Yeah, Yeah, Yeah..."When Life Gives You Lemons,,,,"

We've all heard it dozens of times, right? From our parents and other family members, former bosses, spouses (or is that spices?) and of course, our closest of friends, who've probably never tasted a lemon in the last ten years because they're too busy drinking their frappa-lappa-miko-apo! And as tired as we are of hearing the phrase, it does have a ring of truth and the Wikis and other online files can deliver plenty of true tales. Sometimes though, you can't jump directly from the lemons to the lemonade; you just have grab the lemon and bag of sugar and move towards the new action. And that is exactly what we (Dalmatian Productions, Inc.) are doing. 

First though, a word of thanks to those of you who read this blog, follow us on Twitter (@Dalmatprod & @CAUSE_ORIGIN) and/or listen to the podcasts. Without your understanding and support, we probably would have thrown in the towel a long time ago. So please, keep it up!

Here's the story - As many of you know, we have working for over 20 years to bring a quality program about our great fire-rescue services to television. First we tried early reality TV; the days of "Rescue-911,"  "On Scene: Emergency Report," and several others. That didn't work.We tried again when "reality" grew up a little bit like, "COPS." That worked - only a little bit and only outside of the U.S. or Canada. 

"What else can we do?" we would repeatedly ask ourselves. Here you had four first responders who only knew about the "real" in reality. We didn't know anything else. That brought us to around ten years ago or so, when I was just browsing the Internet, just to browse, not looking for anything in particular. I found a fire story that I liked, read that and it led to a few more. I was just reading some reports of working fires, rescues, etc. Then, after almost two hours, I came across an article about the Philadelphia Fire Department. This I liked. Why? Because my wife's sister and her family have lived in that area for over 40 years and we had visited often. And during almost every visit, I would visit firehouses all over Montgomery County and the City of Philadelphia. However, in reading this article, I learned something new - the structure of their Fire Investigation Office and how unique it was.

Besides the Fire Marshal, there were some unique investigators in with he mix; a firefighter who had also been trained in investigative and forensic work, a full-time detective with the Philadelphia Police Department, who was assigned to the Fire Investigations Office, an agent from the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms) and his dog, who were assigned to the city and others. 

"WOW!" I thought. "This could be a great show!" Then I reconsidered. They'd never let us do a "ride-along" with them for a reality show. But....what if it wasn't a reality show? What if it was a drama? Initially, I didn't share my idea with my partners. I just tossed it around for a while, writing a page here, a page there.That was the birth of "CAUSE & ORIGIN." (and yes, we understand that today, the more common phrase used is reversed to "origin and cause," but that just does sound as good as our, older version!) Yet, with no leads, we didn't know what to do next.

The rest of the story until now, is history, as they say. We have tried for the last 2-1/2 - 3 years to get this TV show picked up for the production of a pilot episode. But that hasn't happened either.

Thus, about three weeks ago during one of our conference calls, our L.A.-based partner told us interesting news about some of his immediate past work on a movie, some people he had met and some others who had re-entered his life. And he pitched the idea that with no progress on the television front, let's try to produce a feature film-length movie. Whether it played in a theater or through a streaming service, wasn't important. We would do it. 

That is what we announced yesterday. We are going to produce a film about the fire service, by firefighters, hopefully, supported by firefighters, for firefighters and all other interested parties.

Interested? Good! Stay tuned!

Be safe and let's make sure every one goes home!

 

Why Us? Why is it Always Firefighters??

In no other profession do its workers go form "Heroes-to-Zeros" more quickly than in fire-rescue. It doesn't matter if we're career, volunteer, combo or paid-on-call, we are all "painted" with the same, very wide brush. "Why?" you ask. Because everything we do is inherent in performing our sworn oath, to protect and save people and property. 

Think about it; almost every time there is a big story about a rescue, a major conflagration and yes, even an LODD, all manner of newspapers, Internet sites, television stations, all whip up a huge froth, lauding the fire-rescue people who were involved as "great heroes," "bravest of the brave," and so on. Then, a week later, community leaders start asking questions about the career department's contract or the volunteer department's need to replace a twenty-seven year old engine, with seals leaking and a tank that can barely hold water! Not to mention the need for new PPE, Haz-Mat needs, etc. "Heroes-to-Zeros!"

This revolving door of adoration followed by disrespect has always bothered me. It bothered me before I became a firefighter and it has bothered me ever since. For the most part, our comrades in "blue" and "green" are not affected by this as much as the fire-rescue service is. Funny thing is that all three services take an oath for the greater good of society. However, in my eyes, we always wind up with the "short straw."

If you've been following this blog for a time you are well aware that for the last twenty or so years, our company, Dalmatian Productions, Inc., has been working very diligently to bring a positive-themed show about the fire service to television. OK, so it was only television and videotape when we started in 1992 and today, it is all manner of video distribution. 

When the "tone" of reality turned negative, we decided that the only chance we had was to try dramatic television. We had bounced around several ideas and finally settled on our current project, "CAUSE & ORIGIN." When writing the script, our goals were to be as realistic as possible, include educational aspects and develop a story that will entertain viewers whether or no they are affiliated with the fire service. Our story line is not just "smoke, flames and sirens;' rather it tells the complete story of a third-generation firefighter and what he deals with in his department and in his home life. We have provided both our synopsis and pilot script to many folks, both in and out of the fire service. Not one, not a single one came back with a negative review or comment! We believe that speaks to the quality of our premise and how it is told. 

Having had a great deal of exposure to and work with the Philadelphia Fire Department, we based our story there. And we are very proud to say that the PFD and the Office of Film & Television support our efforts. 

However, if you look at any television listings magazine, you will see a plethora of television shows based on the police. There's a mixture of shows that have been on for many years and others that are more recent, as well as news one debuting this month. This begs the question, "Where are any shows about the fire service?"

That answer is simple. There is one. Only one. One that chose titillation, infidelity and drug abuse, not to mention numerous depictions of actions that no firefighter would do, nor would an officer order a firefighter to do. 

That's it. No more. Just one show. Does this speak to the point that the fire service is so droll and simplistic that it cannot carry a television audience? Are we just blase and not worth the effort?

To be perfectly honest, maybe we are. A year ago, we posted both the synopsis and the entire script for the pilot episode on Amazon's TV website. It allows people to visit the project, read whatever is posted there about it and to leave their own comments. If there is a strong, positive reaction by the visitors, Amazon might actually, pick the show up, at least to produce a pilot episode.  I busted my butt to get as many people as I could to go to the site. I used our Twitter accounts, emails and phone calls. And the total number of people that just visited the site over three or four months? Twelve! Only twelve people took a few minutes to visit our page on the Amazon site. 

Somehow, some way, we, as a united effort, need to get a message to the TV-streaming industry, that a strong and positive show about the fire service is, at the least, worth producing a pilot and testing it with audiences. These networks spend hundreds of millions of dollars on pilots and shows that they cut after just two or three episodes. All we want is a chance. 

Finally, the message I want to get across to every producer is to remember who shows up at your door when you dial 9-1-1 for a medical or fire emergency!

Stay safe and let's make sure every firefighter goes home.