Hello fellow media people — great to be here among creators who understand that new ideas and new IP deserve space to grow.
I’ve spent the last forty years writing, producing, and directing in New York and London, working across film, theatre, music, and long‑form storytelling. These days, my main focus is detective fiction — especially the 11‑book Devil Barnett franchise, a crime and political‑intrigue universe I’ve been building for over three decades.
If you’re curious, the series is on Amazon, and it’s designed from the ground up for screen adaptation: a morally complex protagonist with CIA Black Ops history, a world of covert operations and crime networks, and stories that expand naturally into multi‑season arcs.
Alongside the novels, I also write and produce musicals —I have written and produced 6 Off West End musicals in London. My latest project is a hip hop musical. The success of Hamilton was the inspiration. Because i realized that now a hip hop musical is not only financeable but also marketable through main stream media. I’ve been involved with hip hop since its early days in New York in 1979, and I continue to explore stories rooted in real cultural history.
Right now, I’m looking to connect with producers, agents, and creatives who understand the commercial realities of a changing marketplace — people interested in packaging IP, developing franchise material, and moving projects toward screen adaptation and musicals towards West End and Broadway production
I’m based in London and open to conversations about ideas, collaboration, and creating something both artistically strong and commercially viable.
Teddy Hayes Forty years across film, theatre and music and an 11 book franchise built from the ground up for screen adaptation, that's a serious body of work Teddy. Devil Barnett sounds like exactly the kind of morally complex, politically layered universe that works across multiple seasons. The CIA Black Ops history as a protagonist foundation gives you built in conflict that never runs out. I work in script development and adaptation, if you're exploring how to package the franchise for screen I'd love to be part of that conversation.
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Hey Kendra sounds good. As I am still old school and actually prefer talking to humans, just email me teddyhayes@hotmail.com or WhatsAp me and we can talk. + 44 7961327652
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wow im curious ill check it out
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Elizabeth, Thank you so much for your kind words. And what are you working on?
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Teddy Hayes Message you over on your email
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You’ve built an impressive body of work, and the Devil Barnett universe sounds especially interesting for screen adaptation. I’d love to connect and learn more about what you’re developing. I work across screenwriting and script development, so there may be a great opportunity to collaborate.
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Yes perhaps. I am in the process of pitching my DEVIL BARNETT franchise, so if I find an agent or a producer who can sell it as a film series I am sure the buyers will be bringing on script writers, so one never knows what can turn up.
Great introduction, Teddy. An 11-book universe developed over three decades gives you something many screen projects have to build from scratch a deep world and a lot of existing material to draw from. I’d be interested to hear how you’re approaching the screen adaptation: starting with one story that can stand alone, or thinking about the larger franchise from the outset?
Hiya Zoltan, I just used Chester Himes as a model. He wrote nine books in his Harlem detective series from which Hollywood made 2 films. So I just approach each book as if it were a series and write the chapters in the same way one writes a book..with certain chapters leaving the reader on a cliff waiting for the next thing to happen. This is the way all of the good series are written. It's a very old formula that started in radio back in the 1920s
Hi Teddy, I went on your website and you are the definition of a multi-hyphenate! What an inspiration. It’s also amazing that you’ve built such a prolific body of work around the Devil Barnett franchise. I really wish you all the very best with it because I think it has huge potential. And a HUGE WELL DONE on your Lifetime Achievement Award!