INSIDE INTELLIGENCE

Forget what you think you know about breaking into Hollywood as a screenwriter, and learn how the majority of professional screenwriters earn their money — and how you can, too.

Hint: It’s not necessarily by selling a spec or getting it made.

BRAND BOOTCAMP

Pick your lane. Decide what you want to be known for, and build your personal screenwriting brand around that. Find your screenwriting sweet spot: the intersection between your strengths, your passions, your personal connection to the story — and what your career actually needs.

Guerrilla Marketing Tactics

Build a "power file" of people you want to be in business with. Use the dark arts of social media to expand your network and get on the radar of reps and producers. Blindly sending out cold query letters is a waste of time, but you can vastly improve your chances of getting read requests by using proven query techniques and guerrilla marketing tactics.

Learn from former SWAT sniper-turned-screenwriter Chuck Hustmyre, who sold five screenplays through targeted query letters — without an agent, and without spending a dime on competitions. Three of his scripts have been produced, two more are in pre-production. Chuck has learned to leverage his personal brand and strengths as a screenwriter, and uses it to open the ears and wallets of film producers.

Pick the right PROJECTs

Don't waste months of your life on a project that will be dead on arrival when it hits the desks of agents, managers and producers. Make your concept bomb-proof.

Stress test your query letter and loglines in the room with Sarah Arnott who works as a manager with Zero Gravity Entertainment (Ozark, The Accountant)

Sarah began her career in the film and television industry more than twenty years ago at Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey's Icon Productions where she served as Head of UK Development — before going on to oversee acquisitions for major sales agents such as Odyssey Entertainment and Timeless Films. Sarah will give you an honest assessment of how producers & reps might react to your logline and story.

Get Ready For the room

50% of your ability to earn a living as a screenwriter isn’t dependent on your actual writing. Your writing has to be exceptional to get the attention of reps and producers but you need to be able to perform in the room. Whether you are an emerging screenwriter or an A-lister, you have to learn how to express your ideas with confidence and make industry people feel comfortable around you. Agents and managers won’t let you loose on the decision makers until they’re confident you can handle yourself in the room.

You’ve worked your ass off to get this meeting — don’t blow it.

Nail your Elevator pitch

An elevator pitch is a one-minute verbal “sizzle reel” which compels the industry listener to request your script. Your primary goal isn’t to TELL the story (in three detailed acts), but to SELL the story — in whatever form is most intriguing to the listener. It’s a natural conversation which should spark questions and engagement from agents and producers, not a rehearsed canned performance.

How do you build confidence and competence to nail that relaxed pitch? We train. Work with director Peter Lydon and screenwriter Dominic Morgan to hone your meeting and elevator pitch skills.

THE GENERAL

General meetings are an essential part of a pro screenwriter’s life. Billed as friendly meet-and-greets, they are interviews in disguise, full of attendant opportunities and pitfalls. You need to master the art of being good company in the room - whilst promoting your screenwriting brand and body of work.

In the final chapter of The Scriptfella Playbook, unleash your personal brand and project in a live-fire meeting with Circle of Confusion manager Zach Cox.

You will receive live feedback on how you’re coming across in the room; how you might further hone your presentation and pitch, and maximise your chances of breaking into Hollywood.

Dominic Morgan | WGA Screenwriter

Dominic has worked as a professional screenwriter in London and Hollywood for over two decades. He has written 45 screenplays; 35 were optioned, commissioned or paid for by producers and studios, including projects for Scott Free (Ridley Scott), Universal, Working Title, BBC, ITV Studios & Bold Films. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America.

Dominic has taken 1000s of general meetings during his career. He has sold pitches and won over a dozen writing assignments in the room.

He is going to give you his entire Playbook, teach you everything he has learned - and help you maximize your chances of getting a financial return on all your creative toil.

Sarah Arnott | Zero gravity management

Sarah has worked in the film business for over 25 years – in a combination of sales, financing & production companies - and has transitioned recently to lit management at Zero Gravity. ZG manage talent and produce TV/ Features - Ozark (Netflix); The Accountant (Ben Affleck).

Using her extensive acquisitions experience within the international sales market, as well as creative relationships in the UK, Sarah has curated a list of talented clients in a short period of time. Her focus is to find those writers and directors with the ability to travel outside of their “home” market and simultaneously understand what the market is looking for right now.

Zach Cox | Circle of Confusion

Zach works as a literary manager at Circle of Confusion. (The Walking Dead, Daisy Jones and The Six) 

He has an unquenchable thirst for character-driven stories regardless of genre and believes great storytelling is a gift that can be honed but not outright taught. If it were entirely teachable, he would be a writer and not a manager.

“Building a network is the most important thing that anybody in this business can do. No matter if you're a writer, director, executive, agent, manager. If you don't know people, you can't be successful in this business.”

PETER LYDON | filmmaker

Peter has moved between high profile television drama, award winning documentaries and commercials. For TV, he has directed shows like Shameless, Teachers, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Vincent, Mistresses and Poirot.

He cut his directing teeth as a documentary maker. His BBC Arena biography of Peter Sellers was BAFTA nominated and won three major awards in the US.

In the ad world, clients such as Carlsberg, IKEA, VW, Mercedes, SKY and Samsung have all benefited from Peter’s ability to deliver great comedic performances; something that can be seen in his work with legends like Al Pacino, Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Caine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlet Johansson and Jose Mourinho.

CHUCK HUSTMYRE | Produced screenwriter

Chuck spent 22 years in law enforcement and worked as a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). During his career, he specialized in violent crime, narcotics, and fugitive investigations.

He wrote the Momentum Pictures action film Disturbing the Peace, starring Guy Pearce, and the Lionsgate films House of the Rising Sun, starring Dave Bautista, and End Of A Gun, starring Steven Seagal.  

He’s done all of this without an agent.