Zabel hits trifecta in scribe jobs
Exec's writing credits include 'Lois & Clark,' 'L.A. Law'
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Zabel, the first scribe-producer to head up the TV Academy since Rod Serling did so in the 1960s, is writing a project for CBS with Brent Friedman, who he partnered with on the NBC thriller "Dark Skies." He also has a project in the works at HBO and a script commitment from DreamWorks TV.
The Eye project, "Black River Falls," has been set up at Spelling TV and Industry Entertainment. Set in a small Wisconsin town, tale follows a parallel track of evolutionary development.
Over at HBO, Zabel is creating a bible for a potential series, "Hearts and Minds," which follows the world of military intelligence.
Meanwhile, the scribe is still ironing out his idea for the DreamWorks project.
"In this competitive marketplace, to be writing for both CBS and HBO when these companies are at the top of their competitive games makes me want to jump out of bed each morning and go to the word processor," Zabel said.
Now that Todd Leavitt has joined the Acad as president, the org's top paid position, Zabel said he's been able to step back and ease his time commitments as its top volunteer exec.
Besides "Dark Skies," Zabel's other credits include the syndie skein "The Crow," Fox's "MANTIS" and ABC's "Lois & Clark." He's also written for "L.A. Law" and "Life Goes On."
"Writing is my core business, and pilot writing is my passion," said Zabel, who's repped by Paradigm. "Being head of the TV Academy has really made me appreciate the fact that we are in a golden age of television."
