Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

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  • #16
    Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

    The question that comes to mind, though it seems to me there's no correct/definitive "answer": If you are repped, is it better to have your script make it to the Nicholl quarter-finals, but then no further - which would be public - versus nothing at all (either because you never entered/pulled your script or you washed out before the quarters)? Lots of variables, starting with how you and your rep are getting along, but that seems the basic question.

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    • #17
      Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

      Durassa.
      Lots of good advice here. Thing is, if the first few peeps who replied to
      your post had known about him not replying in two weeks, it might have
      changed their advice. Two things. First. Is your rep a manager whose
      first name begins with "D" cause if it is, he is famous for doing what is
      happening to you. He takes on far too many clients and then can't go out
      like he told them. I know writers who have waited 6 mo to a year and
      longer. Second. You can send him a positive email saying UNLESS you
      hear from him, you are going forward with your Nicholls. In all of my
      years in the biz as a writer and agent, I have never seen (like Limama
      said) a good Nicholls standing hurt a script. A negative one might change
      your manager's opinion of the script. If your rep won't respond to you,
      you got nuttin'.
      The Cole

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      • #18
        Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

        Originally posted by ColeBlackburn View Post
        In all of my years in the biz as a writer and agent, I have never seen (like Limama said) a good Nicholls standing hurt a script.
        Do you consider the quarter-finals and no further (farther?) "a good Nicholls standing"?

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        • #19
          Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

          Manchester, only 350 odd scripts out of 7000ish will make the quarter finals... an accomplishment in and of itself, IMO, nothing to be ashamed of.
          "Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." -[/SIZE] James R. Cook

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          • #20
            Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

            M.
            Depends on how it's played--and that depends on whether a rep is
            involved. Scripts that have not made it in major competitions have
            been sold for big $$$. A Quarter-Final standing, while it is that,
            can influence the decision an agent or manager makes to read the
            script. It can also bolster a rep's impression of the script as the
            right one. Can an ultimate Quarter-Final finish in Nicholls help your
            career? Certainly. When you send an email query, it is better to have
            a Quarter Final in the Nicholls at the top of the email than an "I'm
            an aspiring writer." Hollywood is about how you play what you have.
            I would have read a "Quarter Finalist's Nicholls script over one without
            it any day. It's a small stamp of approval. Better than none. As an
            agent, I looked for anything that would separate a script from the
            herd. If someone had a Quarter Final in the Chesterfield, it garnered
            a read. Maybe not top of the pile but a read.
            Hope this helps.
            The Cole

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            • #21
              Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

              Thanks for all your opinions. Oh, and I'm a female writer, not male (for all the people referring to me as "he").

              My manager's name does not start with a "D" but he is at, what I consider, one of the, if not THE top management firm in L.A. He is not a "handholding" guy, but a total ruthless shark. I am sure he hasn't answered my email and phone call because he has major clients who are making much more money than me (i.e. more than nothing).

              I want to believe he's planning to go out with the script, as he said, but I'm also afraid it could take MONTHS and MONTHS (and could end up dropping the script and me at any time).

              If I ask him, he'll say absolutely NO (and maybe think I'm an amateur for even entering a contest when I already have representation), but on the other hand, if he drops me without going out with the script, I'm left with NOTHING, AGAIN, and I was just trying to be proactive and plant a seed out there so maybe SOMETHING can happen.

              I can pull it at any time....and there's no way he will know if I do so before the quarters finals. Hmm. I wonder when that is?

              Maybe I should let it ride (keep it in the running) for the next month, see if my manager actually gets back to me and MOVES FORWARD with his plan, an if I get more reassurance that, yes, this is happening, pull it then.

              I'm afraid he'll drop me, the script will never go out regardless of what he said he was going to do with it, and I'll end up with nothing...again. Which is why I was trying to do everything humanly possible to increase my chances of success.

              ~Durassa

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              • #22
                Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

                My manager is at a top firm as well, and has several clients pulling in money when I haven't produced a dime yet. BUT if I call or email him, I will definitely hear back in the next 24 hours.
                Chicks Who Script podcast

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                • #23
                  Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

                  Originally posted by Durassa View Post
                  Thanks for all your opinions. Oh, and I'm a female writer, not male (for all the people referring to me as "he").

                  My manager's name does not start with a "D" but he is at, what I consider, one of the, if not THE top management firm in L.A. He is not a "handholding" guy, but a total ruthless shark. I am sure he hasn't answered my email and phone call because he has major clients who are making much more money than me (i.e. more than nothing).

                  I want to believe he's planning to go out with the script, as he said, but I'm also afraid it could take MONTHS and MONTHS (and could end up dropping the script and me at any time).

                  If I ask him, he'll say absolutely NO (and maybe think I'm an amateur for even entering a contest when I already have representation), but on the other hand, if he drops me without going out with the script, I'm left with NOTHING, AGAIN, and I was just trying to be proactive and plant a seed out there so maybe SOMETHING can happen.

                  I can pull it at any time....and there's no way he will know if I do so before the quarters finals. Hmm. I wonder when that is?

                  Maybe I should let it ride (keep it in the running) for the next month, see if my manager actually gets back to me and MOVES FORWARD with his plan, an if I get more reassurance that, yes, this is happening, pull it then.

