The Rising Gates of Hollywood

So you know I won a small contest a couple of years ago. And you know that contest did nothing to advance my screenwriting career. You also know I placed in the Quarters of the Nicholl Fellowships and that simply placing got me many reads.

What you don't know is that it got me hooked up with a small-time indy producer. He loved the script and we really hit it off. Great guy, great spirit. We agreed on what's called a Shopping Agreement. He's allowed to shop the script around for a period of time in hopes of setting the project up at a studio. In the meantime, I can still pitch the project and query producers on my own. It's not a bad deal, but it's not great either.

No money came from it. But that's typical for an unknown writer. It's illogical to expect a producer to take a shot in the dark on a writer that's essentially unproven.

Anyway, the producer and I have talked regularly for about a year now and we've come close to sealing a deal with a couple of companies that I won't name here. In fact, the script is being read at a major studio right now. But to be honest, I'm not getting my hopes up.

Getting read is just that. They'll read it. And most likely, they'll pass on it. Especially in today's Hollywood climate, you're looking at a greater uphill battle than ever before. The gates of Hollywood are steadily rising and it's getting damn hard to continuously try to climb over them. Even with a producer who has an "in," it's still lottery odds against you hitting that jackpot.

So what else can I do but write? Once you've completed that spec, even if it's out in the world gaining momentum, you've got to just... let it go. Your job is to write. Not to haggle with studios. Or to wait by the phone in hopes that you'll get that life-changing call. That'll get you nowhere fast. You're a writer. Leave that last spec behind you and move on to the next. Before you know it, you'll have two more specs under your belt that are even better than that contest-winning script. Then you'll brew a cup of coffee, maybe sit back to enjoy the view from your balcony, maybe take a rewarding walk with your dog. And then one afternoon when you least expect it, you'll get that call.

"We liked your script..."

"But we didn't love it."

Oh well.

Just keep writing.