A Screenwriter's Real-Life Ghost Story (Or: How I Wasted 6 Months of My Life)

This is a Hollywood horror story about the dumbest thing to ever happen to me as a screenwriter - including the exact moment a room full of industry pros realized the embarrassing six-figure mistake that had been made.ON THE ITINERARYTHE “DRACULA” HANGOVER: Recovering from creating a TV series that turned into a "shit-show" while your career is technically booming. THE GOLDEN GOD TRAP: When “we love this script, you’re brilliant!” turns into a repetitive, unsolvable note. THE UNPAID EXTRA MILE: Navigating the "two-Step" pilot deal and why agents push you to work for free. THE LITMUS TEST: Getting trusted feedback from showrunners to confirm you aren't the crazy one. THE WINDOWLESS ROOM: The exact moment a "bad idea" revealed a six-figure misunderstanding. THE SIX-MONTH COST: The reality of wasting half a year on a project that never had a chance. JOIN THE COMMUNITY!5AM StoryTalk is reader-supported. Help me keep the coffee brewing by becoming a free or paid subscriber at Substack:https://colehaddon.substack.com/LINKSListen to "The Horror of 'Dracula': The Unbelievable True Story of the 2013 TV Series - Part 1" at Substack: "https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/new-podcast-episode-the-horror-ofListen to "The Horror of 'Dracula': The Unbelievable True Story of the 2013 TV Series - Part 1" at your favorite podcast player: https://pod.link/1807437928/episode/NWNkNTk0N2MtNDE5MC00YWZhLWE4NjktZDk3Zjc2MDM3MjVlTIP JARNot up for a paid subscription but appreciate the work that’s gone into making this podcast happen? You can “buy me a coffee” ⁠⁠⁠here to help keep me caffeinated (translation: writing)⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/colehaddon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SOCIAL MEDIAFollow Cole/5AM StoryTalk at…5AM StoryTalk @ Instagram⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/5amstorytalkpodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cole Haddon @ Instagram⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/colehaddonwashere/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/colehaddon.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.com/Colehaddonwashere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EMAIL⁠[email protected]◼5AM StoryTalk acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Djarra people of the Kulin Nation and pay respects to Elders past and present.◼This podcast’s music is by ⁠⁠my dear friend Cary Brothers⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.carybrothers.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-00:00 Welcome and Tease01:14 Spooky Premise Setup01:57 Post Dracula Career02:53 New Adaptation Gig03:34 The One Note Scarier04:30 Free Drafts Pressure05:59 Meeting Goes Sideways06:49 Wait There Is a Ghost07:44 The Real Mix Up08:41 Wrap Up and Subscribe