Marketing yourself - writing in one genre or multiple?

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  • Marketing yourself - writing in one genre or multiple?

    Do you think it's better, from the standpoint of someone trying to break in who hasn't sold anything, doesn't even have representation, to write in one genre exclusively or diversify?

    It seems that the consensus, from what I've seen from interviews with writers and managers, is that it is better to write in one genre so you can market yourself as the guy who writes x.

    Oren Uziel is an exception and wrote in multiple genres. He explained it in the below interview (@ 36:55) as being on a list and the more you write in one genre the more you move up on people's lists for writing that particular kind of film. If you write multiple types you're on multiple lists, but lower down.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4LQZzDFzIE
    Last edited by Dimitri001; 03-08-2018, 01:13 PM.

  • #2
    Re: Marketing yourself - writing in one genre or multiple?

    just write one undeniable script of any genre first, then worry about branding

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    • #3
      Re: Marketing yourself - writing in one genre or multiple?

      I had a breakthrough moment with a big studio comedy. That script got me a Big 3 agent, a manager, meetings all over town, several OWA pitches, and a lot of people excited for my next script.

      The problem? I'm not a fan of big studio comedies. I don't care to watch them. I'm not particularly strong at structuring jokes or comedic set-pieces. I don't really enjoy working on them. I couldn't think of new ideas because my mind doesn't work well in that genre.

      As a result, my pitches and follow-up scripts were weak.

      I then switched to horror/thriller. I found that those were the genres that my mind and artistic voice naturally gravitated toward. I'm stronger in that genre and I can see myself writing those types of scripts for as long as I want. My pitches, specs, and generals in that genre have also been strong, and now I'm making money in that world. In meetings, I can define the stories I like to tell, and people now know which books or IP to send my way. I also know which projects I can say, "I'm not the best choice for this. Let's not waste either of our time."

      Four years elapsed between my comedy career and my horror/thriller career.

      I'll admit, I'm a stronger horror writer because of my comedy experience. Not only do scares and laughs work on the same human principles (set up an expectation and then subvert it), but that slight comedic voice helps my horror pop.

      But I wouldn't advise any writer to genre-hop willy-nilly.

      I think it's important to DEFINE the types of stories you want to tell. The types of stories that come easy to you, that you enjoy seeing, that you find yourself constantly thinking about, that you can talk at length about.

      That definition may bleed across multiple genres, but it should all link together by some tendon that's stronger than simply, "I thought it was a cool idea." We speak of branding as if it's some bad, corporate thing that's thrust upon artists. In truth, any artist who has a voice, a distinct worldview, and something to say, should WANT to be a brand.

      I stand by my big studio comedy. It's a good script, and it's my voice. But I wouldn't write it, or others like it, again. It didn't lead down a path that I wanted to go.

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      • #4
        Re: Marketing yourself - writing in one genre or multiple?

        I think that's very well expressed, Bunk. The "voice" is one's brand.

        Of course that may be a difficult concept for ourselves, let alone our reps, to sell.

        It's almost like being a writer who pens Coen Bros. type of stuff (I self-identify in this way, and even Ingmar Bergman for his dark human condition metaphors, which I balance with a bit of Terry Gilliam for his playfulness and Frank Capra for his little-guy happy endings).

        It gets complicated, especially when all of the influences show up in one script!

        If this is my voice, that's just the way it is. And while it can be difficult to put forward in my pitches - limited to a hundred words or so, as they are - imagine a rep's quandary.

        But let's be optimistic for a sec: I can also imagine a prodco that's having trouble with a script after several drafts saying "Hey, so-and-so should do their Tarantino/Coen Bros/Nolan/whomever number on it. Let's make a phone call!"

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        • #5
          Re: Marketing yourself - writing in one genre or multiple?

          +1 to Bunk.

          I just listened to an interview on Film Courage (I can't remember who or which person) but basically they said don't write to the market. Master your craft/tools and write what you want to write long term. That doesn't mean necessarily to write ONE genre (unless you really want to) but at least narrow it down from a "I'll write anything" jack of all trades approach.
          You know Jill you remind me of my mother. She was the biggest whore in Alameda and the finest woman that ever lived. Whoever my father was, for an hour or for a month, he must have been a happy man.

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          • #6
            Re: Marketing yourself - writing in one genre or multiple?

            One of the issues I had with a previous manager was his hesitance to embrace that I sometimes wanted to switched genres. Nothing dramatic like going from romantic comedy to slasher horror. But, sometimes I'd want to write a more comedic action flick instead of a straight action/thriller. Or a little heartfelt indie drama, or something. And that scared him. He said he didn't know how to "market" me and it would be too difficult, in that case, so he'd often shoot down ideas if it slipped out of what made him comfortable for me to write.

            Cut to a couple years later, and now my manager at one of the biggest and most successful firms in town says my ability to write various genres is a good thing, and makes me valuable across the board. Because it's about my voice as a writer, not the genre in which I write.

            So, I'm inclined to side with the current manager on this issue. Not just because it's what I want to hear, lol, but because he's highly respected and knows his sh*t. Whereas my previous manager, well... let's just not even go there.

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