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EXCLUSIVE: Veteran drama writer-producer John Eisendrath has inked a two-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television. The seven-figure pact starts in June. Eisendrath was most recently under an overall deal at Universal Media Studios. Under the pact, he served as executive producer/showrunner on the NBC series My Own Worst Enemy starring Christian Slater and developed the NBC legal drama Outlaw. The pilot starring Jimmy Smits came from behind to score a series order in May but the show never found its footing on Friday nights and was eventually canceled. For the next few months until his Sony TV deal kicks in, Eisendrath is considering joining an existing series or doing off-cycle/cable development. Any new projects he develops would be produced by Sony. ICM-repped Eisendrath created and exec produced the praised 2003 ESPN drama series Playmakers. He also has worked on ABC’s Alias, Fox’s Beverly Hills, 90210 and the WB’s Felicity, among others. Last summer, Sony TV got largely out of the pod business to focus on signing deals with experienced creators/showrunners.
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I had the privilege to work with John on a script at Fox. I’ve been hoping to repeat the experience ever since. He is a total class act, a talented writer and a great person. Sony is lucky to get him.
Kissing ass for a job?
What a waste of money!
His two most recent shows were BOMBS and he gets a 2 yr/7 figure pact?
No wonder network ratings keep plummeting. The studios keep recycling the same talent.
Hmmm, his Christian Slater show gets cancelled and this year his Jimmy Smits show gets cancelled — hey, let’s give him a 2 year overall deal! Gotta love the “no” men and woman who are afraid to find new talent only to rely on “approved” talent so in case they greenlight a show that bombs they can use the ‘ol “track record” to fall back on to save their jobs.
In any other industry this guy would be ousted as a failure. In Hollywood his failure is rewarded.
Perhaps Sony simply realised that Eisendrath’s recent show failures had less to do with a lack in quality, and more with mismanagement on the networks’ side?
The sad thing is you could probably make 5 deals with emerging writers for what you’re paying for one dude with a very iffy track record. Let a few more folks into the club.
Did you say 7 figures?!?! That’s nuts.
And “congloms” only are giving the people that actually make the crap that they come up with a 2% raise.
Yeah, man, the Slater show and Smits’ show were a mess – this guy was the EP and showrunner – big expensive bombs that the TV viewing public literally ran from and so, yes, more of the same please. Sony TV – what are you thinking? Talking about failing upward. Can you imagine how much money they would throw at someone who had two HIT shows??
Eisendrath created Playmakers, which was a pretty good show that got completely screwed by ESPN being blackmailed by the NFL, as seen in a great story on Bryan Gumbel’s RealSports. I don’t mind seeing a guy put in that position getting a deal like this.
Eisendrath was rarely at Playmakers because he was under contract to run Alias. Michael Angeli and Craig Sweeny were the heart and soul of ESPN’s Playmakers.
Hi ToriTori – appreciate the compliment, but this isn’t accurate. I wrote a couple of freelance episodes of Playmakers, my first professional writing credits. I was proud to be associated with the show, but I wasn’t the “heart and soul” of the series. I wasn’t even on staff.