Anatomy of a Pitch: Being a Star Trek Fan Before the Era of Popular Nerdom

This is one of approximately 15 articles I've pitched that I also posted on my Patreon where I detail how I went about the pitching process. Check out more of these.

 This pitch calls for a first-person essay, so I wanted to start it off like that.

I'll never forget the Sunday night in 8th grade when, in my media-regulated household, I snuck into my housekeeper's room I'm often hesitant about this part because it does acknowledge that I'm rich and I had a house keeper to sneak in some TV and fell upon this show I frame it as this show because I'm writing in the past tense and I barely knew of it when I watched it called Deep Space Nine. I had been only marginally familiar but somehow I was hooked because I'm writing for Star Trek magazine, I have to be positive about the show . I remember the specific episode ("Facets") and would keep going back week after week.

Though I was a couch potato who loved nothing more than relaxing in front of the screen as a kid, this was my first TV obsession. I had never experienced serialized storytelling, religious subthemes, science fiction, and such deep concepts What I meant to write was world-building. Since then, I've studied film history in college, enjoyed stints as a TV critics, started a YouTube channel and have been blogging on film and television since I graduated college over 15 years ago. Wanted to keep this part brief. No more than one sentence

But this was 1997 and I was in the boiler room Using fancy vocabulary and vivid imagery helps of middle school before wide-scale anti-bullying initiatives had taken over secondary education. After a couple years of being bullied, I was starting to tweak my image and marginally enjoy the social experience of school. I had a great fear that expressing an interest in Star Trek with the kids who signaled their fandom with t-shirts would be a massive step back

Therefore, my my first foray into TV obsession was one that I did in silence. My very first use of the internet was the message boards for Star Trek. The first password I ever logged was on IMDB so I could discuss Star Trek with others. When I vacationed with my grandparents for a month with no internet, I remember dying to come back to check what responses my board posts had got. I also peaked through books at the library on Star Trek (like the DS9: Technical Manual) though I often wanted to make sure no one was looking. I even had such a phobia of being a nerd that I didn't even want my parents thinking I was a Star Trek watcher and would change the channel if they passed by. I personally thought these touches were humorous (or at least cute) in very specific ways

As I gradually felt secure enough to discuss liking Star Trek, it made the connection more real. Though I can't claim as much bravery as the people who were out-and-proud about their fandom in the 1990s, I'm thankful for the way that nerd culture has been popularized through shows like the Big Bang Theory.

My first-person essay would discuss a little more on a personal level, what drove me to Star Trek, the way that Star Trek fandom might have been seen as negative in my youth, and how Star Trek transformed me from a passive couch potato into someone who critically watches TV..

I already sketched this out (maybe at 50%), so this is simply saying where you'd add more info

I might also draw from research over nerd culture: Certain pop culture like Saturday Night Live sketches, comedy routines, or sitcom episodes (3rd Rock from the Sun's convention episode with George Takei, for example) that initially stigmatized nerds. Showing I'd done my homework, although the nice part of this was that I thought it up in 10 seconds. You don't want to spend the whole day on a pitch you don't know will result in greenlighting Additionally, I'd like oops, I spelled this wrong, I did proofread but sometimes you can't catch anything at the antithesis of that movement: conventions that might have integrated more and more hobbies/interests so that everyone became a nerd of one thing or another; The Big Bang Theory; whatever else I might find,  Admitting that I don't know everything, but hopefully showing enough that I do know....two advantages of this is, you want to fire off pitches quickly before you burn out, and you want to be flexible about what they'd want to see more of anyway   etc.

Sincerely,

Orrin Konheim

This might be my best combination of first-person and film review:

https://sophomorecritic.blogspot.com/2023/01/other-peoples-money-1991-capitalism-at.html

Pop Culture Clips:

https://thefederalist.com/2019/07/02/evolution-star-trek-franchise-says-shifting-tv-landscape/

https://www.tvfanatic.com/2020/07/what-if-parks-and-recreation-had-stayed-closer-to-its-original-t/

https://fanfare.pub/snls-most-talented-cast-the-ups-and-downsides-of-the-1991-season-15c66d6d4dcd

