Who To Sign With?

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  • #16
    Re: Who To Sign With?

    Originally posted by MacG View Post
    This is a situation altogether new to me: I have TWO different managers aggressively pursuing me as a client. I'm flying down to Los Angeles next week to meet with them both.

    I've done as much research as I can about both guys and their respective companies -- and even did a search in the DD archives to see what other people have said -- but I'm wondering how you go about making such a critical decision?

    I know the questions I want to ask and the answers I'd like to hear, but supposing both managers appear to be equally good fits, how do you decide on one vs. the other?

    Manager A is fairly up and coming but already has films in production as a producer (based on clients' work) and seems to really hustle on behalf of his writers 24/7. He's been incredibly passionate and attentive in his many e-mails to me, stating he's the guy for me on account of the genre I write in, etc. He even called me CHRISTMAS EVE to talk, which scored him big points.

    Manager B is part of a highly-regarded boutique agency that some people on these boards have said any writer would be lucky to sign with. We've has some great e-mail exchanges, too, and when I wrote him a few days ago to let him know I was coming to LA to meet manager A, he wrote back within 20 minutes to set something up while I was in the area.

    I'm being partly facitious / party serious when I say I hate being in this position of having to choose!

    What say you guys out there?
    All things being equal, I'd go with the boutique rather than the individual manager. The manager at the boutique will have a lot more resources, and will have a little more personal stability vis-a-vis income flow so they would be less likely to make bad decisions on your behalf because they find themselves desperate to get paid. Of course, so much of it depends on what you have ready to go, and how you perceive their respective takes on how to sell your material. If you have something ready to go that they can give you a game plan on, it will be much easier to make the call.

    But, again, if they appear to be equal, I'd go with the Bender-Spink type company over the individual.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Who To Sign With?

      As someone said before, the meetings will probably decide things for you.

      My preference, though, would be with the 1st one, who is also producing.

      It would only be a choice for me if the 2nd one were from CAA.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Who To Sign With?

        Thanks again, everyone, for the responses / feedback / congrats. I truly appreciate it!

        Will definitely keep you all posted on how things progess.

        Best wishes to you all for a happy and successful 2009!

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Who To Sign With?

          Great position to be in Mac, good for you!
          I've never done this, but have heard others recommend it: ask to speak to a few of their clients.

          But I do agree with others in saying I think the answers you are looking for will come out of the meetings.

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Who To Sign With?

            Congrats, Mac. That's the best position to be in!

            I was wondering how you originally got in contact with the managers.
            Did you win a contest? Query letter? Reference from a friend?

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Who To Sign With?

              Congrats, Mac!

              Wishing you the best!

              Corona
              I love you, Reyna . . .

              Brown-Balled by the Hollywood Clika

              Latino Heart Project's MEXICAN HEART...ATTACK!
              I ain't no punk b1tch...

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Who To Sign With?

                Originally posted by Hemingwayoffbase View Post
                I was wondering how you originally got in contact with the managers.
                Did you win a contest? Query letter? Reference from a friend?
                Brief backstory:

                Some of you may recall the now-infamous struggles I endured with my old managers / management company in the "What To Do?" threads I posted on the boards many months ago.

                Well, that relationship finally bit the dust in October. There was one particular member of the forums that kindly reached out to me on previous occasions during my ups and downs, and he reappeared again after the "break up" with a list of e-mail addresses of managers and agents I should try to query.

                And I did. And I was fortunate in that I could a) name-drop my old management company, which almost always guaranteed I would get a reply, and b) already has a spec that went out in summer '08 that garnered some great reaction around town.

                A lot of the dozen or so people I corresponded with requested at least one of the scripts I included loglines of; only three every got back to me with their reactions: one was a 'pass' and then there are these two current managers who are interested in me.

                As I said, though, I was in a fotunate position in that I had been previously repped; in fact, I literally entitled my subject heading, "Former [Management Company Name] Client Seeking New Representation."

                A bit of irony to the proceedings that may be encouraging to those who have had work rejected at any level: the script that has gotten me this far is one my old managers tossed aside as not being "ready for the market."

                Bill Goldman was right: nobody knows nothin'....

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Who To Sign With?

                  Good luck on your meetings, Mac.

                  But your last comment gave me pause for concern:

                  "A bit of irony to the proceedings that may be encouraging to those who have had work rejected at any level: the script that has gotten me this far is one my old managers tossed aside as not being 'ready for the market.'

                  "Bill Goldman was right: nobody knows nothin'...."

                  Having been part of the discussion of your past relationship with your previous manager, the one who said that your spec was not "ready for the market," I suggest that you try to be more fluid with other managers who might want to work with you. I don't think that Goldman's comments meant that people in the industry cannot give you good advice. Goldman meant that no one knows for sure what will make a good, successful movie. Not that nobody knows anything, but that movie-making is a collective, collaborative process, a social practice, if you will. The social collective can assimilate and produce knowledge far beyond the capacities of a single individual.

                  It could be a little risky mentioning the old manager. May get you a consideration, but if your new manager knows the old one, and the old one says that you were "difficult" in some way, that could cause you to work harder to gain trust in a new relationship.

                  If a new manager says that a script of yours is not ready, take it with a grain of salt and get busy making it ready. In other words, kiss a little ass. It goes a long way.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Who To Sign With?

                    Originally posted by Farnsworth View Post
                    As someone said before, the meetings will probably decide things for you.

                    My preference, though, would be with the 1st one, who is also producing.

