Unrepresented: Scary Lack of The Right Access

Black & Unrepresented: From Unbothered to very Concerned…

Welcome To Written Mirror

Greetings and salutations both returning ‘Mirrorheads’ and newcomers! Written Mirror is here, no need to say back as in honesty WM never went anywhere…

Shall we begin?

Unrepresented…

In what way are you unrepresented? I’m so happy you asked, thank you! Well, truthfully in a number of ways is the most economical answer. However, for the purposes of populating a page (not really, I just feel like talking), I am technically an unsolicited Writer. There is no agency representing my interests to broadcasters, producers and the like. Then you add parameters like being a Black male with Caribbean ancestry and if you want to include class, then being middle class is another factor. What does this mean? In short, on the face of things I am only allowed to complain but so much. I am educated, I am a man and I am a writer. This means I should able to manifest any reality I choose according to the current sensibilities of society. However, in practice this is definitely not the case…

Why Don’t You Have An Agent?

Another barnstorming question! You guys are on fire today!

The honest answer? I am a terrible writer with no ambition or skill! My writing lacks originality or authenticity. Yeah I LAUGHED at that too!

Truthfully, I have no real answers for you other than the agents I have approached in the past are racist cowards who hide behind generic nonsensical statements to avoid addressing the rather large elephant in the room.

“Jay you’re black and no one has ever written the way you do whilst being black, especially in the UK. We don’t know what to do with you and we’re definitely not brave or forward thinking enough to even try. Oh yeah and we already have another black person on our books. One is usually enough…”

Seriously?

That was just me thinking out loud. I can’t tell if these people are really racist, because much of the time they refuse to give their names or respond directly. It’s a game of shadows getting an agent to actually be present and responsive. Using go betweens like burner phones in ‘The Wire’! Yes I’ve seen ‘The Wire’ stop including it in your stupid feedback you condescending pieces of shaving cream…

Whilst I’m on the topic of nonsensical feedback, stop mentioning Breaking Bad to me! This is ENGLAND when it matters, but as and when it suits you, you bring up AMERICAN comparators. Be serious! A genius level chemist who cooks drugs whilst having terminal cancer is never going to be rivalled in terms of intrinsic potential for conflict when compared to a Black maverick TEENAGE student at a boarding school who has to run an underage CASINO to maintain his place following the DEATH of his bred winner father. The consequences for F’n up are different. One you die and the other you get expelled/debt. You people make no sense!

I don’t see you comparing The Crown to GoT!

What Do You Have To Do To Get An Agent?

You’re asking me? If I knew I would have one right? Okay, I know you’re just trying to help, my bad. When I began it was taken as read that winning a competition or two, as well as placing highly in a well known festival or screenwriting competition was the way in. My very first award was from a London based film festival. Surely that is a conversation starter? Nope! It was as if I had said I was ready for a higher level of football after winning the Intertoto Cup…

I wasn’t mad, I kept my head down and got back to doing what I do! Getting them pages in and sending off heat seeking missiles. 1 award soon became 5, that became 12 in a short space of time. What about now? Feeling me? Nope! Here we are a few short years later with over 25 awards in the bag and two books out on my own. Can I get a little love now?

Surely No One Can Refute Your Work Ethic…

As it goes they will still try. I get ridiculous treatment. People are either all the way unresponsive or just straight up rude. They try to bait me into saying things that will make it easy to go, “Aha! See this is why I got a bad feeling about you!” and so I don’t bite. It used to cross my mind that these people would NEVER say what they say to my face, but then why bother thinking about people like this at all? My skin is not only thick, it was lined with teflon. I became unbothered very quickly. My mindset moved to writing things that mean even more to me and to take even bigger risks…

How Has That Worked For You?

I can honestly say I am have been enjoying being carefree. The only person I ever feel the need to impress is myself. I’m very hard to please. I always want the most I can get out of my ideas, nutrition, money and entertainment. Wasted time and opportunity is not what I am about. So to return the question it is working very well. However, I can’t force people to be impressed with me or to work with me. Why would I want to anyway? Instead, I would like to find the exact type of people that can dovetail with what I am and what I do.

Where Can One Find Such People?

There are always people looking for other people with similar or complimentary ideas. I am putting into the universe to find me a super agent or a manager who wants to build a worthwhile relationship. It will happen and when it does I won’t be bitter about it not being sooner, I will be grateful that my faith in rising above mediocrity is vindicated. You can help too by the way! Everyone knows someone who knows someone, that does exactly what I am looking for and is therefore also looking for me…

Put the word out on the streets, (ALWAYS WANTED TO SAY THAT!) Jay Mullings is looking for the right kind of representation.

Let’s Say We Help What’s In It For Us?

The right kind of representation! Didn’t you hear me! Ha-ha! Aren’t you tired of the bull shaving cream we see on TV/Film? Don’t you want that next level of programming that justifies the time you spend watching or interacting with it? Also let’s keep it 100, too much of the same faces, it’s time to go to some new places and make moves in bigger phases and stop appeasing racists…

That and if you help me you get that feather in your cap that let’s you know that you helped the guy who helps other people. That’s big in the game!

What Are You Going To Do In The Meantime?

In the meantime between time? You know, the usual, write lines, write rhymes and film some right minds…

For real real, I will continue putting in the work and taking care of my mental thought process. I have already called so much positivity into my orbit. To stop now would be criminal. ‘The Thought Book‘ series I want to put that into as many of the right hands as possible, I want to continue to live in a way that promotes betterment. My merchandise, I would like to have all supporters of Written Mirror clad in my gear as it has really inspired me to keep going. That and people love it from a distance and I want to bridge that gap…

I’m still working on my feature length documentary ‘The JAM’, and I hope to finish that before the year is up. It is my baby and so I am trying to raise it right! There have always been plans to undertake a few audio projects and it has been largely frustrating trying to get schedules to align. It is making me want to re-evaluate just how wide I spread my energy, but as a true creative, I put my energy where I feel it is needed and necessary by default. To limit my endeavours would almost be to admit defeat and to turn off the curiosity in my mind that separates my thinking from that of others. The more creative I am, the more creative I get…

FINALLY

I am very happy to announce that my debut novel (Fiction) now has a title, ‘YEAR ONE’. I am very excited, but, if I am all the way honest; a little teeny tiny bit scared, as I have a lot of high level achievements to live up to. My first script won awards, my first book was rated 5 stars, my first comedy script banged hard (LOL), my first feature length script made people squirm and run for cover. So this is a very important acid test. Also, I am entering another new space. I keep pushing the envelope but everybody has a limit, I am yet to find mine…

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Please let it be said that for every single person who has offered any kind of support in the past, present or if you intend on blessing me in the future, it is most appreciated. I am on level one right now but if I ever clock the game it will have been because of your support along the way. Please continue to support the books, the merchandise, the social media and so forth as it would be hard to continue doing all of this living on the streets! Fun and serious jokes aside, don’t take it for granted that I am doing well, as I am not a mogul, the race has not been won yet. Every little purchase, share or recommendation is not only needed it is absolutely central to the survival of Written Mirror. As you can see/tell this means a lot to me and I really don’t see myself doing anything other than serving quality content to the world. Help me realise my dreams and I will do my best to respond in kind!