To all fans of "Carnivale"
Original posting from groups.yahoo.com/group/HelpSaveCarnivale
(All Read): A Good Time To Help Carnivale! Call to Action
Posted: Thu May 1, 2008 5:43 am (PDT)
To all fans of "Carnivale",
HBO recently appointed Sue Naegle as the new Chief of Entertainment at the network, replacing Carolyn Strauss. Ms. Naegle comes to HBO from a background of being an agent who represented television writers. She has worked with Alan Ball (creator of "Six Feet Under" and the upcoming HBO vampire series, "True Blood"), as well as Jenny Bicks ("Sex and the City," "Men in Trees") and Jhoni Marchinko ("Will & Grace").
As an agent who obviously understands writers and the process, and who has been reported to be a fan of such genre shows as "Lost" and "Battlestar Gallactica," it would seem like Ms. Naegle might be better able appreciate the originality of a show like "Carnivale" than some of HBO's past executives.
TV Guide reported the following about Ms. Naegle, "For Naegle, not every show HBO airs has to be as big as The Sopranos to be considered a success. Above all, she wants shows that are distinct and that viewers will love. 'If it's a show that reaches a giant audience, that's wonderful,' she says. 'If it's a show that's really well done and has a small audience that's really passionate about it, that's terrific, too.'"
If only that had been the attitude at HBO three years ago...
Which brings us to the point of this message. It would seem that NOW would be an extremely opportune time to remind HBO that there are still a LOT of fans of "Carnivale" out here, who are passionate about the show and dedicated to seeing it finished in some form. Our fandom continues to grow: in fact, our own CarnivaleHBO yahoogroup's numbers are now approaching 7000 members, up from around 5000 members when the show was cancelled. Judging from this forum and HBO's own official forums, new fans are discovering "Carnivale" every day and long to see the series properly completed.
To that end, we ask all of the "Carnivale" fans out there to do the following. Please write a letter (or a couple of letters!) to Ms. Sue Naegle, congratulating her on her new position at HBO, and reminding her how much you would like to see a continuation of "Carnivale". We would like to try to have our letters coordinated to arrive around the 3rd anniversary of "Carnivale's" cancellation on May 11th. So it would be best to start sending our letters now, and continue sending them through most of the month of May.
Please remember: BE POLITE, BE CONCISE, and BE POSITIVE. And definitely bear in mind that Ms. Naegle had absolutely NOTHING to do with "Carnivale's" cancellation, but may have EVERYTHING to do with possibly bringing it back. First impressions are VERY important, so we want ours to be great!
Chris Albrecht already tried to paint the "Carnivale" fans as a bunch of zealots. Let's show Ms. Naegle, who is reputed to be a very nice person, that we are an enthusiastic yet thoughtful fandom. Simply make your case for why you would like to see "Carnivale" continue, in whatever form may be possible -- whether it's movie(s), mini-series, a third season, or even in graphic novel form. "Carnivale" has great potential as a franchise and is a genre show unlike any HBO had before (though "True Blood" may also nudge HBO even closer to genre fans). Let's show her fandom's most positive and supportive face
MAILING INFORMATION:
Sue Naegle - President HBO Entertainment
HBO Entertainment
2500 Broadway, Ste. 400
Santa Monica, CA 90404
If you would also like to follow up your letter with an email to the network, their email address is: HBO@HBO.com . This is a grassroots effort and, as such, we're not looking to send a lot of "cookie-cutter" form letters or rely on any kind of gimmicks. The time for that approach has probably passed. Instead, let us send LOADS of letters, in different kinds of envelopes, on different kinds of stationery, filled with everyone's own personal heartfelt thoughts on "Carnivale". Just imagine if every one of our nearly 7000 members sent just two letters to HBO in the next two weeks. They would get nearly 14,000 letters all at once! THAT'S the kind of thing that could make an impression!
So, let's see what we can make of this golden opportunity. Let us welcome Sue Naegle in the best way we know how. Let's demonstrate what a smart, considerate, and dedicated audience we "Carnivale" fans are. Let's be the kind of fandom that any network would LOVE to have supporting their shows!
And let's do what we can to breathe life, once more, into that wonderful story that is "Carnivale"!
Best wishes and thanks for all your help!
-- Beth