Hollywood Representation Directory

Patience and meticulousness required

Maximum Z agent, Batman, Hollywood Creative Directory, Hollywood Representation Directory, manager, Movie of the Moment, production company, query letter, research, screenwriting, writing
Obviously, a lot of effort went into creating this. See how it paid off?

You think writing a screenplay is hard? Well, it is. But that’s just the first step of the process.  Getting it out there is an even harder hill to climb.

I’ve got a what I consider to be pretty good query letter put together, but will utilize a little more professional feedback to give it that extra ‘oomph’. While consulting various forums, websites and the like, the general consensus is as follows: show the strength of your writing ability with a finely-crafted logline, a minimal amount of words about you and a maximum amount of professionalism.  This thing has to make somebody stop in their tracks and immediately think, “I HAVE to read this script!”

That’s the first part of what I’ve been working on.  The second part is proving to be quite the challenge: who to send this letter to.

I’m taking the scientific approach to this and doing my homework to find out who would be the most receptive to reading my script. Since it falls into the fantasy-adventure genre, I don’t want to look like an amateur and approach a place that does something completely different, such as horror or indie drama. It makes me look bad and wastes their time. Again – maximum amount of professionalism.

Digging through thousands of listings of agents, managers and production companies is proving to be the biggest hurdle. The last time I did this, I had the benefit of using the Hollywood Creative and Representation Directories, but I’m not sure if the publisher is still around. It may be time for another trip to the always-helpful public library and see if the latest editions are available.

Part of my brain is saying “Quit stalling and get moving! There’s no time to lose!” Then the rational part kicks in and says, “Would you rather get it done fast or professionally?”

I’ll take option number two.

Movie of the Moment – THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. I’ll write about this next time, but for now – not as good as THE DARK KNIGHT, but still pretty enjoyable.

How to REALLY get an agent

Maximum Z agent, Hollywood Representation Directory, manager, query letter, screenwriting, Writers Guild of America

Probably the most frequent question asked by screenwriters is “How do I get an agent?”

I’ll skip the usual advice like ‘have a bulletproof script.’  That goes without saying.

But one thing I keep hearing over and over again is contact the Writers Guild; they have a directory of agencies that accept unsolicited material.

Whoever tells you that hasn’t seen this directory in quite some time.

When I hear ‘directory,’ I think ‘phone book’.  This is a double-sided piece of paper.

I contacted each agency to find out their submission policy.  And then the fun began.

Some don’t accept unsolicited material anymore. Okay, that’s acceptable.

Some want you to send your query by fax.  Wouldn’t you expect an agent to use email?

Some places don’t represent writers.  WHAT?  Then why are they on the list in the first place?

Some of them want you to send your letter with a SASE, which is still okay (see email question above).  Of the 15 or so I sent out, I got 3 back.  Keep in mind agencies get literally hundreds, if not thousands of queries a week.  What, no interns to handle this sort of thing?  I also got 1 or 2 about 6 months after I sent the query. I’m guessing they were cleaning out the closets.

If the Writers Guild wants to be a good resource for writers trying to break in, they really need to get on the ball and maintain a solid database of agencies.  True, the list of those that accept unsolicited material is constantly shrinking, but they’re still out there.

If you think your script is really ready and you have a killer query letter, you’re much better off with the Hollywood Representation Directory.  You can get a hard copy or subscribe to it online.  Most big libraries should have it, so be prepared to work the copy machine.

My former writing group chipped in and we bought a recent edition on sale.  I went through the agent and manager sections with a highlighter, marking down who accepted unsolicited queries.

Of the 200-plus query emails I sent out, I got about 30 responses, including 10 asking to read the script.  Most of them passed, but one guy optioned it.  Nothing ever came of it, but it was closer than I’d ever gotten before, and once I have another script ready to go, I’ll do it all over again.

-Brief LUCY update:  Closing in on the midpoint, including finishing a much-needed action sequence.  Thrillsville, baby!