How to Find a Screenplay Agent

Video Transcript

"Ok folks in this clip I'm going to talk to you about how to find an agent to help promote your screenplay. Right off the bat, I'm just going to let you know this is not going to be easy. Especially if you are a green as grass rookie who has never had anything pitched or submitted in your entire life. Why, just because they have enough to read and enough to worry about without having to like you know sort through every single new script from every single unknown writer that they get cause believe me even if you are incredibly talented there are about a bajillion others just like you who are not talented who are also submitting their material to these agents. So basically a long time ago they just decided especially the big guys decided, they are not going to read anything from someone who hasn't been you know properly you know established as a credible writer. So then what can you do. Well there are two things, really you can do. One you could be so, so unbelievably talented and good at what you do as a writer that you create this unbelievably amazing script that everyone like that can identify as brilliant right off the bat and wants to get their hands on, bidding wars would start, you'll be the next you know Ben Affleck and Matt Damon on your way to the Oscars to pick up your award for you know best screen play. This is not probably going to be ninety nine point nine percent of the people watching this clip, that is one in a million thing, and a lot of times that's not the best route to pursue. Definitely always do your best, but know that it's not going to be that easy. The best thing to do is to submit your screenplay to smaller level production companies and or agencies. I would personally suggest going the production company route cause there are a lot of smaller production companies that are actively looking for material. Some of these production companies are even owned and operated by relatively well known celebrities. If you happen to have a script that you think you know this you know, medium to you know big successful well moderately successful actor would be good for, perfect for, send it to their production company, cause these days almost every actor has a production company. Bottom line submitting to these smaller production companies and getting them excited about first, will then all of a sudden the things will begin to fall into place and at that point an agent will pretty much find you. Why, because there's this actor who is interested in making this movie and you know hey, you are going to need some representation of that's what is going to end up happening. So my best advice is to submit to smaller production companies especially the ones that you think would be tailor fit to your particular script. You can also do this with smaller level agencies, the guys who own the little boutique agencies who you know obviously aren't working down on Wilshire or any of those fancy buildings down on Beverly Hills but they are trying to build themselves up just like you are. So submitting it to a smaller agent might be the right way to go too. Cause while they definitely don't have the clout and power that people over at William Morris have, they are going to work three to four to five times as hard to get your material into the right hands because you know, their success is riding on it just as much as yours is. At the end of the day the best thing to do is have really great material submitted to as many of these places as you can, be tenacious and do not give up. If you do that, you my friend will definitely find yourself an agent to represent you as a screenwriter."