Apparently if you want to become the next big thing in publishing or Hollywood, take to the internet. A few months ago it seemed that any sort of pop culture relevant blog, like This is Why You Are Fat and Look at This Fucking Hipster, were securing book deals, so it was only natural that the next step was to give Twitter users their own piece of the pie. @ShitMyDadSays, a Twitter account started in August by Justin Halpern, has not only scored more than 700,000 followers in the few months since its inception - it now has a production deal with CBS. Apparently if you want to become the next big thing in publishing or Hollywood, take to the internet. A few months ago it seemed that any sort of pop culture relevant blog, like This is Why You Are Fat and Look at This Fucking Hipster, were securing book deals, so it was only natural that the next step was to give Twitter users their own piece of the pie. @ShitMyDadSays, a Twitter account started in August by Justin Halpern, has not only scored more than 700,000 followers in the few months since its inception – it now has a production deal with CBS.
After he was forced to move back home, Halpern started the account to record the sarcastic gems his 73-year-old father was dishing out on a daily basis. It became an overnight sensation, with the little one-liners being re tweeted and promoted by celebrities, comedy blogs and a virtual who’s who in social media. My personal favorite was: “Jesus Christ, Just give the dog his fucking food. Why’s he gotta do a trick first? YOU don’t have to do shit before YOU eat.”
The buzz lead to Harper Collins buying the rights for “Shit My Dad Says” last month and will publish it as book next year. Warner Bros TV then approached Halpern with interest to turn the hilarious rants into a family style sitcom. Halpern will write, alongside Patrick Schumacker and produce the multicamera sitcom with “Will & Grace” creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick. So if you want to become a TV writer or producer, forget the standard steps Hollywood has been using for over 60 years, all you need to do now is be moderately funny and keep your one-liners under 140 characters. Am I the only one who wants to be a fly on the wall for the casting call for the dad?
