CBFCBeth — 17 years ago(May 01, 2008 11:55 AM)

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, the CarnivaleHBO yahoogroup's
numbers are now approaching 7000 members, up from around 5000 members
when the show was cancelled. Judging from the Yahoo forums 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 those
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!