The Representation Game (Part I)

So when the list of Nicholl quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists came out 12 days ago, for a little while I felt like a wallflower who had just woken up with boobs. Suddenly all the guys were showing interest.

(Okay, that's probably not a good analogy, since I'm a straight man. But you get the idea. I hope).

First, I got a call from a guy at a production company (which I ironically did a little reading work for a few years ago, though that had been long forgotten by them) who wanted to read my script. Then the e-mails started flooding in. Mostly from manager/producers; everyone is a manager/producer nowadays.

It was nice, for a while. But then the flood shut off.

For the record, my script being on their list of Nicholl semi-finalists got me 1 phone call and 11 e-mails so far. Not a single one from from an agent, even a cheesy one.

Still, there are some good management companies on that list. Not all 12 requests are solid ones, but enough are.

Some wanted the script e-mailed to them, and some wanted hard copies snail-mailed to them. Some wanted me to sign dire-looking release forms (and for a couple, I did); others didn't care.

So, armed with some good advice from other writers who had been through this before (who warned me, among other things, not to send out my script too wide, and to avoid the small management companies who really only want to attach themselves as producers, and not build your career) I sent my script out to the more legit-looking places.

And now it's all about the waiting.

Though I've seen more action than most to this point. A low-level exec at one of the companies I read for passed my script with his recommendation to a couple of managers he has dealt with and liked, one of which had also requested it from me. So I got a quick read from them, and a meeting with a manager last week.

Just coffee, not lunch, a getting-to-know-you thing, but it went well. A very good vibe. The manager liked the script, needs his boss to read it, and then I'll meet with both. They are a small company, but they have sold a lot of stuff, don't attach themselves to much as producers, and are very focused on career-building. So it's all good so far.

Naturally, being in the L.A. area helps with this whole process. A lot.

So as I wait to see which ball drops next, I'm putting the finishing polish on my supernatural thriller, which no one in Hollywood has seen; it's nice to be able to dangle something that no one can get their hands on yet.

I've been trading e-mails with an impromptu circle of Nicholl semifinalists, swapping representative-seeking advice and the names of companies contacting people, so we can see which places are asking for everyone's script (which probably guarantees a huge pile of scripts on the floor of their office, and a long turnaround time) and which are being more selective. I'm even having drinks with a couple of these fellow writers tonight.

Ultimately this is just all very interesting to me. The whole Nicholl experience has gotten me writing again, and jazzed about the possibility of a career, and hopefully it'll keep me in active mode rather than the passive mode I too often find myself in, particularly when it comes to trying to be proactive about my writing career.

So... things are in motion. The game is afoot. I can't wait to see what happens next.