marketing

Bye-bye, blue birdie

Maximum Z community, marketing, perseverance, persistence, screenplay, screenwriting, script, Twitter , , , , , , ,

After 15+ years of existence, my Twitter account of @maximum_z is no more.

I got hacked. Somebody got in, took over, and booted me out.

A few days later, I got an email saying the account was suspended for “violating our rules against inauthentic accounts.”

Despite my efforts to fix it, Elon’s minions opted to deny any and all attempts.

And that was that.

I’d posted the news on other platforms, and was met with a lot of “Trust me. It’s for the best” and “I left a while ago. No regrets.” I imagine that’s how I’ll eventually feel about it, but for now, it’s still a period of adjustment.

A majority of the screenwriters and the screenwriting-adjacent I know were people I’d met/discovered on Twitter, so it’s a shame that those connections are no more. Especially since many had already voluntarily left – either to other platforms or off social media altogether.

It’ll be very strange not seeing updates from people I’ve known for such a long time – most virtually, with the occasional real-life encounter.

My account was also a strong marketing tool. It was great for announcing news of any sort, including progress on scripts, touting contest victories (and the occasional defeat), being part of self-promoting opportunities like ScreenPit, boosting the work of other writers, updates about my short film (coming soon!), and spreading the word about the Maximum Z Script Showcase.

Even with the loss of @maximum_z, this blog will endure and I’m still on other platforms, so feel free to connect with me on those – if you haven’t already.

Blue Sky – @pezscreenwriting

Instagram – @pezscreenwriting

There’s still the option of trying to re-establish the cancelled account, but that just seems like more trouble than it’s worth. Same goes for attempting to set up a new one.

It was fun while it lasted. Moving on and getting back to working on scripts.

From the archives: A support staff of one

Maximum Z community, determination, marketing, multitasking, patience, perseverance, persistence, professionalism, relationships, representation, screenplay, screenwriting, script, social media, time management, Twitter, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
At least you’re a shoo-in for Employee of the Month

Been busier than expected the past few weeks with a lot of things related to my scripts: learning how to put a pitch deck together, commissioning concept art, and getting the ball rolling on the crowdfunding campaign for the short film.

Although exhausting (and admittedly eating into my time to actually write), it’s all necessary to help move things along. It also reminded me of the sentiment expressed in this post from May 2016.

Enjoy.

When it all comes down to it, you know who’s going to do the most to help you and your career?

That’s right. You. Nobody else.

Sure, there will be others who might be able to give you a helping hand now and then, but the responsibility of getting stuff done falls squarely on your shoulders.

This goes beyond just writing and honing your craft. You need to build up your network. Establish connections. Get to know people. Chances are a majority of these will be online and via social media.

Seeking representation or someone who might be receptive to your script? Do your research. Find out who’s looking for what. (And for crying out loud, DO NOT take the “Does somebody have a list I could use?” route.)

“But I’ve got no time to do all that!” you might protest.

Of course you do.

The key element here is time management. You already set aside time to write, don’t you? Well, you have to do the same for everything else. If you can devote part of your day to work on your script, then there’s no reason you can’t dedicate a few minutes to focus on your career.

A surefire way to give yourself more time – stay away from casual websurfing, or at least ration it. So much online material is nothing but a big time-sucking rabbit hole. “Just five more minutes” can easily turn into “Where’d that hour go?” Funny videos are all well and good, but probably won’t do much to help you get your career going.

On Twitter? Connect with 5 people a day. Interact with them. Ask about their projects. Make it about them, not you. If they ask about you and yours, keep it simple. Don’t overwhelm them with details.

Part of some online community forums? Take part. Ask questions. Start discussions. Get to know the other members. A lot of these folks will probably have more experience than you, so learn as much as you can. Very important – don’t be a troll.

Is there a professional writer out there whose work you admire? Send them a note saying just that. DO NOT ask for any favors right out of the gate. Establish a relationship. You’ll eventually know if they’re open to helping you. Sometimes they might even offer it without you asking. It happens.

All of these are going to take time to not only accomplish, but also to develop. Be patient. It will take time. You wouldn’t rush through getting your script done, so apply that same logic to developing and advancing your career.

It’s all on you, so make the most of it.

One week to go

Maximum Z community, contests, genre, logline, marketing, screenplay, screenwriting, script, social media, spec, television, title, writing , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Submissions continue to come in for the upcoming Maximum Z Winter ’23 Script Showcase, which goes live on Friday 22 December. The cutoff for sending in is Thursday 21 December, so there’s still time to add your screenplay or TV script into the mix.

