I just got back from a week of generals in LA, and being commenced on my first step on the studio sale of my spec. So I should be rewriting, but thought I’d spend a little time sharing some thoughts and reflections on my week. I also did a full week of generals about six months ago, so I have two weeks and about thirty generals to reflect on.
Take the following for what it’s worth: one emerging writer’s experience (I had a nice spec sale earlier this year.) If a seasoned pro sees a mistake or thinks I’m wrong, please call it out; I’d love to know where I’m off base. Most of the following is based on experience, but a fair amount is my own opinion of what seems to be working for me, so if you know better, please let me (and the rest of us) know.
There’s been a lot of good ink spilled to prep folks for what generals are like. It is true that the front desk assistant always offers you water. Despite being opposed to plastic bottles from an environmental point of view, I always accept, because it’s good to have something to sip at. I also think it would be weird to bring my aluminum bottle of water in. When my meetings were first thing in the morning (9 or 9:30), I sometimes asked for coffee, if it was offered, but made it clear that only if it’s easy, and just asked for milk/cream/whatever they had. Nothing fancy or special.
I don’t live in LA, and thus flew in for the meetings. My agent just got a new assistant on his desk, and he was sending me updates (meetings pushed, rescheduled) piecemeal. I know most people have smartphones, but I don’t, I’m operating on an iPad via free wi-fi at virtually every Starbucks between Santa Monica, Burbank, West Hollywood, Culver City, etc.
So I made sure that when he had an update, to fold it into the whole week’s schedule, and send me that schedule anew. This way I wasn’t taking the changes and handwriting them on my printed list of meetings, which I had for reference, but which changed a half dozen times while I was out there. At least three meetings at companies that I knew a lot about (major actor, major producer) fell off my schedule. That’s life; catch ‘em next time.
Thus, if you don’t have a smartphone, bring something wi-fi enabled. Further, you must bring a GPS. Seems simple, but honestly I would still be driving around LA if I didn’t have a GPS. I rented a car from Enterprise, which for me turned out cheaper than Avis or National, even with a AAA discount. The Enterprise at LAX is great, they gave me a free upgrade (from economy to midsize), and they’re open 24 hours. $150 for Sunday night to Friday night. I flew in on Sunday, had meetings wall to wall straight through 5:30 Friday, and flew home on a Friday redeye.
Regarding schedules, I usually had a 9:30, an 11:30, a 3 PM, and a 5:30. Sometimes I had a 1:00 lunch as well. Meetings usually went just about an hour, sometimes less and sometimes more, and I always made sure to have an idea for how long it would take me to get from current general to next general.
When I got back to the hotel each night, or was parking at a general, I programmed the next location into the GPS. It inevitably said “8 miles, 14 minutes” or whatever, and was always wrong. I never got stuck in horrendous traffic, but there is always some traffic, lights, or the GPS thinks driving through Laurel Canyon at 4:30 will take seven minutes. It doesn’t.
Plan accordingly, which for me means giving 45 minutes for anything estimated between 15 and 30 minutes, and giving more exponentially from there. Heading into a general, or closing the shop down for the night, set the next location in the GPS so you have an idea whether to budget half an hour, 45 minutes, or more.
You will be late from time to time. I have both called my agent’s assistant to call the prodco to advise them, and I’ve done it myself. In either event, make sure somebody calls, as soon as possible.
Besides a GPS, I always have mouthwash, gum, underarm deoderant, and toothbrush in the car. I have brushed my teeth in almost every Starbucks in LA. (Slight exaggeration.) On a long day spent in the car, drinking the errant coffee, and perhaps having Thai or hitting a taco truck for lunch, being fresh feels nice. Plus I was there during a heat wave, two days hit 100 degrees. Glad I had deoderant with me.
The dress code for executives at studios is clearly suits and ties, though most of my meetings were with producers or creative executives. They wear jeans and nice shirts, and you should do the same. Khakis or chinos are not necessary, but every single producer/CE I met with was wearing what I would describe as stylish jeans, a smart shirt, and good shoes. Ie, not faded Old Navy jeans, beat up Asics running sneakers, and a t-shirt. It may not matter what a writer looks like, but for me, good jeans and a good shirt (eg, Banana Republic) and nice shoes/new sneakers (which I daresay I think are stylish, particularly as I wouldn’t run or hit the gym in them) always had me feeling comfortable and on the same level with the guys and gals I was meeting with.
