How to Get an Agent or Manager

[@activemotionpictures]

5:52 - Armaggedon is great tho' 😀

[@davidstamps9084]

Awesome advice! I really appreciate the ISA. And this video just shows the lengths you guys will go to just to help us! Thanks 🙏🏿

[@gidleeorbit]

Round and round the merry go round.

[@jamesargyll4226]

Here are the problems with competitions 1. Basic math - example - 1000 entries. 5 winners, 15 semi finalists, 50, quarter finalists. QF eligible scripts are considers in coverage terms. They may not be the best but it says the writer's onto something and the work is good enough to be worth exploring. Ok. What happens when there are 150 scripts out of 1000 that are equally good enough to earn a QF place? 80 scripts worthy of consideration don't make it even though they deserve a place. Money - wasted. In other words, it's a lottery. The only contest I've seen that might look worthy of payment is the Nicholl because of the QF list that gets circulated and even then. 2. Nobody knows anything - This isn't a well known phrase for nothing. Most obvious example, writer with major credits tries to sell a script to the town, 60 people with centuries of experience between them say it'll never make a movie, 61st person disagrees and audiences get to enjoy The Bodyguard. Conversely some genius thinks they'll make a buck out of Cats and apparently it's the worst thing to happen to cats since dogs... 3. If you don't know anybody, your logline will be the knock at the door that opens the door you want opened (if it's read). If the logline sucks, it says you haven't bothered to learn how to sell your script in a couple of sentences so either you're lazy for not knowing how to construct a good LL or your LL is a great description of a bad/boring/tired idea. 4. Anyone can write coverage. If winning competitions doesn't guarantee options or representation (which they don't) nobody should assume that story notes will improve the writer's product to the point where it is worthy of production. There is such a thing as 'it' factor and it extends to writing. If you know somebody in the industry, they don't have to be working in talent management, anybody, show them your script. A great script should jump off the page to people with no knowledge of film making, people who work somewhere in the industry should be able to tell you if you've got something that's amazing or needs polish. And read scripts, look at the work that sells and compare differences in style, language, tone etc. You should be able to write your own coverage, true. Objectivity is key for understanding the quality of your own product as a standalone piece of work and it's place in the market. Also, if you can't write coverage for someone else, you're not ready to sell your own product, bare that in mind. I read Benioff's first spec 'Stay' not long after he sold it for $1.4M at the dawn of his career and describing it as mediocre would be kind to say the least. I thought it was an easy pass and some genius thought the opposite and bought it for headline price. In terms of how it turned out, I think it was as poor on screen as it was to read. Amazing for his career (and us in the long run) but a film I'd never recommend anyone watch, have you even heard of it? Nobody knows anything... That being said, ignore everything I've just written.

[@marknoahsotelo316]

Fantastic stuff! Please tell me you have a podcast ir something I can follow. I appreciate you demystifying the business end of things. Question: Do you really think winning a contest/ fellowship or being a writers assistant is the only way to break into TV for a screenwriter?

[@jamesargyll4226]

@@marknoahsotelo316 Thanks Mark. I don't have any podcast but winning a writing competition is no guarantee to anything. It helps if you win one of the big ones but I don't believe in them generally as I mentioned above. Try to find people in the industry who might give your work a read by emailing them a logline. If the logline is catchy you might get lucky and be asked for a submission. There's no one route to making things happen, it requires a gargantuan amount of luck just to get on the ladder but as the old cliché goes - you can't rely on the universe, you have to make your own luck. And with that, I wish you lots of luck!

[@evelynebert4453]

Et la traduction ?

[@MrMolecularscientist]

I wonder how ISA is with regard to not disclosing your work.

[@celiabassols]

If I enter a contest and the award is a year away, what are my liabilities if I sell my script during that time?

[@NetworkISA]

Most screenplay competitions just require that the screenplay isn't already sold at the time you enter it, meaning you'd still be okay if a sale happens in between. Some contests ask that you let them know if this happens. These are the viewpoints of one member of the ISA, but I'll ask a couple other ISA staffers this question. Thanks for the comment! ~Scott

[@nancyweirum8930]

Hung on every word. Oh and btw I love discounts!

[@jamiesutliff8378]

Good advice Craig, I've completed 14 screenplays with 11 winners in 4 genres includes London Film Awards and other top competitions - I'm in the east very discouraged with contests and sites that ask for and prefer LA writers. I've skipped many contests, writers groups for this reason.

[@joshualarue1624]

Thats really disappointing. I'm veey sorry to hear this. I'm also an amateur filmmaker on the East Coast, Western Massachusetts more specifically. I think people like you and I, especially because of location, need to find like-minded people to help one another get their work into the hands of people who matter. Best of luck my friend.

[@NetworkISA]

Hi Jamie, I've not seen of contests that prefer LA writers unless it's specifically for TV writing. The location really doesn't matter as we've managed to help a lot of writers overseas. Actually we have a writer from the UK who signed a $250,000 option on a $40 million movie that is searching for a director as I type. So, it doesn't matter where you live. Maybe you just need to be seen by the right people. Have you posted on the ISA site? Please join ISAconnect and list your loglines, your awards and any success stories. Our team will see it and so will other Industry Pros that are interested in new writers and new projects. It's worth a shot and is only $10 a month. Although if you want a free contest entry, upgrade to ISAConnect Yearly through any contest page and the entry will be free. :) Maybe submit to the ISA Fast Track? If you become an ISA Fast Track Fellow, then you'll be invited onto the ISA Development Slate and that's another way for doors to fly open. All sorts of ways to get on our radar. :) Hope this helps.

[@MANZANOADRIAN]

i just moved to LA. its true

[@joshualarue1624]

Its now 8 months later...who is the writer\what is the film this writer got optioned for $250,000 & who is the actor turned director making it!?!

[@jesseprevost392]

Keep me posted on this project!

[@gregbonds]

Ever hear back on this?

[@andakara27]

It's been 3 years

[@film_magician]

So... pay to play?

[@gregbonds]

Is the discount still valid? I tried but said “invalid redeem code”. Let me know!

[@NetworkISA]

Gregory Bonds can you remind me which one? And what the code is? I’ll get it reactivated. 😀

[@CC-ed4ir]

This is nothing but an ad for ISA selling development evaluations. Nothing to do with how to get an agent or mgr. Lame.

[@davebar2017]

Any tips for getting a manager for a true life iconic American crime auto bio pic story / screen play They compete with fiction ?

[@deborahcox2411]

Plenty of mediocre writers get agents by socializing with the right people. You don't have to be amazingly talented to be successful - the history of the entire world contradicts you Craig James...so please, tell us all something more original than the bull we've all been taught since first grade...

[@NetworkISA]

Hey Deborah, I'm sorry that's how the world seems to work. Sure, there are plenty of mediocre writers who have reps because they know people or are in the right circles. But how does that help you? If you're not socializing with the right people, the other and I think significantly longer lasting approach, is to demonstrate you're well above mediocre writing. I think it's best to prove you have a unique voice and that your talent and passion for writing is why an agent or manager will reach out to you and sign you. Mediocre writers with uncles in the biz book work all the time. But, they come and go. I believe in building a reputation for being a writer who delivers great work, not average or forgettable work. To me, that's the better way of getting people's attention and then breaking in to an award winning career. :)

[@JC-wv2mn]

He actually gave really good advice. Don’t worry about mediocre writers unless that’s your goal