Best spec agent

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  • Best spec agent

    Anyone have any opinions on who the best spec agent in the business might be?

    I'm putting together my dream list while waiting for my Black List scores to come in.

  • #2
    Re: Best spec agent

    Esola, Boxerbaum and Besser, off the top of my head.

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    • #3
      Re: Best spec agent

      There is no right answer. You have to choose who's right for you as an individual, not just who has the most sales. The numbers don't tell the whole story.
      Chicks Who Script podcast

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      • #4
        Re: Best spec agent

        Thanks Levenger!


        And Emily, I am trying to determine who's right for me. For the past 10 years I've been focused on developing high concept big-budget script ideas. I have over a dozen so far. And last year I felt I was ready to start turning these ideas into specs. I just finished my first one (a time travel adventure) and uploaded it on the BL.

        So for the forseeable future I'm just gonna be writing specs. And if my first one is good enough to land me an agent, then I need to know which agents are best at marketing specs.

        I don't want to go up for assignments, or pitch projects I haven't written yet. I just wanna write spec scripts. Exclusively.

        And needless to say, if my first spec gets torn apart on the BL then I'll have to re-evaluate my career strategy.

        But for now, I'm trying to prepare my query campaign in the event of a high score.

        Plus, it gives me something to do so I'm not climbing the walls waiting for my first scores to come in.

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        • #5
          Re: Best spec agent

          Well, if that's the case, don't tell the agents that. They don't want guys who just write specs, there's no business for them there. They want/need guys who are going to book big studio assignments and get called in for deadline rewrites.

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          • #6
            Re: Best spec agent

            Originally posted by Levenger View Post
            Well, if that's the case, don't tell the agents that. They don't want guys who just write specs, there's no business for them there. They want/need guys who are going to book big studio assignments and get called in for deadline rewrites.

            Wow, really?

            Shouldn't I be up front about this? The last thing I wanna do is sign with an agent and then have them expect me to pitch for a bunch of assignments, when I just wanna work on my own stuff.

            This is the main reason I'm trying to find the top spec agents, because I thought they'd be the ones most interested in signing a spec writer.

            Honestly, I don't really see why this would be such a turnoff. Doesn't a writer who just writes specs require less effort to rep then one who works on assignment?

            That's what I always thought.
            Last edited by Gary Dragan Milin; 01-21-2013, 12:54 PM. Reason: Edited for typos.

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            • #7
              Re: Best spec agent

              Cart before the horse, Gary.

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              • #8
                Re: Best spec agent

                Originally posted by Richmond Weems View Post
                Cart before the horse, Gary.
                I'm no boy scout.

                But I like to always be prepared.

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                • #9
                  Re: Best spec agent

                  And to whoever just downloaded THE TIME MACHINE off the BL site, thanks for taking a look!

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                  • #10
                    Re: Best spec agent

                    Gary, something like over 90% of all script writing income is from assignments. No agent would want to cut themselves off from that with a client.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Best spec agent

                      I didn't literally mean "don't tell them" I just meant that you're going to be facing a steep uphill battle trying to find an agent who will work with a pure spec writer. I'd maybe try Original Artists or somewhere of that ilk if that's the case.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Best spec agent

                        In truth, if you have a great spec, most senior agents within the top agencies can put the script in the hands of buyers at the right time. Sure, Esola, Besser, and Boxerbaum have many notable sales but other agents could just as easily do that, too.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Best spec agent

                          Mike, I'm well aware of the odds. There's about 100 specs bought each year and thousands of working writers.

                          And believe me, I wouldn't even dream of pursuing this kind of career path without a HUGE amount of preparation.

                          If I'm lucky enough to sell my first spec, I'm already going to have a dozen projects on the backburner to choose from for my next spec. And these projects are all well developed, not just ideas.

                          But most importantly, I can let a prospective agent know exactly what scripts to expect from me over the next few years. So if they don't feel those script ideas show promise, then they don't have to sign me.

                          All the projects I have in development are similar in scope, genre and tone, so I'm pretty confident that if an agent likes my first spec, they'll like my subsequent ones as well.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Best spec agent

                            Originally posted by Levenger View Post
                            I didn't literally mean "don't tell them" I just meant that you're going to be facing a steep uphill battle trying to find an agent who will work with a pure spec writer.
                            Thank goodness!

                            I have TONS of practice fighting up steep hills.

                            I just don't know what to do if I'm lucky enough to actually reach the top.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Best spec agent

                              Originally posted by Hamboogul View Post
                              In truth, if you have a great spec, most senior agents within the top agencies can put the script in the hands of buyers at the right time. Sure, Esola, Besser, and Boxerbaum have many notable sales but other agents could just as easily do that, too.
                              So I should forget about which agents are good with specs, and just focus on finding an agent who responds to my writing?

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