Incidentally, for roughly thirty meetings and about fifty producers/execs (many meetings have two people in them) I met with five women, forty five men. If this helps the ladies, four of the women were wearing heels, but also jeans or slacks, no skirts that I can remember. I guess you could dress like a slob and write like an angel and all will be good, but I look at it this way: I want them to hire me, I want them to like me, I want them to think I’m cool and fun to be with and easy and would be a blast to work with. Being charming and creative is part of that, but so is dressing like a grown up and seeming like a cool person to be around. Think what you will about what our clothes say about us, but I personally assign value to dressing well.
Speaking of meeting with two people, it was always clear who the producer or VP was, and who the CE was. I always play to both, but I think it’s valuable to be aware of status, because there is status in the room. Just worth being aware of. (Hint: the person sitting directly across from you is the producer. The one on the side with the notebook is the CE.)
Speaking of status, and the kinds of companies you’ll be meeting with: there are studio executives, which, in my experience, meant the high rise on the Uni lot and valet parking at WB. These folks works in the production department of studios, and usually rely on producers to bring work to them, but just as often like to have their fingers on the pulse of new writers and maybe do a little development or finding projects on their own. (These are the folks in the suits I mentioned previously.) So you may well be meeting with actual studio execs, which is different than a creative exec at a prodco. (More on them in a bit.)
Then there are producers. These people are actually producers—they produce movies, are on the set, etc.—and they may have a first look deal with a studio, and operate on their own out of a prodco office somewhere out in town; or they may be in a bungalow or office on a lot. If they are the latter, then you likely know for certain where their first look is (ie, with the studio of the lot you’re on, most likely.) These producers may have a discretionary budget to pay for development on something they like, but most likely will still need the studio to buy a spec outright for them (as far as I know.)
Then there are producers who don’t have a first look, and just hit up studios when something right comes along. Some of these producers will also have a discretionary fund, ie, they got a bit of a bankroll for their company from a money person. They may be able to afford development or an outright purchase on their own.
You will undoubtedly be meeting with lots of folks who work for producers as well, namely, CEs. Their job is to meet writers, and develop material, and they tend to be in their twenties or early thirties. I have frequently been told that if I find something I like (ie, an article or a book) to run it past them to see if they dig it and perhaps we can work on it together. (It’s maybe not that on the nose, but that’s what it means.) That sounds like an awesome offer, and if it’s a great producer or CE that I’d love to work with, I might someday do that. But just NB, I would never reach out to a CE with a property I’ve located that I’m interested in without checking with my team first. That just wouldn’t be prudent.
They also ask if I have anything I’m working on, or thinking about. Again, here’s a situation where I play it close to the vest. Let’s say (heck, it’s true) I have an idea, a half-formed pitch, or a book I’ve had my eye on. I don’t bring it up. First of all, because despite how well we’re getting along in the room, I don’t REALLY know whether this is someone who “gets movies made” (which seems to be the high praise saved for producers who really—wait for it—get movies made) or if this is someone who will, if she likes the idea, need to bring it to her producer.
Then they may want free development, and then, if all is perfect, need to pitch a studio, then get you in with them to pitch the studio ... it’s a long road that I don’t intend to embark on without having fully vetted the producer/CE and the idea with my team. In either case, whether it’s a real deal producer with a discretionary fund or a 25 year old CE looking to work a project with a hot new writer (you!), I’d suggest you check with your team before embarking on even an informal development relationship.
You may also answer, if true, that you have a spec about to go out (as I do) or one you’re about to finish. They will want to know more about it. Tell them—a little. Don’t give away the hook, and don’t present it as an idea that’s up for development or up for grabs. They are enterprising, intelligent people, and if they love it (or the article you mentioned), they will want to follow up with you about the idea, and want, by supporting your progress, to lay a certain claim to it. I’m not saying this is situation fraught with danger—they may be the perfect people for this idea or spec—but that’s really your reps’ job, and the purpose of a general if you have new work about to hit town is to prime the pump, not be giving away exclusive access. Just tease it out.
That being said, they will follow up with “we’ll definitely want to see that”, and particularly when it’s a producer or CE or company that I can already tell I love, I’ll make sure to let them know that I’ll ensure they get it, plus I’ll make sure to check in with my team that I really felt good with that prodco.
At some point, they may bring an idea up to you. It may be some half-baked project they love that they hope you’ll love, it may be a legitimate OWA, it may be a book they are angling to get the rights to, it may be an article that caught their fancy. When this has happened (which is about half of my meetings) I always ask them to send it along (the article, the book, whatever.)
