A million years ago I dated an actor. A working actor. I.e., the sort who paid rent by pretending to be someone else. Lots of someone elses. Some of whom I’m sure you’ve met along your cinematic journey. Anyway, this actor used to drag me to the movie theater seven… read more →
Here is a simple truth about building your screenwriting career: If you’ve never gotten your screenplay rejected, you’re not doing nearly enough to get your screenplay out there. As a screenwriter trying to go from aspirant to professional, your single most important job is getting your screenplay read by industry… read more →
What is the deal? If you’re over 35, are you as good as dead? Do you really absolutely have to pick a genre? And is the spec market really dead? There are some rumors that seem to have become truths out there, while other realities have been written about again… read more →
A prominent literary manager recently told me that he still reads queries. If they don’t come in late at night, in which case he rarely bothers. Or when he’s driving. Or early in the morning. Or when he’s at lunch. But when he’s at his desk, and not too busy…… read more →
Many years ago, shortly after I took over ScriptShark, I came across a script whose writers swore to me was going to be the next big Hollywood hit. The problem? The screenplay was written – as the scribes proudly told me – for what they called the Paul Newman generation.… read more →
There are writers out there who HATE career advice. Don’t ask me why, but they do. I don’t mean all writers, but more than one have come out and proclaimed before me and anyone else who would listen, that advice, input and guidance can only be destructive: I don’t see movies… read more →
With pilots due to be delivered in the next month and May Upfronts to be announced shortly thereafter, I am getting the same question from almost everyone I come across: How do I get staffed on a TV show? With the fall season looming, it’s natural to assume that many… read more →
Writers, take notice: Time is NOT your friend. It’s NOT waiting by patiently. It’s not forgiving, in any way, to writers. Time is, in the best and worse ways, your enemy. A good adversary should keep you on your toes. Should inspire you to stay alert. To stay on point.… read more →
The industry changed so aggressively over the past five years. Some attribute it to the writer’s strike of 2008. The strike in which the writers won the battle, but lost the war in many ways. A recent Vanity Fair article pointed out this moment as the time when Hollywood stopped… read more →
Back in the day television used to be the place where screenwriters went to die. With such series as Breaking Bad, Lost and The Sopranos, the new age of television has brought with it fertile creative ground, which we see explored every day in shows like True Detectives and House of… read more →
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