                    It would only be a choice for me if the 2nd one were from CAA.
                    I think this is a mistake. Producing managers are generally a drag on a project...just another mouth to feed and another opinion to deal with. Unless it's someone who is a real heavy hitter, I would avoid the manager who wants to produce, and stick with the manage who is...managing.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Who To Sign With?

                      Hey Mac - congrats! and just how did you get yourself into this predicament anyway? phone query? email? letters? cash??
                      My first crack at a logline usually makes a great synopsis!

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Who To Sign With?

                        Hi Mac,

                        Congrats on the meetings and interest, that's a great problem to have. I took quite a few manager meetings a couple months ago before settling on the one I have now. If you PM me the names I might have some insight, maybe even already met with them. Hope I can help.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Who To Sign With?

                          MacG,

                          This, as others have said, is a pretty great dilemma to have. I only have congrats to offer you, because I think you've already gotten a pretty good spectrum of advice, but ...

                          CONGRATS!
                          The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter -- it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. - Mark Twain

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Who To Sign With?

                            Originally posted by Farnsworth View Post
                            Good luck on your meetings, Mac.

                            But your last comment gave me pause for concern:

                            "A bit of irony to the proceedings that may be encouraging to those who have had work rejected at any level: the script that has gotten me this far is one my old managers tossed aside as not being 'ready for the market.'

                            "Bill Goldman was right: nobody knows nothin'...."

                            Having been part of the discussion of your past relationship with your previous manager, the one who said that your spec was not "ready for the market," I suggest that you try to be more fluid with other managers who might want to work with you. I don't think that Goldman's comments meant that people in the industry cannot give you good advice. Goldman meant that no one knows for sure what will make a good, successful movie. Not that nobody knows anything, but that movie-making is a collective, collaborative process, a social practice, if you will. The social collective can assimilate and produce knowledge far beyond the capacities of a single individual.

                            It could be a little risky mentioning the old manager. May get you a consideration, but if your new manager knows the old one, and the old one says that you were "difficult" in some way, that could cause you to work harder to gain trust in a new relationship.

                            If a new manager says that a script of yours is not ready, take it with a grain of salt and get busy making it ready. In other words, kiss a little ass. It goes a long way.
                            Farns, I know you mean well, but you read WAAAAAY too much into my Goldman quote. I meant it more as a joke in that I'm getting such mileage out a project that was deemed terrible by my old reps.

                            Point of fact, both of these new managers I'm talking with know I was previously repped...and they know my former managers personally; it hasn't been a problem.

                            They've inquired about the circumstances surrounding our parting of ways and I've told them in very diplomatic terms what transpired. I've actually been taking the high road when it comes to discussing them; they have not when it comes to me.

                            I know for a FACT that they bad-mouthed me to another manager I queried, because the manager told me he had been calling around to ask about me and had heard some not-so-good things about my attitude, etc. That came as a huge shock, obviously, and when I inquired if he would mind sharing who told him that, he said no, he wouldn't divulge names.

                            But then he said he would read my scripts anyway and get back to me. I told him I would be delighted to send him copies; apparently, though, HE ALREADY HAD THEM IN HIS POSSESSION.

                            The only place he could have gotten both was from my old management firm, as one of them never was circulated outside of their offices. So it doesn't take a genius to infer who labeled me unfavorably.

                            Again, I know you mean well, but I've spent two and a half years in the trenches trying to figure out how manager-client relationships work and -- more importantly -- WORK BEST. So I think I know how to proceed from here in regard to being open, being a team player, etc.

                            Thanks for the two cents, though.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Who To Sign With?

                              Originally posted by MacG View Post
                              Farns, I know you mean well, but you read WAAAAAY too much into my Goldman quote. I meant it more as a joke in that I'm getting such mileage out a project that was deemed terrible by my old reps.

                              Point of fact, both of these new managers I'm talking with know I was previously repped...and they know my former managers personally; it hasn't been a problem.

                              They've inquired about the circumstances surrounding our parting of ways and I've told them in very diplomatic terms what transpired. I've actually been taking the high road when it comes to discussing them; they have not when it comes to me.

                              I know for a FACT that they bad-mouthed me to another manager I queried, because the manager told me he had been calling around to ask about me and had heard some not-so-good things about my attitude, etc. That came as a huge shock, obviously, and when I inquired if he would mind sharing who told him that, he said no, he wouldn't divulge names.

                              But then he said he would read my scripts anyway and get back to me. I told him I would be delighted to send him copies; apparently, though, HE ALREADY HAD THEM IN HIS POSSESSION.

                              The only place he could have gotten both was from my old management firm, as one of them never was circulated outside of their offices. So it doesn't take a genius to infer who labeled me unfavorably.

                              Again, I know you mean well, but I've spent two and a half years in the trenches trying to figure out how manager-client relationships work and -- more importantly -- WORK BEST. So I think I know how to proceed from here in regard to being open, being a team player, etc.

                              Thanks for the two cents, though.
                              Ahh, agents and managers

                              I was looking at a feature spec from an amazing writer, and this guy was really, really, incredible. Not only that, he is the writer/creator of a hit cable show! And, even more fantastically, the guy is a dream to work with, a total team player, no ego, really, a pleasure.

                              And then a week later, he left the agency. And the agent called me to tell me the "truth." In fact, she was relieved to be able to level with about the fact that this guy was a total douchebag, selfish, unpredictable, no sense of loyalty, in fact, I had dodged a bullet! Very classy on the part of the agent, and it sorta kind of put everything she said about *anyone* into doubt.

                              Sheesh.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Who To Sign With?

                                BTW, continued thanks to everyone who is posting and passing along their congrats & support and bits of advice.

                                You're a great group of peeps!

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