4 Ways To Find A Screenwriting Agent Or Manager - Erik Bork

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
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    In this Film Courage video interview, author/screenwriter Erik Bork on 4 ways to find a screenwriting agent or manager.
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ความคิดเห็น • 76

  • @Fireeater-rl4ep
    @Fireeater-rl4ep 4 ปีที่แล้ว +34

    "Your job is to write, not the business side." *breathes sigh of relief*

  • @bainst
    @bainst 4 ปีที่แล้ว +56

    "Don't find us, we'll find you" is definitely the general agent/manager attitude, and any suggestion that polishing your writing and submitting to festivals is only 10% of the work. The other 90%?
    30% - Meet rich people with passions but no idea of how to realize them into artistic expression. 68% - Become their friends. 2% - Convince them that your ideas will get them laid or get them a statue to put on their shelf at home. Yes, that adds up to 110%. That's what you've got to give. That's it, kids. Good luck!

    • @Kenistyless
      @Kenistyless 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ...also the original Hollywood dictum...Don't call us...we'll call you!!!

    • @gidleeorbit
      @gidleeorbit 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      your advice was better than his

    • @bainst
      @bainst 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@gidleeorbit Thank you.

    • @jayc5756
      @jayc5756 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@gidleeorbit FR

    • @dapperwolf6034
      @dapperwolf6034 ปีที่แล้ว

      I'm getting very frustrated cuz someone just named some goddamn hd's I can't look these up on Google on my own since most of them don't either exist or they put irrelevant information on how you should write your script or how to give it to someone

  • @isaacbarlow8247
    @isaacbarlow8247 4 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    Invest in yourself, be confident, KNOW your limitations....and write.

  • @BusterDarcy
    @BusterDarcy 4 ปีที่แล้ว +64

    He nailed it. Writing an amazing script is the hard part. Once you do that, getting an agent is easy. But you have to do the first part first.

    • @BusterDarcy
      @BusterDarcy 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Shawn Hennessy gonna go out on a limb and say you’ve never actually written a feature...

    • @BusterDarcy
      @BusterDarcy 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Shawn Hennessy wow dude your attitude stinks. Best of luck out there

    • @BusterDarcy
      @BusterDarcy 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Shawn Hennessy I’m sorry you feel that way. Keep on writing and best of luck

    • @jayc5756
      @jayc5756 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Lol. Thats not what he was trying to say though. You gotta read between the lines.
      Yes writing a great script is the 1st part. But you gotta keep doing it and doing it...and sending it out and connecting with ppl. And hopefully...hopefully you will meet a person or 2 that may notice you...then you can possibly get an agent.
      He was just saying don't just wait around trying to find an agent. That's the point he was making.

    • @jayc5756
      @jayc5756 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@gianthills SMH!
      Bro, who are you writing scripts for??
      Whatever you're doing it for...or whoever your doing it for...is what we're talking about.
      Unless you're just writing random scripts and doing nothing with it. Idk.

  • @Upploadz
    @Upploadz 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Wow, I've been watching Film Courage for awhile now, and I must admit that this was the most informative to securing representation.

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Great to see you continuing to find value here Thomas. We appreciate your support. Here is our playlist on finding an agent / manager - bit.ly/3dulEbs

  • @danbee998
    @danbee998 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    This aspect scares me the most. I read through books offering info on finding agents and managers, but it seems worse than landing a literary agent for a novel. I don't have Hollywood contacts. I just have to write every required document to pitch a concept as best I can, as well as the screenplay itself. I know one should have a minimum of 3 completed screenplays if an agent or manager is interested in you, so do those before seeking representation. I'd like to pick Erik's mind on this one, but that won't happen. Fantastic video regardless. Thank you!

    • @bainst
      @bainst 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You're correct. You want to be ready with as much as you can if someone takes an interest in your work. If they like the first one, they'll want to see what else you can do.

  • @belinhell
    @belinhell ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I keep referring to this video! He’s exactly right- I couldn’t get arrested and suddenly when I started winning awards everywhere lit agents and a wonderful new Director contacted me- it’s surreal considering how much I queried before!

    • @Ricobaca
      @Ricobaca ปีที่แล้ว +1

      What screenwriting competitions did you enter/win?

  • @flipaust239
    @flipaust239 หลายเดือนก่อน

    So helpful 🙏🙏

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  หลายเดือนก่อน

      Glad it was helpful!

  • @filmcourage
    @filmcourage  4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    What other advice do you have for writers looking for agents?

  • @incompletesentience
    @incompletesentience 4 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    This reminds me of how painters and photographers used to rely on galleries to find buyers. The internet has largely antiquated that process. I wonder how the internet can push writing agents to the back burner as well? In a sense, it’s starting to. But is there an Instagram for screenwriters?

    • @bainst
      @bainst 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      One or two WGA strikes away...

