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Creative Screenwriting Published: February, 2008 From Strip to Screen
Startup Seeks Comic Writers with Movie Dreams By Adrian Brijbassi The Internet, with its ceaseless possibilities and never-ending stream of wonders, is fertile ground for wild imaginations. No wonder, then, that when a new online enterprise centered on the creation of original comic books launched last summer it sought the guidance of one of the most fecund minds in the entertainment business.
Paul Dini, a five-time Emmy-winning writer-producer, joined the social-networking outfit Zeros 2 Heroes (Z2H) in October, coming aboard as editor-in-chief of the ambitious Vancouver startup. The goal of the company is to produce one comic book a week in 2008, then pitch each story to producers and studios in hopes of landing deals for big-picture films or small screen series.
“I’ve been interested in the potential of Web comics for a long time. Zeros 2 Heroes came to me with what I thought was a unique and welcoming approach for writers to get their work paired with aspiring artists and then placed before readers,” says Dini, whose credits include the Batman cartoon series and ABC’s hit Lost. “I thought that was a very supportive way to bring new talent into what has generally been a tough business for novices.”
The 50-year-old screenwriter was recruited by Z2H board member and long-time friend Paul Gertz, who is also the CEO of Rainmaker Animation and, like Dini, a former Lucasfilm employee. “We’ve wanted to work together on a big, fun project like this for some time,” Dini says.
Like a giant writers’ workshop, devoid of the awkward moments when criticism is delivered face-to-face, Z2H encourages participants to give feedback online to their peers. Starting in January, that feedback will lead to publication. Z2H’s users upload their storylines, scripts and artwork for evaluation. The projects that receive the most voters from community members graduate to the Z2H production phase, which is where Dini’s expertise with evolving ideas into marketable screenplays comes in.
“He’s helping us help storytellers get their stories out there. He understands the transformation from script, or what’s on the written page, to film,” Gertz says.
Dini recognizes the opportunity Z2H presents to writers is significant even if the chances of landing a rights deal or any remuneration is a long shot (the company doesn’t pay when it develops a story idea into a comic, but it does split any sales evenly with the originator of the work).
“Most big publishers are not going to read cold submissions, but they will read smaller press comics. In fact, many of the big publishers do their writer scouting from the indie books,” says Dini, a former DC comics writer. “So if you, as an aspiring writer, have an in anywhere to get your work published, even if it doesn’t pay much – or in some cases anything – you may want to take it. It will get your work out there and will give you something tangible to send to another editor. I think every editor would rather read a published work than a pitch.”
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