QUICK NOTES

We survived our move from Beverly Hills to Century City, and the new digs are quite nice. The design is modern and "open," hoping to create more of a camaraderie amongst co-workers. (I will report all assaults and murders here.)

There's still a lot of clutter everywhere but as boxes get broken down and the contents get put away, the place will appear much more organized.

I'm adopting a "paperless" office and will no longer accept scripts in hardcopy format (unless it's necessary). This will make my life much easier.

I've been shifted from the Motion Picture Talent Department to the MP Lit Department. My new office (which is twice the size of the old) is across from Ava Jamshidi and next to Brian Levy, an up-and-comer who just crossed over from Dimension to ICM. It's fun to hear them talk to clients and execs, dishing out story notes and opinions on scripts. I feel more at home in this enclave.

A tragic casualty of the move seems to be my framed one-sheet of THE PLAYER, the 1992 film directed by Robert Altman. (The artwork features a noose made of celluloid film strip.) It has mysteriously disappeared.

It was packed in the "pre-move," and sent on ahead (from the old building to the new) a week before we left. I've been assured it will turn up somewhere, but I have a sneaking suspicion that some unscrupulous fuck has it hanging over his bed in a one-room apartment in Westwood. Or even worse, my movie poster was torn out of the valuable frame to make way for something far less prestigious - like a HAROLD AND KUMAR one-sheet.

More on this story as it develops.

I recently did a brief interview for an e-zine that discusses all sorts of business methodologies - like the B2B complex sale. I can't make heads or tails out of any of the jargon on the site, but I enjoy seeing my name in print and Steve Kayser, who authored the interview, did a good job.

It's marked at the top of the page as the "Featured Story." (I guess it's a slow news week in the business world.) Here's the link:

http://www.internetviz-newsletters.com/cincom/

On the egocentric topic of my name in print, THE INSIDE PITCH blog was recently mentioned on http://www.trackingb.com

I do next to nothing to promote my ramblings and was quite surprised to see a flattering blurb on "trackingb.com," which moved me enough to mention the site here, especially since some might find it interesting.

The site announces when spec scripts are hitting the circuit and follows the process (a bit), hopefully, to a successful conclusion.

The site provides writers with a sense of what material is making the rounds and which scripts are finding buyers. It's an early glimpse at what - eventually - ends up on the "script sales" pages of other websites that are the quotidian reading rituals for many.

It also presents other inside information - like shuffling within the ranks of prodcos and agencies. If you sign up (it's free), you get automatic updates.

It's just another way to stay informed. And to stay on top of things, you've got to stay informed.

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