Writing. Writing. Writing.

That pretty aptly describes my life this past week. I finished "The Outsiders" and am now in the middle of writing "Hip-Hop Zombies". I will be shopping my skills around Hollywood this week and next using "The Outsiders" and an episode of WITHOUT A TRACE I wrote last year as my writing samples. It's a long process with the goal of getting a staff writing job on a TV series. I swear, this business beats the hell out of you sometimes. It demands a lot; discipline, salesmanship, networking, wit, charm, the ability to communicate well verbally, assertiveness, and, as I was reminded by a friend the other day, being bold. Many of these assets I've had to learn through trial and error. Up until about fifteen years ago, I was a devout wallflower. If I went to parties or any kind of a large social gathering I tended to stay on the side and hope that somebody would come over and talk to me. If I hadn't changed that behavior I wouldn't be anywhere near as successful.

For example, last night I was at a function at the TV Academy for the FX show "Rescue Me", starring Dennis Leery (left), written and produced by he and Peter Tolan (right). In the old days, the only way I would have talked to either of them would have been if they came up talk to me or if they had specifically wanted to meet me. Now, I have no problem going up and complimenting them on their show and then promoting myself in some way. Last night, I spoke with Dennis about interviewing him for Emmy Magazine, and he was very interested. My conversation with Peter was mostly about getting him to feel comfortable around me so that if and when I meet him or work with him in the future he will feel more at ease.

Speaking of interviews: I was interviewed last week for Backstage West Magazine, the text of which can be read by clicking the link in the right called interviews. It was one of the first interviews in a very long time where the writer actually quoted me correctly.

By the way, I am still waiting to hear if there is any news about "Special Unit", I am still hoping that no news is good news. When it goes to series though, you will definitely hear about it here as soon as I can put it up.

I was thinking again last night and this morning how blessed I am to be in this position. Believe me, a lot of God thanking goes on around here! I'm not only thankful him, I thank the thousands of people who have pointed me in this direction either directly or indirectly. Because I surely could not have made it by myself.

That's Hollywood (Revisited)

I guess that's something Hollywood and the military have in common, hurry up and wait. I told you last week that I would be finding out last Tuesday or Wednesday about "Special Unit". I have long since learned to stop losing hair waiting for something to happen that I have no control over. "Special Unit" is one of those things. I haven't heard a thing. I'm hoping that no news is good news. The other situation is that the head of the talent development program at ABC/Disney, Carmen Smith, the woman who I have been working with this whole session, and someone I have known for years, has moved onto another section of Disney. That leaves those of us in the program scrambling. I'm always one to look at a situation for the positive that can come out of it, so I concentrate on the new people I'll be working with, and the fact that they might be in a better position to put me into the staff writing job I'm looking for.

I tell you, if you're going to make it in Hollywood, you'd better have a thick skin because you will face a lot more rejection than in almost any other business. And you better believe wholeheartedly in yourself, and in your abilities. And you better be your own best cheerleader. In addition, if you're not in for the long-haul, forget it because success comes easily for only a chosen few. It is, in every sense of the word, a lottery. There are well over one hundred thousand actors in the Screen Actors Guild. At any one time, only about four thousand are working. And as for those who thinks that Hollywood actors make loads of money, the average actor makes five thousand a year or less, and in order to get benefits through the union you must learn close to twenty thousand.

I've been wanting to include this picture for while, but couldn't find it. This is me and one of my favorite actors, Joe Montagna. He was nice enough to take a picture with me at a function I was at about a year ago. That's one thing I have noticed, something that tabloids probably wouldn't have you believe. The majority of the big celebrities that I have met over the years, people like Michael Landon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Lucas, even politicians like Senator Robert Dole, have been very nice people. I know you will be able to cite instances when each of these people and others have been horrible, but imagine if you were in their position. Because I have been there on a somewhat smaller scale. I might be having a bad day when you come up to get an autograph and I might not be as cordial to you as you might like. From that point on, you tell everyone you know that Jim Troesh is an asshole. I remember being stopped by fans in the lobby of the hospital when I was on my way up to see my mother who just had a heart attack. These people insisted that I pose for pictures with them. I did, and I'm smiling in the picture, and my mother was OK, thank God, but imagine what you would do in that same situation. Then multiply that times a thousand if you are a big celebrity.

Thank-You to all of you who send me e-mails in support of what I'm doing. I may not have a chance to get back to all of you, but I assure you that your support means a great deal to me. Believe me, when something big pops for me, you will hear about it first right here!

Color of the Cross

A movie I wrote, you may remember me talking about it a few months back, "Color of the Cross" that depicted Jesus as a black Jew, will be coming to theaters in September or October. There is now a trailer for it that you can view by clicking the link on the right. I haven't seen the entire film yet, it's still in post-production, but the trailer looks terrific! I think it is something I will be very proud of. It is sure to be extremely controversial.

Say a prayer, we're down to crunch time with "Special Unit". Comedy Central is making their final decision in the next day or two. If it gets on the air, it will advance the disability movement significantly, and, bottom line, it's going to make a lot of people laugh. If I wasn't unable to laugh, I probably wouldn't still be alive. I really really hope and pray that my next blog will contain of lots of juicy info the show!

A Lonely Profession

Yes, writing can be a very lonely profession. Hour after hour by myself in front of my computer. Not that I never get out of the apartment as you have seen if you have been reading my blog for a while. But, as nice as it would be if they did, scripts just don't write themselves while they're sitting inside a computer! I made the decision about a week ago that I will focus all of my time on my career. Not that I didn't work hard previously, but I farted around a lot, surfed the Net, played videogames, and generally loafed around much more than I should. Then, I remembered the Number One rule of a disabled person trying to make it in the world. You have to work harder, be more reliable, have a stronger work ethic, have more experience, and have better social skills than your able-bodied competitors or you don't have a chance. I forget that rule every once and awhile, and then wonder why my career is stagnant.

This handsome guy, well, the one that's not sitting in a wheelchair is Yancy Arias, a guest star in the "Special Unit" pilot, and a regular on the new FX Series "Thief." This picture was taken late on the last night of the shoot which ran way into the early morning hours.

I previewed the pilot of the new Christopher Titus series for Comedy Central, "Special Unit" for several leaders of disability groups a few days back here in my apartment, and they found it hysterical. The project is still alive by the way, so say your prayers. I know I have been. The show getting on the air would not only mean a great deal to me and to the several people with disabilities involved in the show, but it will have a huge effect on how people with disabilities are perceived in general! It is everything that I've been pushing for years to see portrayed on television. Realistic portrayals of people with disabilities as we really are with all of our foibles, and humor which I think is vital to create a comfort zone for able-bodied people who are still a bit hinky about being around us.