----- Original Message ----From: George MacArthur To: mburnett@markburnettprod.com Cc:scotcru@markburnettprod.com;bkekich@markburnettprod.com; Cc: pchoghi@markburnettprod.com Sent: Monday, August 22, 2011 3:00 PM Subject: My Story
Mr. Burnett: I sent proposals for a new show on July 18, August 9, and again on august 10 2011. I telephoned your office on August 16, and I sent you an email on August 18 2011. I can appreciate how busy you are, and I trust you are constantly bombarded with proposals, virtually all of which are rejected for one reason or another. However, mine can be distinguished from others by virtue of its interesting idea, which has stood since Leonardo da Vinci first lingered over it. The show is based on the race to capture the American Helicopter Society's Sikorsky Prize, to be awarded to the first team to build a successful human powered helicopter, culminating in a sprint to the finish between two ferocious competitors, all of which could be captured for television. To be honest, I don't watch much TV these days, just the news, the odd documentary, and Expedition Impossible of late, which I started watching in order to learn something about your production style yet found myself actually enjoying. On occasion I flip channels, clinically, to stay abreast of the decline of civilization. I see far too many shows that are extraordinarily lame or do nothing more than glorify the worst of human behaviour. There is a huge market for an original and thought provoking reality show like I have in mind. Now I may not know anything about the science of television production Mr. Burnett, but I know my target audience better than any executive producer. I know it is massive, and I know exactly how to tap into it. Mr. Burnett, this is my last attempt to capture the imagination of you or anyone else at what is supposed to be the most creative production company in television. If the glimpse of a show based on the real life high-spirited battle of wits between one man and one of the top aerospace engineering schools in America cannot compel any of you to take ten minutes to read my proposal even if just to satisfy your curiosity in finding a flaw in my market assessment that you think will justify your nonchalance, then there is no hope for television.
Sincerely, George MacArthur