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Showing posts with label Hollywood connections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hollywood connections. Show all posts

Monday, August 25, 2014

Who do you know?

Ready to embark on your screenwriting dream? Dream of writing movies in Hollywood? The main challenge is who you do know. It really is. Who you know can determine who reads your screenplay. The right eyes must be fixated on your great screenwriting to get you noticed, get you optioned, get your name in front of film executives. Want to write and submit the next script to make you famous?

Who do you know in Hollywood? Is there one person that can pass your screenplay to an important person? Know any person working as a script reader? A film student classmate who is currently working in Hollywood? A script supervisor? Anyone? Who do you know?

If you don't know anyone in Hollywood, you need to get out there and meet people. Good screenwriting won't find you success without creating some type of exposure. Write for new media to generate buzz. Write for students who can shoot a short film.  Better yet, go to celebrity hotspots.

Screenwriting instructors will tell you to write a creative script. They show you the tricks of the trade to equip you on your journey into stardom. The truth is that screenwriters are not household names. They really aren't the typical people we discuss while having breakfast or speaking about who we want to meet.

I, for one, would like to meet a UCSB alumni, the UC I graduated from in 2007. This UCSB alumni, Jeff Nathanson, is a highly established Hollwood screenwriter that Steven Spielberg has worked with on a few projects. He is also the credited screenwriter behind the Rush Hour movies. This guy knows how to write commercial movies. His movies have done well in the movie box office. We can argue that a few of his past movies are duds, but who hasn't made a box office flop?

Box office flops are movies that underperformed; they didn't catch on commercially and actually took a production upside down to lose big money. It is possible that major box office flops may result in terminations, where top executives and entire departments get the ax. Film studios can't afford to keep making movies that lose money, so someone of importance must provide answers to explain this poor showing.

Who do you know in Hollywood? Is your neighbor a Hollywood director? Hollywood executive? Script reader? There has to be someone you know in the movie biz? If you don't live in Hollywood, or anywhere in the 30 mile zone, you better get moving soon. There is a low probability a screenwriter will make it big without taking the dive into Los Angeles. LA is where movies are at. This is where new screenwriters must live in order to establish their writing careers.

Ask yourself today, right now, right at this moment, "Who do I know in Hollywood?" If you know no one, you get you find a way to answer this question in the next month with, "I know this person who works at _____?" Get out there and meet people. Screenwriters and TV writers don't always sit in dark caves and write a storm of words. They know how to connect with the right people. These are the important people listen to in the industry. They have a track record for success.

Make your tracks count. Make your mark today. Make it happen at this very second. Screenwriting is your dream. It is not hard to write movies. Believe in your dream. Don't listen to no person. Criticism comes at a price; people empower their jealousy through making you feel insecure. You lived your stories. Just plot and organize them to create dramatic movies, scary movies, funny movies, intense movies, amazing movies, award winning movies and memorable movies. You control the future.

Who do you know? Who do you need to know? Who do you want to know? Who do you want to become?  Make your screenwriting dream happen today. No waiting, period. The longer you wait, the less opportunities there are available to you. Don't keep telling people you are a screenwriter. Instead, let your writing do the talking in those brilliant, amazing screenplays you have stored in your computer. What are your Hollywood connections? Who do you know?

Good luck. Make screenwriting prosperous.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Screenwriting Connections: Meeting Screenwriting Connections




Dec 2010

Want to find the right person to jump-start your screenwriting career? Today I made contact a writing connection that could improve my screenwriting goal. I never expected to meet a writing connection at a Las Salsa Mexican restaurant. Never underestimate the advantage of making screenwriting connections at restaurants. You never know when you will make the right screenwriting connection to land your first screenwriting job. 
  
When I first walked up to the restaurant door, a lady asked me if I wanted a soda she had purchased earlier. She claimed that she didn't drink out of the soda. A straw wrapper covered the straw tip. I declined on the drink because I had a lip injury resulting from a toothbrush, making soda and energy drinks painful to handle. I limited carbonated drinks for nearly a week. 

After entering the restaurant, I ordered a bowl of chicken tortilla soup and a small chicken taco. I exited the restaurant, and approached the lady who offered me the soda. I thanked her for offering the soda drink. She said that I could change the drink for juice, tea or any other drink at the beverage station. I accepted the drink out of her kindness. I emptied the Coke, and then filled the cup with Horchata.

While I walked away from the restaurant, the lady told me that she hoped my lip got better. I paused in my tracks, telling her that I was fatigued from writing and doing college school work. We discussed writing and college studies. 

The lady's friend heard me mention screenwriting and television writing She immediately asked me what studio I preferred to work at. I mentioned Disney, Universal Studios, and a few other movie studios. She told me that she could help me get into one of those movie studios as a screenwriter. I thought about the importance of the moment, especially since I missed out on many opportunities to previously land a movie writing job. 

I made a crucial mistake in January 2009 to leave my business cards at home. In result, I lost out on the best chance to make an excellent Hollywood screenwriting connection. The Laverne and Shirley actress Cindy Williams requested my business card while dining at Encino's Tony Romas restaurant. I left my business cards at home because I planned to send them to my younger brother to hand out to potential writing clients. I never located another screenwriting connection again.  

At the La Salsa restaurant, the two ladies and I discussed my screenwriting dream. The first lady asked me what kind of screenplays I enjoyed writing most. Essentially, the discussion helped me to land a good screenwriting connection. I shared with the lady my long-term struggles to secure film employment. 

The second lady informed me that making it as a screenwriter was near impossible because most script readers are selective on the screenplays to accept and to reject. The best way to land a good Hollywood writing job is to make reliable connections. The movie and television industry are very competitive.  

In retrospect, I accidentally bumped into two ladies at a local restaurant. Since I'm usually friendly, I enjoyed having a good conversation about my screenwriting dream. One lady gave me her business card to visit her office. She promised to help me make my screenwriting dream a reality. You never know when you'll find that perfect moment that will open doors to your dreams. I never thought I would meet a potential writing connection. I visited a nearby La Salsa Mexican restaurant to purchase a late lunch. 

The best advice I can give you is to always carry business cards with you. Try to at least have one business card per skill (i.e. graphic designs, writing, web designer, and etc). Therefore, potential connections will remember your main skill to refer you to the right people. Two years had passed since my last film connection lead slipped away. I ruined the best opportunity to land a Hollywood writing job. We all learn from our mistakes, which can help us to better prepare the next time around.