When I first moved to Hollywood, I was told by many people that it’s impossible to get your scripts seen by the right people, unless you have connections in the industry. They always suggested entering contests or pursuing an agent or manager. However, as I’m sure many writers know, contests are expensive, and agents or managers usually don’t want to talk to you unless you’re already “somebody” in the industry. Therefore, what I did, and what I recommend to anyone without connections, is to send your scripts out yourself.
Now, admittedly, it’s practically impossible to get your scripts to the big studios without an agent or manager submitting it for you. That’s why for a newbie without connections it’s best to the independent route — that is, submit your script to several of the many “independent producers” that populate Hollywood. And the best source for a list of legitimate indie producers in Hollywood (and elsewhere) is the Hollywood Creative Directory.
The HCD is book that lists contact information for studios and networks, film and tv execs, and most importantly, Independent producers. Though it’s an expensive book, about 70 dollars, I think it’s a good investment. Not only does it usually list the production company’s name, phone number, address. and email address (if they have one) it also tells you what “type” of product they produce, ie. features, direct-to-video, TV series, documentaries, etc. As well, it gives you a list of each company’s submission policy and their credits as well as the movies they have in production, pre-production and development. This list is very useful, as, often, just by the title alone, you can get an idea of what genre of movie they produce. For example, if I want to sell a horror script, I just search through the entries looking for titles with “dead”, “ghost” or “blood” in the titles. And if I have any question as to whether that title really is a horror film, I’ll either go to the company’s website, or look on the IMDB (internet movie database) to find out more info.
Then once I’m sure this company does actually produce horror films, I’ll give them a call. Usually I’ll just ask whoever picks up the phone, whether I can send them a horror script, and they will usually they know their company’s policy on accepting unsolicited submissions. Sometimes though, they’ll connect you to their “Director of Development”, who will want to know more about your project. It’s therefore a very good idea to have a short “pitch” ready for them. Usually, I just start with a “logline”, a one sentence description of my project. Then, if they want to hear more, I’ll give them the pitch, a short description of why my script is about. If they’re interested, they’ll tell you to send it on, and if not, may say that that’s not to the sort of thing they’re looking for –at which point it’s a good idea to ask what specifically they are looking for. Because, let’s say, they’ve done horror to death and now want to produce a romantic comedy. If you know this, you could then quickly pitch them that romantic comedy you have in your desk drawer. It never hurts to try.
If they do agree to read your script, I’d always give them at least two weeks to a month, to hear back. Then I’d make a follow-up call. Just ask whether they’ve gotten a chance to read your scipt. Often, they won’t know whether it’s even been read, and they say they’ll get back to you. In that case, I wait another few weeks, then call again. Usually by that point they’ll know, but if not, I’d try again, a few weeks later.
The important thing to remember is that you want to get your script out to as many people as possible. This doesn’t mean sending it to one or two companies, but more like 50 to 100. In fact, a successful writer friend of mine told me that for every project he’s gotten into production, it took him at least 100 phone calls, submissions, etc., to various companies. The important thing to remember is to just send it. Your script doesn’t do you any good sitting under your bed.
