I've been a screenwriter for literally decades.
I used to submit to as many screenplay contests as I could afford. Well, OK, I submitted to MORE than I could afford, if we're being totally honest. But now I seldom do because I've earned enough income from screenwriting that I'm no longer eligible for any of the big contests (PAGE, Nichols, Austin, etc.) and only occasionally submit to a small contest as a way of "testing the waters" of a new script.
I've had reps before, but mostly boutique reps who are kinda far down the food chain. This has included 1 well-known manager who "hip-pocketed" one of my scripts briefly, a handful of managers who I eventually parted ways with when it became clear they couldn't get me read or get me meetings, and one agent who I recently parted ways with. I'm currently rep-less and looking for a new one who can (hopefully) meet my needs and help me get the traction I need.
I'm also querying producers directly - both through paid services (Stage32 Writers' Room, Inktip, Screenwriting Staffing, ISA, Mandy, Virtual Pitch Fest) as well as cold-queries to emails I find on IMDBPro. I've gotten most of my success to date (2 script sales, about a dozen or so options, over a dozen paid assignments) through Inktip, Screenwriting Staffing, Mandy, and - believe it or not - Craigslist! Queries from IMDB emails has gotten me nowhere.
So I get SOME success on my own... too much success to be allowed to be a "noob" and enter contests, but not enough success to seriously consider quitting my day job.
But, obviously, I want MORE (like... enough to quit my dayjob to be a full-time screenwriter).
Anybody have thoughts on HOW? Things I'm not already doing? Things I may not know to do?
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How much are you networking on Stage 32, Travis Seppala? In the different Lounges, the Blog comments, and direct messages. And have you been to a Stage 32 in-person Meetup? They're great for networking.
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I think networking feels like such an obvious answer in this case but even in person industry mixers make such a difference, working at an agency in the lit department showed me a lot of how networking through mixers help a lot, I also like the career development calls we offer, can be somewhat like a one on one mixer and a great way to create relationships!
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Maurice Vaughan I respond to posts and such whenever I see one that I have some sort of input and/or questions about. As for in-person stuff that both you and Sam just mentioned, PRE-Covid, I went to ISA's 3rd Thursday every month and any others I found out about that were on days I could go (THE ONLY DAYS I CAN GO OUT AT NIGHT ARE THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS). Post-covid? I've only been to 1 that the Scriptwriter's Network put on where I was one of only like MAYBE a dozen people there. I am very VERY NOT GOOD at in-person networking events, though, even when I can attend. I'm an Aspie, and the combination of a) the amount of people and b) the amount of noise (because the music is always cranked so high you gotta practically scream to be heard from more than a foot away) is super triggering for me.
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The Writers´ Room Travis Seppala
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Mark Deuce Right. I'm on S32 and have a Writers' Room account. I submit stuff to just about every post they have. I've BEEN CHOSEN to move forward on TWENTY FIVE OWAs they've had. And crickets. lol S32 won't even answer my email requesting a follow-up on those OWAs to see if they've been read even... **shrugs
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I'm far from the middle...and I'm 20+ years into this already :)....
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You done more than many Stage 32 members: so dont listen to me for career advice :)
But i know a small circle of full-time writers and postproduction staff with skin in this game and everyone is struggling to find work this year and last year. Survive to year 2025 or 2026.
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Hey Travis Seppala. I'm rarely on here anymore, but I popped in for a quick peek and saw your post. In the past, I made my thoughts and feelings on S32 OWAs very well known. Not a fan. At all. But to each his own. For me, OWAs and The Writers Room, overall, represented time and effort spent with no return. Within a few months, I knew my time and focus needed to be elsewhere.
There's no easy way to say this, but for unsold writers, or writers who have yet to break through in a significant way -- i.e., they're not making REAL $$$ yet -- getting consideration from top-flight reps is a next to impossible mission right now. Forget agents, they're not even in the equation anymore. (Unless it's a personal referral.) Managers are the lone rep hope in 2024, and probably beyond 2024, too. And most managers are overworked, with little to no bandwidth for anything that's not already on their full plate. MANY have established writers -- TV & Features -- who are simply not working, post WGA strike. These are writers who have worked non-stop for a decade or more... and now they have not worked in nearly a year. When you have this very real dynamic at play, you have reps who are simply trying to stay in their jobs, get their long-time clients working again, and make enough commissions to justify their employment. That's reality.
This is a boots on the ground observation & conversation. I know plenty of strong managers, and have had numerous conversations with them. From reps at Circle, to Zero Gravity, to Underground, and more. The one constant I'm hearing is this: unless you are already a writer who is working, or was very recently working, reps are not looking to sign or consider anybody new right now. Period.
The industry-wide contraction is very real. The layoffs are very real. And there is also no development anymore. Meaning, if you think a script can go out to buyers in 2024 still needing work done, uh, it can't. It had better be perfect, or damn close to perfect, or you'll be getting a very quick "Pass!" Even with a rep behind it. Trust me, I know. Firsthand!
So, is there any way out of the Doom and Gloom of the current landscape for the aspiring writer/up-and-coming writer, or "baby writer" as they're sometimes referred to...? Well, it's a time to be super creative, that's for sure. These times demand it. If you have any types of relationships, use them. If you can target specific producers directly, do it. If you can try and matchmake your material to specific producers, and there's two degrees of separation between you and that producer, find those two degrees and go get there.
Anybody who has been in this business for more than a few minutes, who has worked really hard to climb the ladder... they will most likely all tell you that there is no "one way" to do anything in this business. I've got three different projects, all with Full Metal Jacket bullet holes and battle scars on them, and each one found a very unconventional pathway to securing producers who responded to the material. Those producers didn't come to me. And they won't be coming to you, either. You have to go find them, and sometimes that requires outside of the box approaches and unconventional methods.
Be kind to people. Don't lie to people. And make sure your shit is the shit. It has to be ready, A rep is not going to make your career happen. You are.
-- DT
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Tough place to be. For the past couple of years I've had an Amazon Prime US #4 and Hulu #1 to my belt and couldn't even get arrested if I tried. No interest in the UK, US, or the rest of the world.
Things are picking up again now, but it's mainly down to old connections recommending me.
It's a tough game. If you're hot, you're hot, and if you're not, you're not. There is next to no scanning for new/unknown talent.
My only advice is to nurture the relationships that already exist as much as you can.