Music to my ears

"They bought one of your spots."

And?

"It's going into production."

And?

"It'll probably be on the air in a month."

You'd think after writing and producing more than a few hundred TV spots during the course of my time in the ad biz, those words would get tired. But they don't. Fact is, there is nothing sweeter.

Particularly now that I am 44 years of age and in, what most would consider, the twilight of my career. When the best I could expect would be the occasional banner ad or maybe, with luck, the stars in the proper alignment and the good grace of God Almighty (see yesterday's post for ironic reference), an Internet page takeover.

But, against all odds and the ever-changing whim of an unnamed client, one of the ideas my partner and I came up with is in full production mode.

Of course as a freelancer I'm rarely brought in for the craftsmanship part of the craft. Which is fine with me. Fact is, I don't have the temperament for long hours on a set. Nor the inclination to sit around and wait until some Key Grips get just the right filter on the light. Or the client waffles between wardrobe selection.

"I can't decide whether I like the pullover or the V-neck sweater."

It takes excruciating pain to a new level. I am much more excited about solving the problem and coming up with the ideas that haven't been done before.

And apparently, despite my advanced age and dwindling capacity to hold my bladder, I still have what it takes.

I'm well aware that the finished spot will be quite different from the original script. There will have been tweaks, rewrites and many, many hurdles of corporate re-thinking and re-hashing. But the idea is essentially intact. And I might even get a slash in the credits.

Which gives me all the validation I need to know that my copywriting career is good for another 6-7 weeks.

At least.