First person essays:

https://thezebra.org/2020/04/27/sometimes-waiting-is-the-hardest-part-one-writers-experience-with-fear-delay-and-a-virus-with-no-name/

https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/bureaucrat-mom-konheim/

RIP to Mozart in the Jungle's Blair Tindall, an Interview Subject of Mine

In 2016, I was a struggling freelance journalist that wrote an article about the TV show Mozart in the Jungle that got Blair Tindall’s attention. She took the time to message me on Twitter and tell me my piece was great. When I expressed doubt that my editors liked me much and that I was doing ok in journalism, she encouraged me further in private messages to have a “screw the editors, you’re good” mindset,

Tindall lived an adventurous and financially rocky life like mine (the kind worth living) and she really meant a lot to me. Her book is an inspiration to all artists who find a balance between passion and stability. I eventually found her Her show was an exciting entrance into the world of classical music.

She also agreed to do a public interview with me a few years later, and her generosity won’t be forgotten. I’m really glad to have briefly known her, she was a generous and classy person, and I mourn her loss with the rest of the Mozart in the Jungle fan community.

I whole-heartedly recommend Mozart in the Jungle as both a read and as a TV show.

 

Behind the Scenes of Six More of My Stories

 

The World-Class Bor Brothers: Podium Magazine (2021)

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/running/culture-running/people/the-brothers-bor-a-fast-family-finds-their-place/

One of my earliest beats as a writer was covering my cross-country team for my college so I developed a rare love of watching people run in circles and keeping up with the ins and outs of that sport. That extends to quite a bit of Olympics writing which is centered around track and field in the second week.

A friend of mine at ESPN suggested I pitch some articles and one got in about the controversial WCAP which offers foreign nationals (mostly Kenyans) expedited citizenship for military service and some say that the military service isn’t on par with the average soldier. At the 2016 Rio Trials, 4 of the 18 coveted distance running slots on the men’s Olympic team went to Kenyans.

When I published this article, one of those Olympians, Hillary Bor, found me on Facebook and expressed frustration that I had diminished his military service and didn’t tell the full story. Upon some reflection, I felt there was some xenophobia in my article: I wanted to see Americans do well including the ones that had been running under the American flag longer.

I offered to write a correction of some sort and Mr. Bor just said something along the lines of “whatever.” During the next Olympic cycle in 2021, I had published one Olympics-related piece for Podium Magazine and decided to pitch something about Hillary and his brother Emmanuel who had just given the 5K indoor American record a scare.

If someone messages you on Facebook, they’re still permanently there among your contacts, so I messaged Hillary about my desire to write my wrong, and he barely cared at that point and didn’t have much time to do an interview, but I was persistent with him about working with his schedule and his brother was pretty eagerly on board, so I eventually got it down.

The end result was something I’m quite proud of and I believe helped restore justice in telling the story of these two incredible siblings.

Filmmaker Anne Welles: Falls Church News Press (2018)

https://www.fcnp.com/2018/10/18/comedy-horror-film-mason-alum-debuts-just-time-halloween/

When I first imagined writing about film as a journalist out of college, I was not even aware of all the work that film makers were doing on an independent level. I’ve since learned the importance of shining a light on people working at all scales of film making rather than treating films as a hagiography of a select few blockbuster names. There’s also this image that movies can only be done in the abstract magical realm of California whereas people can get their starts anywhere.

One of these film makers, Anne Welles had a great trajectory to her dreams: She was a stay-at-home mom going through a separation at the age of 32 when she decided to try an acting class and soon booked an agent. Within a few years she was directing short films and by the time I interviewed her, she had a film “An Accidental Zombie Named Ted” on Amazon Prime.

I’m especially proud of the opening line:
“Filmmaker Anne Welles traces the moment she fell out of love with show business to a botched middle school audition. She thanks the film “Jerry Maguire” for restoring her faith in what is now her life’s work.”

Photo Essay on the Set of How Do You Know: Examiner.com (2009)

I generally cite October of 2010 as the start of my professional journalism career, so we’ll chalk this up to amateur stuff. One of my first gigs was as an Examiner for the Film Industry in DC. It was, more or less, a content farm so I could write whatever I wanted about film but getting enough people to read it so that I’d make any money was another story.

