The other night I had the good fortune of taking on the role of fly on the wall as one of my absolute favorite industry readers Rob Ripley (www.http://thirdactscreenplays.squarespace.com/) got together with a group of talented screenwriters to talk material from a reader’s point of view. For those of you… read more →
Before I even get started, let me apologize. This is not going to be one of those blog posts that fall under one of those very vanilla categories one could classify as “nice.” It is not a feel-good sort of entry. It might not even be the sort of thing… read more →
Every business sector, every unique industry, comes complete with its own set of rules, its own specific edict of etiquette. Nowhere is this more true than it is in the entertainment industry. The more I talk to friends and family working in finance, in law, in medicine, in academia, the… 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 →
I first met writer/director TJ Mino a few years ago in a Seattle seminar I was teaching about the business of screenwriting. Two years and an award-winning short film later, TJ packed up his stuff, and, without any real friends or connections, made the move to Los Angeles. Shortly after… read more →
Readers of my blog first became familiar with Marissa Jo Cerar in January 2013, after her spec screenplayConversion was named to 2012’s The Black List. Following her placement, Marissa was generous enough to do an interview with me, sharing with my readers the insights, experiences and lessons that had brought her to that… 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 →
One of the best things you can be doing for yourself as a writer is read other screenplays getting traction and getting produced in the industry marketplace. As your screenplay emerges into the space, it will inevitably be compared to other successful works out there. What better way to prepare… read more →
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