Producing

I sold a premium unscripted show to E! and USA. My recommendation would not be to go to a manager or representation. I would start with researching unscripted production companies that you can partner with. Typically, they have agents that will set up the meetings to pitch the project. But you will have more fire power if you attach the Production company first.

Hi Scott - congrats on your project. We actually have a really great webinar that I know you will find helpful.: https://www.stage32.com/education/my-library/8944859414835/learn

Last year I posted a photo on FB that read:

“GRIT: The drive to push through any challenges until success is achieved.”

~ Scriptapalooza

How has it shown up for me?

In short — exactly how it’s defined.

I keep pushing through. I will continue to push through until success is achieved. And even then, there will always be another goal waiting beyond the one I just reached.

That’s the nature of grit. You don’t stop when things get hard. You keep going.

love that Natalie Diorio :) thank you for sharing - especially the acknowledgment that there will always be the next goal, the next obstacle, the next, the next... life, in other words. At times I have chastised myself for not demanding of myself the same resoluteness and drive that I so freely demand of my protagonists, right?

Sebastian Tudores Funny, I never thought of it that way. We do demand that of our protagonists. lol

Natalie Diorio so unfair, right!? haha

Sebastian Tudores Yes, right. Haha!

Thank you for your advice.

This is actually my biggest fear, since it’s my first attempt at writing a script in English.

I feel it still needs more work, and collaboration seems like a good solution. Jonathan Jordan

Great question. I was once told by a very prominent producer that ideas aren’t worth anything. That sounds harsh, but his reasoning was solid: there are a million great ideas every day. Anyone can have one. What usually sells isn’t the idea itself, but the execution of that idea, whether that’s a script with unique characters, excellent dialogue, and a compelling, fresh plot, or a script paired with a director who has already proven they can bring ambitious material to life, even on a tight budget. So yes, a strong concept matters, especially in sci-fi, but execution is what builds confidence and makes the sale. The concept may get people curious, but the writing is what makes them believe.

Thank you very much for explaining this to me. I feel my writing still needs improvement, but I believe the concept is worth fighting for, so I will continue developing it. Joshua Young

Jonathan Jordan is onto something here but I would go a step further and suggest you write the script in your native language and then find a great translator to work with after the fact. This will alleviate some of the pressure during the writing process and free you up to be your most creative self.

Since I write hard sci-fi, I find it difficult to write in Arabic and then translate it into English, because I’m not familiar with many technical or scientific terms in Arabic. To be honest, it also feels so weird to me. Wes Ambrecht

Nikolay Tsenov I think it would be of interest to the audience.

Abhijeet Aade Hi Abhijeet, thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback! It’s encouraging to hear that the blend of the Eastern Front's brutality and the Noir atmosphere resonates with you.I appreciate your perspective on global stories; it’s definitely a driving force for this script.

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, thank you! I’m really glad to hear you think it would resonate with an audience.

Finding that balance between the historical weight of the Eastern Front and the tension of a Noir thriller has been a challenging but rewarding process. To raise the stakes even further, the brothers’ mission involves navigating the highest levels of power—even orchestrating moves to influence the U.S. President himself as a pawn to achieve their ends against the USSR.

Nikolay Tsenov You're very welcome! I'm glad my feedback was helpful. The concept really stood out to me the blend of the Eastern Front history with a noir atmosphere feels very unique and cinematic. I’m excited to see how the project develops. Wishing you the best with the script and its journey!

Okay, with more info now, I would call the story a spy drama, not a war movie.

What makes it noir usually has to do with a doomed protagonist making bad decisions, usually involving money or a love interest (femme fatale). Then they lose in the end. Crime doesn’t pay.

The best overview of noir I can recommend is this episode of American Cinema:

https://youtu.be/X_igf5EzU8A?si=FsnsN431UjyDWxNp

I'm only a screenwriter nowadays with the view that AI is nothing more than another crayon in the box. Nothing more, nothing less.

"I hear you, Shadow, and I agree with much of what you said. But if we look outside the box and face the bitter reality, history shows us that many ancient, noble crafts vanished when factories arrived. Generations change, and so do their tastes.

I remember watching movies as a kid; the black-and-white classics of the 70s didn't resonate with me as much as the vibrant 90s cinema of my generation. Today, we are facing a new generation that might not appreciate our traditional methods. They are an 'AI Generation.'

Corporations are providing these tools for quick profit and market monopoly, often without regard for the 'soul' of the craft or the feelings of the creators. This puts us—the storytellers and dreamers—at risk of losing our last refuge for expression. My goal isn't to replace the craft, but to survive and compete in a world that is shifting under our feet. We aren't just fighting for tools; we are fighting to keep our worlds alive in a rapidly changing market."