Still, it put me in the practice of writing regularly and occasionally, I did something that felt like real journalism. Even though this gig wasn’t very much of a real thing, I was still on the media list for the D.C. Film Office and I got an e-mail alert to the shooting of the James L. Brooks film “How Do You Know.” The film starred Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, and Jack Nicholson in what would be his last role. Very little was needed in terms of clearance to get on the set since they were basically shooting on the street, so as long as I kept a healthy distance, no one really cared.

It was a highly eye-opening experience as to what life on set was for extras and I even remember sneaking a couple glances at Witherspoon and Rudd from across the street. I’m generally embarrassed of everything I wrote when I started writing but I think the photo captions still hold up. The quality of the photos were another story.

Occupy DC Offers Hands-On Learning: Teaching Tolerance (2012)

https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/occupy-dc-offers-handson-learning

Remember the Occupy Movement of a decade ago? It sounds bizarre that a bunch of 20-something underemployed and unemployed bums started camping out on public property in an effort to supposedly change the world or something or other. But stranger things have happened since then.

This is a good example of a story that happens if you go out a lot and keep your eyes open. I went to the Occupy Movement out of random curiosity and was surprised to learn that a teacher at an extremely unconventional high school was taking students along to Occupy as part of an extra-curricular. Whereas a non-reporter would say “well, good luck with that liability, weirdo teacher”, the reporter part of my brain reacted with “jumping jehoshaphat, have I got a scoop here!” But where would I write it up?  This was 2011 and I had little journalistic experience. Another person walking around with a note pad said he was writing for the Truth Pursuit and I asked him for his editor’s contact.

The Truth Pursuit liked my idea and greenlit a piece. This doesn’t happen very often but they gave me a kill fee (a payment for a good faith effort) and someone else picked up my story: The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Magazine Teaching for Tolerance. This was pretty funny because I later wrote for The Federalist and American Conservative and the audiences of each of those publications considers the others illegitimate spewers of hate speech.

Miss Arlington USA, Grace Ashti, Works to Overcome Speech Disability: ArlNow (2019)

https://www.arlnow.com/2019/02/28/miss-arlington-usa-2019-works-to-fight-bullying-overcome-her-speech-disability/

Like the previous story, this was a story I stumbled upon. In this case, this was through a shared Uber ride. My fellow passenger was talkative and I’m naturally talkative with strangers and she was saying she was a beauty pageant contestant, and I thought “hmmm, that could be a story idea.” Once again, I wasn’t “networking.” I don’t go out of my way to find stories but I’m naturally curious, talkative with strangers, and do have a need to mix up my daily schedule and activities. And I always make it a point to carry around business cards.

Grace Ashi was not an immediate hit with the editors I was in contact with at the time, but I banked the story for a later day. When ArlNow was hiring freelancers, I had already worked for them twice so I used this as one of my pitches and voila! Grace is a real estate agent and a fashion blogger so her incentive to be publicized is high and that always helps get an interview moving, but she was also a cooperative subject, and now she’s even a patreon. Check her out

Side note: Uber, can we please bring UberShare?

Death of Rabbi Laszlo Berkowitz, Founding Rabbi of Temple Rodef Shalom: Falls Church News Press (2021)

I went to preschool at Temple Rodef Shalom and vaguely remember that the Rabbi was a Holocaust survivor but I haven’t been inside the synagogue since I was 5 or 6. That’s what made it interesting to hear about the Jewish life I might have led if my parents had opted to continue my Jewish education at Temple Rodef Shalom rather than another synagogue.

One interesting facet of this story was the strange reaction I got from one of my sources: She had a back-and-forth with me where she had nothing to contribute and directed me to people who would have known him better. Memo to sources: If I’m contacting you for a story, be assured that you are clearly important to the story. If you don’t want to contribute that’s fine, but there’s no need to question your importance. I collect the information than sort out what’s important at the end of the day.


https://www.fcnp.com/2021/02/21/laszlo-berkowits-1st-rabbi-temple-rodef-shalom-left-indelible-legacy/

Review of my Podcast Experiences

 Mike Vago: Why is This Not a Movie

My friend Mike Vago, children's book author, and A.V. Club columnist has the highly entertaining podcast "Why is This Not a Movie" where people pitch real stories that should be turned into films:
Why Is This Not a Movie?: Who Killed Dorothy Kilgallen w/Orrin Konheim on Apple Podcasts

