The Art of Bringing Your Script to Screen:
Understanding the world of producers,
managers, and agents.
August 31 and September 1
8 p.m. - 10 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific)
It’s back to school. Time to reboot with a new mindset.
In today’s world of theatrical movies, television, and streaming, writing a great script is not enough. You also need a business mindset and a plan, which can leave a lot of talented screenwriters overwhelmed.
This seminal class, featuring a trusted producer, development executive, manager, and agent will help you navigate the business of entertainment. The faculty of literary champions and professionals will help you know how to find an agent or manager, work with a producer, and write a great query letter (including coverage), increasing the chances your work will be read, represented, and, yes, produced.
You’ll be in the excellent and likeable hands of Margaret French Isaac, the president of DiNovi Pictures and one of the producers of Apple’s upcoming The Sky is Everywhere, based on the YA bestselling book by Jandy Nelson. Margaret’s company, DiNovi Pictures, also recently produced the award-winning motion picture, Little Women, directed by Greta Gerwig.
Margaret will be joined by Di Novi Pictures development executive Sabrina Parra, as well as literary manager and president of All Trades Content, Zach Book, and a literary agent to be announced shortly.
This class will give you the confidence to take the next step in your screenwriting career.
The Q&A format of this class means you can get your questions answered.
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Is your screenplay right for a studio or streamer? Is your script more appropriate for an independent producer?
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Why is “packaging” so important in today’s market? What exactly is it?
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Should you send your script directly to a star or a star-director? Is that a faster route?
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How do you transition from the creativity of writing to the business mindset of selling your screenplay?
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How do you know if you need a literary agent? What do agents do?
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Where do you find the right agent for you? What questions do you need to ask?
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How do you know if you need a literary manager? What do managers do? And what is the difference between a manager and an agent? Do you need both?
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Are all those screenwriting contests worth it? Do agents, managers, or producers care?
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How can an agent or manager help your writing career?
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Do you need a manager and an agent?
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How do agents decide which screenwriters to represent?
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Should you get a New York agent? Should you get a Hollywood agent? Should you go to a big agency? Or should you go to a small agency?
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What are the pros/cons of signing with an experienced agent vs. someone newer to the playing field?
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What makes a good agent? A bad agent?
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Do you need two different agents if you’re writing books and screenplays?
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What is a query letter and how do you write one that will get an agent’s attention?
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What are agents looking for?
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What does an agent contract look like?
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Is there a “best” time of year to query an agent?
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How does an agent help you find a buyer?
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What does an option and purchase contract look like?
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What kind of option money can a screenwriter expect?
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Once you get a contract, what happens next?
Here’s how the course will unfold:
Faculty
August 31: Margaret French Isaac, Zach Book and Sabrina Parra will lift the curtain on the unknowns about the business and culture of entertainment. They’ll give you honest, practical advice to reduce the intimidation factor and better understand how to be successful in the entertainment business. This first evening will focus on the screenwriter-agent-manager relationship and getting your screenplay into marketable shape. Bring your questions—this team will answer them all.
September 1: This evening’s class gives you concrete help in writing a query letter that will help your project get in the door with an agent or producer. There are a hundred different ways to hack the system. There are also a zillion ways not to do it, wasting your most precious resource—time. Margaret, Sabrina, and a literary agent will walk you through the best strategy for bringing your script to the screen. They’ll also talk about what’s selling, what’s not, and why—and how you can realistically increase your chances of getting into production.
Registration fee: $95 for four hours of instruction.
EVENING CLASS
August 31 and September 1
8 to 10 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific)
Please note: Our classes are designed specifically for live participation, so your attendance is important. If you need to miss a class for any reason, you’ll receive a passcode-protected link to watch the recordings after the course is over.
