A couple of weeks ago, we wrote a column about all of the people who take a bite out of your awesome spec sale. Your agent takes 10% so does your manager; the lawyer charges a million dollars/hour or takes 5%, depending on how established you are and how big the deal is, and so…
The spec market is finally showing signs of life, after a long period where many pro writers had to resort to bagging groceries to keep the rent paid. If your script is a tight consider, you will hopefully get reads and doors will open. But wait — there’s one other important part of this, and…
Every screenwriter dreams of this day: a bright and sunny day in Los Angeles (because what else is it going to be?) and the phone rings. It’s your manager. The magic words sing in your ears: “We’ve made the sale!” You’re first mid-six-figure spec sale! Wow! You’re wealthy. Time to buy that condo and sip…
I read something just the other day that gave me pause. In fact, it triggered this article. The writer wrote something like this: INT. PETE’S CAR – DAY Pete eats a sandwich while he makes a phone call. Okay, so what’s wrong with that? It paints a picture. We can see the…
DOOM and GLOOM. That’s what 2025 has been for the movie and TV biz so far. US box office has been nothing short of catastrophic, with the only ray of light coming from (egad) The Minecraft Movie. TV writing jobs are down a whopping 42% from last year. Panicky reps have been wondering how to…
Writers are often worried about someone stealing their idea. So let’s parse out what we should worry about, what we shouldn’t worry about, and how we can protect ourselves. Let’s say you’ve got this killer marketable idea and it sings on the page. Great! If you send it out to someone, will they steal it from…
We are almost four weeks into Get Repped Now and, as expected, we’ve seen a lot of pilots with amazing ideas so far. Alas, many of them are afflicted with a dread case of pilotitis — an insidious malady affecting four out of five of the the 1-hr pilots we see. This is our not-so-affectionate…
Only a few weeks in to Get Repped Now, and we’ve already got our first “consider” of the season. Jason Sotolongo’s 1-hr pilot REDPOLL is a compelling spy yarn tinged with sci-fi. Sotolongo is an award-winning producer and director for commercials, docuseries, branded content, social media content, and promos for major networks and brands….
Lee Jessup is the real deal. For over 20 years she’s been a beacon in the darkness for both aspiring and established writers. If you’re serious about breaking in and making a career out of screenwriting, you’ll want to check out what she has to say. To say she has her ear to the ground…
During our recent round of free 30-minute phone calls, age seems to have been a concern for a number of you. Is there ageism in Hollywood? If you’re over 40, are people going to look at you differently? So we had a lovely chat with Brad Johnson, screenwriter, filmmaker, and founder of The Gray List,…