) on my page over at Funny or Die. If you have a few minutes click the picture below and go check it out… and vote: “Funny.” Thanks.

July = Digging Out & Digging In.

TOC — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:58:27 +0000

No point in denying it – Most of us are currently living through some tricky & difficult times. I know I have been. I have managed to keep myself plenty busy with my personal creative endeavors – sometimes probably trying to juggle too many ideas & outlets at one time – but they are the sorts of projects that give me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. While I’ve continued to hit my weekly (self-imposed) deadlines for Ask A Punk and Another LA Cartoon, I have also been hammering away on plenty of other fronts such as:

>> I’m in the middle of a 3rd draft on a spec feature screenplay.

>> I’ve continued to work on an animated cartoon idea that I’ve created from scratch – I write the scripts, voice some of the characters, create all the music & sound FX and even do all the animation myself… quite time-consuming, believe me. So far I have completed 3 episodes that have racked up a total of 90,000 views.

>> I have continued to write and perform essays all around Los Angeles, most recently at the Comedy Central Stage’s legendary “Sit n Spin” show. See it on my page at Funny or Die.

>> I have started a sporadic ‘twitter mystery’ …which, to be honest, I’m still trying to get a handle on.

>> I have continued to perform improv around town, and have been teaching it again when the opportunity presents itself.

>> I am helping my incredibly interesting friend June Shelley turn her autobiography into a one-woman show.

>> I am also trying to figure out how to make some videogames and interactive projects.

…so all that, along with helping other friends with their various creative projects, has been keeping me plenty busy, but it doesn’t exactly feed the bulldog. As I always say: Imagine how hard I would work if I was actually getting paid to do all this stuff…

I had a chance to prove that work ethic recently when I landed a “script adapting” job on a Japanese animated feature. In the past, I have had 5-7 days to complete similar gigs. In this case it was a rush job that needed to be turned around in just a weekend. Needless to say, it was a grind of a weekend, but the client liked the script and I think it turned out pretty well. They’re now in the process of recording my ‘adapted’ script with English-language actors and once they’re finished, I’m guessing it’ll be a direct-to-DVD release. The film is called: Legend of the Millennium Dragon. Look for it. It is pretty cool. Meanwhile, I’ll be (as always) hustling for the next gig.

Legend of the Millennium Dragon

Glock and Spiel.

TOC — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 03:14:20 +0000

People thought I was kidding, but I’ll keep you all guessing for now: A combination Gun Show & Talk/Comedy show is in the works. GLOCK and SPIEL.

Festival wrap-up.

TOC — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:47:22 +0000

I’m pretty tired after four days and nights of screenings, panels & parties. I missed out on a lot of sleep, but I saw some great & funny short films, met some really nice & hilarious people, ran into some old friends and ate an assortment of good meats served on a variety of skewers. What’s not to like? Answering the big question: I didn’t win my category, but I’m very pleased with my ‘Top 3′ finish and I’m hoping it will generate some interest in this half-hour pilot script (“Morley & Leslie”) that I’m very proud of.

…and now, as I said on Facebook, I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow I’ll be back at my desk – writing.

Finalist !

TOC — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:40:37 +0000

Always nice to start a new week with some good news… no, make that great news…

I just received word that my script “Morley & Leslie” is indeed one of three ‘finalists’ in the “Half-hour TV Pilot” category of the LA Comedy Shorts Film Fest’s screenwriting competition. (sponsored by ‘Movie Magic.’) I really couldn’t be more thrilled and will be looking forward to attending the festival screenings, panel discussions & parties. woo-hoo.

Some Breaking (good) News…

TOC — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 01:52:05 +0000

Today I learned that a script I submitted to the great “LA Comedy Shorts Festival” was named a semi-finalist in the “Half-Hour TV Pilot” category. sweet.

March of progress.

TOC — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 20:33:40 +0000

In spite of the uncertainties and calamities occurring all around us, I can’t help but feel more hopeful these days. Reports are coming in of more and more friends “getting good work.” and I know I’m getting more meetings lately… so hopeful signs are all around, if we look for them.

Included in those hopeful signs is the fact that I’ve booked some good shows for the coming months. I’ll be doing a reading at a show at VIDIOTS on March 20th, and those are always a riot. I’m also especially thrilled to have been invited back to do ‘Sit n Spin’ at the Comedy Central Stage at the Hudson on March 31. …and then in April I’m already booked to do a reading in the “My Bad” show at bang. All big fun for me. Click on my calendar (at the right –>) for full details on all the shows.