Mass Email Query

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  • Mass Email Query

    Is it okay to cold email query en masse to literary agents for screenplays?
    Captain Spirk
    http://www.joongcho.com/
    http://www.startreklibrary.com/

  • #2
    Re: Mass Email Query

    I tried this once a long time ago when I was much greener than today. Not much came out of it other than a single read request from a legitimate production company that lead nowhere and a relatively well-known producer who offered to read my script for an outrageous amount of money. The latter reply was kind of weird and we had a really tense phone call about it later on after he called me to follow up about it.

    My best advice is to research people and companies who may be interested in your project and create a more targeted plan of attack.

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    • #3
      Re: Mass Email Query

      My thoughts exactly.

      And is it okay to query a talent's representative like Quentin Tarantino? I have a perfect script for him that I want him to read and would like to query his talent agent. Or should I call his talent agent first?
      Captain Spirk
      http://www.joongcho.com/
      http://www.startreklibrary.com/

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Mass Email Query

        I'm no expert on this, but my experience has shown that agents for actors don't really like to do much unless financing is already in place and there's definitely money to be made for their client, but you can always give it a shot.

        The only time that I've had luck getting material to a well-known actress was with someone who I had a friend in common with and so I was able to get her personal email address. She read the script, like it a lot and so I ended up getting a letter of intent from her agent.

        Maybe try something like that? If you can get your script directly into someone's hands and get them to read it and become excited about it, you probably have a better shot of getting them to sign on.

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        • #5
          Re: Mass Email Query

          Originally posted by CaptSpirk View Post
          My thoughts exactly.

          And is it okay to query a talent's representative like Quentin Tarantino? I have a perfect script for him that I want him to read and would like to query his talent agent. Or should I call his talent agent first?
          QT writes and directs his own scripts.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Mass Email Query

            Originally posted by JoeBanks View Post
            QT writes and directs his own scripts.
            Maybe he meant as an actor? The OP did write "talent agent" instead of literary, unless he just wrote the wrong thing.

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            • #7
              Re: Mass Email Query

              Originally posted by CaptSpirk View Post
              Is it okay to cold email query en masse to literary agents for screenplays?
              No.

              Addressing a letter to someone as "Dear Agent/Manager/Producer/Whoever" is not going to get you anywhere. If you can't even be bothered to take the time to replace the name for each e-mail you send out, nobody is going to be bothered to read it. A lot of people will even tell you that each individual letter should have some personal details about the person you're sending it to.

              Addressing e-mails to nonexistent people is also bad. I once had an e-mail thread go six or seven e-mails deep with a guy who continually addressed me as "Jeff" despite my name not being Jeff and there being nobody at the entire company named Jeff. It was good for a laugh though.

              I'd also have to say, querying Quentin Tarantino's agent because you have the perfect script for him will get you nowhere and is only a waste of your time. I mean, it's good that you're aiming high and all, but you also need to be realistic. Declaring your own work equal to the best of the best when nobody knows who you are will only get you laughed at, whether you call your script Tarantino-esque, Kafka-esque or Dickensian. It's just not a good idea.

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              • #8
                Re: Mass Email Query

                Originally posted by CaptSpirk View Post
                My thoughts exactly.

                And is it okay to query a talent's representative like Quentin Tarantino? I have a perfect script for him that I want him to read and would like to query his talent agent. Or should I call his talent agent first?
                That's a strange example, since, as has been pointed out, QT writes his own stuff and has never shown much interest in directing other people's work. When you think a script would be perfect for a given director, one would usually think that means that you've researched the director to know a basic fact like that.

                On the other hand, you said "talent" agent - and that generally means actors and actresses.

                What you'll generally find is that actors' agents are generally not interested in reading material for them that doesn't have at least a director attached, and usually an offer, too. If the actor has a production company, you can always query the production company.

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                • #9
                  Re: Mass Email Query

                  Originally posted by JoeBanks View Post
                  QT writes and directs his own scripts.
                  I know that.

                  It was worth a thought.

                  What's everyone's opinion of the "Black List?"
                  Captain Spirk
                  http://www.joongcho.com/
                  http://www.startreklibrary.com/

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Mass Email Query

                    Tarantino will NEVER direct somebody else's script.

                    As for mass email I agree with everybody else. It might be a blag to do hundreds of emails but they aren't going to take you seriously if you don't take them seriously.

                    By all means feel free to email agents/managers of actors or directors but don't expect results. You can get lucky but it is rare.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Mass Email Query

                      I sent out A LOT of email queries just around the 4th of July and received 14 read requests from top manager/production companies with two offers of representation in about a week to ten days.

                      I individually addressed each email, but stuck only to information about the spec and did not personalize the content other than the "to," or say anything about myself personally.

                      I had high scores on the Black List and used that in the subject line.

                      I think the score got them to open the email, I think the logline and the review which I linked to got them to read the spec. But honestly, who knows.

                      I will say that NO AGENTS responded, which I knew was probable going in.

                      My manager that I'm working with actually said he didn't think much of my logline, but when he read it, it was my voice that he was drawn to most and then the details in the story-- so I'm grateful he read it anyway.

                      I guess querying results can be low, but the truth is you're looking for that ONE person who will have the same passion about your work that you do. I've done it [querying] this way a couple of times now, and each time I've gotten reads from the big players, medium and boutiques, so, it's clear it was the material that was the problem, not necessarily the concept.

                      I'm hopeful that I won't have to revisit querying like that again, but if the circumstances require it, I will. It doesn't really take all that long--

                      To me, it's about knowing that you've done everything in your power to get your material out there and visible, and once it's sent, I move on and do not dwell on what I cannot control.

                      Best of luck.
                      Last edited by finalact4; 08-09-2015, 07:51 AM.
                      "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

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                      • #12
                        Re: Mass Email Query

                        I don't actually think it's accurate to say that Tarantino would never direct somebody else's script.

                        He shares writing credit on PULP FICTION, he adapted JACKIE BROWN from a novel, and he actually is even on record saying that at least hypothetically, he would direct a script written by somebody else.

                        I wouldn't expect it to actually happen, but technically, he's at least open to the idea.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Mass Email Query

                          Fine, I'll rephrase. He will never direct a beginning writer's spec.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Mass Email Query

                            Capt, if you're talking about the script hosting service, there are several threads, some of them insanely long, with all sort of opinions of the BL. Go to the Sites and Services forum and scroll down.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Mass Email Query

                              Originally posted by carcar View Post
                              Capt, if you're talking about the script hosting service, there are several threads, some of them insanely long, with all sort of opinions of the BL. Go to the Sites and Services forum and scroll down.
                              Will check it out.
                              Captain Spirk
                              http://www.joongcho.com/
                              http://www.startreklibrary.com/

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