    • @BusterDarcy
      @BusterDarcy 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Problem is there are tens of thousands of screenplays written every year and reading one is a not-insignificant investment of time, so its not just a matter of making it easy to post a screenplay online. The people at the top still need someone they trust telling them this script is worth the effort of reading.

    • @incompletesentience
      @incompletesentience 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Darcy Fitzpatrick I don’t disagree but every producer who has an interview on this channel always says the same thing. “I get so many submissions I can’t read them all. If it doesn’t grab me by the first or second page, I’m onto the next one.” That sounds perfect for a screenwriters instagram to me. I have a page, people can subscribe to the page, read my 1st two pages, and vote with likes and follows. The writers with 59k followers are going to get the attention, perhaps even competitive attention, from producers looking for new material. No agent needed and WGA would govern the contract.
      No?

    • @BusterDarcy
      @BusterDarcy 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Source Code First two pages has to grab them, but the remaining 118 have to truly deliver. If what you end up with are a bunch of heavily optimized, attention grabbing first two pages followed by fluff, then the system quickly loses its reputation and the folks with any say stop using it.
      The first two pages can be a stopping block, but they want to know the entire screenplay is gold before even taking it under consideration to read those first two pages.

    • @BusterDarcy
      @BusterDarcy 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Source Code just write an undeniably great screenplay. There aren’t enough of those to go around so if you write one, the rest will follow.

  • @frankienayman3641
    @frankienayman3641 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This was just before Covid. And then the strikes happened. I’m at film school, and my writing teacher says all the agents are telling clients the slogan “Survive until 2025”, because apparently things aren’t expected to recover for quite sometime in terms of busyness

  • @jonathanmartin-ives8665
    @jonathanmartin-ives8665 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you for this. A couple of weeks ago I was kinda coerced into writing my very first script by an indie filmmaker. I volunteered to be his book mic guy, in return he said he will help make my movie. Since he now has an 'in' with Amazon, I jumped at the offer. The caveat however, was that I write a script and get it copyrighted 😖. I'm 25 pages into it, and it us actually a bit fun as I'm using my audiobook/ Kindle version to go by. I figure that whether or not he helps, I can shop it around and maybe get lucky in the screenplay lottery.🎬

    • @dapperwolf6034
      @dapperwolf6034 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Can you please give me names of agencies they're not easy to Google because every time I do a fucking article comes up on how but never who!

    • @jonathanmartin-ives8665
      @jonathanmartin-ives8665 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@dapperwolf6034 what agencies are you looking for? Either way, I think I should update you and everyone at large. I finished my script. Shortly after that, it was all set to get help from my indie film buddy..... who bailed on me. So..... in April of 2022 I cobbled together a crew and some actors to make a Roger Corman-esc indie movie myself. It is November at the time of this writing, and pretty much all shooting is done. A lot of editing is ahead, especially finding people to my greenscreening. Or.... since folks are famous for flaking on me, maybe I can learn myself. I wish you the best Dapper Wolf 🐺 . Actually I wish that you are able to make it yourself. It has been a pain, but very fulfilling.

  • @chris55529
    @chris55529 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Very helpful. Thank you!

  • @genepsullivan
    @genepsullivan หลายเดือนก่อน

    Do you have a list of Managers you recommend? Can you hire someone to pitch a script, or help you sell it? It's a true Story, About Evel Knievel's Body Guard.
    Gene could be famous for several things that have been written in a Hollywood movie. He was a motorcycle jumper, heavy weight boxer & more. Gene's father is the subject of THE ODD COUPLE movie. His real Father is Ernie Nevers. Who has fame in 3 Professional Sports. He invented the hook shot; Pitched to Babe Ruth; Saved the NFL & has the oldest 4 NFL records. Ernie was a first inductee to the NFL Hall of Fame. George Clooney made a movie; Leatherheads about him. Gene's GREATEST privilege is about the lives he has saved, even famous people. Just by an inspired thought that came into his head... instead of using his fists. His fists that were going to fight Ali, Joe Frazier, George Formen, and the heavy weights of His day, before Rocky Marciano died in a plane crash. He even had a thought come into his head when he invented the first Skido, and did a stunt in San Francisco. He sent the blue prints to Honda and Kawasaki with no patent. But that voice in his head said "undo your helmet strap", and it kept his head on his body to respond. The movie script starts with his famed WW2 Command Bomber Pilot mother, buzzing him and his brother in a Crop Dusting Plane, bombing them with toilet paper rolls. Gene was the longest touring motorcycle jumper in the world, flying a bike through flames of fire, when there were only 5 motorcycle stuntmen in the world. He's highly regarded in the stunt world. You can watch him speaking to a King, or doing Evel Kneivels Funeral on our channel. Thanks for your advice. Ceci

  • @toddb1208
    @toddb1208 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    So what if my first script is A list material then just gets stolen as im a noob? Tough shit suck it up?? Then i have to write 3 more that may never be in the same ball park???

