A Piece of My Mind: Funny You Should Ask
     Bennet Pomerantz

In the future, everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes .
   ~ Andy Warhol

Some young man remarked to me at a writer’s workshop, “You know I have not seen your column in Fiction Fix in a month or two . . . so what happened?”

I remember the line from the movie Patton. "Just remember fame is fleeting" However I was happy I was missed. I looked at the young man who made the comment. I replied “Funny you should ask . . . : Then I started to tell the group what happened.

About a year and a half ago, a theater producer friend of mine asked me a favor. “Would you write a new play that I could produce off Broadway?” I agreed very quickly to his offer. He gave me a small advance to write the play. It was not a lot of money, but it was a writing challenge for me. I had not written a play in a long time, so the idea of telling a story in two acts amazed me.

Within two months, the play writing was finished. My friend read my labor of love and loved it. He suggested to me some thing that I heard once and awhile. He said, “Bennet, would you take a point deal on the play’s run instead of a commission amount?” For those who do not know what a point deal is, you get a percentage of the box office net sales. A commission deal is a set dollar amount for the play’s run. I trusted him and his judgment...and still do, so I took the point deal.

So with the play written, my producer friend started to talk to backers to secure financing. The arts are not a one man show. The Play is a springboard to the actors and the director to create. Backers or sponsors are the backbone to fund any theater production.

I was involved in a few of the backer meetings. Most of these backer meetings seem like job interviews. The one thing I did find out is that these meetings take a lot of time and usually they are over lunch or dinner. I also noted most of these people have never read some scripts in their lives .. . . and really it shows!

I remember one of the backers made a statement at the beginning of our meeting with him, “WARNING: I will want to know all about you personally as well as your play, so I will ask you LOTS AND LOTS of questions. I will go beneath the surface to understand the project, and I won't take what you say at face value. If you are uncomfortable with being asked and answering probing questions, and lots of them, then I am not for you!” Well, make a long story short, he was not for us!

Many of these backers loved the play. However, most cited the economy or a lack of money to invest in a new play. So sadly, the play was not produced. Nevertheless with all the meetings I was involved in, many projects I was working on seem to have fallen by the wayside. I kept up with my syndicated newspaper columns, but this column and a few others were late.

Then, suddenly I had problems with my kidneys due to my diabetes. The GP noted something wrong with my kidney levels in my blood tests. Now, There were medical tests to do. I still worked, because in the business of writing, there in no such thing as sick leave like there is in a 9-5 job. That is the problem with self employment.

So now I have cleared the air why I have not been around. I am better health-wise after this kidney scare. The kidneys are back to semi-normal levels. I am alive and doing better, due to the love of family and friends who kept my spirits up during this crisis. I will try to be healthy in 2009 and try to keep my column coming through.

So until next time, keep reaching for the stars.

****
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About the Writer:

Bennet Pomerantz is a media review columnist in 175 newspapers with his weekly column AUDIOWORLD. His fiction and reviews have appeared in the pages of Affaire De Coeur, Gateways, Mystery Scene, Power Star, The Hot Corner, Washington Entertainment Magazine, and many others. He is also known for his review appearances on the MCN Forum. View his web site at Audioworld.