Do I need an agent?

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  • Do I need an agent?

    I am about to send out queries to production companies using a service like Script Mailer or Scriptblaster. They send out to agents also. But I'm not sure if I need an agent or not. I've read a few articles on why an agent isn't needed. I'll be sending queries out for two G-rated childrens fantasy genre scripts that go together in a large series of 12. They were written with a co-writer who might end up writing a few whole scripts in the series for me. I just want to get the movies made. And I just want to take the right steps toward making them happen. Any advice is appreciated.

  • #2
    Re: Do I need an agent?

    to query production companies? not really (though there are likely to be some who have a blanket "no query" policy and may return it unopened or unread)

    (more importantly to me, does your co-writer know you are doing this?)

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    • #3
      Re: Do I need an agent?

      Originally posted by Cynthia Hanson View Post
      I am about to send out queries to production companies using a service like Script Mailer or Scriptblaster. They send out to agents also. But I'm not sure if I need an agent or not. I've read a few articles on why an agent isn't needed. I'll be sending queries out for two G-rated childrens fantasy genre scripts that go together in a large series of 12. They were written with a co-writer who might end up writing a few whole scripts in the series for me. I just want to get the movies made. And I just want to take the right steps toward making them happen. Any advice is appreciated.
      Firstly, I'd save your money on services like those. With a 30 day free trial on IMDB Pro you can do what those companies offer but yourself and for a fraction of the price. Query services are a rip off.

      Second, (and If I misread your intent here, I apologize) I'd only query one project at a time.

      And third, but most importantly, I think your best bet is actually to try and land a manager who can in turn get you in with some of these places. There are quite a few lit managers out there who specialize in kids & family clients. I personally landed my current manager off the strength of a kids animation script and since signing with him he's facilitated meetings at companies I never would have otherwise been able to get my stuff to.

      So my advice is to get IMDB Pro and query managers with kids & family writer clients.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Do I need an agent?

        Yes, my co-writer does know I am doing this and he is very supportive and encouraging of me.

        I meant I have two scripts that are in the same series of twelve to submit. the second one is the first sequel to the first one. And I had read that sending a query for two scripts doubles the chances.

        And as for IMDB pro. I actually already used up my free 30 day trial (twice I think) and I tried to send queries to production companies by looking up their email addresses and I was using a paperback directory that is now out of date also. But I didn't receive any replies except from one (which I thought was one of the best) that told me they actually do not accept unsolicited material.

        I would very much love to get a manager. But how could I? I'd really like to know. I'm not sure how to look for them on IMDB Pro.
        Last edited by Cynthia Hanson; 09-26-2019, 01:29 PM. Reason: Just needed to add more.

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        • #5
          Re: Do I need an agent?

          Don't use a service.

          Look at this website. I've verified a lot of the emails and most 90% are good. This is a great website for you to start looking for managers. It has manager's and agent's valid email addresses. I've added almost every contact to my master.

          http://www.scriptanarchy.com/mgr/mgr-C.html

          Get the IMDBpro 30 days trial and you can look up each manager and identify who their clients are and what type of material they respond to. I use IMDBpro and Done Deal Pro's main site to cross check and verify.

          Start an excel file and keep updating it as you add new contacts.

          When you're done with your excel document shoot me a note on "how to query fast" and i can show you two ways that you can send a lot of queries in a short period of time. ie either 400 queries in an hour using your email client with excel, or even sending several hundred (even 1,000) within minutes using "mail merge."

          Both methods will allow you to send an email specifically addressed to a person on your excel spreadsheet using the correct email address.

          My column titles on my excel look like this... going across, of course.

          Response-- I use this to log whether there is a response, declined, or requested a read
          Date Q Sent-- the date I sent the query, so i know how much time has passed
          Round (A-B-C)-- i send them in waves and color code this list and use underlining to identify a-listers, moderates, boutiques
          Name-- have one column just with their first name, another column with both first and last name. the single name column is the one you need as the addressee in mail merge.
          Company-- properly spelled and listed complete name
          Email Address-- formatted as a link to drive your email client
          MAP-- to designate if the contact is a manager, agent, or producer/prodco
          Notes-- anything and everything you want to keep track of like who their clients are, what projects they have in dev, etc.

          If you're not great at excel i can send you a blank if you'd like, but you might want to create your own format.

          IMO, it's a complete waste of money to pay a service when you can access information yourself and send a query for free.

          As far as the "series," you only query ONE project at a time. Is this based on an existing IP that is already published or being published soon?

