GET THEIR BIO BEFORE GIVING YOUR’S

Before contacting anyone in your effort to break into the Movie Biz, let the voice intelligent reason, if not the voice of a bitchy, concerned woman resonate in your minds ear: “Who the hell are you calling now?”

So, you have someone on the phone; maybe you’ve contacted them by email, whatever. Before they’ll give you the time of day they want to know your Bio; want to know who you are and what you’ve done; fine. But do you have any fuck’n idea who they are? The fact that they have an office on Wilshire Boulevard simply means they can afford the rent, it doesn’t prove that they make their money in a legitimate business.

In this offering I’m addressing 2 case hardened facts. If they’re not yet known to you, please take what I’m sharing here deep to heart.

That I could find, no Survey has ever been conducted to determine just exactly how many people in our Country are trying to break into the Film Business at any given moment in time. Certain people give up, and probably should; others start up to replace them that probably never should have. Maybe you’re not one of those Pipe-Dreaming Loser’s, but the fact remains, there are a lot of No-Talent fuck’s out there mucking things up for the profoundly talented and humble Film Freaks like me, and hopefully you, who are working at getting their break in the business. Those talentless losers are, point of fact, the Jungle through which a profoundly talented and immensely humble man like myself has to chop his way through, just to get a fuck’n meeting.

As I have said and will say again, the Film Industry is more a who you know business than it is a what you know business. Metaphorically speaking, if trying to break into the business without connections is the Jungle, the No-Talents are the thick undergrowth in your way. That’s point one.

Point two: There are a lot of Snakes in the Jungle curled up and poised to strike at the heals (read: wallet) of the unsuspecting Wannabe Film Professional.



KNOW WHO YOU TALKING TO BEFORE YOU DO

Perhaps I should say, “If you can’t identify their credentials, don’t talk to them.” Perhaps you’ve discovered this already; but let it be said, the least effective way to locate the contact information for legitimate Agents and Producers is by doing an Internet search. You may very well find office numbers to a small handful of real Professionals. I did. But be assured of this, every Snake out there has a website.

As I have said in previous posts, Film Festivals stand apart as the best opportunity for people with no connections to the Industry to get next to people who can Shepard you into the business. Not only do famous Actors attend Film Festivals, but so do Agents, Producers, and Studio Executives who are always on the lookout for new talent. You may enjoy yourself by sitting in on the Film’s that are being shown, but that’s not going to put you next to the right people. What will, what is most important to our goals, is that we attend the Panels and After Parties where the Industry folks in attendance avail themselves to conversation with those like us. --- Interestingly, those who are impossible to get to during regular business hours prove to be immensely open and amicable to being approached at Film Festivals.

That said; Festivals only come around once a year. If you’re anywhere near as aggressive in your pursuit of a career in the business as I am, you’re going to be making efforts to get something cooking in the off season as well. And if you live far from the Hollywood and New York action, as I do, that means trying to get Agent’s and Producer’s on the phone, which is no small feat. Even if you can afford the cost of a Directory containing their business phone number, you will most likely not been afforded the opportunity to speak with the successful Agent or Producer without someone they know and respect introducing you to them. --- But, if you’re as tenacious as I am, and you have yet to make such connections, the following may be of some help.


DIRECTORIES

If you’re so inclined, and can afford the cost, here are the most valuable resources available that provide current contact information for Agents, Producers and other relevant Industry Professionals (the least expensive being IMDB Pro):

The Hollywood Creative Directory


Global Producer


IMDB Pro



But, gotta say, good luck in your effort. Having their phone number doesn't mean you'll be granted even a moment of their time. I'll say it again like a fuck'n mantra: It's a who you know business. If you don't know someone they know, they don't want to know you.


COME AGAIN - PLEASE

Let’s recap: At any given moment in time there are a lot of Wannabe’s out there trying to get a break in the business, the vast majority of which having no appreciable talent to speak of; and there are no small number of Con Artists out there willing to take money from the vast preponderance of desperate individuals trying to do so.

Before you contact anyone, you can save yourself a lot of brief by first doing your homework to uncover just who these people really are. With regards to Agents, that’s considerably more difficult to accomplish than it is with regards Producers.

<> Contacting An Agent
As shared in a previous post, I’ve attempted to contact in the order of 100 Agency’s. Only one was courteous enough to give me the time of day; yet the result was the same: “No Unsolicited Materials Accepted.” I have to tell you that, being the aggressive guy I am, I was shooting high. The Agencies that I contacted were all listed with the Writers Guild of America. I really wasn’t surprised by the outcome, but had to give it my best shot.

In order to submit a Screenplay to an Agent, or just to get a meeting of any kind, you have to have a third party connection to that Agent or Agency. You have to find someone who either knows the Agent personally, or who has a business relationship with that Agent who is willing to introduce you to them, and there are a plethora of ways in which one might accomplish that end. Of course, that will never happen if we don’t get out there and meet people that are in or around the Business. And, at the risk of being redundant, the best way for a complete outsider to accomplish that is to attend Film Festivals.


<> Contacting a Producer
The most successful Producers are next to impossible to contact by any means other than in person, or though a connection. If you can get a Producer on the phone, you may be in for trouble. If a Producer has done anything, they’re going to be credited for it. And that credit is going to be available on IMDB.


<> What is IMDB?
IMDB stands for Internet Movie Database. Most every Film ever made is posted there. To find out if someone claiming to be a Producer actually is, simply go to:

www.imdb.com

At the top of the Home Page you’ll see a search box, which you will see is set to “All.” Leave it on that setting and type in the name of the person or Production Company you’re interested in, and if they’ve made a Movie, it will come up.



HOW DO I GET NEXT TO THEM?

That’s the hard part. Fact is, if you have no trouble getting a purported Agent or Producer on the phone, you’re probably in for trouble. Both groups make it next to impossible for Wannbe’s like you and me to get to them during business hours. Remember, what those of us who have no connections to the Industry are trying to accomplish really is profoundly difficult to attain. Only the very few, very talented, highly tenacious ever survive the journey.



ATSA RAP

Get close to people in the Industry by attending Film Festivals, and most importantly, the Panels and After Parties. Before you contact anyone, prove to yourself that they’re legit. Only summit your Screenplay(s) into legitimate Screenplay Competitions (See my post titled: LEGIT SCRIPT COMPETITIONS); there are very few, but a lot of Cons out there eager to take your money. The greatest value in entering a Screenplay competition is not in the competition or even in the winning, so much as it is in being there in person to make contacts with Industry Personnel.

With that, let me tell you that there are just a small few exceptions to this rule, which I will outline for you in an upcoming post titled: EXPOSING YOURSELF.



KICCASS