How Did You Get That Gig?

When I was a tiny baby screenwriter with no experience, no credits, no hope, no foot in any door, and no connections in the industry, I thought that landing a gig where I would be paid to write was almost impossible to achieve. Until, one day, a producer reached out to me and said… “I have two costumes and a barn. Can you write me something?” That sentence led to a series of events that have now culminated in my first TV show being greenlit.

Was it magic?

No. It was work.

Here’s how it worked (for me… at least).

Writing And Reputation

For many people starting out, the idea of a producer reaching out to you is the unicorn we all dream of. What? No pitching, querying, praying, begging? They just… come to you? Yes. I’ve found that often it is that way around. What helps to get to that point is relatively straightforward. You have to have a reputation, you have to back it up, you have to be findable, and you have to be great to work with. Let’s break it down further.

Reputation. How are you being perceived by the industry? Are you being perceived at all? When people think of you, what do they think? And do they think of you at all?

There are two different questions here.

Firstly - Are you being perceived at all?

Secondly - How are you being perceived?

Are You Being Perceived At All?

The first one is easier to answer and is more under your control. I think we underestimate just how important the “side” work is. By that I mean your social media game, your writing in other media (blog posts, articles, podcasts, short stories… whatever it is), your online presence (Stage 32, a personal website, IMDb, LinkedIn), down to your business card and email address. Any writer who is really trying to establish themselves as a hireable entity should have at least a solid way of being found. You don’t need to go wild and create a full website, but I have found that my website has been incredibly useful in getting me seen and hired. There should be at least a way of contacting you and finding you. Nobody can hire (and pay) you if they don’t know where you are and how to get in touch. So to any writer looking to up their game, a presence somewhere on the web can elevate your chances. You don’t need 10 million followers on social media - you’re not trying to be an influencer. Of course, it can help, but it won’t be what gets you there on its own.

Stage 32 is the best tool and the best example of this. Without this platform, I don’t think my career would have progressed to where it has, and certainly not as quickly as it has. It was just a little more than 2 years ago that my first script was optioned through this site. Here’s the blog post about that!

And since then, Stage 32 has been incredibly helpful in pushing me further and further. I am visible. I am seen. Utilize this platform (and others) to create a profile that seems professional. That seems like you know what you are doing and can deliver.

How Are You Being Perceived?

This, in turn, will influence the answer to the second question. The question of “how” you are being perceived. If there’s a lot to be found, if there’s a relatively consistent body of work, then that will ensure that your peers (and more importantly, those who have climbed the ladder a bit further) see you as someone they can rely on, someone they can work with.

I cannot stress this enough: It really is that easy. It. Is. Easy. All it takes is work.

So let’s say you’ve written a few things. A feature, a few shorts, and maybe a Pilot. If you let them rot in the drawer, they will never see the light of day (and neither will your career). You can put them out there, without pestering and begging people. Place them into the world and then move on to writing the next thing, and the next, and the next.

Do not ever stop writing, because I promise you - you have not yet written the best thing you’ll ever write. You have no idea how beautiful and amazing the future version of you is, so keep walking towards it.

Once you have a body of work that feels like it’s a good representation of what you can do, and you’ve put it out there, that’s when you really start to build a reputation.

How Do You Build A Reputation That Will Make People Come To You?

Simple. Be yourself. In a previous blog post on Stage 32, I spoke about how it will always be you and your story that will be the thing that makes you successful. Stories are a dime a dozen, but you and your voice and your uniqueness … that only exists ONE TIME in the entire universe.

So when we come to ask ourselves how we’d like to be perceived in the industry…the answer is: as yourself. You’re the only one.

So armed with a body of work, a presence that makes it easy for people to find you, and the knowledge that you will be fine and authentic because you are YOU, you have the recipe for success.

And I’ll say it again: it really IS that easy.

But now we have laid the groundwork, and we’re patiently waiting (and writing while we wait, of course), for that big break. Twiddling our thumbs. Right? No. Now, we go and make friends.

Networking And Preparation

This is the crux of the matter, isn’t it? I can hear you saying it. “Ronika”, you’re saying. “Ronika, this is all fine and dandy but how do we actually make people want to give us money for writing? Stop waffling and tell us.”

I am. Patience, jeez.

People want to work with people they want to work with. That sounds like a circular argument, but allow me to elaborate.

The producer who approached me to write the TV pilot (which was originally just supposed to be a short film), already knew that he loved my work before he approached me for this bigger project. He had found me through an Instagram live I did with Stage 32. (Again - this is the point I was making by saying be found - exist in the world - have a presence.)

After this interview with Stage 32, he reached out so I could help him with a script. I reviewed the script and gave notes, and he was happy with the work. From then on, every script that came across his desk also came across mine. I was already being paid for my work, but it was not yet “writing” work. He started to trust my opinion. He started to see that I was someone he enjoyed working with and that I was reliable, worked quickly, and worked efficiently.

From then on, our working relationship grew. He read some of my work and knew that not only was my opinion valuable, but I was also a relatively decent writer.

Then My Moment Arrived

Until, one fateful day, a project landed on his desk. An investor wanted a high-profile, high-value short film. The producer had a few costumes and a barn to shoot in. All that was missing was a writer who could turn that into a gripping story.

And I was the only one he wanted to call upon. Can you guess why? Because I am me. And when this happens to you, it will happen to you because you are you.