This is the description of the Podcast I was in:
"Dorothy Kilgallen was a beloved entertainment reporter, a regular on What's My Line, when she took a hard left turn into crime reporting. She covered murders and organized crime. She was the only person to interview Jack Ruby after he killed Oswald, and got to see the Warren Commission report even before LBJ. But when she started to challenge the official story on JFK's assassination, she soon died under mysterious circumstances. Was she murdered? Print journalist Orrin Konheim joins us to talk about Kilgallen succeeding in a male-domainted field, getting close to the Kennedys, and then dying in a manner suspiciously similar to Marilyn Monroe."


As an armchair caster, this is a great podcast to be a part of.

I've been in talks to do two more:

1) Since I was 10 and my dad got me the Book of Marvels for my birthday, I have long considered explorer Richard Haliburton as a role model. Few other people would do the same because he was so much more well-known from the 20s to the 50s then he has been to the last two generations.

I would have pitched this film as a child-friendly story about a Princeton-educated old money guy who was guided by Oscar Wilde's motto of Not Living an Ordinary Life. The film would be told through a few different vignettes including his swimming the Panama Canal for 25 cents, his tracing of the Seven Wonders of the World or his trip aboard the Flying Carpet.

2) My second podcast proposal comes from a book I picked up at the Amtrak train station this past September en route to New Orleans: King Leopold's Ghost.

As this 8-minute video will show you (King Leopold II & the Congo Free State), Belgian King Leopold II instituted a secret slave kingdom in the Congo from 1885-1908 against prevailing European views on slavery. Rather than tell a dismal story about all the pain and suffering inflicted on the natives of the Congo, I would want to tell a story in the mold of "Hotel Rwanda", "The Kite Runner", "Beirut", or "BlacKKKlansman" where people acted against oppression in notable ways. In this case, the biggest decision is where to focus this epic and I'd want to juxtapose the gluttony and excess of King Leopold II (a sovereign who poured money into elaborate castles while never once travelling to the African continent) against the two working class men who bought down his kingdom--Roger Casement and E.D. Morel -- through careful fact finding and a brilliantly plotted campaign.

Shmuel Levy is a friend of mine from when I lived on the Orthodox Jewish community of Richmond, Virginia.

He recently started wanting to get into pod casting as an extension of his abilities to set up audio equipment. 

His recent podcasting series is on films and I discussed the film "Last Night in Soho" with him. We also branched off to the modern blockbuster.

Last Night in Soho with guest Orrin K.mp3 - Google Drive

Elizabeth "Liz" Katheryn Gray is a friend from my research gig at the National Archives and the Head Hauntress at the Sexy Witches podcast. I have been a guest on it a few times. This past April, Liz invited me to Winchester for a weekend trip to a horror film festival. I didn't understand the genre so it was an exercise in giving something new a try. Liz had me on to discuss what it was like being exposed to the genre for the first time and we also were on to review the Oscars that weekend.

7.5: BEST OF 2020 REDUX, THE OSCARS ReCap and The GRINDSPLOITATION FILM FESTIVAL 04/28 by The Sexy Witches | Film (blogtalkradio.com)

And lastly, there's my own channel, which hasn't produced anything lately, but I did produce some stuff. I have continued podcasting with Adam Spector of the DC Film  Society but haven't put up any new stuff in a year.

It's a bit labor intensive to try this new experiment I was envisioning to enhance the visuals with just putting more than our faces.  

On the channel, I talk about movies and talk to people (sometimes at random) about movies:

Where I Got My Latest Round of Stories

The single most frequent question I get is “How do you get your stories?” My answer: Beyond the obvious means (developing beats and subscribing to wires), it’s simply a natural reflex developed over time of being more observant and conscious of what could be news when you come across an idea. That’s not to say that when you start thinking like a journalist, all of a sudden a meteor will land on your front lawn, BUT a journalist’s first thought when a meteor lands on their front lawn will be “How can I best turn this into a story?”