          JoeBanks and JS90 are giving you solid advice.

          Good luck! And congratulations on such an ambitious project.
          FA4
          "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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          • #6
            Re: Do I need an agent?

            My series is based on and stars the character of Mr. Wogglebug who is a public domain character but my script and whole series is original by me and I've worked to make exciting for years with multiple co-writers.

            I have excel but do not know how to use it. And just how would I locate managers on IMDB Pro, or by the link you gave me, who take clients who write in the genre of kids and family and animation?

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Do I need an agent?

              Originally posted by Cynthia Hanson View Post
              My series is based on and stars the character of Mr. Wogglebug who is a public domain character but my script and whole series is original by me and I've worked to make exciting for years with multiple co-writers.

              I have excel but do not know how to use it. And just how would I locate managers on IMDB Pro, or by the link you gave me, who take clients who write in the genre of kids and family and animation?
              Well, the same way everyone else does, you research companies. You can go onto IMDB, find films that are similar to yours, look up who wrote them and produced them and then look each company/person up.

              When you look up a writer or director, IMDBPro or DDP (deals or writer' name) will provide their manager, agent, lawyer, producers, talent, studio. Then you look the people up and check out what kinds of clients they have and what type of material they prefer. That way YOU target the people you want.

              I think there is a way to filter by genre or type on DDP, but I'm not completely sure because I've never had to use that

              It takes time but you are certain who you want to send queries to because you've done the work. It's up to you.

              What do you mean by multiple co-writers? That sounds like it might create a problem. How much of the draft you're sending out has each of these other writer's works? How many writers might be able to claim contribution?
              "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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              • #8
                Re: Do I need an agent?

                I just mean I had one co-writer years ago and he left, and then this year I hired a new one and did a whole new draft that doesn't contain any of the former co-writer's work. And I am going to have my co-writer register our scripts, under both our names, of course. The first co-writer I had registered the old draft without my consent and didn't even put my name with his, which led to our breakup.

                Doing all that research you described sounds like it could be a lot of hard work. And I may want to consider having someone do it for me.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Do I need an agent?

                  Originally posted by Cynthia Hanson View Post
                  I just mean I had one co-writer years ago and he left, and then this year I hired a new one and did a whole new draft that doesn't contain any of the former co-writer's work. And I am going to have my co-writer register our scripts, under both our names, of course. The first co-writer I had registered the old draft without my consent and didn't even put my name with his, which led to our breakup.

                  Doing all that research you described sounds like it could be a lot of hard work. And I may want to consider having someone do it for me.
                  Totally up to you, but at some point you're going to have to do the research to determine for yourself who you want to partner with. If you have the expendable income to throw it at services-- then go for it.

                  I haven't used a service, but I can't imagine them doing a better job at determining whose the right/best manager to partner with.

                  Did this new writing partner write the new draft WITH you or did they rewrite your draft on their own?

                  Good luck.
                  "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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                  • #10
                    Re: Do I need an agent?

                    My new writing partner rewrote my original first draft on his own.

                    And I just downloaded a free list of 130 Hollywood managers divided into sections of those who accept unsolicited material and those who don't from Script Reader Pro. It should come in useful.

                    And I was wondering, does a manager have to be paid?

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                    • #11
                      Re: Do I need an agent?

                      Managers get 10% of what your work sells for. Unless they attach themselves as producers.

                      How much did the draft change from your draft to your co-writer's draft?
                      "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Do I need an agent?

                        You don't want to do the work yourself? You want to "POINT & PAY"?

                        Fine... but... Think outside the box. Don't pay criminals to do NOTHING for you.

                        Here's what I would do: Find an assistant who knows his/her sh!t. Offer to pay them to do this work for me anonymously. DONE!

                        Also ..... STOP WRITING THIS! ..... no more scripts in this anthology unless someone pays you to write it. Unless you just don't care about wasting your time.

                        The 2 script thing is: 2 ***DIFFERENT*** IPs. Meaning, not the same story part 2.

                        Did you bother to click on the link I provided for you? You were about to send your check payable to a PO BOX _____.
                        Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Do I need an agent?

                          Originally posted by GucciGhostXXX View Post
                          You don't want to do the work yourself? You want to "POINT & PAY"?

                          Fine... but... Think outside the box. Don't pay criminals to do NOTHING for you.

                          Here's what I would do: Find an assistant who knows his/her sh!t. Offer to pay them to do this work for me anonymously. DONE!

