Actors with production companys

[docohio123]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has tried to get their query letter directly to an actor. Example:

Lets say you have a the perfect script for Drew Barrymore who owns Flower Films. Or you would like Endeavor to rep you.

Problem is both Endeavor and Flower Films won`t except submissions without referrals however Drew Barrymore is rep`ed by Endeavor.

So is it possible to try an end run and send Ms. Barrymore the query through Endeavor or is this just a hopeless catch 22?

I know you should never target a certain actor to appear in your film and that only the cream of the writing crop can get rep`ed by Endeavor but these are the things that dreams are made of and dreams are what screen writing is all about is`nt it?

Thanks

Timothy M.

[creativexec]

It can be pretty difficult to get the letter through.
But it's worth a try.

Write a professional query (not a fan letter) to
the development person or story editor at
Flower Films. If they like the concept, they
could send you a release form. (A legal doc
that releases them of liability in regards to
reading your script. For the most part, they
are industry standard.)

If they don't click to the concept, they will
not respond to the query or reply with the
standard, "We do not accept unsolicited
material."

If you send the query directly to Drew or her
agent, she'll probably never get it.

Good luck. :)

[Carlton Redford]

Consider that if it fits Drew, it likely fits a number of other young actresses, both A-list and up-and-comers.

A newer management company, interested in exciting and marketable material, will know where to send it and it definitely has a far better shot at getting Drew's agent to read it with no elements or financing already in place. The mgmt. co will know far better than you who's looking for what.

So, e or letter query and cold call plenty of managers if other approaches are unproductive. Also you can simultaneously be querying smaller agencies to see what that brings. You're not at all powerless as a newbie when you've got a good script with a marketable story.

-- Carlton

[YeahWrite]

only the cream of the writing crop can get rep`ed by EndeavorYou never know what crop level your writing is at until you try. My putting my best work out there and "why not give it a try" attitude got me an offer of representation from Endeavor. And I hadn't really done anything big at the time. I had just written some scripts that I thought were strong.

Bottom line: don't sell yourself or your writing short. Let other people do that. And most importantly, when they do, kindly take their notes, rewrite, and retry. If you don't believe in your writing it'll be hard to get others to believe in you.

Take what CE and CR said and go for it! Good luck.

[Winter in New York]

Advice I often hear around town about packaging is: 'Find the next A list star' and get your material to them. The 'Next Big Thing' as it were, not the 'Current Big Thing'.

In other words, find the next 'hot' actor / actress who has done some leads in smaller films and is on the verge of going BOOM! - Someone big enough to green-light your pic (or the sale of your screenplay) but still small enough for you to get.

(You might want to keep an eye on festivals like Sundance, etc - as there are often actors who get quite a buzz because of something they've just done...but who in reality are still working for food-stamps...)

The current A-Listers breathe a different air to us mere mortals, remember. These stars of tomorrow, don't. Not yet anyhow.

Besides which, all the A-listers you see on the red carpet have more projects bubbling than they could ever do. And even if you get your script to them (big 'if') - it could go months without getting read, because it does not have any funding or package in place.

Winter in New York