Networking: Always Be Connecting

As we come to the end of 2022 and our final Introduce Yourself Weekend for the year, I wish you another year filled with love, joy, and success! I’ve been taking stock of where I’ve been, where I am right now, and where I want to be. I have decided that lamenting the past and worrying about the future is a huge waste of time. Being a septuagenarian, one does not have the luxury of squandering a moment.

That made me think about my relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. In sales, you'll always hear "always be closing," as in "closing the deal" or the "connection." However, what about those relationships that don't operate as collaboratively as you want? I've learned that we should Always Be Connecting to new relationships. Always try to keep the connection open, even if you drift apart or things don't work out. But also, know your boundaries. Here's how I found mine...

NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!

When I began my screenwriting studies, advice from one of the many books about the art and craft of screenwriting I read dealt with what happened once a project was completed. The suggestion was to ask everyone they knew if they had contact with anyone in the movie business. I did and discovered a friend of a friend of a relative who had a son who went to school with a boy whose aunt worked in a movie studio. Bingo!

I called her and, at her suggestion, sent her my first script. Unbeknownst to me, she bundled it with a project of her own and submitted it to a major studio. My first thrilling experience was when I received a phone call from her and heard the words, “Congratulations, you made it through door number one.” I had no idea how many doors there were to get through, nor what that meant, except that it was a good thing.

Several weeks later, she called and said: “Congratulations, your project made it through door number two, mine did not.” That’s when I found out about the bundle. As she was my only contact, I relied on her for information, and while she was disappointed about her project, she seemed happy for me and assured me we were now like family. I was excited and devoted now that we were family. She would receive a finder’s fee had my script been produced.

Sadly, it never made it through any further doors. The family disintegrated, and the contact ceased to exist. No money, no love. She closed the door. That’s when I realized that every creative endeavor is, after all, a business. If one wants their work to be seen, heard, or read, one must sell their talent. As the Internet grew, my networking increased, and I met the loveliest creatives in all phases of movie-making, some with whom I’ve established long-term relationships.

YOU LIKE MY WORK? YOU REALLY MEAN IT? WHAT’S AN OPTION?

I was so blinded by the fact that my work was receiving the attention that I neglected to do my due diligence and check out the people with whom I was developing relationships and sharing my work. Generally, an option is a contractual agreement between a potential film producer and the author for an exclusive but temporary right to purchase the screenplay for a period of time with the goal of making it into a film.

My screenplays have been optioned and placed in development. Here are examples of three producers who over-promised and under-delivered.

My first option was with a producer I met through a monthly script service. I was assured they did their due diligence and certified all professionals listed on the site. The producer who contacted me gleefully announced he was about to receive a pot full of money and would I be interested in having my script produced for the big screen? Would I? Then the calls from the producer began. Not for plans to develop the project, but complaints about how he was being taken advantage of with promises not kept, etc. The money pot was shrinking, and “he” was being victimized. He played on my sympathy. He could no longer commit to the project. I left the door open.

DEVELOPMENT IS EXCITING – IT’S FUN – IT’S COSTLY

Development activities by a producer usually include polishing the screenplay to ready it for production, preparing a budget, and preliminary casting to help obtain financing for the project. When I won the Golden Palm Award at the 2012 Beverly Hills International Film Festival for best screenplay, doors opened, and I happily skipped through them, still blushing from my red carpet and paparazzi moment. I was immediately contacted by a well-established producer with several projects in development. He would educate me about the business and add my script to his roster. He soon complained that we didn’t have a director, so we couldn’t proceed.

Wait a minute! I’ve been networking. I brought him a director – we didn’t have original music, I obtained original music, we didn’t have actors, I accessed actors. Every challenge he tossed my way, I met and gathered an eager, committed cast and crew in front of the camera, behind the camera, and off-camera so he could focus on securing funds. The process was thrilling.

Unfortunately, the money the producer supposedly had access to wasn’t quite available despite the ongoing meetings with his bankers/investors. Our project crumbled. I was embarrassed and disappointed and after a significant amount of time, we parted company. I left the door open.

The third producer was vulgar. He cursed like a madman and screamed instead of speaking. It reminded me of my work in New York’s garment center, sans the cursing. Nobody talked, they yelled. He apologized and begged me to understand the pressure he was under. “I work with animals all day!” he cried. I am not an animal and like to resolve things in a calm and mature manner. So, after an extended period of time with many promises and no movement forward, I ended our relationship and, for the first time, shut the door.

This year, I shut that door. We are all dreamers, and I let my hope of seeing my work on screen blind me to the realities of business with which I am so familiar. While I believe there is no expiration date on one’s dreams, I will no longer share my work for a pittance and a promise or waste my precious time with people who are engaged in game playing. Either we have a deal, or we don’t. There is no need for endless unproductive meetings, unfiltered drama, and vitriol. For me, it’s all about the work.

So as we come to the end of the year, I remind you to be realistic, courteous, and clear. Don’t give anyone power over you. I urge you to listen to your gut and your brain. Stretch and reach for the stars, but make sure there is something to hold onto.

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