                          Also ..... STOP WRITING THIS! ..... no more scripts in this anthology unless someone pays you to write it. Unless you just don't care about wasting your time.

                          The 2 script thing is: 2 ***DIFFERENT*** IPs. Meaning, not the same story part 2.

                          Did you bother to click on the link I provided for you? You were about to send your check payable to a PO BOX _____.
                          I agree with Gucci and Finalact. But also, it's not THAT much work Cynthia. Spending 20 bucks on a month of IMBD Pro and a single Saturday afternoon compiling a list of managers or prod-cos yourself is better than washing a ton of money on services which offer limited results.

                          Also, I've gone back and read some of your old posts. I think it's great you're so passionate about this one property of yours. Passion is what keeps every single one of us going, especially when things look discouraging. But I worry you might be putting all your eggs in one basket. If you really want to make a go of it as a screenwriter it's important (and healthy) to have different scripts about different things under your belt. And hell, if you ever got traction on another project it might help you sell this current one you're working on!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Do I need an agent?

                            I talked to my co-writer about getting a manager and he said he could help point in proper directions at least. And I can't pinpoint the exact percentage he rewrote of my draft but it was a lot and enough to have his name on the script regardless which of us registers it.

                            And I actually had written a different fantasy script many years ago called The Wizard's Destiny and made a movie out of it with the animation program Moviestorm. The movie is available on Amazon still, but I lost the script during the years.

                            And I can't help it if this Wogglebug series is the only passion I really have and want to do.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Do I need an agent?

                              Originally posted by Cynthia Hanson View Post
                              And I can't help it if this Wogglebug series is the only passion I really have and want to do.
                              Wait... this is a series, as in TV show or Feature? [rhetorical question... you'll see why below]

                              Regardless, you already have 2 scripts of the SAME sh!t. YOU may be super excited about this project, but that doesn't mean anyone REAL will be. Every last one of us BELIEVES, in our soul, that what we're writing could be successful, or we wouldn't have written it.

                              Point: You're already WAAAAAAAAY ahead of yourself by actually writing script 2 in the "series." This is a writer 101 rookie mistake, if there ever was one. Because writing anything GREAT takes a fukk ton of TIME. You said you have 12 total. DO NOT WRITE THE REMAINING 10 scripts and assume ANYONE will read them all and say "YOU ARE BRILLIANT!" The fact that you have 2 completed already SCREAMS "I have no idea, NONE, about how the industry actually works and haven't bothered to research it... they should BEND THE RULES for me!" You know who they bend the rules for? An author who's sold 10 million copies. Have you done that?

                              I have a show going out now... I *could* write all 8 episodes of season 1, I'm capable of it. But it ain't smart to do so. IF someone pays me to do it, I will. You write just enough for them to decide if they want you to and nothing more (unless, again, you enjoy wasting your time and annoying people). Annoying people? YES! You ask someone to read 12 scripts and they're gonna instantly BLOCK your email addy as someone who is delusional. Your own rep wouldn't read 12 fukkin scripts of the SAME story. And if this is a feature... dude... you're WAY WAY WAY ahead of yourself, 11 sequels? Seriously??? You honestly think THAT'S the smart way to attack this?

                              Here's my thing. People here have been giving you EXCELENT advice and you don't seem to give a sh!t. I'm not sure I've seen you thank anyone.

                              You seem SUPER GREEN (Asking questions about agents, like they'd be tripping over themselves to read 12 scripts... I promise you [don't believe me] they WILL NOT). It is INCREDIBLY hard to land a ***LEGIT*** agent. You come across, to me, like you think you could just walk your 12 script into CAA, they read all 12, then you just waltz into Pixar and they're like "Yup... here's a billion dollars, we're making all 12."

                              I'm pulling out of giving you anymore advice unless you begin to thank people for their time and effort in trying to HELP YOU not make stupid rookie mistakes. Again, you were considering sending your sh!t to a fukkin PO BOX. You did ZERO research about that person. And it doesn't seem to phase you how completely OFF THE MARK you are.

                              Once your 12 movies come out you can throw it back in my face. But, If I were a rep (and I was one, kinda) I'd instantly pass on you.

                              Good luck!

                              ps... the reason I bothered to write this at all is for brand new writers lurking. DON'T DO what this person is doing. PROMISE YOU!

                              --GUCCI OUT--
                              Last edited by GucciGhostXXX; 09-27-2019, 12:25 PM.
                              Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

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