Then I advise my team, and they know whether something is “real”—as in, they’re definitely making that, it’s awesome that they brought it up, let’s get you in on that; or “yeah, that’s been all over town for years, it sounds cool but no one’s cracked it and they don’t have a studio on board.” In the case of the latter, they don’t discourage me from chasing it, but just let me know—it’s a lot longer road than the remake of “big famous movie you can’t believe they’re remaking”, but which has already been announced on Deadline and thus is "real."
As the meeting reaches its natural conclusion, they will offer you their card. I have a card which I give out as well, which is very simple, says my name, e-mail, phone number, and “writer/director.” (It also has the name of my spec script and recent short on it, b/c I had it made prior to being repped when I was meeting a lot of reps and execs through an industry forum, and wanted them to see my name and remember my material.)
What do they do with my card? I don’t know, but at least they have it. What do I do with their card? Write a thank you note no later than the following week (when I get back home) and save it. I’ve written about post-meeting etiquette here recently, but suffice it to say that I always send a thank-you note, and have always gotten a nice response. We are now business associates.
Research the folks you’ll be meeting with. My basic research goes like this: Google him or her; you’ll come up with IMDb, so check that out. Click on anything else that looks reputable as well. But IMDb can be deceiving; there may be credits for films on which she played a minor role, or no credits for something she was a CE on. You may get a bunch of “Assistant to XXXX”, where undoubtedly XXXX is the producer she works for now. That means she’s been bumped up to CE.
Then I search the name through “industry databases”, by which I mean IMDb if I haven’t hit that yet; then run a name search through Deadline.com, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. (Variety is behind a paywall, but FYI, if you Google and get a Variety link and click it and after two seconds it goes black, go back to Google and use the “cached” link. That will get you there gratis.)
Having this sense of a producer/exec’s previous work is helpful, but I’ve never felt the need to say “Gosh, I loved XXXX that you worked on”, unless it’s totally true, and I’m certain they actually worked on it. If you have IMDb Pro, hit that as well, of course.
My reps don’t give me a bio on everyone I’m meeting, so I research it myself. I will sometimes ask my reps where they have a first look, but again, I can usually figure that out myself. Variety’s annual “Facts on Pacts” is a great free .pdf (Google it) that lists all the prodcos that have deals at all of the major studios. It’s really worth downloading. I also have found myself en route to meetings where I neglected to research, or forget what I learned, and so I call my agent’s assistant and ask him to IMDb the person I’m about to meet, just to give me a quick flavor.
Take the following for what it’s worth: one emerging writer’s experience (I had a nice spec sale earlier this year.) If a seasoned pro sees a mistake or thinks I’m wrong, please call it out; I’d love to know where I’m off base. Most of the following is based on experience, but a fair amount is my own opinion of what seems to be working for me, so if you know better, please let me (and the rest of us) know.
There’s been a lot of good ink spilled to prep folks for what generals are like. It is true that the front desk assistant always offers you water. Despite being opposed to plastic bottles from an environmental point of view, I always accept, because it’s good to have something to sip at. I also think it would be weird to bring my aluminum bottle of water in. When my meetings were first thing in the morning (9 or 9:30), I sometimes asked for coffee, if it was offered, but made it clear that only if it’s easy, and just asked for milk/cream/whatever they had. Nothing fancy or special.
I don’t live in LA, and thus flew in for the meetings. My agent just got a new assistant on his desk, and he was sending me updates (meetings pushed, rescheduled) piecemeal. I know most people have smartphones, but I don’t, I’m operating on an iPad via free wi-fi at virtually every Starbucks between Santa Monica, Burbank, West Hollywood, Culver City, etc.
So I made sure that when he had an update, to fold it into the whole week’s schedule, and send me that schedule anew. This way I wasn’t taking the changes and handwriting them on my printed list of meetings, which I had for reference, but which changed a half dozen times while I was out there. At least three meetings at companies that I knew a lot about (major actor, major producer) fell off my schedule. That’s life; catch ‘em next time.
Thus, if you don’t have a smartphone, bring something wi-fi enabled. Further, you must bring a GPS. Seems simple, but honestly I would still be driving around LA if I didn’t have a GPS. I rented a car from Enterprise, which for me turned out cheaper than Avis or National, even with a AAA discount. The Enterprise at LAX is great, they gave me a free upgrade (from economy to midsize), and they’re open 24 hours. $150 for Sunday night to Friday night. I flew in on Sunday, had meetings wall to wall straight through 5:30 Friday, and flew home on a Friday redeye.
