Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to Your FAQ's

What I Cannot Do For You

There are some things I cannot help you with. These include:

  • Get you an agent or manager.
  • Partner up with you on a project or show.
  • Help you find an attorney.
  • Help you find or attach talent.
  • Help you sell your project or script.
  • Get your project or script to “the right people” or to companies.
  • Write your treatment, outline or script for you.
  • Get you meetings with agencies, networks, studios, production companies, actors, etc.
  • Give you great advice for features—as I don’t have that firsthand knowledge.
  • Give you legal advice. I am not an attorney.
  • Guarantee that you will sell your show. Many projects just do not sell but working with me will give you your best shot at it.
  • Guarantee that your career will get started or be advanced. I will make every effort to help you but there are so many factors involved in breaking into or advancing in this business that I have no control over, that it would not be prudent or realistic for me to guarantee anything other than my time to you. This process will begin and end with you. I will attempt to help you with advice and consultation.
How do I purchase one of your consultation packages?
Click on one of the pages offering consultations. Select the consultation that looks like the right fit for you from the bottom of the page. A new page for that consultation opens up. Use either Apple Pay or PayPal to pay for the consultation. PayPal gives you the option to use your PayPal account or to use a credit to pay.
What happens after I’ve paid for a consultation?
I will be notified about your purchase and will be in touch with you shortly thereafter. I will contact you so we can arrange a time and day for the consultation to begin. If you will be submitting written materials to me, you must sign and return the Submission Release form before I can look at anything.
Are my ideas and scripts safe?
No reputable producer, director, writer or production entity is in the business to steal your ideas, myself included. There’s no upside to stealing someone’s idea. That said, you should be aware that there are many ideas out in the wild, and some will undoubtedly cover similar or the same territory as yours. Be prepared, and register your material at the WGA Registry.
Do I need to sign a release?
Yes, you must sign and submit a Submission Release prior to sending me your material. Release forms are generally required by literary agencies, managers, and producers if your script is unsolicited. (“Unsolicited,” in this case, means that I have not sought you ought to inquire about your project.) This is to warrant that you are the author of the material submitted, that you acknowledge similar works may be in existence, and that you release me and my companies from any claim of plagiarism or idea theft.
What format should my material come to you in?
For anything other than scripts, you can send in PDF or Word DOC. For scripts, you can send in PDF or Final Draft’s FDX or FDR.
Do I need to register my project with the WGA?
See above. I would strongly suggest that you do register your project with the guild, as it helps protect you and anyone you show your material to.
I’ve signed and sent in the submission release. How do I now send you my file(s)?
Great! Send your file(s) to my secure Dropbox folder using this button:

Send Files to Tim’s Secure Dropbox Folder

It’s safer than email and I’m notified when the file arrives.

Will you be sharing my project with anyone?
I show your material to no one. All script consulting is done by me alone, so no one else will see it.
Are your services confidential?
Absolutely 100% confidential. Your consultation and what happens between us during your creative journey remains strictly between us. This is especially important in career consultations, as you might be telling me things that you would not want a potential employer or boss to know. So “mum’s the word” is my motto.
Can I pay over time, instead of all at once?
Payments do need to be made all at once.
I live in Los Angeles, can we meet instead of doing a phone, FaceTime or Skype?
In person meetings take up a lot more time, as there is travel time to and from a meeting place, so I do not do in-person consultations.
How can you produce TV shows yet still have time to consult?
The nature of this business is that there is a lot of downtime, even in the midst of heavy production. I do this in addition to being a Governor at the TV Academy (the group that gives out Emmys), as well as being the VP of TV for the Producers Guild of America. Bottom line: I have always found time to mentor people, and I really enjoy being a mentor and consultant, so I make it work.
How long does it take to receive notes back from you?
Depending on the project, it takes anywhere from a week to 10 business days to get your notes back. If I am in heavy production it may take longer, but I will discuss this with you before I begin. Your project is very important to you, so it is very important to me, as well. If I feel that I cannot serve you in a decent amount of time, I will let you know.
Can I hire you on a long-term basis?
The short answer is “yes, depending”. Please contact me to discuss.
Can I send in hard copies of the script/treatment/etc.?
I prefer to go green on this journey. Plus online submissions are faster for you and better for the environment.
What if the page count on my document is longer that the maximum given on some of your listings?
If your page count for… let’s say, your one hour drama… is longer than the 60 page maximum cited for one hour shows, then you are pushing the upper end of what is going to make sense to buyers. And to go above the page count maximums I’ve listed takes more time and work on my end. That said, if your story demands more pages at any given point along the way, I will charge an additional fee to compensate for the extra time. Let me know if you have a higher-than-maximum page count and I’ll get back to you with the additional cost.
What are the “Additional Hours” I see on some pages all about?
Sometimes you may feel the need to have some additional time above and beyond what’s included in some of the packages presented on the site. Since you have already purchased a package, and paid for the consultation, I wanted to have a mechanism for you to purchase additional hours while being able to do so at a slightly lower per-hour rate than you had in the package… so the Additional Hours consultation button is there.
There are a lot of script reading and analysis services out there. Why go with you?
Experience — See the About Tim Gibbons page for my experience in television. 

Advice From an Established TV Producer — Being a producer is different than a fellow writer. You eventually need to please the producers that may hire you.

Honest Comments — I will not sugar-coat anything, ever, and promise to give it to you straight. 

Your prices are higher than some of the other career coaching and script consulting services. Why?
I charge a rate that keeps my income on consulting to a level that makes sense for me. More importantly, you are buying 40 years of experience in the business, so I charge what is equivalent to what some attorneys and psychologists charge. I feel like I’m in the right ballpark. But also know that my rates are actually lower than some of the really expensive services out there.
Is my payment secure?
Completely. I use use Apple Pay and PayPal’s secure payment processors served over HTTPS via a secure SSL certificate to make sure your private information is safe.
What is your Refund Policy?

Dissatisfaction with Services — No one likes to get it wrong. I am not in the business of not helping people. If you do not leave satisfied when you’re done with your consultation or other services, then I have failed you. Please let me know what your issues are and I will work with you to resolve them. If, after trying this, you still feel dissatisfied then a refund will be considered, pro-rated, depending on how much time we have spent, and I have spent, in prepping or working with you. I have never had an issue with anyone I’ve consulted for, mentored or worked with on bettering their career, and I intend to never have that issue.

Unable to Continue — If you become unable to complete your consultation and have paid a fee or purchased a package, then a pro-rated refund may be available to you. As with most online payments, using credit cards, PayPal or other services, there are fees subtracted from anything I receive, so if a full refund is requested (for unused services), then, at the very minimum, the refund would be less any fees incurred in receiving the funding or returning it. 

Again — I like to leave people with a positive experience, so I will take these matters very seriously.

What is your address and contact info?
Bright Shiny Objects is a division of Invasion TV, Inc., a California corporation.

Address & Contact Info:
Bright Shiny Objects
c/o Invasion TV, Inc. / Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein & Lezcano
2029 Century Park East, Suite 1750
Los Angeles CA 90067
Phone: (310) 979-7990
Email: brightshinyobjects@timtv.org

Your website has: Typos! / Bugs! / Unclear Writing! / Me Confused! / Grammar Errors! / Mistakes!…
PLEASE, PLEASE tell me! As we all know, everyone is capable of mistakes. Hopefully the ones I’ve made on this site are small, but if you find anything wrong or not working or not clear, please let me know. I’d appreciate it! Use the contact link below…
I have a question that is not answered here, now what?
If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact me.