Buying Shares In The Firefly Company by Jana

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Buying Shares In The Firefly Company

POSTED BY: JANA
UPDATED: Saturday, April 1, 2006 13:02
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Saturday, April 1, 2006 12:49 PM

Hello, fellow Browncoats! I've been drafting a letter to the SciFi network with regard to them picking up Firefly, and I need a little help with the closing. After I'm done, I'm thinking we could each take it, tweak it, and bombard the Powers That Be with one hell of a pitch. Let me know what you think!

*****

To Whom It May Concern:

In the fall of 2002, there was a little show called Firefly that premiered on FOX. After poor advertising, the episodes being aired out of order and an extreme lack of faith, Firefly was cancelled.

But the creator, cast, crew and fans didn't take it lying down. Like the characters in the series, they fought against incredible odds to take back the 'verse. For years, they emailed, petitioned, wrote letters, held conventions, and did everything in their power to find a home for Captain Malcolm Reynolds, First Mate Zoë Washburne, pilot Hoban Washburne, mercenary Jayne Cobb, mechanic Kaywinnet Lee Frye, Companion Inara Serra, Shepherd Derrial Book, Dr. Simon Tam and River Tam. Fan fiction, fan videos and fan-made merchandise sprung up all over the Internet. Message boards and websites filled the web, and Browncoats – as they came to be called – were converting their friends in full force.

As a direct result of its rallying fans, Firefly was released on DVD. Those who knew nothing of the series when it aired or only learned of it after it had been cancelled were given the opportunity to fall in love with this much-ignored space western. The fan base grew and with it, a thirst for more Firefly become stronger. In the fall of 2005, fans got their wish with the full-length feature film Serenity.

I am recounting the history of Firefly and Serenity because I want you to understand my full meaning when I say this television show offers an incredible opportunity. I can say with confidence that I have spent at least two hundred dollars on Firefly and its related merchandise in my few months of knowing of this incredible television show. I've bought DVDs, signed scripts, costume replicas, t-shirts, comic books, companion books, and custom etched shot glasses. My current count of converts is up to six, and each of those six watched my copies of the DVDs within a week and bought their own copies within the month. Firefly is not something of mild interest; it is an obsession for any and all who view it and become emotionally attached to the characters. Once you have entered the 'verse, you will do anything to possess your piece of it.

The Sci-Fi channel has been generous in acquiring the rights to rerun the series so that others may be formally acquainted with this compelling and complex universe. However, knowing that anyone who watches the show falls in love with the universe– you only need to check fan message boards to see how many new Browncoats register every day – it constantly amazes me that no one has picked up this show. There is a boatload of money to be made in merchandising alone, let alone fan conventions, DVD sales and advertising dollars. It is thought widely across the fandom that the Sci-Fi Network is the perfect place for Firefly to find its new home. Firefly is unique in that it appeals to many of those (myself included) who do not normally seek out television shows, let alone something as specialized as sci-fi based programs. Firefly would – and I am sure already has – drawn people to Sci-Fi who would not normally tune in otherwise. I rarely set aside time to watch television, but if Firefly were back on the air, you can bet I would rearrange my schedule to be planted in front of the television set.

As Captain Malcolm Reynolds says in the pilot episode, "We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty." We fans – we Browncoats – have done the impossible in resurrecting this television show from the purgatory of cancellation, but despite our might, we cannot get it back on the airwaves by ourselves. It takes money, yes, but also a strong network that understands the type of home Firefly needs, and of course, a little bit of faith.

*****

Any and all feedback would be appreciated.

Jana

You can't take the sky from me.

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Saturday, April 1, 2006 1:02 PM

SUPERTOASTER2

I think you have a good point, but I think Joss Wheldon, has to talk as an independent label; or try and buy back 75% of the rights, and then make a production budget.

To me the continued success is to sell it globally to other countries like the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, etc.

If you have BBC, Sci-fi, and other channels investing in each series you can make the second series, because you are not beholding to the parent company for the production budget?

I would like to see companies like Sci-fi, BBC, and other national channels buy an interest in the production; thus, creating the captial for the next series.

They can then buy the rights to air the second series at a lower rate, etc.

We need Sci-Fi to say they will pay x amount towards its production costs.

The Sci-Fi is void of good Sci-Fi programs, they need to invest in good Sci-Fi, which they haven't been doing, which puzzles me, greatly?

But, I wouldn't just have Sci-Fi channel investing, the more television companies you have investing in pre-production, the greater the independence the show will have.

It will then give Joss Wheldon the budget to create the show he wants to?

Television companies need to say they will invest in the project for the executives to make a U-turn.

Buy shares now!

We need their to be a "Firefly Company", then firefly fans can buy shares, as well as television companies to give it its revenue, etc.

"Independence Browncoats"

Jayne Might Say" I never had much for counting, other than than make sure I had two of them after each fight"

"My wings maybe be broken, my eyes may only see the black in the world, but my heart sees the fire, and I fly once again".

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