There’s a whole hidden infrastructure in Hollywood devoted to tracking and scoring Open Assignments. Come get some.
(Note: This article was originally published in 2019, and some of the people mentioned have moved on.)
It’s not just about specs. The vast majority of a working screenwriter’s income often comes from assignments. We spoke to some notable literary agents and managers to get the lowdown on how it all works.
Got It Covered
The studios are tracked by covering agents (or managers) assigned to each one. Their task: to find out about open writing assignments and then log that information in internal spreadsheets, AKA “the grid.”
“Every agency has an open writing assignment grid,” said Jake Wagner from Alibi. “Younger agents are assigned studios to cover, and they gather the info. They hear about an assignment, so they put it in the grid. Or they’ll update an assignment that certain writers are meeting on.” Wagner added that sometimes agents will share their grid with managers with whom they share clients.
“I usually start with the CEs,” said Circle of Confusion’s Zach Cox, referring to the industry terms for Creative Executives—the ones who generally read, and who interface with writers and reps, at production companies. “I call them individually, and then just ask them what projects are priority for open directing and writing assignments. Then I enter the data into our system – we have our own grid – and that way, every few weeks when I talk to them, I’m able to update. I ask: ‘Did you find a writer for this? Have you found a director for this?’”
Independent Artist Group (IAG) literary agent Adam Perry noted that each of their motion picture literary agents covers at least one studio. His territories: Amazon, Netflix, Warner Bros. and Paramount. “The big studios have at least two covering agents here, just because of the huge amount of information. And on a weekly or biweekly basis, we’re talking to those executives about what their open assignments are and how we can help fill them. And then in our staff meetings, we discuss who we can put up for these assignments, who makes the most sense.”
Ears to the Ground
“A lot of the time, the way a young agent comes up is you just cover,” observed Cox. IAG agent-in-training Halle Mariner often spends entire days outside the office taking breakfast, lunch, coffee, drinks and dinner meetings. “I gear towards Warner Brothers and Paramount,” she noted. “I’m going there, meeting people, gathering information to bring back to the team.” But Mariner is also tasked with finding new business. “I’m always looking for new funds,” she said. “I work alongside one of our other agents, Christina (Campagnola,) who also covers indie films and works with a lot of financiers. Even if it’s not going to be a ton of money necessarily, you’re bringing a new buyer into play.”
However, the number of assignments has been contracting, observed MGMT Ent.’s Michael Diamond. “When I was an assistant at UTA, there were hundreds and hundreds of assignments. And you could just go through those grids and position your clients for them.” But now one has to be more surgical. “It’s really about launching your client with a great piece of material and socializing them in the right way. And then, frankly, the really good assignments come to you.”
No Soup for You
“Agencies are super-protective,” said Wagner. “They don’t send (their grid) to their clients.” Agents and managers curate who they put up for assignments, and while a writer might think otherwise, they might not be right for the assignment. “It can be tricky for (a writer) to see that grid and see they pitched seven other people before you, and you’re asking what the hell?” observed Cox. “Sometimes the writer’s expectations can be out of whack with reality. That’s not disrespect. The studio might have said they need a high-end closer, for example. You just have to be honest and say, ‘Look, this is what they said, and I don’t think we’re there yet.’”
Write for Free (for fun and maybe profit)
Another way to land an assignment is work with a producer on a pitch or a spec. “Maybe they’ve got an article, or the rights to a video game, a book, that is not set up, but they’re looking for the right person to take it in to the buyers and turn it into an assignment,” said Wagner. “In that case it’s totally worth coming up with a take. Think about the odds of that. It’s not you versus four people for a one-shot deal at a studio. If you partner with the producer on it, it’s you versus no one with fifteen buyer shots.” Wagner added that it could pay off for the writer in other ways as well. “You’re in the trenches. Developing. Exchanging ideas. Breaking story. If that goes well, it could lead to a lot more work with that producer.”
Downside? There may not be any upfront money. Or back-end money. If you’re working on someone else’s idea, if it doesn’t sell you may wind up with nothing. “There’s always a risk when you don’t control the idea,” Wagner cautioned. “Writers will pitch on video game adaptations, work two or three months on that pitch that isn’t set up, and all of a sudden the video game company decides not to pursue it. There’s nothing you can do.”
Shrinking Middle
Wagner said two categories of writer get most of the assignments. “One is the tried and true veterans who are expensive but deliver — David Koepp. Billy Ray. But then a lot of assignments go to the young, new writer. Maybe they got a script on the Black List but it didn’t sell. But they’re on the Black List. They can get assignments because they have very low quotes so they’re inexpensive, and they’re hungry, so they’ll obviously work very hard. A lot of studios might say, ‘Let’s take a shot on the newbie.’”
That means fewer and fewer assignments for writers who make, say, $250-$750K/year. But Diamond said there are still assignments for right person. “A producer might say, ‘This book adaptation requires a strong female voice to capture the spirit of the story.’ That mandate then drives the process, and plenty of writers in the middle range will be considered.” These are often writers with a few assignments under their belt and maybe one produced credit. “A studio doesn’t mind spending mid-to-high six figures for a writer who is going to build a project from the ground up in the hope that they can also take it to the finish line. If the stakes are high enough where they don’t feel comfortable hiring someone young and green, but it’s not high-profile enough to justify a writer with a $2 million quote, then the mid-level writer can emerge.”
Some Are More Equal than Others
Just because something is on the grid doesn’t mean it’s a viable project. “Sometimes you might call a producer and ask what’s going on at their studio that they’re excited about and they tell you,” said Cox. “But then you call the studio, and the studio might give you the impression that maybe that project isn’t still active to them. Or that they aren’t as enthusiastic as the producer.” Cox says you have to be very careful with that kind of information, because it could circle back, pissing off both the producer and the studio.
There are some projects that have been (on the grids) for years,” said Wagner. “If it’s dead, it’s dead for a reason. Nobody cares at the moment, and it’s probably been an inherited project throughout who knows how many studio execs. You might have to wait for a big piece of talent. Like if all of a sudden Spielberg or Chris Hemsworth or are interested, then boom, it’s active again.”
Should You Choose to Accept It
Writing assignments are the bread and butter of Hollywood. Screenwriters aiming to play the game have to jump through many hoops, please many masters, and come out smelling like roses. Easier said than done sometimes. But with a savvy rep at the helm — and an up-to-date grid – the assignment game is well worth playing.