Ibrahim AlBalushi Well yes but major studios are NOT using the tools in the ways the hobbyists are using them, and its because they know what they are and what they are not. The dream of instant fame and stardom is for the public and aspiring filmmakers. And if you hear anything positive about generative AI from the studios, it's aimed at keeping that illusion alive. I do have to disagree. Storytellers and other creatives who actually have talent are not in any danger. They will always find an audience if they get seen, which is another discussion entirely. The rest, frankly, are wasting everyone's time and we don't need to hear from them.

I think your point about copyright and distribution is important. There’s also a cultural layer to this that gets overlooked in the news. We’ve already seen plenty of realistic AI videos of unknown people doing dramatic things, including fight scenes, and most barely make a ripple. But the moment it’s Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting each other on a rooftop, people react strongly, because we already know them, we’ve watched their films, seen their interviews, and built a connection to them over decades. That’s part of why AI movies still face such a ceiling: they can imitate visuals, but they can’t replicate the real audience relationship that stars, filmmakers, and human-made culture have spent years creating.

Joshua Young Good points. One of the bizarre aspects of all this is the idea that "AI film" is a thing. It's not a thing yet and won't ever be. Not least of all because even the best of it cannot match more than a few seconds of required shots, characters, production design etc among the HUNDREDS of other aspects of filmmaking that AI doesn't do at all...

Voir si pas trop proche de ce film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32135632/?ref_=fn_knf_1

Thanks for pointing that out — I appreciate it. I looked into LifeHack, and my project actually approaches the story quite differently.

The focus isn’t on the hacking itself or a screenlife format, but more on the real-world consequences: young hackers who manage to pull off a massive crypto theft and suddenly have to deal with money, ego, visibility, and the pressure that follows.

So the story is really about the rise and fall that comes after the hack rather than the technical process itself.

Still, it’s a great reminder to make sure the angle stays clearly distinct, so thanks for mentioning it.

No worries :)

Quibi really arrived too soon. I'd be curious to see new platforms for other genres than romance, I'm pretty sure instagram or youtube would have that in the plans

Laura Notarianni Good morning,

I believe you're Italian, like me.

I'm also an audiovisual producer.

I'm looking for sponsors for both TV and film.

But I'm also willing to collaborate with other production companies to grow together.

I don't recommend selling your works to other production companies... they should produce them but not sell the rights. Like I do.

I have several formats and would like to launch my own program...

Thank you all for continuing the conversation and sharing your different perspectives and experiences. In this particular case, I've reached out to three of my favorite literary managers to read the script in hopes of getting this writer at least a meeting or two to potentially open an avenue to the right partner.

What a smart and generous solution! Good on ye, Laura

This is a great question and one of the quintessential dilemmas for a producer. As someone on the financing and producorial side, when I'm pitched an exceptional project that sits outside my lane, I look at this through a slightly different lens: Risk vs. Reward.

You mentioned it hits several "hard sell" categories. From a financing perspective, a "hard sell" isn't an automatic No: it's a high-cost capital project. If the script is prestigious and emotional, its value isn't in a massive opening weekend: it's an awards play with library longevity and talent attraction. If I don't have the specific contacts (distributors, foreign sales agents) for that type of project, by signing onto it, I'd be gambling with my time, the filmmaker's or writer's time, and my reputation.

If the opportunity is truly that good, I'd think about how I can leverage and look for a co-producer who lives in that lane. They should have a legitimate track record with that budget range and genre. I'd softly share the project to them, get their general feedback, and use them as a sounding board before making any decision. Thus, I'm building a bridge into a new genre space without getting over my skis, and with any luck, there may be a collaboration there with a qualified co-producer.

I'd rather split 100% with a partner than take 0% with no one by staying on the sidelines. The key is finding someone who has the relationships, the taste, and the track record in that specific lane. Then I bring value in other ways: maybe it's partial financing, maybe it's packaging support, maybe it's just being the person who connected the right people. But I don't let ego or fear of splitting points keep me from being part of something exceptional.

In those cases, if I'm totally stretched, I may just refer the project out for free. If I know I am genuinely the wrong person to champion this, and I can't add value as a partner, I will gladly introduce it to someone I know who is looking for exactly this. Good karma!

For many producers, I've seen it boiled down to: are you passionate enough to explore new territories and invest a lot of time to see this project get made? If they recommend it to other producers, it often means that the project is good but not good enough to get personally invested. The bar's been raised pretty high these days so producers are very discerning about what they take on.