Recent story pitches of mine since returning from New Orleans in early November:

1. Coast Guard Vet Seeks to Write Screenplay to Highlight Branch of Military Service-

How I got the story: I participate in a discussion group once a month. In November, the theme was veterans on film and a couple veterans were invited to participate. One man was a Coast Guard veteran who had previously entered the Mike Nichols screenplay competition and wanted to write a film about the Coast Guard because so few military films have focused on that branch of service and so few people know what the Coast Guard does. Why I pursued it:  I felt this was a valid point and that this person’s quest could be accompanied by a historical context were certain branches of military actively cultivated their image through Hollywood. Plus, this should be good fodder to both film and military movies.

Where the Pitch Stands: I have not yet pitched it. It seems evergreen enough that it can wait. I did contact the subject and he readily gave me a really long biography

2. Afghan Translator Gains Refugee Status With Help of Virginia-Based Author; Arrives to McLean: How I got the story: I do work at the Archives in College Park Maryland and one day a man offered to give me a ride back when we both got out late and I missed the shuttle. On the way, he told me he had to stop and pick up a friend in Alexandria who got stopped by the police for attempting to bike on a highway. It turned out this man was an Afghan refugee who had been in the country just a couple weeks (not counting his initial point of entry at an army base) and was trying to file for his social security card. What’s more the man giving me a ride was an author who had used the translator when in Afghanistan and agreed to be his sponsor.

Why I pursued it: I thought it was an incredible and moving story. I also have been learning more about the region and the situation every second I talk to these two.

Where the Pitch Stands: Greenlit for a handsome price and I am working on it now. It will appear in Northern Virginia Magazine in February I believe.

3. Counselor to the Stars:

How I Found It: Like the situation above, this story came about when I was getting a ride from a couple. Getting out is good and in two cases, it’s been a blessing in disguise not to have a car. The wife in this couple is a counselor to a distance learning school that has been doing this style since before the pandemic. She has been a guidance counselor to Broadway stars, tennis prodigies, and Olympic hopefuls.

Why I pursued it: I write for an outlet that would be a good fit for it and I think it’s a really interesting take.

Where the Pitch Stands: At first, I had the problem of losing the subject’s contact information but I eventually tracked that down. She’s cleared it with her school. Now the problem is that an editor seemed on board with this one but I haven’t heard from him lately. Wish me luck in getting back in touch with him.

4. Virginian actress Tori Pence is Mormon famous:

How I got the story: I am a fan of a TV show called Studio C which is a family-friendly sketch comedy show run by a network that’s affiliated with BYU. The show caters primarily to Mormons and Utahans but because it’s on YouTube, it occasionally gets fans from outside those communities. One of the actors (one of the more talented ones in my opinion) said in an instagram chat that she was from Virginia which prompted me to pitch a place-based story to some Virginia contacts. Why I pursued it: I think it’s fascinating to write about a group of sketch actors with a very specific niche who are famous in certain communities but might not be known by the rest of the country (yet). I also am a fan of this particular actress.   Where the Pitch Stands: I’ve pitched this to one newspaper I haven’t heard from and I’m easing into this one slowly. The network’s  PR person said he’d contact Tori on my behalf so we’re still waiting on this

5. Abundance of Jewish A Capella Groups at the University of Maryland

How I got the story: Looking for Channukah options, I went to my synagogue’s annual holiday party and the entertainment was an a capella group from UMD. At the end of the concert, I talked to them and they said they were one of three Jewish a capella groups.

Why I pursued it: I just think three groups on one campus is interesting and it felt like it was worth a shot to pitch it. I also enjoy a capella music and have written about it before

Where the pitch stands: I have a feeling there’s only one publication that this would be a good fit for and I pitched it there. So far the editor hasn’t committed yet but I’m not getting my hopes up.