    • @geoffhoutman1557
      @geoffhoutman1557 ปีที่แล้ว

      Copyright.gov

    • @BigDaddyJinx
      @BigDaddyJinx 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      That used to be a fear of mine as well, OP. My question to you is - how do you figure someone will "steal" your work? A savvy writer will register their completed (note I said completed, so "polished") work and then shop it around. Unsolicited to some studios and producers, or through screenwriting contests, or through making a very low budget version of 10-15 minutes of your work (a "short") and published to YT or similar. If someone "steals" your work, you have an existing copyright on it. That affords you an opportunity to sue for copyright infringement.
      One piece of advice though - when you do copyright your work, do NOT put the copyright notice/number/symbol anywhere on your script that you are shopping around. That spotlights you as a complete noob writer and no matter how good your work might be, most all will pass immediately just seeing that. They all know that your work should already be under copyright so there's no need to announce it.
      Like I said, I used to be afraid of that very thing too, but I realized that once it's under copyright protection, it's safe to go to market with it. Depending on where you are in the world, the fees differ, but the general average seems to be around $50 USD per registered work. You can also register with an office in your country, or through something like the WGA branches. Either works. Friendly advice - do NOT put it anywhere on your script. Remember that. Good luck.
      Oh, I almost forgot to touch on your last part - that is also a fear that many new or aspiring writers have. The feeling that they may have written an A grade work that will get noticed, but then follow that up with a lifetime of B and C grade fare that will never get noticed. It's a risk we all take as writers. Knowing that the ONE work we get traction with might very well be the ONLY work that we ever do that gets traction, regardless of how many other works we do. It's called lightning in a bottle. All writers have that same fear. Don't let it stop you. Personally, I'd rather have one A grade work that gets traction and possibly produced, and then no more after that despite my best efforts as opposed to never getting that one A grade work out there. To me, one is better than none. If I only ever had one picked up and produced, I call that a win. Some people will never even get that one after decades of trying.

  • @alexbradley5835
    @alexbradley5835 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for this video been waiting for it :)

  • @TheKeithvidz
    @TheKeithvidz 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    i queried two SPs from abroad to US SP managers - but after a hiatus plan to return to penning them and hit paydirt this time.

  •  4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    awesome content

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks for the comment

    • @Andrea-nom
      @Andrea-nom 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They are an info thief. Trap Drip is an content thief

  • @1999studios
    @1999studios 10 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Does anyone have access to that list? The signup link on his site no longer links to it

  • @VictorKati-yu8wo
    @VictorKati-yu8wo 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I've been Looking for an agent or producer to read my script but it's real hard but I'm still trying

  • @lmnop7098
    @lmnop7098 4 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    Just become a writer director and make your own indie films. Why depend on a gatekeeper. Equipment is cheap. Locations are cheap. Get out and film.

    • @ConstantinGMWeber
      @ConstantinGMWeber 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Exactly! Otherwise you end up trying to write something someone else might want to read. Good luck become the unhappiest person ever... Don't know why people keep spreading that kind of advice. It's exactly why the movie industry is becoming the most boring place to be.

    • @Kenistyless
      @Kenistyless 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      As Oliver Stone pointed out in Wall Street..."it's all about bucks,the rest is just conversation "

    • @Ricobaca
      @Ricobaca ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Put it on TH-cam, let them find it and contact you for remake.

  • @BullsEye4444
    @BullsEye4444 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    So you need to gamble? Pay to play?

  • @dnshet5998
    @dnshet5998 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    So his coveted manager list comes with a price tag. Is there any resource in this industry that doesn't need you to pay for it?

  • @braindamage38
    @braindamage38 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Saved the video for reference. Great stuff!

  • @Lafftacomedy
    @Lafftacomedy 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    As a script writer, can i worked under a high profile script writer before i can start to work on my own

  • @kykypenn
    @kykypenn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Yah sorry this ain’t that helpful

  • @ve4mm
    @ve4mm 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    smart guy

  • @stanrawlinson843
    @stanrawlinson843 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    ,I haven't got no family in movies I have got good ideas for films I like to write a film and sell and take the money

  • @maxtastrophe
    @maxtastrophe 3 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    This is basically nine minutes of someone trying desperately to convince unconnected writers not to bother trying to gain representation.

    • @gidleeorbit
      @gidleeorbit 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Sheesh

    • @toddb1208
      @toddb1208 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thats what i felt he seems like a douche

    • @jayc5756
      @jayc5756 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      LOL. You funny.
      But to clarify. He's basically saying what I always said and thought. You can't come to them. They will come to you.
      So basically, just keep doing your thing...and hope you tell enough people about your product...and hopefully it goes into the right hands 1 day...so they can say hey you over there. I like this...Come Over Here. Thats it in a nutshell.

  • @Ricobaca
    @Ricobaca ปีที่แล้ว +1

    😴
    😪

  • @Andrea-nom
    @Andrea-nom 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Trap Drip is a content thief! Be careful Film Courage! Your content may be stolen!