Perhaps this is best tagged under "Navel-gazing," but the official announcement went out a little earlier this morning:
TeamWorks Media, a fantastic up-and-coming production company based in
(So for all you sports-bloggers/writers looking for that novelty Final Four angle after a long week of wearing out the usual game storylines, there's your hook. Hey, in a Final Four devoid of Cinderella stories, this might look tempting.)
I couldn't be more thrilled to be working with TeamWorks on this, and I sincerely appreciate the confidence (and sketchy judgment!) they have shown in partnering with me on the project. (Here's the full release.)
Hey, maybe "sports blogger sells screenplay" is the new "sports blogger gets book deal." It may be a little while before you're sitting at the multiplex watching, but it's one step closer.
-- D.S.
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58 comments:
When did you become the leading sports blogger?
Congrats Dan, this is awesome news.
Dan, So do your loyal readers get parts in the movie?
The idea has a bit of a Dodgeball feel to it, assuming that the story is more comedic than serious.
How long does it take for a screenplay to be optioned to it getting a release (assuming it doesn't get shelved)?
Congrats. Intramural sports is an untapped resource.
Congrats Dan!!
So this is why you were so against a chalk-filled tourney.
Seriously though, more info--comedy, inspirational melodrama, what are we getting here?
And yes: congrats.
Congrats bro...
Well done. Sounds like a great opportunity.
Congrats Dan do any of your loyal readers get to help with any re-writes?
I used to ref intramural basketball in college. I'd definitely accept a "consultant" position. I'll generously leave the acting to Lenny/Andy.
Hey, I refereed intramural football at college for a semester - can I get a part?
Also that job has taught me to never lambaste any sports official.
I dunno Cycledan, I reffed intramural basketball for 3 years, and while incredibly humbling at times, I also now am much better at seeing calls than anyone else I know. I almost feel like it gives you more right to be able to yell in certain situations.
But yeah, being on the end of getting told to go fuck yourself on a nightly basis, that's not so much fun...
Congrats Dan! I too am a writer, not screenplays mind you, but I know the troubles.
I think I am destined to be apart of this production. I used to play intramural basketball in college AND was lead actor in my high school's senior play. Also had other major parts in school musicals and other plays (Wow, I was/am a nerd). Give me a ring, baby.
Nicely done, Dan.
I'm thinking how we could work you (if not us) into a cameo appearance.
Maybe someone checks out DanShanoff.com from the computer in his dorm, and it's briefly on-screen.
Ya know, the Gators may need to replace 4 or 5 guys next year, how are the intramural teams in Gainesville, anyway?
Well I'm 6'4 and play like a poor mans Brad Miller, just saying....
Hillel House Rec Team?
Congrats DS is obvious.
I second or one hundredth (is that even a word) the notion that this has a very Dodgeball feel. Hopefully it leans more that way than Hoosiers because other than the idea that it's just more comedic sounding than serious - when was the last successful serious sports movie about basketball - and I think it was Hoosiers.
Congrats, Dan.
Actually, Eastern Illinois University (EIU, not Es Ill) had a walk-on player that the coach recruited from an intramural team a couple years ago. Not as cool as an entire team, but it was pretty cool.
Lenny -- I agree. I umpired baseball games when I was younger, doing from t-ball through 15 year olds. The only coach I ever threw out of a game was at a t-ball game. People get worked up about the silliest stuff in kids sports.
Hopefully the characters won't be too over-the-top cliched.
Although in my experience, there was always at least one White kid I'd see a night, who was totally into it, trying too hard for that old school look with the headband, wrist bands, high socks, mouthpiece, and [insert token White player] jersey.
And they'd be on the bench stretching, trying for that game face. And then when they'd eventually get put into the game they'd continuously ask for the ball, airball or completely brick shots, and then complain to the refs about not getting any calls.
I'm sure those of you who play/played intramurals totally can think of someone (or are that person).
Congrats, Dan. Just make sure they don't wrest too much creative control away from you. A "good luck" is in order too, unfortunately.
Congrats Dan.
At 5'4 and 140 I'm a model athlete. Any chance I can play the towel boy?
Joe (Dayton...t-minus 23 hours until I leave for Atlanta)
That's pretty damn cool.
Huge congrats Dan!
Hey I was an intramural junkie in college (3 sports, 5 teams, + 1 club team), maybe I could also serve as a resource/consultant! :)
My sympathies also to all those of you who were intramural refs--a totally thankless job; did you guys even get paid?
Starting pay for intramural refs at BC was $7.75, and you got a $0.25 raise every year, so by my Senior year I made a whopping $8.25 to take shit from no talent ass clowns (Freshman flag football teams were the worst)...
But it was a good time, wouldn't trade it for any of the easier workstudy jobs on campus.
Congratulations, as a published author I know you are happier than a pig in shit right now. Have fun with the rewrites.
Don't know about the basketball intramurals but I played in the soccer league when I was at UF and it was pretty competitive. Maybe Dan you could figure out a way to incorporate the two jewish frats at UF and their infamous "Nose Bowl." Oh wait that is football so wrong sport but I always loved the name of their annual game.
Congrats Dan.
