With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

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  • With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

    Not sure if all the agencies and management co's are working from home, but I imagine things are slowed right now. Could be a good time to query reps with more time on their hands? But knowing no productions are happening for a while, does that hurt getting signed now?

    Thanks
    FM
    Last edited by Filmmagician; 03-19-2020, 12:06 PM.

  • #2
    Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

    Of course, you are not asking whether someone will be slightly burned, but whether they might be signed, correct?
    “Nothing is what rocks dream about” ― Aristotle

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

      Originally posted by TigerFang View Post
      Of course, you are not asking whether someone will be slightly burned, but whether they might be signed, correct?
      hahaha oops.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

        Originally posted by Filmmagician View Post
        Not sure if all the agencies and management co's are working from home, but I imagine things are slowed right now. Could be a good time to query reps with more time on their hands? But knowing no productions are happening for a while, does that hurt getting signed now?

        Thanks
        FM
        I think this might be a good time to write and a really bad time to query.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

          Originally posted by EdFury View Post
          I think this might be a good time to write and a really bad time to query.
          Yuuup! (California's unemployment rate is going to go from zero to Great Depression practically overnight)

          https://www.ocregister.com/2020/03/1...0000-in-a-day/

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

            Originally posted by EdFury View Post
            I think this might be a good time to write and a really bad time to query.
            Ah, okay. I'm definitely getting more writing done. So it's wise to wait until we're back to status quo before approaching any reps?

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

              I did a substantial query blitz this week (to familiar producers only, see http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/...ad.php?t=85436).

              The new version of the query (more a marketing email than a standard pitch) was tidier than the draft that you see there, and included links to each title on Amazon.com. The effort generated more website hits than I've ever had for any prior effort on email. That's not counting hits that surely went directly to the eBooks, which Amazon doesn't reveal to me. But at least it meant that people were reading the email, even though as was posted here there won't be any money spent on options till this is over.

              Well, I didn't expect that, only that they may very well be open to reading new stuff (after they catch up with their existing piles).

              However, even "I" am going to lay off email for a while - which is saying a lot, since querying is all I do and can afford.

              I have enough existing scripts to polish. I like to do each, annually, and I have a few at 12-15 months due, now.

              Polishes are ALWAYS worthwhile. A single typo? The whole exercise is worthwhile. Shorten a script by a page or two? It's worthwhile. A better way to word something? Worthwhile.

              But the best thing? After I'm done a lot of polishing, it'll have been several days (or weeks, maybe, in this case) since I did a query blitz, which presents a lot of delicious opportunities to pitch these fresh/new versions to new contacts.

              Well, that's the plan.

              Good luck to all!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

                I really think people need to divorce themselves from this idea of a good or bad time to query. It's all just conjecture and baloney. The strength of your logline and your script are what matters a lot more than whether or not the moon is in the house of Venus, or whatever...

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

                  In 6 months I bet there will be a strong spec market with a lot of great writers sitting home with nothing to do but write.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

                    Originally posted by muckraker View Post
                    I really think people need to divorce themselves from this idea of a good or bad time to query. It's all just conjecture and baloney. The strength of your logline and your script are what matters a lot more than whether or not the moon is in the house of Venus, or whatever...
                    Agree. Goes back to the chestnut from Christopher Lockhart: "Calculate less."

                    EDIT: It's Brian Koppelman who said this. I was wrong. Correcting my post.
                    Last edited by lostfootage; 03-26-2020, 02:38 PM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

                      Originally posted by lostfootage View Post
                      Agree. Goes back to the chestnut from Christopher Lockhart: "Calculate less."
                      I agree, and it's always reassuring to know that. But I'm sure there are worse times to reach out than others - just wasn't sure if this situation with now working from home / isolation is presenting an opportunity or doesn't really change anything - querying wise.

                      Thanks

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

                        Originally posted by lostfootage View Post
                        Agree. Goes back to the chestnut from Christopher Lockhart: "Calculate less."
                        (Brian Koppelman)

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

                          Writers looking to query? Is it even worth querying?

                          I'm the query-to-all and query-anytime guy, so that answers that question, but let me throw this at you re: those two questions:

                          1. VPF continues to operate, with regular 'promotions' of pitch deals, and announcements of 'new' pros being signed. Today's pro sign-up, Unique Features, has been on it before, but I guess they've returned. You can sort of see why they'd be willing to take a couple of bucks from writers who're willing to submit queries through such a service, especially now that the pros are working from home. Anyway, in the current climate, it sound like the VPF proprietor is busy on the phones/email trying to recruit more pros so as to make his service still look relevant - which it probably is, as an option among a decreasing number, though personally I can never afford it.

                          2. InkTip recently sent out an announcement stating that they've been in touch with producers who're still reading. Meaning: Keep using our service! The company also still has its 'free newsletter' that features a couple of free leads per week.

                          3. I have slowed down my regular querying in the past three weeks, and my only read requests have come off here (under the 'Announcements' section) and via a producer on ScriptRevolution.com (the free-to-host site). Note that I only post my logs and query-content there, which forces anyone who wants to read to email me for it directly - so there is that option, in case you're nervous about posting your scripts for anyone to see. Apparently there is more activity for writers who post the scripts (shorts are doing particularly well, it seems), but I'm of the nervous type.

                          I can't answer to BlkLst or any other script hosting/querying/evaluation service, nor to the contest thing. Both are cost-prohibitive, to my health.

                          At the risk of turning this into another epic Blacklist thread, what are people's experiences there, these days? Are you getting your coverage/reads/downloads as usual... or is anybody here still even playing that game?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

                            Originally posted by JoeBanks View Post
                            (Brian Koppelman)
                            You're right. I read it in a Lockhart group. Thanks!

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                            • #15
                              Re: With reps home now isolating - is this a great time or bad time to query?

                              Thanks for posting that info, Catcon.

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