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Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel
Screenwriter

Half of one of the most successful comedy screenwriting teams in Hollywood, Ganz is the writing partner of Babaloo Mandel, both of whom frequently have collaborated with producer-director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer. As a team their feature credits include "Night Shift" (1982), "Splash" (1984), "Gung Ho" (1986), "Parenthood" (1989) and "A League of Their Own" (1992). With Billy Crystal, Ganz and Mandel have collaborated on "City Slickers" (1991) and its inevitable sequel "City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold" (1994), "Mr. Saturday Night" (1992) and "Forget Paris" (1995).

Ganz had a significant career in TV before his partnership with Mandel. A veteran sitcom writer and producer, he has created several series and written a number of pilots. Ganz's TV career began with a staff writer position on the classic comedy series "The Odd Couple" (ABC) starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. He eventually became the head writer on that successful series which initiated his relationship with Gary Marshall. Ganz also worked for many years as a supervising producer and writer on "Happy Days" (ABC) where he began his association with Ron Howard. He co-created the first spinoff of that series, "Laverne and Shirley"(ABC), and executive produced "Joanie Loves Chachi" (ABC, 1982-83), another "Happy Days" offshoot. Ganz was involved with several short-lived sitcoms and busted pilots that showcased well-known performers: "The Ted Knight Show" (CBS, 1978), "The Rita Moreno Show" (a 1978 pilot) and "Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers" (CBS, 1974-75). Writer-producer and college classmate Mark Rothman collaborated with Ganz on a number of TV series. With Babaloo Mandel, Ganz transferred several of their films to TV with limited success: "Gung Ho" (ABC, 1986-87), "Parenthood" (NBC, 1990) and "A League of Their Own" (CBS, 1993).

Mandel and Ganz met in a Hollywood comedy club while the former was working as a joke writer and the latter was working as a staff writer on "The Odd Couple". Both transplanted writers from New York who idolized Billy Wilder, they quickly became good friends. The day after his wedding, Mandel finally accepted Ganz's offer to team up to write TV sitcoms, with their first collaboration being the hit series "Laverne and Shirley". The relationships that they developed in TV would serve them well in features; their TV colleagues included such future film heavyweights as Ron Howard, Gary Marshall, and Penny Marshall (who directed their most recent hit, "A League of Their Own" 1992). Though some critics characterize Ganz/Mandel projects as sitcoms writ large, the pair offers strengths that are rare in modern comedy writing: strong story structure and rich characterizations enhanced by Mandel's flair for killer punch lines.

All data from Baseline-FilmTracker.  For more information on writers, directors, actors, and producers, please visit BaselineFT.

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MAKING A PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL

Whether you have been working with the person over the course of several years, or this is a one-time project partnership, it is vital that you formalize your relationship and be clear on what you are looking for out of the relationship. As with any business partnership, writing with someone else can get sticky and result in negative responses if the needs and goals of each person is not properly established. Below are some issues to keep in mind when entering into a writing partnership:

• Making Decisions - One of the biggest hurdles in a writing relationship is deciding on which opinion is more valid. Before you begin the process, it's a good idea to make sure the decision-making process is discussed and agreed upon. This will help pre-dissolve ill feelings that may arise during the process.
  
• Fees and Income Splits - It may not come until you are finished with the first draft of the screenplay, but be sure to write out a one-page agreement between the partners outlining how all income from the sale, option, or licensing of the property will be split. Then, when you enter into negotiations with third parties, you already know where you stand internally.
  
• Work Distribution - Often times, in a writing partnership, one individual may feel like they are carrying the load for the whole team. Rather than spending months harboring anger from the other artist, you may want to think about developing the treatment together and then define the individual sections each person is responsible for. Work this into your agreement - and if they are not completed under the established time - there is a monetary shift in the ultimate deal. You may feel nervous about this at first, but if you're writing with someone responsible, they will gladly accept these terms - it's good for them, as well.
  
• Exit Strategies - Sometimes relationships, for whatever reason, just don't work out. Early in your relationship you can define points in which a partner can easily exit the relationship and still retain all ownership of the properties they worked on. For instance, after a script or even a draft is finished, one person may be allowed to exit the relationship. However, you may want to make it clear that exiting in the middle of a draft can result in less ownership of the property.
  
• Credit Placement - It may sound funny, but early on in your partnership, you should decide how the names will list on the title page. This can help prevent a struggle later in the process. Think about whether this should be determined by alphabet, the person responsible for generating the idea, or a flip of the coin.

SCRIPTSHARK.com

Writing Teams have been a long-time tradition in Hollywood. In an art-form defined by dramatic interchanges, it's not accident, either. With a writing partner, you have the ability to respond to ideas and bounce them off another individual for instantaneous feedback. This method of creation is preferreed by a number of individuals. This month we look at some of Hollywood's more successful writing teams and the projects that helped make them big.

All data from Baseline-FilmTracker.  For more information on writers, directors, actors, and producers, please visit BaselineFT.