Watching for opportunity to write for Late Night TV is sort of like following the NASDAQ or NYSE.
In the market, every time there’s movement in a company’s management, the stock fluctuates.
Fluctuation means opportunity.
When you pay attention, it could be life changing. If you purchased 2000 shares of Apple stock at this time in 2005, at $5.60, it would’ve cost you $11,200.
Today, even as Apple stock is down from its highs, that same stock would be worth $197,320.00
[Chart courtesy of Google Finance]
That’s a huge profit on your money.
Which is why stock market investors watch the market and study a company’s maneuvers with an eagle’s eye; for that opportunity to turn $11k into $200k.
When a good brand is having some bad luck it’s a great time to move in.
So what does that have to do with writing for Late Night TV?
The same thing that happens at Apple happens in Late Night TV all the time!
A writer interested in writing for Late Night TV, should be paying close attention to the movements that happen behind the scenes just like a market investor eyes the NYSE or the NASDAQ.
Because turning $11k into $200k over a period of 11 years is a sweet investment, but a job writing in Late Night TV can turn $0 into $200k in a year, because that’s the minimum salary for a staff writer working in Late Night.
So a writer should be paying close attention to the Late Night TV market, because drama is happening big time over at CBS.
A new showrunner coming to “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and rumors flying around that James Corden might be tapped to replace Colbert as host, add fuel to the fire that there is going to be huge movement in late night TV, especially at The Late Show.
Shows like this are always in flux. The average tenure of a Late Night writer is 2 years so the staffs are always somewhat fluid, but you know the network has real concerns when they bring aboard a new showrunner.
Those facts alone are something to pay attention to, but add to that the fact that Colbert’s ratings at The Late Show are less than promising and The Late Show not getting any Emmy nominations this year are a huge concern.
I mean, that hasn’t happened since 2003.
Consider that Colbert brought most of his writing staff from The Colbert Report to The Late Show. Some heads are bound to roll.
That means opportunity!
When the Audience Tunes in to Watch the Character
Interestingly enough, none of that surprises me. When CBS president, Les Moonves, gave the cold shoulder to Craig Ferguson and opted instead to offer the Late Show position to Colbert, I lambasted him.
I didn’t think that Colbert was a proper fit for the throne previously occupied by David Letterman.
He’s especially not a fit because the person that made The Colbert Report so successful was NOT Stephen Colbert, but his character; that buffoon conservative who was parodying a talk show host.
It was the character he played who was popular.
So when you move to The Late Show and decide that you’re not going bring the character with you, your fans probably won’t follow.
Because the audience is tuning in to see the character.
Imagine hearing this: Ladies and Gentleman, heeeere’s Dan Whitney! How would you respond? Probably not excited right?
But what if I said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, heeeere’s Larry the Cable Guy!” Those Larry the Cable Guy fans would go crazy… even though Larry the Cable Guy and Dan Whitney are the same person. Dan Whitney plays a character called Larry the Cable Guy. And it’s Larry the Cable Guy who we’ve tuned in to see.
But even if we choose a performer with a character that has the same name as the performer and that performer decides not to do the character we’ve grown to love, it usually ends up in failure or imminent career demise.
When Steve Martin took the podium at the New York Public library in front of a sold out audience, then lectured about his art collection, fans were bored to bits, to the point where the event goers were given refunds.
They did that because they paid to see Steve Martin, that “wild and crazy guy!,” not an art historian.
Usually known for his high energy, shirtless performances, glam rocker Billy Idol did a concert about a year ago where he sat on a stool and played acoustic guitar. The audience–his biggest fans–booed and heckled him.
I mean, come on, Billy, at least take your shirt off!
Or like when Jim Carrey decided he wanted to be taken as a serious dramatic actor–well, how many of you just furrowed your brows and said, “I’m sorry, who?”
The fact is, when you build a career based on a character and that character builds a frenzied fan base, then you decide that you don’t want to do that character anymore, chances are–or at least history shows–that your fans are not fans of you, they are fans of your character.
Moonves should’ve seen this coming, based on the trail of Hollywood road kill that lay before him.
Did I just go on a rant?
Late Night Writers Should See This as Opportunity
My point is this: Writers who want to get into Late Night TV should be paying close attention to what’s happening in behind the scenes in Late Night TV.
There’s amazing opportunities happening and right now anyone who’s interested should be preparing their writing packets and sending them into their favorite shows.
Why your “favorite” show and not just Colbert?
Because, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is going to probably fire some writers and replace them with other writers; some will no doubt, be from the staffs of existing shows.
Those shows will now also have openings that will need to be filled.
This creates opportunities all over the the Late Night landscape.
So, writers, get your packets written and take advantage of these incredible opportunities.
You never know, it could turn out to be your Apple.
