Hello, Lied the Agent: And Other Bullshit You Hear as a Hollywood TV Writer [Hardcover]

Ian Gurvitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Gurvitz presents a corrosively funny insider's look at what being a television writer is really all about. In his personal journal, he details two years of his life -- the dizzying ups and downs, the rewrites, the executives, the pitch meetings, the table readings, the studios, and the networks in a riveting expose.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 342 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix Books; 1 edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597775320
• ISBN-13: 978-1597775328
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #841,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Informative And Always Entertaining, October 10, 2006

By 

Adam Belanoff (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hello, Lied the Agent: And Other Bullshit You Hear as a Hollywood TV Writer (Hardcover)

There are many books about the entertainment business but I'm not aware of any besides 'Hello, Lied The Agent' which manage to capture the often agonizing, occasionally ecstatic day to day life of a TV writer in the process of developing a new series...

Gurvitz's book features quotable lines on just about every page ("It's been said that in Hollywood, friends don't want friends to fail; friends want friends to die") and a comprehensive overview of the television landscape valuable to anyone who's ever wanted to know how shows - brilliant or execrable - proceed from concept to airing (or more likely oblivion).

Take it from someone who didn't write the book; it is a great read...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ain't it the truth..., January 3, 2007

By 

R. B. Carter "Production Vet" (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hello, Lied the Agent: And Other Bullshit You Hear as a Hollywood TV Writer (Hardcover)

I have worked on the production side of television, so I've been a fly on the wall during many of the same conversations described and quoted in HELLO, LIED THE AGENT. Guys and gals who never even moved props on their high school play are suddenly telling veteran comedy writers what makes for a funny show. Even though it's a really cynical look at the current arbiters of taste in network TV land, there is a sense of hard ball reality to this book. This is the big leagues and this is how the game is played. If you don't like it...teach history to seventh graders or work in a drug store. This book would be interesting to anyone who has ever dreamed of putting pen to paper and thought they could make a living with their words.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Education For Writers!, January 20, 2007

By 

D. W. Alexander (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hello, Lied the Agent: And Other Bullshit You Hear as a Hollywood TV Writer (Hardcover)

If you want to learn the inner workings of the TV- or for that matter, Hollywood- writing world, without the boredom of other 'so-called' experts, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK! It is funny...no, HILARIOUS! From page one, Ian Gurvitz takes you on a wild and wonderful ride, and does not let up. HELLO, LIED THE AGENT is a must-read for anyone who wants to get into the business (and even of you don't, you'll find yourselves in stitches anyway).