DVD release date

[bjobsessed]

bjobsessed said:

mlm828 said:

Good idea! When I worked for Random House many years ago, letters written to their authors c/o Random House and marked "please forward" were forwarded. I have no idea if that's still the practice, but it's worth a try.

Do you know the address? I haven't found it yet.

Never mind. I think I found it. It's on Broadway in NY

[mlm828]

The Random House web site says to send letters to authors c/o the publicity department at the following address:

The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10019

A cautionary note: if the author has a literary agent (which seems likely in Steven Bochco's case), letters addressed to him may be sent on to the agent, not to the author directly.

[bjobsessed]

Thanks mlm! Guess I have a letter to write this weekend.

[maggiethecat]

Here's the deal with author mail. You do indeed get your mail but it may take as long as six months, especially if the book was not published recently, which is the case with Death by Hollywood.

It would be more immediate, I feel, to try IMDb or whatever, to get his office address (or his representation). Then, presumably, there would be staff who deal with such matters and the correspondence would go to them.

Great idea, but roundabout. Sorry.

[maggiethecat]

It occurred to me that if we're going to start a concerted letter-writing campaign re the DVD release, it wouldn't hurt to share some advice I've always found useful.


Maggie’s Rules for Letters to Bigwigs

It’s all about keeping the letter as professional-looking as possible, so the person you are writing to will concentrate on what you have to say.

1. Keep the letter to one page including headings and salutations: one and a quarter inch margins both sides, and top and bottom.

2. Use standard business letter format, with all paragraphs Flush Left. (Don’t justify your text, which creates uneven spacing between words.)

3. 11-point or 12-point type, in a classic serif typeface like Times New Roman, Courier, or Garamond. No “fancy” or script typefaces. Never use colored or decorated paper. White or cream stationery only, and your stationery and envelope should match. You may think a distinctive presentation will make your letter stand out -- and it will, but not in a good way.

4. No exclamation points, or a maximum of one per letter. Never use multiple exclamation points. Never put words in all caps. The emphasis should come from your words, not your punctuation.

5. Titles of books, television shows, plays, and movies in Italics. (If you can’t do Italics, this is the one instance where all caps is acceptable.)

6. Proofread like mad, and use Spell-Check. Any error in grammar, punctuation, or spelling will act as a red flag and you won’t be taken seriously.

7. Try, if you can, to avoid using the word “fan.” I know we bandy it about here like mad, but in the business world it can have a gushing connotation. (Remember Kathy Bates in Misery, cooing to James Caan, “I’m your number one fan.” This is not how you want to come across!)

8. Sign your whole name at the bottom of the letter, as you have typed it. You are not on a first name basis with these people, and you want to come across as respectful -- enthusiastic and appreciative, of course, but also respectful.

[housemouse]

Kudos Maggie, for helping us all write better letters as we beg to get the DVD released.

[mlm828]

Thanks, maggie, for your excellent advice, to which I would add only the following. (I apologize in advance to anyone who thinks I'm being too "preachy" or who already knows what I'm about to say).

Please keep in mind that someone (we hope) will read the letter, and try to put yourself in the position of the reader. For this type of letter, this means being clear and concise. Remember that you are trying to communicate something to the reader, and you don't want him or her to wonder, after reading your letter, what you were trying to say, or what the purpose of the letter was. I heartily agree with maggie that everything you need to say in a letter of this type can be said in one page.

[maggiethecat]

mlm828 said:

Thanks, maggie, for your excellent advice, to which I would add only the following. (I apologize in advance to anyone who thinks I'm being too "preachy" or who already knows what I'm about to say).
Please keep in mind that someone (we hope) will read the letter, and try to put yourself in the position of the reader. For this type of letter, this means being clear and concise. Remember that you are trying to communicate something to the reader, and you don't want him or her to wonder, after reading your letter, what you were trying to say, or what the purpose of the letter was. I heartily agree with maggie that everything you need to say in a letter of this type can be said in one page.

And thank you, mlm88! It's all about presenting ourselves as reasoning and articulate adults. When it comes to asking for the DVD release of Blind Justice, we want the powers that be to know that we appreciated the show for so many reasons: the Emmy-caliber cast, the writing, the cinematography and fine production values, and, above all, the fact that it was different, even daring, and has not been forgotten. This is a case that can easily be made in one page -- and, the more well-spoken and professional we are, the better our chances. Whether the DVD will be released is, in the end, a marketing decision, and we have to sound like a valid market.

