The Missile Site by Mike Thompson
Stating the Obvious
Breaking into the movie & TV business is hard. Part of it requires some talent, part of it some connections, but first and foremost, it requires a legitimate, actionable roadmap — an actual insider’s proven guide as to how to go about staking one’s claim in Hollywood. I used to sit in a cubicle with a headset taking airline reservations and lamenting the life that could have been. Now, I sit in rooms and on sets with the world’s biggest filmmakers and movie stars doing that which I love most. Writing movies. If you’ve ever shared that dream, allow me to help provide that roadmap.
p.s. The Missile Site, you say? Well, while growing up near an abandoned U.S. military Nike “missile site,” it became us kids’ very own studio backlot, where I cut my teeth on my first camcorder short films…
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The Who, What, When, Where, Why
Who? Mike Thompson, veteran Hollywood writer/producer, perhaps best known for his feature films, Dragonfly, starring Kevin Costner, and Love Happens, featuring Jennifer Aniston. He also co-created the FOX television series, John Doe, and has written and produced indie film and award-winning documentary features as well. In addition to his produced credits, he is uniquely distinguished for having written and sold dozens of high-profile spec scripts, pitches and teleplays to nearly every major Hollywood studio, including multiple seven-figure deals. He has collaborated on projects involving the likes of Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Will Smith, Edie Falco, Chris Pine, Richard Gere, Michael Keaton, Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis, and presently, blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
What? A weekly dispatch that will not only provide you tangible markers on that roadmap to success — but will also supply you with hopefully entertaining war stories from the screenwriting trenches, my personal brushes with fame, and ongoing analysis of the ever-changing media landscape.
When? Weekly. And maybe more, if I get something particularly stuck in my craw.
Where? Your email inbox, direct to you.
Why? Because after many years during which I’ve lived in Los Angeles full time, then regularly commuted to pitch meetings from Seattle, or spent months at a time away on location, or just plain always jumped when Hollywood said jump, I am starting to place more of a focus on my growing young family and need to gain a bit more mastery over my time and whereabouts. And while I remain as actively engaged as ever in the business, I decided it was as good a time as any to finally impart all that I’ve learned on my journey thus far, to pay it all forward with a roadmap showing the way — so that others might achieve what I’ve been so fortunate (and lucky!) to achieve.