Regarding schedules, I usually had a 9:30, an 11:30, a 3 PM, and a 5:30. Sometimes I had a 1:00 lunch as well. Meetings usually went just about an hour, sometimes less and sometimes more, and I always made sure to have an idea for how long it would take me to get from current general to next general.
When I got back to the hotel each night, or was parking at a general, I programmed the next location into the GPS. It inevitably said “8 miles, 14 minutes” or whatever, and was always wrong. I never got stuck in horrendous traffic, but there is always some traffic, lights, or the GPS thinks driving through Laurel Canyon at 4:30 will take seven minutes. It doesn’t.
Plan accordingly, which for me means giving 45 minutes for anything estimated between 15 and 30 minutes, and giving more exponentially from there. Heading into a general, or closing the shop down for the night, set the next location in the GPS so you have an idea whether to budget half an hour, 45 minutes, or more.
You will be late from time to time. I have both called my agent’s assistant to call the prodco to advise them, and I’ve done it myself. In either event, make sure somebody calls, as soon as possible.
Besides a GPS, I always have mouthwash, gum, underarm deoderant, and toothbrush in the car. I have brushed my teeth in almost every Starbucks in LA. (Slight exaggeration.) On a long day spent in the car, drinking the errant coffee, and perhaps having Thai or hitting a taco truck for lunch, being fresh feels nice. Plus I was there during a heat wave, two days hit 100 degrees. Glad I had deoderant with me.
The dress code for executives at studios is clearly suits and ties, though most of my meetings were with producers or creative executives. They wear jeans and nice shirts, and you should do the same. Khakis or chinos are not necessary, but every single producer/CE I met with was wearing what I would describe as stylish jeans, a smart shirt, and good shoes. Ie, not faded Old Navy jeans, beat up Asics running sneakers, and a t-shirt. It may not matter what a writer looks like, but for me, good jeans and a good shirt (eg, Banana Republic) and nice shoes/new sneakers (which I daresay I think are stylish, particularly as I wouldn’t run or hit the gym in them) always had me feeling comfortable and on the same level with the guys and gals I was meeting with.
Incidentally, for roughly thirty meetings and about fifty producers/execs (many meetings have two people in them) I met with five women, forty five men. If this helps the ladies, four of the women were wearing heels, but also jeans or slacks, no skirts that I can remember. I guess you could dress like a slob and write like an angel and all will be good, but I look at it this way: I want them to hire me, I want them to like me, I want them to think I’m cool and fun to be with and easy and would be a blast to work with. Being charming and creative is part of that, but so is dressing like a grown up and seeming like a cool person to be around. Think what you will about what our clothes say about us, but I personally assign value to dressing well.
Speaking of meeting with two people, it was always clear who the producer or VP was, and who the CE was. I always play to both, but I think it’s valuable to be aware of status, because there is status in the room. Just worth being aware of. (Hint: the person sitting directly across from you is the producer. The one on the side with the notebook is the CE.)
Speaking of status, and the kinds of companies you’ll be meeting with: there are studio executives, which, in my experience, meant the high rise on the Uni lot and valet parking at WB. These folks works in the production department of studios, and usually rely on producers to bring work to them, but just as often like to have their fingers on the pulse of new writers and maybe do a little development or finding projects on their own. (These are the folks in the suits I mentioned previously.) So you may well be meeting with actual studio execs, which is different than a creative exec at a prodco. (More on them in a bit.)
Then there are producers. These people are actually producers—they produce movies, are on the set, etc.—and they may have a first look deal with a studio, and operate on their own out of a prodco office somewhere out in town; or they may be in a bungalow or office on a lot. If they are the latter, then you likely know for certain where their first look is (ie, with the studio of the lot you’re on, most likely.) These producers may have a discretionary budget to pay for development on something they like, but most likely will still need the studio to buy a spec outright for them (as far as I know.)
Then there are producers who don’t have a first look, and just hit up studios when something right comes along. Some of these producers will also have a discretionary fund, ie, they got a bit of a bankroll for their company from a money person. They may be able to afford development or an outright purchase on their own.
You will undoubtedly be meeting with lots of folks who work for producers as well, namely, CEs. Their job is to meet writers, and develop material, and they tend to be in their twenties or early thirties. I have frequently been told that if I find something I like (ie, an article or a book) to run it past them to see if they dig it and perhaps we can work on it together. (It’s maybe not that on the nose, but that’s what it means.) That sounds like an awesome offer, and if it’s a great producer or CE that I’d love to work with, I might someday do that. But just NB, I would never reach out to a CE with a property I’ve located that I’m interested in without checking with my team first. That just wouldn’t be prudent.