                  I'm afraid he'll drop me, the script will never go out regardless of what he said he was going to do with it, and I'll end up with nothing...again. Which is why I was trying to do everything humanly possible to increase my chances of success.

                  ~Durassa
                  Off topic but I'm curious what you think is the TOP firm?
                  twitter.com/mbotti

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

                    D, you're breaking my heart.
                    a manager - a MANAGER, not even an agent - who doesn't return an email or a call in two weeks isn't "something". It's a lot closer to "nothing" than you can see right now. i hope that if he does "dump you" you get a real manager and understand the situation you have right now is far from good.

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                    • #25
                      Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

                      Yeah, holly's right, there's deeper problems with this relationship than the Nicholl issue. Try and get him on the phone. If you can't, leave the script up because it's likely you'll need to start looking for a new rep in the second half of the year and a good Nicholl placement will help with that.

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                      • #26
                        Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

                        I agree with everyone regarding this particular writer-manager relationship.

                        But putting that aside, and just addressing the original question, I see nothing wrong with a repped writer submitting to the Nicholl. The A MANY SPLINTERED THING guys were at UTA and had their script go out long before it became a Nicholl finalist. And, if I'm not mistaken, they used the Nicholl "bump" to sell a project soon after.

                        I'm sure that most of the success stories on competition websites are from writers who were on the cusp and used a good placement to push them over.

                        The other question is, do you ask your rep's permission before submitting?

                        I probably wouldn't. If it doesn't advance, they don't need to know. If it does advance, I'd say, "Oh yeah, 8 months ago, I sent this to Nicholl and forgot about it. Looks like I'm a semi-finalist. Can you use this in any way?"

                        The world of contests is so separate from the world of script-buying that I doubt any rep would be outraged that a writer muddied the waters because two contest readers saw a script.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

                          exactly. what breaks my heart is d's terror at doing the wrong thing, of losing this "manager".
                          note to you, dear d - YOU are the talent here. YOU are the commodity. and while its great a fancy manager shows interest in you, not returning your calls or emails for two weeks is not ok.
                          one thing i know about sharks? they respond really well to "You know what? just shoot me a one word email in 24 hours. no response is not ok."
                          it feels a lot like being in love with a rich disrespectful cheating ******** boyfriend.

                          if this guy sees your potential? other "real" managers will too. you have to put yourself first. others will value you as much as you value yourself. i can tell you were so frustrated with this dude you submitted to nichol without his blessing. good for you. hope you win the thing and can his ass.

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                          • #28
                            Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

                            Originally posted by holly View Post
                            exactly. what breaks my heart is d's terror at doing the wrong thing, of losing this "manager".
                            note to you, dear d - YOU are the talent here. YOU are the commodity. and while its great a fancy manager shows interest in you, not returning your calls or emails for two weeks is not ok.
                            one thing i know about sharks? they respond really well to "You know what? just shoot me a one word email in 24 hours. no response is not ok."
                            it feels a lot like being in love with a rich disrespectful cheating ******** boyfriend.

                            if this guy sees your potential? other "real" managers will too. you have to put yourself first. others will value you as much as you value yourself. i can tell you were so frustrated with this dude you submitted to nichol without his blessing. good for you. hope you win the thing and can his ass.
                            What ^^^^ she said. Nicholl should announce quarter-finals end of July/early August. They extended the deadline till 2 PM today so you still can enter. Frankly, I think Mr. Shark is too self-important to even notice if you won the Nicholl let alone become a quarter-finalist!
                            "Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again." -[/SIZE] James R. Cook

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

                              I would pull the script out of Nicholl. And don't tell him anything.

                              If he says he wants to take it out, just let him. Don't be needy. This isn't an established relationship. Leave it with him for a little while, and then if all that bombs, you can put it in the contest next year.

                              In the meantime, go write something else. It's always better to be busy writing.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Is it "bad" to submit script to Nicolls if you're going out with it?

                                Originally posted by Bunker View Post
                                I agree with everyone regarding this particular writer-manager relationship.

                                But putting that aside, and just addressing the original question, I see nothing wrong with a repped writer submitting to the Nicholl. The A MANY SPLINTERED THING guys were at UTA and had their script go out long before it became a Nicholl finalist. And, if I'm not mistaken, they used the Nicholl "bump" to sell a project soon after.

                                I'm sure that most of the success stories on competition websites are from writers who were on the cusp and used a good placement to push them over.

                                The other question is, do you ask your rep's permission before submitting?

                                I probably wouldn't. If it doesn't advance, they don't need to know. If it does advance, I'd say, "Oh yeah, 8 months ago, I sent this to Nicholl and forgot about it. Looks like I'm a semi-finalist. Can you use this in any way?"

                                The world of contests is so separate from the world of script-buying that I doubt any rep would be outraged that a writer muddied the waters because two contest readers saw a script.
                                I agree with this. I'm doing the same thing, under the same rationale. My sci-fi thriller was a Nicholl Semifinalist in 2011, which helped get me repped. Having since revised the script extensively, I thought I might as well take a shot again this year as I wait for it to go out. If the script has similar or greater success at Nicholl, I figure that can only help me; otherwise, it'll be a non-factor. And if, in the meantime, I'm fortunate enough to option or sell it, I'll withdraw from the competition.

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