Suffolk girl's $3m film deal

A Suffolk girl's work experience diary has landed her a $3 million film deal.

Lotte Mullan kept an online blog during her time with both Warner Music and Sony Music telling tales of her time in the music industry. It was not all bright lights and stardom, Lotte covers suffering rejection, inappropriate touching, awkward sweaty hugs, the perils of social networking, chipped toenails and living in cold, damp-ridden bedsits.

It all caught the attention of leading literary agent Julian Alexander. Alexander read the blog and signed her up as a fledgling author. Producer and screenwriter Nick Moorcroft (St Trinian’s 1 & 2, Burke & Hare) also fell in love with Lotte’s work and describes the comedy drama as 'The Devil Wears Prada' meets 'Bridget Jones Diary' set in the British and American music industry.

The film, the book, live work, merchandising and music publishing income could net Lotte over $3million.

Julian Alexander said, "Lotte has an original voice that works as well on the page as it does in song. We’re really delighted to be representing her career as an author, poet and artist."

Lotte says: "I'm overwhelmed. My diary was just something I did as therapy. It’s an account of me chasing the dream. It’s all the highs and lows that can happen when you choose to do something that you love for a living. The fact that this could be a Hollywood blockbuster is beyond my comprehension."

Nick Moorcroft explained: "Reading a woman's personal diary is a bit like going through her knickers drawer, it is something you just don’t do you. Thankfully, Lotte allowed me to share her hilarious and eye opening account of her journey trying to make it in the cutthroat music industry whilst simultaneously searching for ‘Mr Right’. Her daily entries are painfully honest, very funny and at times heartbreaking which has provided us with rich source material for what we hope will be a genuinely funny and uplifting coming of age story”.

Lotte Mullan’s story started whilst working three days a week for one the world’s biggest labels Warner Bros Records with acts such as REM and The Who. Despite working for labels, the 25 year-old musician and performer was consistently rejected by them for a recording contract so formed her own label, running it from her flat, then produced and promoted her own record. Her shoestring budget led to her making videos on her iPhone, booking her own gigs and using her boyfriend’s car as ‘tour bus’.

Lotte's self-promotion prompted Q Magazine to declare: "Say hi to Suffolk’s Joni Mitchell" whilst MOJO compared her to BRIT winner Laura Marling. Mullan plans to release her album ‘Plain Jane’ later this year while the film and the book are scheduled for 2012.