Screenwriters World Conference = Best Thing Ever

In a word: awesome. This was completely worth the time and the money, and I strongly recommend anyone with an interest in screenwriting do something like this ASAP.

The day started with the pitch fest. Of course, there was a snowstorm, so a few execs were late or had to cancel, but the turnout was still good. The way it was set up was that each company (management companies, production companies, and agencies) had a line in the main room. You waited in line for who you wanted to see. When you got into the meeting room, you had 90 seconds to pitch your script idea, and then they had three and a half minutes to respond. Then, it was back to the waiting room.

The pitch fest part of the day was four hours long and, given the lines, people were lucky if they averaged one meeting per hour. Some companies, particularly Pearl Street Productions, had super-long lines, so if you waited for them, chances were you only had two or three meetings within the four hours.

I was thrilled to fit in four meetings: two production companies (World Film Services and Gigantic Pictures) and two management companies (WV Management and One Entertainment). I started with the production companies, then figured it was a smarter bet to go for management companies, since with them, I could build a long-term relationship, rather than just hope to have one script picked up. My meetings went very well: out of four, three of them asked to read my scripts, which, given what I heard from other writers, was very promising. (The fourth company, a production company, took my one-sheet and said they’d be in touch if they were interested in reading the first ten pages.) In addition to the thrill of being in front of executives with my writing, it was also good to get feedback on my pitching, since I really had no idea what to expect. Overall, the feedback was good, and I’ll do another post soon that goes into more depth on how to pitch.

One thing I was incredibly grateful for was that I had prepared to pitch more than one script. Originally, I had only planned to pitch the horror script that I wrote last spring. At the last minute, though, I also brushed up on my pitch for a dramatic script I wrote a few years ago. Thank God I did, because WAY more companies were interested in drama than horror, even if they claimed to be interested in all genres. That surprised me, given that horror is way more commercial. Two companies didn’t want to hear about horror at all, but they both took copies of my dramatic script. Only one company was excited about the horror, and stressed that it would be seriously considered.

In the afternoon, there were seminars and panel discussions. I learned the difference between agents and managers (there’s a lot more hand-holding with managers, who help get your scripts, queries, treatments, and pitches into ideal shape, in addition to helping get the material placed, vs. agents, who really just go straight for the deal and don’t have as much of a personal relationship with their clients). I was also happy to hear that, in this digital age, all writers should put together websites to upload short films that they scripted – which is what I’m working on with my filmmaking class! Finally, I picked up other valuable info on getting work as a writer, made connections with other writers, and feel greatly encouraged to take the big step of actually going out to L.A. for the Great American Pitchfest, which offers some incredible opportunities.

All in all, money well spent, and I strongly recommend this to all screenwriters!