My journey!

From Idea to Reality

Episode One

Next: Unexpected Connections

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As I sat at my desk, staring at the blank sheet of paper, I knew I needed a game-changing move to create a career in the television industry. Little did I know, this moment would mark the beginning of an incredible journey—a journey that would take me from a simple spark of inspiration to building a state of the art production studio and the creation of my very own TV show. With no prior experience in creating a television series, I relied solely on my relentless determination and vision to bring my idea to life. Here's a look at how I transformed a mere concept into a full-fledged multi award winning TV series.

The Spark of Inspiration

It all began with a simple "what if" moment. My mornings typically involved getting my three kids ready for daycare and preschool so I could be at the office of my failing music business by 11:00 AM. As parents with toddlers, we often struggled with getting them to bed at night. One morning, while running behind schedule, I noticed my four-year-old son playing with a red toy vacuum cleaner. The television was on, but the kids were more interested in their toys—That was until the Barney theme song came on. Instantly, all three of them stopped playing and plopped in front of the TV. I was amazed by how quickly they were glued to the screen.

This led me to wonder why there wasn't a TV show designed to help kids go to bed at night. The thought simmered in my mind all day, eventually growing into the concept for "My Bedbugs." This idea would later be available to more than 100 million households in North America and 32 countries worldwide.

Research and Learning

Realizing I couldn't embark on this journey alone, I enlisted the help of my friend Peter Tocco, a singer/songwriter and local actor involved in voice-over productions for training films and TV/radio commercials. Peter and I brainstormed countless times, often meeting after hours and on weekends at various restaurants. These sessions were crucial for fleshing out my concept, characters, and storylines before approaching studios.

With no background in television production, I knew I had to educate myself. The internet was still in its early days, and my gateway was a software program called Prodigy. I spent countless hours reading whatever information I could find at public libraries and even took a local community public access course in television production. Despite initially thinking the course was beneath me, I absorbed everything I could about the technical aspects of filming, only to realize that my role as a creator and producer wouldn't involve operating cameras, audio, lights, or editing.

Networking became crucial. Peter and I revisited soundstages and production facilities to get an idea of pricing for development and production. These interactions provided invaluable insights and guidance. After receiving production quotes in excess of two million dollars for development of only four episodes, I knew I had to take a different approach, and being in control was essential.

Developing the Concept

The next step was developing the characters and storylines. Within months, my concept evolved into a viable opportunity. I wrote a detailed outline of the first episode, which, though never produced, served as a valuable tool for performing dog and pony shows for investors. I created character personality traits, and detailed scene descriptions. Ensuring my concept was compelling, original, relatable, and was essential not only for an audience but for potential investors as well. Feedback from friends, family, and industry contacts—especially negative criticism—helped shape the project into something more substantial.

Writing the Business Plan

Writing the business plan for six months was both exhilarating and daunting. I had to do most of the work while the family slept, sometimes I wouldn't get to bed until 4:00 AM. This was my chance to set the tone for potential investors. I focused on creating a tangible hardcover book to captivate immediate attention. While anyone could throw pages into a spiral-bound presentation, I was determined to present a wow factor that would demonstrate just how serious this was. I purchased a hardcover binding system and had Greenestuff, my company name embossed on the front cover, all in green, of course. Out of the twenty-six pages, two were blank, one was a content page, and seven were colorful characters. There wasn't a need for fluff, outside of the illustrations, the rest consisted of detailed specific aspects of development, production, marketing.and a guesstimated return on investment.

Pitching the Idea

With the business plan assembled, I remember looking out of my front door, up and down my street, thinking, "I have no one to pitch this to." I didn't know anyone with money, especially with capital to invest; none of my family or friends had it. And, all I had was this pie-in-the-sky dream book in my hand. Then I remembered a thirty-page pamphlet I had written a few years earlier titled "How and Where to Find Investors." I initially created this pamphlet for musicians looking to raise small amounts of capital for recording projects. It was never circulated, After writing it, I thought it was crap so I put it away and it had been sitting in a file cabinet all that time.

But now, I wanted to read it. I retrieved the pamphlet, read it, and read it again. It dawned on me that I what had written several years before was a roadmap for myself to follow. From that moment, I knew what I had to do. I practiced my pitch tirelessly, refining it until I could present it confidently and passionately. This journey from a fleeting idea to the creation of "My Bedbugs" was filled with amazing challenges and learning experiences. It taught me the importance of perseverance, continuous learning, and the power of networking. Each step brought me closer to my goal, ultimately transforming my dream into reality.

More importantly, it taught me the importance of changing everyday routines."Thank you for tuning into Part One of my Journey. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with fellow entrepreneurs. Stay tuned for a new episode each week and until next time, keep innovating and stay inspired!"