DEALBABY
A Series by Mand Paskuski
LOGLINE
Workplace Drama
DEALBABY (Workplace Drama), set in 1982, Vivian Keat, an aspiring talent agent and Jamie Sharp, the most powerful man in Hollywood, become complicit in the cover-up of a shocking, career-killing, celebrity scandal.
SYNOPSIS
A celebrity scandal has rocked the landscape of 1982 Los Angeles on the eve of The Academy Awards Ceremony. Jamie Sharp, President of The Partnership Agency (TPA) and the most powerful man in Hollywood, must play "fixer" and handle a career-killing situation for his most coveted client, while at the same time barter with a rival company on a controversial deal to merge. As if that wasn't enough, he also happens to be getting married tomorrow. Little does he know, one of his trusted partners has greater plans for sabotage. Vivian Keat, a down-on-her-luck aspiring agent gets a fortuitous break, entering the world of TPA. She must capture the attention of the ones in charge and land herself a position most people would kill for.
STRUCTURE
DEALBABY is a 10-12 episodic recurring series set in Los Angeles in the eighties.
The story is fast-paced, like our characters and the work they do. Secrets and lies are as big in commodity as the truth and we see our characters manipulate both to weave our plot together. Love, betrayal, family, friendship, fame and other drugs we will witness in great depth.
A unique, nostalgic but ultimately human tale about claiming power at the expense of others, DEALBABY will show us the true nature of the up-and-coming fame-makers.
CAST
JAMIE SHARP (Late 30's - 40's), President of TPA and top agent ten years running. A man who has been said to "shape the truth better than a lie." He's suave, charming, cunning and always dressed to his best.
VIVIAN KEAT (Late 20's), Driven. Smart. Savvy. She is the type of person who values the art of observation so that she may use her knowledge later. She's someone who goes after what she wants and makes no apologies about her methods.
DANIEL SASSOON (40's), Your typical playboy Cassanova who tends to get everything he sets his libidinous eyes on. It's the reason he's so successful and the second most powerful man in Hollywood next to Jamie.
FRANKIE SWEETHEART (Late 30's), Her name says it all, she really is a sweetheart, underneath an ironclad layer of New York tenacity. She's our number three in this business and the most quick-witted, silver-tongued agent in the game.
BEAU BRONSTEIN (Late 20's), is someone you wouldn't expect to find here for how kind and honest he is. In fact, it's amazing that he's so good at his job because he seems to be incapable of swindling. He may be in this game but he's not one to fight dirty - that being said, his big secret is one card he'll never lay down.
JILL CRITCH (30's), Scrappy, mean, unscrupulous... she's on the rise and she's taking no prisoners. A chain-smoker who should just as well have a cot in her office for how much time she devotes to the place.
TRIP SOKHOFF (Late 30's), A solid dealmaker and agent. Like Beau, he has a kind, considerate disposition that has lent him a note-worthy clientele list - everyone wants to work with him! Unlike Beau, he's had more practice playing the game and has no qualms about getting his hands a little dirty.
LOHN ROCKWELL (50's), We all know this man, or have seen him so much on screen that we think we do. Since our childhoods, his face is one we've come to know like a member of our own family. Lohn has just won his award for Best Actor but his demons have come knocking and when we really meet this man, we understand the meaning of "never meet your heroes, they'll always disappoint."
DEVITA MAKHAN (40's), Ballsy, brainy, beautiful, Devita is our rival at the competitive agency Block Enterprises.
SAFFRON TAMRIND (40's), This darling writer appears only by name in our first episode, but we will come to know them well.
GEORGETTE BLOCK (30's), Our lovely little French gal is more than meets the eye. A nepo-baby with big dreams and insatiable appetites. Our glimpse into capitalistic smut.
JAMIE'S PA (30's), This little fly on the wall is the least suspecting successor to an empire such as TPA and we will dismiss them as such. Make no mistake, this little fly is just biding their time, paying their dues and chomping at the bit to ascend.
STYLE
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TONE
DEALBABY's visual style will be fast-paced similar to shows like SCANDAL or SUCCESSION with a large colourful cast that we will come to love (and loathe) like family.
The cinematography should be vivid, punchy and accentuated to emphasize our time in the flashback eighties. At TPA, we're always on the move, following behind our characters as if we're the intern with a notepad at the ready. Every scene should offer us a new grain of information or reveal a hidden secret just waiting to be exposed. We want a gradual build in tension, to see how easily deals can form and fall apart. Vivian is our eyes on the ground, Jamie is our peek behind the curtain.
Our eighties soundtrack will assist greatly in situating us. Hits and one-hit-wonders paired with clever sound design. The score combined should feel drawn in influence from popular shows of this era. A callback and nod intended!
