An Open Letter of Thanks

On March 14, 1994 I sat down and began writing a Columbo script titled
"Murder by Suicide". I had never written a script before but some fans of the show read it and told me they thought it might be good enough to be produced. I
did what any novice writer has to do and sent a query letter out to 11 agents;
asking them if they would read the script. Eight of them did, but they told
me that even though the script showed promise, they would have a very difficult
time selling it to Universal Studios. Dejected, I put the script in a drawer until my birthday, February 15th of 1998.

It was on that day that my wife gave me a book which detailed the trials and
tribulations of selling a script in Hollywood. It mentioned contacting the actors' agents, producers, and even people you meet through the web. On a whim, I searched for a "Columbo" site and found yours. I posted a question
and on Feb. 20th, Stephen Burns offered to help me out. Stephen and Ted Kerin
(who both read the script) gave me terrific feedback. This feedback, along with a
little help from Peter Falk's agent, allowed me to receive permission from
the Columbo Production Office to have my script submitted (by an agent, of
course!).

On December 17th, 1998, after months of suspenseful waiting, I signed a contract with USA Studios Television; the owners of the Columbo copyright,
selling my script to them. I will be forever grateful to both Stephen and
Ted for their support. They helped me to achieve a dream I had since I was a
very young child; to somehow be a part of Hollywood someday. Thanks to them, the dream is now reality.

Sincerely,
Frank D'Angeli