So it has been far too long since I last posted on this blog, but my analytics reports show that a faithful hundred or so of you check in daily to see if I’m still breathing.  Well, I am, but I’m finding it very difficult to maintain a robust blog while Tweeting and Facebooking and Google-Plussing. Thanks for being patient with me. It’s just tough to drive content onto all these platforms while I’m still trying to make a living creating content for film and TV.

Speaking of which… today’s post is some shameless self-promotion about my latest film endeavor, Gametime: Tackling the Past, airing Saturday, September 3, at 8 p.m. on NBC.

The film — starring Ryan McPartin from Chuck, Beau Bridges and Catherine Hicks of Seventh Heaven fame — follows the story of pro football star Jake Walker (McPartin) who returns home to his small North Carolina boyhood town he has avoided for 15 years when his father (Bridges) has a heart attack. While there, Jake learns he is being cut by his team. The double-whammy gives Jake an opportunity to reflect on his life and to come to grips with the kind of man he is supposed to be, while healing the broken relationships he left behind.  It’s a family drama appropriate for viewers of all ages, has some nice football action, a little romance, and poses the important question about the difference between looking like a good man… and actually being one.

This project is part of the Walmart and Procter & Gamble Family Movie Night franchise that has aired original movies on both NBC and Fox for the last year or so.  It was a fascinating process to work with the Walmart and P & G folks overseeing this project.  The films are all born as loglines in an “idea lab” and are thoroughly researched in focus-groups to determine which ideas seem to push the most buttons in the research sample.  Then those ideas are given to writers like to me to turn into movies.

I hope you’ll tune in and let me know what you think.

My name is Brian Bird, hence the eponymous name of my blog and website. And for the last 25 years, I have been a film and television writer and producer in Hollywood.  I have written and/or produced a dozen films and nearly 250 episodes of network television. You can see my credits here.

I am also the husband of one wife (29 years) and the father of five children, which makes me sort of an oddball in Hollywood — a business which can be particularly harsh on marriage and family. I believe in God and I believe in the power of Story to affirm life, faith and the dignity of all people.

I offer all these professional and personal credentials not out of hubris, but to show you that even an average schmuck like me can rise out of obscurity and actually find success in one of the most competitive businesses in the world.  And live to talk about it.

When I began contemplating joining the online revolution, I asked myself two hard questions:

1. Am I really committed enough to keep this website fresh and meaningful?
2. Will there be anybody out there listening?

Well, to the first, I guess you’ll ultimately have to be the judge of that.  I will absolutely do my best to make this site the most helpful, hopeful journey through the screenwriting and filmmaking trade as I can.  I pledge to bring you tools, tips, training, resources, shortcuts, insider knowledge, battlefield strategies and answers to your questions. I will blog about my own creative and not-so-creative experiences, and offer my opinions about life, art, religion, politics and culture.  I will speak out of school if I have to and tweak noses when they are out of joint. And I will be generous with my praise because God loves a cheerful giver.  And I hope that all of this will encourage you if you’re floundering in the middle of this very capricious business, or open some doors for you if you’re standing on the outside with your heart on fire.

To my second question, I can only point to a recent experience that was very humbling for me.  A young writer I’ll simply call “Pete” found my number somewhere and called to ask if he could have 30 minutes of time.  It’s not something I do very often because frankly I could spend 40 hours a week meeting with new writers hungry for advice.  However, in this case I said yes.  So we met and had coffee and some nice meaningful conversation, and I could tell that this young man was going places with his talents.  I later found out that he drove all the way from Northern California for 30 minutes of my time.

So, it is for the Petes of this world that I offer this website.  I hope somehow it enlightens you, helps you hone your skills, makes you laugh once in awhile…  and blesses your socks off.

And I look forward to hearing from you often in the comment box, or at info@brianbird.net.