I read somewhere that network executives consider one actual "snail mail" letter to represent 1,000 letters, the thinking being that 999 won't bother to write in. It is something to consider when we sit down to write a letter -- we represent the many!

[maggiethecat]

Good morning, and happy weekend to all!

I've moved the post about Doubt to a new thread -- Doubt: Ron on Broadway II (the old thread was absolutely too long.) Also, dogma, thanks for the great new info, which I'm putting in a new thread called Blind Justice: Overseas and Reruns. Let's try to keep this thread devoted to concrete advice and information regarding the DVD release. Thanks!

Mags

[spoony]

While this post serves almost no purpose because I don't really have anything to add, I'd like to commend all for their tireless work in tracking down tedious addresses and the like. Wow. That's commitment. I'm impressed.

[Duchess of Lashes]

Well, perhaps a little of the Jim Dunbar magic might have rubbed off on me after all!

After many, many weeks of sleuthing, sending emails to everyone I could think of, contacting directory assistance, using what little I know to search on-line, etc., today I had a major break-through! I actually found the new phone number for Stephen Bochco Productions and I made contact this afternoon!

I had a wonderful, albeit entirely too brief a chat, with Bochco's publicist, Yamaka Royce. Unfortunately the news is not good, certainly not at all what I had hoped to hear.

According to Royce, ABC has the rights to the release of Blind Justice and they have shown absolutely no interest in the program since its demise last year. There has been no news and no indication from ABC to suggest that there is an intent on their part to release Blind Justice to the wide market on a home DVD edition.

But that said, a letter writing campaign can't hurt our cause. Stephen McPherson is the president of ABC Primetime Television and is probably as good a place to start as any. So I started with him today and sent him another letter - maybe I'll get lucky and he'll answer this one!

I also emailed ABC product development -- let's see if there is any sort of response from them.

In my conversation with Royce, I reiterated how much I hoped Mr. Bochco realized how special Blind Justice was and how much it touched a large audience to the point that we are, a year later, still mourning it and missing it, discussing it, watching it. She said that unfortunately it appeared the audience just couldn't seem to get past the concept of a blind cop carrying a gun and didn't stick around long enough to see him put it down.

I did tell her I thought it the finest hour of television I had ever had the pleasure to view and asked her to let Mr. Bochco know there are still many of us out here who feel the same way.

So, look out ABC, it's inundation time. The fight to save Blind Justice might not have been enough - let's see if we can maximize our efforts now to show the ABC brass that there is an audience anticipating its eventual release on DVD.

The fight is not yet over!

[maggiethecat]

So this means ABC holds the rights instead of Bochco. Bummer. We know how much they care about what any of us said about the show, don't we?

But BRAVO to you for your most excellent sleuthing -- you put Nancy Drew to shame!

[Duchess of Lashes]

I hate to say it but you are right on both counts! ABC does hold the absolute rights to its release. ABC didn't give us any evidence that they cared about the Blind Justice audience while it was on the air; they didn't have the courtesy to respond to the letter writing campaign to save it; and for some strange reason I don't think they will care now that there is an audience eager for its release

Why, oh why, did Blind Justice have to be shown on the alphabet network? I honestly believe that had it been anywhere else, we would already have the boxed set in our possession! I think there is more than enough evidence out there to support that statement!

[rducasey]

longlashes said:

Why, oh why, did Blind Justice have to be shown on the alphabet network? I honestly believe that had it been anywhere else, we would already have the boxed set in our possession! I think there is more than enough evidence out there to support that statement!

I think you arre right about that. Thank you Lori for all your hard work and karma to you. So where to from here?

[Duchess of Lashes]

rducasey said:

longlashes said:

Why, oh why, did Blind Justice have to be shown on the alphabet network? I honestly believe that had it been anywhere else, we would already have the boxed set in our possession! I think there is more than enough evidence out there to support that statement!

I think you arre right about that. Thank you Lori for all your hard work and karma to you. So where to from here?

I am not going to give up without taking this down every avenue I can find - unfortunately it looks like it might be down a one way street with a dead end but I think that trying to contact Stephen McPherson and the brass at ABC Television is the best way to go. I will let you know if ABC Product Development gets back with any sort of answer.