Screenwriter Signs Shopping Agreement through Pitching on Stage 32!

Many people dream of being a screenwriter while still young; I came to it later in life. Having just turned 40, I was in Boston with an injured back while serving on the security detail for Secretary of State John Kerry, when I was reading a book and suddenly it came out of nowhere, "I have to turn this into a screenplay." [Even though I didn't own the rights. I found out how that works much later...]

Eight years later, I have my first shopping agreement. One might ask, "how do you keep going?" There's nothing really to it. I enjoy writing, even when things don't get produced. Each script is its own adventure; its own voyage.

While writing, I highly recommend finding employment that also allows you to add value for those for whom you work and for yourself, as opposed to the "stay alive" jobs that many artists choose. It's precisely these "stay alive" jobs that will kill your interest in the arts, rather than the arts itself.

While I was persistent in writing, I was also persistent in pitching. I don't know how many verbal pitches I gave on Stage 32 before Dan and I signed our agreement, but it may have been as many as fifty to a hundred. This, of course, wasn't cheap, but as the saying goes, "Being cheap can ultimately become very expensive." And, as I found out, I didn't need everyone to love my script... I just needed one.

My advice is the same advice given to writers everywhere: keep writing. It really is that simple. And keep pitching. When you pitch, don't memorize it, like I did the first time; you'll have stage fright and forget your lines. Don't expect the pitch to go according to script, as, trust me, the one your pitching to doesn't know their lines. Have an outline, remember they things you want to highlight, and keep it very conversational.

I have my first shopping agreement which will send my script before the likes of Netflix, Hulu, A24, and AMC. I accomplished this with absolutely no training whatsoever. If I can do this that means anyone can.

About Dave Miller

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