6.  Local Piano YouTube Star

How I Found It: Basically, there was a jazz song I wanted to see covered on piano. In my search, I fell in love with the style of a certain player with a large YouTube following. I felt like I hit the lottery when I saw in the video description that she requests fan mail be sent to her apartment in Alexandria, VA. Why I pursued it: I love the piano and think the sudden fame and the different metrics by which you measure life success as a YouTube star must be doubly interesting as a classically trained pianist. Where the pitch stands: I got it green lit but sadly have not back from the piano player herself yet. Darn celebrities

7. Something Something West Side Story

How I Found It: I watched the film. Duh

Why I Pursued it: I revel in writing center-left analysis of pop culture and there were some things that struck me strongly. Because the police are much tamer in comparison to the 1961 film and don’t figure in to the conflict as much, I was originally thinking that West Side Story could be called a Blue Lives Matter. Then I started thinking that the heavy reception of this is a celebration against cancellation despite the fact that it’s been praised by so many liberal groups. Where the Pitch Stands:  I don’t have too much confidence that the couple outlets I am aiming for will pick it up. I wrote a little for a conservative magazine before and they just changed their editors so I think if I bombard them with the best of my previously pitched material and some topical stuff like this, they might at least respond with what they’re looking for and I can better get in the door. I also think if I write something good, I can just circulate it around everywhere

Every Piece I've Written on Cancel Culture

 

Back in the day, I was just a happy-go-lucky liberal. However, while I still vote democrat at every opportunity and have even campaigned for the Democrats, I have faced a dogmatic form of nastiness by people who claim they are acting for the marginalized while often glorifying themselves.

The dark sides of intersectional activism, dogmatism, the transitive nature of wokeness are things I write about and I try to find a balance between the right and left modes of thought in those pursuits and show there's nothing particularly anti-progressive about questioning excessive wokeness.


TV Fanatic:
Do the Recent Blackface and Voiceover Controversies Mean We Should Restrict Art?
https://www.tvfanatic.com/2020/07/do-the-recent-blackface-and-voiceover-controversies-mean-we-shou/

The Federalist:
1. How The Media Uses Twitter To Exacerbate Cancel Culture (thefederalist.com)
2. We Won’t Solve Racism By Blacklisting Liam Neeson (thefederalist.com)
3. Film Critics' Wokeness Is Reinstituting A Moral Code For Movies (thefederalist.com)
4. High-Profile Films Show How To Bravely Discuss Race In 2018 (thefederalist.com)This film responds to the allegations that the "safe film" made by a white film maker and criticized for being politically incorrect, "Green Book", was any less daring than the politically correct films that stick to the types of narratives that "progressive" film critics champion

American Conservative:
Film Criticism's Identity Crisis
Film Criticism’s Identity Crisis | The American Conservative


Self-Published on Medium:
1. Media's Role in Discouraging Discourse
The Current State of Discourse is Through Indirect Media Sniping | by Orrin Konheim | Jul, 2021 | Medium

2. My take on the Recent Critical Race Theory in Schools
Medium

3. Looking at the Bias of the AV Club Newswire over a Single Week
https://orrinkonheim.medium.com/av-club-news-wire-proves-it-cant-be-trusted-yet-again-with-a-slam-on-ellen-degeneres-694c3a98210a

4. Oscars in the Age of the Asterisk
Oscars in the Age of the Asterisk | by Orrin Konheim | Medium

5. The Dr. Seuss Controversy: The Problem with Private Corporations Can Self-Censor Argument
The Problem with the “Private Corporations Can Self-Censor if They Want” Argument | by Orrin Konheim | Medium

6. If Cancel Culture Doesn't Stick, Neither do Microaggressions
OK, so cancel culture doesn’t stick, but neither do microaggressions | by Orrin Konheim | Medium

7. There is no Acceptable Reason to Deny Curt Schilling a Hall of Fame Slot
There is no acceptable reason to deny Curt Schilling a Hall of Fame | by Orrin Konheim | Medium

8. Does Cancel Culture Really Hold People Accountable?
Cancel Culture Holds People Accountable. Isn’t that Good? (Hint: No) | by Orrin Konheim | Medium

9. Is Hollywood really that Anti-Black of an Institution?
Is an anti-black Hollywood a myth? | by Orrin Konheim | Medium

10. My Open Letter to the Falls Church School Board Against Changing the Names of George Mason and Thomas Jefferson High Schools:
Why I Vote to Keep Thomas Jefferson and George Mason as School Names | by Orrin Konheim | Medium

11. What Identity Politics Misses: It's Not an Absolute
What identity politics misses: It’s not an absolute | by Orrin Konheim | Medium

12. If You Really Want to Call the Movie "Soul" Racist, Fine, It's Racist. Now What?
If you really want Soul to be racist, fine, it’s racist | by Orrin Konheim | Medium