Unable to travel - Seeking advice

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  • Unable to travel - Seeking advice

    I understand the subject of "living in LA" has been beaten to death on these forums over the years and I've read many of those threads seeking an answer before posting a new thread.

    I'm currently polishing off the second of two scripts that I'm planning to push on the market soon, if it's a good idea. The thing about it is, I physically will not be able to travel for several months. I may be "stuck" in my home through December and into early 2020.

    Should I stick with my plan to query/attempt to sell these scripts knowing this ahead of time? Are spec scripts sold, even occasionally, without the physical face-to-face?

    Any and all advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

  • #2
    Re: Unable to travel - Seeking advice

    Yes, and yes.

    And keep writing. There's an old axiom that you don't make it till you've written several scripts. I remember, too, thinking that my second, third and fourth were great. Heck, I still like my first.

    But the more the merrier, that you have in your back pocket, once the bough breaks!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Unable to travel - Seeking advice

      I don't know what you're going through, but my question is can it be turned into a script itself?

      Like I wanted to write a cancer comedy, but before I could get my story out 50/50 came out.... and then tons of other stuff... not that I can't tell my story my way, but it's less exciting now...

      Anyway --- I'm saying maybe this can be a plus.

      Here's my script. It's fictional, but it's inspired by my real life situation...

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Unable to travel - Seeking advice

        LA-based agencies certainly do Skype-Face Time meetings with writers etc. outside of the area, depending on a given agency's openness to working with non-LA writers

        (no need to tell them why you can't be in LA for now, just query as if you were any other outside writer)

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Unable to travel - Seeking advice

          Originally posted by JoeBanks View Post
          LA-based agencies certainly do Skype-Face Time meetings with writers etc. outside of the area, depending on a given agency's openness to working with non-LA writers

          (no need to tell them why you can't be in LA for now, just query as if you were any other outside writer)
          100%
          "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


          • #6
            Re: Unable to travel - Seeking advice

            Originally posted by catcon View Post
            Yes, and yes.

            And keep writing. There's an old axiom that you don't make it till you've written several scripts. I remember, too, thinking that my second, third and fourth were great. Heck, I still like my first.

            But the more the merrier, that you have in your back pocket, once the bough breaks!
            Been writing scripts as a hobby/stress reliever for about a decade. 30ish finished fulls, but I've only attempted to sell one and that was 2013ish.

            While I feel good about these two scripts, I understand my odds are right up there with winning the Powerball.

            Just don't want to have that winning ticket and not be able to cash it in because of a surgery or two.

            I will be writing plenty while I'm down!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Unable to travel - Seeking advice

              Originally posted by realphipps View Post
              Been writing scripts as a hobby/stress reliever for about a decade. 30ish finished fulls, but I've only attempted to sell one and that was 2013ish.

              While I feel good about these two scripts, I understand my odds are right up there with winning the Powerball.

              Just don't want to have that winning ticket and not be able to cash it in because of a surgery or two.

              I will be writing plenty while I'm down!
              Best to you as you recover.

              Do you have reps?

              Looks, it's not a lottery. Not if you've written something great. No one should subscribe to the "there are 378,000 spec scripts written each year...ergo, you have a 1/378,00 shot" math. It's like saying the Patriots have the same odds of winning the Super Bowl as Vanderbilt. One has a chance, the other has zero chance.

              If you have written something that's really good but maybe won't sell and you HAVE reps, the most likely outcome is you would want to be in LA to take meetings with people who maybe would like to work with you going forward.

              Based on your language here, I am guessing no reps, currently. So best case scenario my bet is you would be, conservatively, three months from taking something to market if they were wild about it and it was close to being ready. Assuming you find a rep in like, a month. Stranger things have happened, etc etc.

              Even if you took something out in October, you could still maybe have generals in January. It's not an ideal timeline as you might want to strike while the iron is hotter-ish. But hardly a dealbreaker.

              If it comes down to you sell something and can't make it to LA for generals right away...that would be a tremendous problem to have.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Unable to travel - Seeking advice

                Originally posted by realphipps View Post
                I understand the subject of "living in LA" has been beaten to death on these forums over the years and I've read many of those threads seeking an answer before posting a new thread.

                I'm currently polishing off the second of two scripts that I'm planning to push on the market soon, if it's a good idea. The thing about it is, I physically will not be able to travel for several months. I may be "stuck" in my home through December and into early 2020.

                Should I stick with my plan to query/attempt to sell these scripts knowing this ahead of time? Are spec scripts sold, even occasionally, without the physical face-to-face?

                Any and all advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated.
                I currently live in another state (have only traveled out to LA a few times for other work), but my team is in LA, I have two projects in development, and I've had a couple dozen general meetings via phone or Skype over the last year or so, including for major studio level assignment opportunities.

                Would it be "easier" in LA? Of course. Many producers have said to hit them up for lunch once I am in town after we had a great phone call, and I can always feel the pressure, but my team has been supportive and I'll be moving out there hopefully by year's end or early 2020 anyway.

                My point is - not living in LA hasn't stopped me from getting to this point. So just keep going. It's just about finding the right combo of spec and rep and then winning people over by phone or Skype, and you never know what can happen.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Unable to travel - Seeking advice

                  Originally posted by realphipps View Post
                  Been writing scripts as a hobby/stress reliever for about a decade. 30ish finished fulls, but I've only attempted to sell one and that was 2013ish.

                  While I feel good about these two scripts, I understand my odds are right up there with winning the Powerball.

                  Just don't want to have that winning ticket and not be able to cash it in because of a surgery or two.

                  I will be writing plenty while I'm down!
                  you can't win if you don't play.

                  get in the game.

                  and play.
                  "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


                  • #10
                    Re: Unable to travel - Seeking advice

                    Absolutely. Generally you only need to be in LA for pitch meetings (if you are able to get one), and even then, sometimes the "pitchee" will be okay with video, although if other LA-based people are involved in the same meeting most likely they will want you down there in person, too. Good luck and keep at it

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Unable to travel - Seeking advice

                      if the material sings, nobody gives two turds where you are
                      sure, there's something good about taking meetings in person (that's a no brainer) but 99% of those meetings are smoke-and-mirrors designed to make agents and executives look busy.
                      two of my closest friends are KILLING it right now. One lives in New York. the other lives in Madrid. they are both technically LA writers. meaning, their work goes through the LA machine.
                      blame it on globalization. the world's never been smaller.



                      Originally posted by realphipps View Post
                      I understand the subject of "living in LA" has been beaten to death on these forums over the years and I've read many of those threads seeking an answer before posting a new thread.

                      I'm currently polishing off the second of two scripts that I'm planning to push on the market soon, if it's a good idea. The thing about it is, I physically will not be able to travel for several months. I may be "stuck" in my home through December and into early 2020.

                      Should I stick with my plan to query/attempt to sell these scripts knowing this ahead of time? Are spec scripts sold, even occasionally, without the physical face-to-face?

                      Any and all advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

                      Comment

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