They also ask if I have anything I’m working on, or thinking about. Again, here’s a situation where I play it close to the vest. Let’s say (heck, it’s true) I have an idea, a half-formed pitch, or a book I’ve had my eye on. I don’t bring it up. First of all, because despite how well we’re getting along in the room, I don’t REALLY know whether this is someone who “gets movies made” (which seems to be the high praise saved for producers who really—wait for it—get movies made) or if this is someone who will, if she likes the idea, need to bring it to her producer.
Then they may want free development, and then, if all is perfect, need to pitch a studio, then get you in with them to pitch the studio ... it’s a long road that I don’t intend to embark on without having fully vetted the producer/CE and the idea with my team. In either case, whether it’s a real deal producer with a discretionary fund or a 25 year old CE looking to work a project with a hot new writer (you!), I’d suggest you check with your team before embarking on even an informal development relationship.
You may also answer, if true, that you have a spec about to go out (as I do) or one you’re about to finish. They will want to know more about it. Tell them—a little. Don’t give away the hook, and don’t present it as an idea that’s up for development or up for grabs. They are enterprising, intelligent people, and if they love it (or the article you mentioned), they will want to follow up with you about the idea, and want, by supporting your progress, to lay a certain claim to it. I’m not saying this is situation fraught with danger—they may be the perfect people for this idea or spec—but that’s really your reps’ job, and the purpose of a general if you have new work about to hit town is to prime the pump, not be giving away exclusive access. Just tease it out.
That being said, they will follow up with “we’ll definitely want to see that”, and particularly when it’s a producer or CE or company that I can already tell I love, I’ll make sure to let them know that I’ll ensure they get it, plus I’ll make sure to check in with my team that I really felt good with that prodco.
At some point, they may bring an idea up to you. It may be some half-baked project they love that they hope you’ll love, it may be a legitimate OWA, it may be a book they are angling to get the rights to, it may be an article that caught their fancy. When this has happened (which is about half of my meetings) I always ask them to send it along (the article, the book, whatever.)
Then I advise my team, and they know whether something is “real”—as in, they’re definitely making that, it’s awesome that they brought it up, let’s get you in on that; or “yeah, that’s been all over town for years, it sounds cool but no one’s cracked it and they don’t have a studio on board.” In the case of the latter, they don’t discourage me from chasing it, but just let me know—it’s a lot longer road than the remake of “big famous movie you can’t believe they’re remaking”, but which has already been announced on Deadline and thus is "real."
As the meeting reaches its natural conclusion, they will offer you their card. I have a card which I give out as well, which is very simple, says my name, e-mail, phone number, and “writer/director.” (It also has the name of my spec script and recent short on it, b/c I had it made prior to being repped when I was meeting a lot of reps and execs through an industry forum, and wanted them to see my name and remember my material.)
What do they do with my card? I don’t know, but at least they have it. What do I do with their card? Write a thank you note no later than the following week (when I get back home) and save it. I’ve written about post-meeting etiquette here recently, but suffice it to say that I always send a thank-you note, and have always gotten a nice response. We are now business associates.
Research the folks you’ll be meeting with. My basic research goes like this: Google him or her; you’ll come up with IMDb, so check that out. Click on anything else that looks reputable as well. But IMDb can be deceiving; there may be credits for films on which she played a minor role, or no credits for something she was a CE on. You may get a bunch of “Assistant to XXXX”, where undoubtedly XXXX is the producer she works for now. That means she’s been bumped up to CE.
Then I search the name through “industry databases”, by which I mean IMDb if I haven’t hit that yet; then run a name search through Deadline.com, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. (Variety is behind a paywall, but FYI, if you Google and get a Variety link and click it and after two seconds it goes black, go back to Google and use the “cached” link. That will get you there gratis.)
Having this sense of a producer/exec’s previous work is helpful, but I’ve never felt the need to say “Gosh, I loved XXXX that you worked on”, unless it’s totally true, and I’m certain they actually worked on it. If you have IMDb Pro, hit that as well, of course.
My reps don’t give me a bio on everyone I’m meeting, so I research it myself. I will sometimes ask my reps where they have a first look, but again, I can usually figure that out myself. Variety’s annual “Facts on Pacts” is a great free .pdf (Google it) that lists all the prodcos that have deals at all of the major studios. It’s really worth downloading. I also have found myself en route to meetings where I neglected to research, or forget what I learned, and so I call my agent’s assistant and ask him to IMDb the person I’m about to meet, just to give me a quick flavor.
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