Louis C.K. Turned Down FX as a Home for ‘Horace and Pete’
Fx’s John Landgraf talks Horace and Pete
Comedy fans were surprised and delighted when out of nowhere a new series appeared on Louis CK’s website a few weeks ago. The debut of Horace and Pete’s on Louisck.net was yet another example of not only CK’s desire to work independently, but also his ability to do so.
CK’s first attempt at self-producing was his album Live at The Comedy Store which sold more than $1 million in the first twelve days it was available. That is most definitely impressive, but at the end of the day, a project that was very much within his wheelhouse. A stand up show is a live recording of a thing. Horace and Pete, however is a full scale production. A period piece, even. So, how did Louis pull off bypassing the network that was home to his semi autobiographical hit Louie, and become master of his own domain?
FX’s CEO John Landgraf told The Hollywood Reporter he wanted the series for FX. ”I knew it was coming. He called me before we closed our overall deal in July 2015, and he said, “Just so you know, I’m going to do this other thing.” And I said, “You don’t want to do that with us?” He said, “No, I don’t want to market it, I don’t want to publicize it, I don’t want to have any investors in it or people whose needs I have to satisfy other than my own. I specifically want to self-finance this and I want to drop it on the Internet through my site with no prior notice.” Honestly, what do you say to someone who is that audaciously ambitious? Someone who says basically, “I want to do everything. I want to be head of marketing, head of publicity, I want to do your job, I want to be the investor, I want to write it, direct it, produce it, star in it, I’m going to go raise the money, get the cast.” You stand back in awe and say, “Go for it, my brother.”
Landgraf was also quick to point out that self producing is almost impossible for one person to pull off and maintains that CK is a very special case, who was ultimately put in the position he is in because of his relationships with networks. He manages to walk the thin line of showing respect to a star on his network, but also imply that CK couldn’t have pulled it off without his work on Louie and the notoriety/access afforded him.
When asked directly if the CK approach was something the industry should pay attention to, Landgraf was quick to dismiss the idea “No. Louis got the capital to be able to do this not only by being one of the most successful stand up comedians in America but also through us, basically, by making Louie and a series of deals here. He’s a guy who worked in the system and benefited from our marketing and our publicity to develop his own relationships and build up his infrastructure. So it’s not as if he’s a guy who started in his mom’s basement and got from there to here. The step in between there and here was a lot of work within the Hollywood system. The second thing is that there just aren’t people like Louis. I mean, who do you know who can write, produce, direct, star in, edit, finance and distribute? So, he’s put forth a model for the future that others may pursue, but by it’s very nature it can’t become a ubiquitous model because there just aren’t many people who are capable of doing it.”
While Louie was a hit on FX, that project showed CK as executive producer, writer, director and star. Not everyone has the skillset to take on multiple jobs on a set but whether modern technology will allow for like minded professionals to get together and self produce, working around the limits and confines of network executives is an interesting question. Are Louis CK’s endeavors a glimpse into what can happen if you remove the middle man? Netflix changed the game by building revenue streaming other people’s work, until it had a budget big enough to create its own content. Crowdfunding apps like Patreon put more power into the hands of creators. Only time will tell where that will take media, but for now, Louis CK is becoming a shining example of independence in action.
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