ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

2 years, 9 months ago - Philip Nash

It’s a great question! I have a documentary in post production that needs a home. It’s self-funded, but I have no contacts in the distribution world. How do you get an agent?

2 years, 9 months ago - davina brown

Do some research, find companies that have made projects in your genre and then follow the execs on twitter and try and pitch to them when the opportunity arises.

2 years, 8 months ago - Will Schmahl

Hi Jason- I'm a founder of a startup contentplace.co which is launching before the holidays a platform called Untold Stories for this very purpose. We hope to provide ability of IP of content to be funded, licensed or purchased at early stages of development so Creators can cash in on being part of dev making it into one of Netflix/ Amazon/Apple etc etc own Original Stories. We've been working with so e UK Advisors around this. Will post once it's launch as we are collecting Creator feedback and if you have any needs we want to hear about them please!

2 years, 8 months ago - Bob Eckhard

Hi Jason,
A year or so ago, Netfiix with Impact (Ron Howard's production company) ran a one year opportunity where they would set a task for writers to submit a script and write/30 sec video pitch a treatment in the same genre within the month. Researching what Netflix seemed to be looking for imho was a risk averse, ready made project package which has a big named writer/actor/filmmaker and company attached. That said, among the great pieces that they developed are a few howlers but my advice would be a big name gives you a fighting chance if they like your project.

2 years, 8 months ago - Vasco de Sousa

If I were one of them, I would require an agent, and here is why. The sheer volume of wannabe writers who have never written a script and just have an idea would be overwhelming. Even when they limit themselves to completed spec scripts from writers with agents who wrote good query letters, mid sized production companies can go through five thousand to fifteen thousand submissions a year.
This is worse for English language productions, as people are more sensitive of their lack of English skills than they are with some other languages.
When I had a small production company, some of my friends and connections had scripts and novels that I didn't really want to have anything to do with. Or they would push forward third-party scripts that they didn't even read themselves. If I had to do it again, the agent rule would have saved us all a lot of time and emotional energy.
That said, I might make exceptions if I happened to like a book or short story I saw published somewhere: I was considering one script I saw pitched because it was such a compelling premise (even though it sounded super-expensive). I occasionally buy a novel from a self-published writer if the book seems unique.

Even when you find a great unrepresented script, however, the next step is communicating with (and negotiating with) a writer. As strange as it sounds, writers are not always good at interpersonal communication.
It is not like going to the store to buy apples, whether the fruit or the mac book. I think it is easier for artists to have a dispassionate middle man who is just in it for the ten percent.
As a writer, I would also rather go through an agent. Even if the agent didn't get me any more money, just having someone deal with the business side of things would be worth it.