Agents Rebecca Ewing (UTA) and David Boxerbaum (APA) speak at NWSG

Not sure who all is within driving distance to Seattle this Friday, but the NWSG (Northwest Screenwriters Guilds) is hosting agents Rebecca Ewing (UTA) and David Boxerbaum (APA).

These two agents have amazing resumes. They've worked for companies like the William Morris Agency and Jerry Bruckheimer Films and today work with and represent some of the top talent in the industry.

It Gets Better

Ewing and Boxerbaum will not only be speaking about the experiences, but will be taking questions from the floor for an hour.

The event is free to NWSG members and only $15.00 for non members. It will be held at the Clear Channel building, at 351 Elliot Ave. West, Seattle, WA 98119.

Even Better . . . Pitching

If you're part of the NWSG, members will get a change to sign up to pitch to these two agents on Saturday. If you're not in L.A., it's hard to find opportunities to pitch to agents like these. So, if you have a script to pitch, this would be the time to join the NWSG.

I apologize for the shameless plug for NWSG, but having tried to get scripts in front of agents for over 20 years, I know how valuable an event like this is.

Have a great week. Write hard!

Diane

Dreading The Pitch

It's hard enough to write, but now you've got to pitch.

Every time you go to a writing conference or seminar, all they talk about is the PITCH!

After a year of pouring heart and soul into your story, you now have to "pitch" it — basically spend two minutes in front of an agent convincing them you have the next blockbuster or bestseller. It's do or die.

I understand the necessity to pitch, but I dread it. In fact, I'm dreading it right now just knowing someday a pitch awaits me. I'm a terrible public speaker and because of a couple personal tics I may be my story's own worst enemy.

A Couple Personal Tics

First off, I speak with my hands. My mom says she could always spot me in a crowd. If I was talking, my hands were flying all over the place. When I get nervous they flail. Someone outside the conversation would swear I was swatting away rabid bats.

Second, and worse, when I get nervous I randomly replace "nouns" with "longer nouns".

For example, you might ask me, "Where were you yesterday afternoon at 3 p.m.?"

If I had been at a "bowling alley", I might nervously reply with something like, "I was at that place with the big black balls that hit the white things." And, of course, I would tell you this while I was swatting at bats.

So, you can see why I dread my future pitch. I need to start practicing now. Better yet, I need a pinch hitter.

di

Loglines - Getting a Producer's Attention

The NWSG's pitch session in Seattle this Saturday left many writers bewildered and reworking their loglines. They can see the flaws and want to improve them for the next pitch.  

So what is a logline?

Basically, a logline is a one-sentence summary of your script.  Think of a movie poster. It succinctly describes your story in an enticing manner -- so enticing you want to buy a ticket and see it.  

If you're pitching to producers, the logline should be so enticing that they not only picture people buying tickets, but see themselves devoting time and serious money to the story.

Creating a Logline

It seems like it should be easy to write one or two lines, but it's hard work to condense your story down to its most basic and exciting elements. The logline must convey:

• the genre

• what the story's about (the major conflict or what's at stake), and 

• possibly the main character.

You can find good tips on creating loglines at  Scriptologist.com.

Practice Your Logline

The next step is to practice your logline. Try it out on your mom, friends, waitress and bus driver. Watch their reactions. If they're bored, hone it. But once you've got people excited and they're ready to lay down their $7.00 for a ticket; you're ready to pitch the logline to a producer.

Good luck!!

di

Pitch Sessions in Seattle

Hi,

If you're a screenwriter here in the Northwest and you live within driving distance of Seattle, you should consider joining the Northwest Screenwriter's Guild. Or at least attend one meeting and see what you think.

Why do I think you'll like it? Every month you get a chance to pitch your scripts to LA producers looking for material!

Learn about the Producers

It works like this.  The group meets once a month on Friday evenings. At each meeting NWSG brings up a producer from L.A. to speak. Last night they had both Producer, Sean Sorensen of Motion Theory and Literary Manager/Producer Robyn Meisinger from Madhouse Entertainment.

For a couple hours get to know these producers as they discuss screenwriting, their in-house processes, and future projects they're interested in. You even get to ask them any burning questions.

Pitch Your Stuff

That's not the best part though. The following Saturday you can pitch your scripts to these individuals!! And with the knowledge from the night before, you aren't walking in cold. You know what they're interested in, so you can better hone your pitch. 

Of course, there are a couple hoops to jump through before pitching. You have to be a member of the NWSG. You need to be approved to pitch by the NWSG (they basically have to see that you can write a script -- they don't just want any shmoe pitching) and you have to sign up to pitch at the meeting in person. But if you're serious about screenwriting, those are pretty hoops.

See you at next month's meeting on June 5.

Di