LETTER FROM THE CREATOR OF THE BAY THE SERIES IN SUPPORT OF ALL MY CHILDRENTo Whom It May Concern:
Twenty seven years ago was the very first time I ever set eyes on a Daytime Soap, and that Daytime Soap was ABC's ALL MY CHILDREN. I was five years old and my mother would occasionally keep me home from school to watch the town-diva/socialite (and now household name) Erica Kane, the hopeless romances between Jenny and Greg..., Angie and Jesse, Hillary and Tad the Cad -- all doomed from day one, the classic Shakespearian-like story telling and family dynamics of the Cortland's, helmed by the evil-patriarch, Palmer, the polar opposites -- rich and powerful Adam Chandler and his mentally damaged but warm-hearted identical twin Stuart, racy story-lines involving alcoholism, H.I.V. and AIDS, racism and rape! Sex, lies, scandal all taking place in the small fictional suburban town of Pine Valley, set on the outskirts of the great Philadelphia, PA. It's this type of storytelling that captured my interests and inspired me forever. Now, the rumor of it's cancellation has been circulating. What a sad thought this is, and while every day the rumor seems to become one step closer to a reality, I find myself asking, "Is there anything, anything at all I can do to help save ALL MY CHILDREN before we lose another classic daytime soap opera?"
Twenty seven years ago, I was just a fan of AMC. Today, I'm the creator of a new indie soap THE BAY and AMC is the work place of many of my very close friends and associates. For those who are not aware, THE BAY, starring a slew of daytime veterans from all of your favorite daytime shows, is a new and highly popular web series, generating a lot of buzz. As mentioned in TV Guide a month ago, we recently signed a deal with Associate Television International in hopes that by this time next year, THE BAY will have a television home. Our fan base is ever growing and the reviews have been nothing but positive. I'm extremely grateful for the attention our show has been receiving, and now the question is 'What can I do to help bring some of that synergy over to the very first soap to inspire me?' Producing a show with high production value, low costs, and mimicking the style and classic storytelling that made daytime so hot in the 80s -- along with hiring a cast of highly popular daytime soap veterans, has recently garnered me the title by daytime soap fans as "a new savior of soaps." I humbly appreciate the title, but how can I accept it without at least making some sort of an effort to help "save" one of the few remaining inspirations and my mother soap ALL MY CHILDREN?
I must admit, I have not watched a daytime soap in quite some time, though taking on this exciting venture with THE BAY, it is very clear to me by the reaction of our fans that the need for dramatic storytelling in the daytime format is still in heavy demand! I hope the powers that be do not overlook this and I ask all of my supporters and "The Bay Watchers" as we like to call them, to please show your support of ALL MY CHILDREN.
My dear friend Jill Larson (Opal, AMC) shared this link with me and so I now share this link with all of you…
thepinevalleyexposer.com/2011/03/dont-wait-help-save-amc-now.html
Please take a few moments to write something in support of ALL MY CHILDREN with hopes to keep the show on the air.
If it's any consolation at all, and in the rare case that any of the PTB may be reading this, I humbly offer any assistance I could "possibly" be in an additional effort to help bring the show under budget and on schedule with high production values.
Respectfully yours,
Gregori J. Martin
(Creator of THE BAY)
thebaytheseries.com
"LANYfilms"
I, like you, remember watching All My Children (specifically Erica Kane) when I was about 5 years old (which was 25 years ago).
ReplyDeleteI'd hate to see another soap opera go and find it hard to believe that ratings are down.
Hope ABC can find a way to keep this soap alive.
Thanks, Gregori, for sharing this opportunity for THE BAY fans to show their support for AMC. Obviously, we all love the genre, and losing yet another soap is not what we want to see happen.
ReplyDeleteKudos for voicing your support and in supplying the information so Bay Watchers can join the many who want to see AMC continue.
ReplyDeleteGregori, thank you for your letter. It's so refreshing to see soaps stepping up to support other soaps. I've never watched AMC, but I know that the loss of one soaps hurts all soaps. I believe web soaps could possibly help save the genre, and I love the idea of daytime and web soaps working together. Thanks again for sharing!
ReplyDeleteNicely said Gregori! Im a devoted fan of All My Children, and have checked out some episodes of The Bay. Very good work, very good show you have there. Im hoping dearly that All My Children can stay, but im also wishing you and your show very much success! People like me need good soaps in our lives. Dont you ever stop with The Bay!
ReplyDeleteThe key to Mr. Martin's letter is the fact that he does not tape the show everyday.How can you say you support a show but do not watch it anymore.The fact is all my children is not a good show anymore because they eliminated so many great actors and actresses.I do not want someone sugar coating the situation with this show.The fact is all my children stinks and has been terrible for years now.Everyone who wants this show to stay on the air,should make abc bring back the old timers to the show.Julia barr,david canary,gillian spencer,taylor miller,richard van fleet,kathleen noone,and many more should and can be brought back to the show.It is completetely ridiculous to say I want a show to stay on the air and yet so many of these people do not tape the show everyday.I tape the show everyday to only catch susan lucci and jill larson.These are the only two people worth watching on this once great show.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this letter. I have watched AMC for over 40 years. And yes there has been many changes but is still a very good show. I would hate to see it leave the airways. ABC needs to listen to the fans. maybe if night time stars did not make so much money for their shows there would be more money for daytime. It is really quite a shame that daytime is so overlooked. How can nighttime stars make 100 of thousands of dollars an episode and yet they want to yank a great daytime show that has been on longer than any prime time show has ever been on.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you are willing to "support" AMC, but the show's problem lies in the story telling. I've been watching for over 30+ years but haven't felt compelled to tune in for some time. There just hasn't been a good story that engages the fans like those in the past. Makes you wonder if they simply ran out of ideas.
ReplyDeleteAMC has always been a leader in the industry by covering hot button topics that converge with real life...Coming out, AIDS, Vietnam War protest, Abortion etc. The closest we're getting to hot topics now is warlords in Mexico? Please! AMC needs to write effective, compelling television. IF OLTL can do it, so should they.
I agree with those who say that AMC's stories have not been very good for a while now....is it a coincidence that GL fans were saying the same thing when one David Kriezman was writing for GL and he is now writing for AMC?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the writing is on the wall. The networks rely upon ratings, and the ratings are still taken the same way they were back before the days of the VHS/DVDR, etc. They have not changed with times and the way viewers tune in...