Post by Observer2 on Nov 18, 2005 23:42:44 GMT -5
I was shocked and saddened today to learn that Michael Piller passed away early on November 1.
Many science fiction fans knew Michael Piller for his work on Star Trek: the Next Generation; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; Star Trek: Voyager; and, more recently, as co-creator, writer and producer of The Dead Zone. I first learned his name even earlier, by checking the credits to find out who produced the old Simon & Simon series.
Simon & Simon was not a serious show on the same level as something like Law & Order: Criminal Intent... but it was a fun show that featured a great buddy/partner relationship between the two brothers. I liked it well enough to write a 2-hour script for a 2-part episode. And here’s one of the most remarkable things about Michael Piller. With no credits to my name and no agent, I called the production office and was given permission to submit my script. Michael Piller maintained that kind of open-door policy as long as he could... and when the business changed enough that he couldn’t leave the door open, he figure out ways to give new writers a passkey – any aspiring writer who completed a Dead Zone script could let him know, and he would arrange for it to be read by a legitimate literary agent in Los Angeles. His support of new writers was outstanding, and led to a number of new writers having episodes produced in one or another of the series he was involved in.
Sadly, I wasn’t one of them – at the end of a very positive letter, the Simon & Simon associate producer who wrote to me explained that they weren’t producing any 2-part episodes that year. But even though they knew from the start, simply by its length, that they clearly weren’t going to use it, my script was read by a writer/producer who gave me an in-depth review of it, with detailed discussions of its weaknesses and strengths, and encouragement to try again. To have that kind of detailed feedback from a successful professional writer – I can’t think of anything more valuable to an aspiring writer. That kind of nurturing of young scriptwriters was extraordinary.
Every series Michael Piller worked on reflected his focus on character and theme, and had heart, humor and a deep sense of humanity. The logo of Piller Squared, the company he formed with his son, reflected an endearing, self-deprecating humor – it features a voice-over of Michael Piller and his son: “No.” “Yes.” “No!” “Yes!” “NO!!” “Yes!” “You’re Grounded!” It still makes me laugh every time I hear it.
I never met the man, but I think I would have liked him. His death is a real loss, not only to his friends and family, but to viewers and aspiring scriptwriters as well.
Many science fiction fans knew Michael Piller for his work on Star Trek: the Next Generation; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; Star Trek: Voyager; and, more recently, as co-creator, writer and producer of The Dead Zone. I first learned his name even earlier, by checking the credits to find out who produced the old Simon & Simon series.
Simon & Simon was not a serious show on the same level as something like Law & Order: Criminal Intent... but it was a fun show that featured a great buddy/partner relationship between the two brothers. I liked it well enough to write a 2-hour script for a 2-part episode. And here’s one of the most remarkable things about Michael Piller. With no credits to my name and no agent, I called the production office and was given permission to submit my script. Michael Piller maintained that kind of open-door policy as long as he could... and when the business changed enough that he couldn’t leave the door open, he figure out ways to give new writers a passkey – any aspiring writer who completed a Dead Zone script could let him know, and he would arrange for it to be read by a legitimate literary agent in Los Angeles. His support of new writers was outstanding, and led to a number of new writers having episodes produced in one or another of the series he was involved in.
Sadly, I wasn’t one of them – at the end of a very positive letter, the Simon & Simon associate producer who wrote to me explained that they weren’t producing any 2-part episodes that year. But even though they knew from the start, simply by its length, that they clearly weren’t going to use it, my script was read by a writer/producer who gave me an in-depth review of it, with detailed discussions of its weaknesses and strengths, and encouragement to try again. To have that kind of detailed feedback from a successful professional writer – I can’t think of anything more valuable to an aspiring writer. That kind of nurturing of young scriptwriters was extraordinary.
Every series Michael Piller worked on reflected his focus on character and theme, and had heart, humor and a deep sense of humanity. The logo of Piller Squared, the company he formed with his son, reflected an endearing, self-deprecating humor – it features a voice-over of Michael Piller and his son: “No.” “Yes.” “No!” “Yes!” “NO!!” “Yes!” “You’re Grounded!” It still makes me laugh every time I hear it.
I never met the man, but I think I would have liked him. His death is a real loss, not only to his friends and family, but to viewers and aspiring scriptwriters as well.