In case you’re worried that I’m shirking my Deliberate duties for too much film festival fun, I assure you that the business of the business is very much at the forefront of my mind. The past year and a half has been productive in terms of building relationships with potential investors and those who have been gracious enough to introduce me to potential investors. Soon it will be time to pull the trigger on seeing if the rest of the needed finances can be raised so that I can get BENEATH THE SURFACE into production. My strategy in June is to unleash my business plan to the moneyed masses with the hope of finding those executive producing angels who want to make quality movies with me. It’s showtime, as in “Show me the money!”
I'll be your Executive Producer!
I am also staying focused on my writerly business, too. It seems that May and June are the deadline months for a lot of major screenwriting contests and labs, including the Nicholl Fellowship, the Page International Screenwriting Awards, and the Sundance Screenwriters lab. So, I’ve been a busy bee getting my scripts submitted to all of the above. As I’m learning with the Screenplay Festival Honorable Mention, a little contest recognition can help open doors and generate some script reads; I figure I may as well enter every reputable competition out there. But the results of these submissions don’t emerge until July and August, so it’s another exercise in patience and anticipation.
And my search for representation continues. A few agents are currently reading my scripts, which is certainly a step in the right direction. As a “newbie” writer you’re not on their radar like their working/getting paid clients, yet you’re still on their clock. Agents and managers are incredibly busy people and it can take three or four+ weeks for them to read your staggering work of heartbreaking genius. All I can do is wait…and remain politely persistent.
"I'm ready when you are, Hollywood. GET WITH IT!"
Is the waiting frustrating? Of course. And the clock ticking for me is the one reminding me that my money runs out at the end of this year. So I’m trying to temper the occasional anxiety with focus and forward movement. Just call me a professional plate-spinner these days.
There is something I can dive into when I have to sit back and wait for these investors and contests and ten-percenters to respond. I can WRITE. That’s the one thing I still have control over. And there are always revisions and new script ideas that are waiting for my attention.
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