If you’ve been trying to think of a way to spread the word about your script, then look no further. Once the post is up, I’ll post a link to it on several of my social media platforms, and hope you’ll do the same.

All this free marketing and publicity, with an emphasis on the “free” part.

Here’s how it works:

Email the following info here with the subject line “Maximum Z Winter ’23 Script Showcase”

-Film or TV?

-Title

-Author(s)

-Genre(s)

-Logline

-Awards (if applicable) – limit of 5

-your email

And that’s it. No more, and definitely no less.

A few important things to remember before sending:

-DO NOT SEND THE SCRIPT! If somebody is interested in reading it, that’s why your email is included.

-ONLY ONE SCRIPT PER PERSON

-MAKE SURE YOUR LOGLINE IS ACTUALLY A LOGLINE. A few writers have sent in synopses and taglines, which are most definitely NOT loglines.

-PROOFREAD YOUR INFO! Is everything spelled correctly? Is all the info there that needs to be there? I will post what you send as is – no editing on my part, so make sure it reads the way you want it to.

The inbox remains open for just a few more days. The cutoff date of Thursday 21 December will be here before you know it, so don’t delay and send today.

Our crack staff of editors is standing by.

Is it different for animation?

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It was suggested that I come up with a pitch deck for my animated fantasy-comedy, or at least some character designs and concept art – and maybe a title page.

I’ve never been big on pitch decks. I figure if somebody’s interested enough in the script AND willing to shell out the moolah for it, then it’s out of my hands and they can come up with whatever looks they want. It’s not like they’re going to care about what I envisioned.

But dealing with a story that’s meant to be animated is something entirely different. You want to present at least a general idea of what the characters look like. If you’re trying to skew younger, they’d probably look more cartoon-y or Pixar-ish. If you’re going for a wider audience, they have to look like you weren’t seeing this as primarily a way to sell toys and Happy Meals.

I can honestly say these are things I hadn’t thought about while I was writing it. But since marketing is one of those screenwriting topics that doesn’t get mentioned as often as it should, it’s something requiring my attention.

Especially now.

As for the contents of the pitch deck, that was also me starting with a blank slate. What to include? And not include? How much of the story do I describe? How many pages should it be?

Fortunately, several trusted colleagues offered to send me their pitch decks as points of reference – an offer I eagerly accepted. A majority were for television pilots, which is very different from one for a feature. Some were for animation, so it was at least a start.

Like I mentioned before, my pitch deck would need to include character designs. My drawing skills are lousy, so doing it myself was not an option from the get-go. I need an artist. Thus I made my way to Fiverr and deviantart.com to check out artists whose styles match the vibe I’m going for. Several have been found, so initial contacts are underway.

Unlike some folks in the entertainment industry, I’m a firm believer in paying a creator what they deserve to be paid, but I also need to keep a close eye on how much I have available. No idea what the end cost will be, but hoping it’s not too pricey.

Like with a lot of projects in the early, early development stage, it’s all a lot of info to process, so there’s a general feeling of being overwhelmed. But also like those projects, it just requires dealing with it all a little at a time. It might not get done quickly, but this isn’t something to rush through. It’ll take as long as it takes to get it to be as effective as I can make it.

Wish me luck.

Shine a spotlight on your script

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Got a screenplay or TV script you want the rest of the screenwriting community to know about? Well, here’s your chance to put it front and center.

It once again gives me great pleasure to officially announce that The Maximum Z Winter ’22 Script Showcase will post on Friday, December 2nd. That means you have between now and Thursday, December 1st to submit. Details listed below.

It’s my little way of giving a helping hand to any writer who’d like to give their script a little publicity boost, absolutely free of charge. And once the Showcase posts and you see a script that you’d like to read, then by all means drop the writer a line and ask. I bet they’d be thrilled to send it your way.

Once the post is up, I’ll post a link to it on my various social media platforms, and highly encourage you to do the same if you want to get more eyes on your listing.

Here’s how it all works:

Email the following info here with the subject line “Maximum Z Winter ’22 Script Showcase’:

-Film or TV?

-Title

-Author(s)

-Genre(s)

-Logline

-Awards (if applicable) – 5 at the most

-your email

And that’s it.

Two VERY important details to keep in mind:

-DO NOT SEND THE SCRIPT!!

Just the info above. Nothing else.

-and-

Only one script per person.

New scripts are highly encouraged, but submissions from past Showcases are also welcome.

Again – send it in between now and Thursday, December 1st.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – proofread the email before sending it. There’ve been more than a few typos over the years, so make sure everything reads the way it’s supposed to.

Looking forward to seeing what you’ve got, so don’t delay and send it today!