Sheik I didn't know that getting a Forum letter posted counted as being a published author. Way to go.
At least it's not the Tribune Company.
Dan-
First of all, congrats for this success that I did not see coming although I was getting suspicious why you kept going back and forth to Chicago.
I'm not sure you can work readers in as actors, but I do have an idea.
For a basketball movie you will inevitably need a crowd for the game scenes.
I know that movie people normally invite big groups of people to do these things. I have a friend who was part of a group of high school kids a couple years ago who were invited to Fenway at 3 AM to sit in for "Fever Pitch".
It would be cool if you invited the readers to do something like sit in the first 10 rows for the game scenes. Making it open to everyone would also not be hard because most people won't be able to come because of geographic or time constraints.
Just an idea. But a good one.
little league? intramurals!?
hah!
try being a high school football official. i'm pretty sure that, by the end of the season, i apparently was being paid off by every team in the region and hated the star players for all those teams too.
Wow. Big news on the ol' blog today...
Obviously, the congratulations go without saying Dan. Now just don't go getting all egotistical and moving out to Hollywood to get work in the "big-time" and let Mrs. Quickie write half of your posts on a weekly basis...
Also, considering my, uh, dimensions... I would be better suited to playing the plucky, undersized white forward. The guy with no leaping ability, no defensive skills, absolutely zero chance of running the floor, but real good at standing in the cirner and dropping threes. or maybe the villainous coach. Either way, really.
(Also... UM = comedic genius. Seriously, you've taken the mantle as the king of the one-liner blog comment. Maybe you can get an Associate Producer credit for the movie... (I hope someone on here has seen "State and Main" and gets that)
Don't forget to check out Dan's sister's MySpace
Congrads to you Dan!
Kurt beat me to it. It does appear that it is Dan's sister. Check out the picture on Dan's "Top 8" on MySpace of "Emily" and then if you google "Emily Shanoff" you find her Friendster that says she lives in Chicago and her home town is Bethesda.
Sounds familiar...
Wow, it's really easy to be a stalker isn't it? I'm not criticizing anyone for finding out about Dan's sister, but seriously... that didn't take long for presumably people who are not private investigators... things like this make me glad I'm not on MySpace.
Even if Dan had a family connection, it's still a really cool thing this is happening. Has TeamWorks done any feature films, made for TV movies, etc?
You're going to need someone to design posters and stuff right?
Todd-
I hear you. I started doing the research when Doc said that there was an Emily Shanoff that worked there. I remembered that there was "Emily" on Dan's MySpace wich I clicked on to see why he put her into her top 4. It said she was in Chicago but was from Bethesda where I know Dan to be from.
After Doc's comment I googled "Emily Shanoff" and found the frienster which said the same thing.
And there you have it. Took a good memory and 3 minutes.
By the way, I wasn't trying to take anything away from Dan. It was just a quick snipit of knowledge.
Sure Guy... you're a stalker, admit it... you just "have a good memory"... haha, no, I'm just messing with you.
But seriously, I work with people who do juvenile defense, and MySpace has become a bit of a problem as a lot of time kids are putting some incriminating photos/statements on their MySpace pages, which are then being used by DAs and police to allege gang involvement, etc.
It's amazing how people are willing to put up just about anything on their MySpace pages. Makes stalking potentially too easy.
By the way, I'm sure I've now just given enough information that I could be Googled fairly easily...
Who's that Dave guy in both Dan and his sister's Top 4? That guy is HOTTTTT!!!
Congrats Dan!
So, cut the crap for all the hopeful bloggers out there, how much did they pay you?
Doc's right: My sister does work at TeamWorks. Consequently, I would rank the factors that led to this deal as: (1) Connections, (2) Luck, (3) Timing and, finally, somewhere way down the list, (4) Quality of Work.
Congrats! Get Drunk with the other bloggers so they can draw pictures on you when you are passed out for future blackmail, errr, income streams....
congrats.
promise me that they beat florida and a nohish player along the way please. or duke and coach k dies.
Quality of work is probably second after connections since you kinda need help getting a foot in the door. Future legend that was hilarious. Actually I have written a line of comic books with my friend doing the artwork. I've also ghostwritten a few memoirs. I wish I could get in Forum or maxim or anything cool like that. Honestly though I was just happy to get part of my thesis into a journal.
"By the way, I'm sure I've now just given enough information that I could be Googled fairly easily..." - todd
yep, name, address, job title, email and phone in under 30 seconds. oh, not to mention you listed on 2004-2005 Boston College Fund donors. it helped that you used to post under your full name on Shanoff's blog and that your real name is listed on ESPN tourney challenge group. :x
congrats! looking forward to the movie
Who you looking at to star in movie> NBA Cameos like Penny in Blue Chips? Or no-name high-schoolers with game?
Hopefully this intramural team beats Duke in the first round of the tournament....
Horatio: Not quite. But if I learned anything while immersed in this process, it's that there are about two archetypes of sports movies out there and all sports movies mix and match them in some way. Most (if not all) have to do with some sort of underdog story. That's why it's so much fun to play the "It's X Movie Title meets Y Movie Title" game.
Don't accept any packages from the Sports Dork Bill Simons. He's going to be mighty jealous.
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