Again (and I will never stop saying it): It is really, really that easy.

This anecdote is only one example of how networking can work. The networking I did in this particular case was simply to put myself out there and share my progress and process on Instagram with the incredible support of Stage 32. That’s a pretty straightforward path of self-promotion that goes the intended way.

Platform Presence

Another way networking has worked out for me was through my social media presence. I don’t have a big following. I think I have about 500 followers on Instagram. Maybe 400? At the time this happened, I had around 200. So… not exactly viral stuff. But I posted consistently about the scripts I was working on, and the kinds of stories I was writing… and that caught the attention of a fellow writer. He was much, much more famous and much, much more successful than I was. He’s actually done something with his life…

Nevertheless, he liked my style. One day, he was approached by a producer who wanted to hire him. Unfortunately (lucky for me), he didn’t have the bandwidth to take on that particular project.

“But I’ve heard of this woman”, he said. “She would be perfect for that.”

And boom.

Turns out, I did happen to be able to take that project on, and that has now led to a series of events that brought us into the vicinity of the powers that be at Hallmark.

Someone I had never, ever met… a complete stranger on the internet… had recommended me. Not because he was playing favors, not because I had begged him or reached out to him (I had barely spoken to him at that point). But just because I had been able to build a reputation.

Because I had backed that reputation up with a body of work.

Because I was… (say it with me now!) I was me.

Story And Collaboration

Let’s look at the two examples I gave in a bit more detail.

Story One is “I’ve got a barn, write me something”

And Story Two is “I’ve got a story, write it for me”

This is the biggest point I wanted to stress in this post. The most likely thing to happen is not that the assignments you get at first are going to be your original ideas. A lot of the time, the story will be built about either someone else’s ideas, a studio/investor request, a pitch that needs working on, or straight up someone else’s storyline.

Don’t let that dishearten you, because I can already hear you say “But Ronika! I want to tell MY stories, and you just said it’s ME that needs to be the voice!”. Bear with me.

Writers get paid to write. We get hired to write stories, write scripts, and create something where there was nothing before. That is magic. We do magic. Nothing short of magic. But more often than not, the people who make decisions about what gets made are also wildly creative, are incredibly passionate, have ideas, and fire, and have a mind full of wonders. And that is also magic. So when they come to us and trust us enough to know that we can transform what is an idea or an outline into a full-blown script that can be turned into an incredible piece of film… it’s awesome.

Filmmaking is collaboration. I would even go so far as to say it is the most radically collaborative art form there is (except maybe music). And screenwriting is just as fiercely collaborative. So writing someone else’s story should not only be approached with a huge amount of professionalism, but I am grateful every time.

Yes, I love working on my own stuff. But being approached to bring someone’s idea to life is an honor. And getting paid on top of that? Wow.

I've Got A Barn

It was pretty much as simple as that. We had a location, and we had costumes, and we had a general… vibe. The assignment was clear, we needed 15 minutes of period murder mystery thrill. I sat down and wrote. That’s the job. Maybe the idea didn’t originate within the corners of my mind, but I am a professional writer. Writing stories is my job. Of course, I came up with something. It. Is. My. Job. To come up with something.

We don’t work for inspiration. Inspiration works for us. We’re the boss, not the fickle muses.

It really is… (say it with me now!!) that easy.

I wrote what I thought would fit the parameters, and the producer liked it. And then the investor liked it. And then we got to work on it. I took on directing for the first time on that project, and it has snowballed so much that this short film has now turned into a TV pilot that will lead to a six-episode miniseries.

Success, me thinks.

Why did that happen? We must surely know the answer by now.

I've Got A Story, Write It For Me

The second scenario was slightly different. In the barn situation, I had relative freedom. The producer and investor didn’t much care how I structured the story, what characters I had, where I took it, etc. But in the case of the producer coming to me through the recommendation, he had a very very clear picture of what he wanted.

He had the characters, the arcs, the storyline, the situations, and a lot of the characters’ backgrounds - all lined up and ready. He just needed someone to come in and write it all down.

I worked through the story with him, picked his brain for as much detail as I possibly could, and then got to work. I did have some small freedoms, so when I approached him with slight changes, he was open to them. I would have been more than happy to not make those changes, but in the end, they worked out fine.

He was happy with the result, and now we’re talking to Hallmark.

The script that resulted is not my kind of story. It’s not something I would have written. And how awesome is that?! How incredibly lucky am I?! I got to create something I would not have been able to create in a million years, and now I have diversified my portfolio, I have showcased that I really can write anything… and I’m being introduced to a new tier of professionals in the industry as a result.

This is where I want to lead: At first, it won't be yours, but then it will be.

Yes, the barn situation was not a completely free creation on my part. But I love those characters more than I can say. They are mine, and now I get to make a whole TV show about them. I love them.

And yes, it was not my idea in that second situation. I don’t care. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together.

And Then? What Happens Next? When Do I Get To Sell MY Stuff?

The producer who hired me on the TV pilot has taken on several of my projects and has optioned several of my original scripts. He wants to work with who he wants to work with.

The producer whose idea I wrote has helped me out on numerous occasions, and I know that if I approach him with an original idea, he will move heaven and earth to help get it where it needs to go.

All it takes is a reputation, a presence, a body of work, professionalism… and you. Just… you.

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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