Question about referrals

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  • Question about referrals

    When an agent from one of the Big 3 says he needs a referral from a producer before looking at my stuff, does he mean -

    a) any producer
    b) a producer with a track record
    c) a producer he has worked with in the past?

    I'm asking because I don't want to put the producer in the embarrassing position of providing a referral and having it ignored.

    TIA


  • #2
    Re: Question about referrals

    He's full of sh1t. It's a polite brush-off. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but he's not interested in reading your material.

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    • #3
      Re: Question about referrals

      Originally posted by jcgary View Post
      He's full of sh1t. It's a polite brush-off. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but he's not interested in reading your material.
      OK - I suspect that's the case. But people do, from time to time, get through the doors of these places and one way they do that is by referrals. So my question is - what referrals work?

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      • #4
        Re: Question about referrals

        A lawyer might be sufficient to break the ice, preferably from some firm that has about six names strung together.

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        • #5
          Re: Question about referrals

          Such a typical blow-off response. The ironic thing is, if you already had a producer interested, then you wouldn't need the agent now would you. Gotta love the irony in this business. Don't even worry about it, if you're not worth his time then he's not worth yours. There's a system, sure, but don't let the "not in the club" bs stop you. Keep querying people until you find someone who will read your work without that old referral line. Good luck!

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          • #6
            Re: Question about referrals

            Originally posted by scripto80 View Post
            The ironic thing is, if you already had a producer interested, then you wouldn't need the agent now would you.
            Yeah, I would. I have one script optioned, 7 more ready to go, two more nearly ready, and no rep. The agent's response came after a bunch of back and forth emails - and phone calls. Too complicated to get into here.

            But forget about the context. My question is: when you're asking for a referral do you always leave it up to the producer where he goes or can you point him in a particular direction?

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            • #7
              Re: Question about referrals

              It's up to the producer and his or her relationships. You could suggest a place -- "Hey, I already have CAA and WME covered, I'm trying to get the script in to Gersh and ICM, do you know anyone over there?" -- but in the end if he's the one thinking of people who would like the script, he'll be more invested in getting the agent to read and sign you. Many producers are repped by an agency or at least have very close ties with a certain agency, so the producer would start there, naturally.

              That'll be true of anyone you're asking for a referral from. When I'm trying to get a project in to a place I don't have a direct relationship with, I'll call up my usual coterie of contacts, see who they know, and then try and work their angles and do the six degrees thing until I get to the people I want to get to. First things first, though -- I have to make sure the people I'm talking to are fans of my project.

              And yes, people, even if you have a producer attached or even interested in a script, agents/managers are still important and useful to your career.

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              • #8
                Re: Question about referrals

                Eventually if you get busy and need help, need someone else out there peddling your projects, sure. But if you know what's up, also produce, and have a lawyer then sometimes that's all you need. Everyone's situation is different. *shrug*

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                • #9
                  Re: Question about referrals

                  to give an actual answer...

                  They are likely talking about a referral from a producer they themselves or someone close to them has a track record with, someone whose opinion they trust.

                  I mean after all, I could raise 100 grand, shoot a low budget horror spec and call myself a producerm but that won't make anyone at CAA/WME/ICM care any more about me or my opinion than they do now.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Question about referrals

                    knowing that 99 percent of unrepped material is crap, the agents want someone else to vet the material. so if any producer, manager, writer that they work with or trust says "You should read this..." it moves the material from 99 percent likelihood of garbage to 85 percent likelihood of garbage. And at 15 percent chance that the script might be good or tolerable, it's 1500 percent better odds.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Question about referrals

                      What about referrals from celebrities, do they work?

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                      • #12
                        Re: Question about referrals

                        Originally posted by Hamboogul View Post
                        knowing that 99 percent of unrepped material is crap, the agents want someone else to vet the material. so if any producer, manager, writer that they work with or trust says "You should read this..." it moves the material from 99 percent likelihood of garbage to 85 percent likelihood of garbage. And at 15 percent chance that the script might be good or tolerable, it's 1500 percent better odds.
                        And I used to think this kind of logic/excuse was B.S. But what you'll find (O.P.) is that even when you get producers interested or even AFTER you've found a rep -- it takes FOREVER for them to read your stuff sometimes.

                        Not because they're not interested or whatever, it's just they have so much on their plates. And if they're going to make room for your script on their plate between the T-bone steak and the baked-potatoe, they wanna make sure it's worth it.

                        I'd suggest aiming for managers and prodcos first. The agents are vultures anyway. They come knocking when they smell blood. (aka money)

                        Good luck. And keep writing.
                        "U don' know me, muddafugga..."
                        - Al Pacino, Carlito's Way

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                        • #13
                          Re: Question about referrals

                          Originally posted by dwightman View Post
                          What about referrals from celebrities, do they work?
                          Someone whose taste is respected and/or who's in demand - yes, they can get you read, especially if they attach (or express an interest to). Few referrals are better. Contact with the buyer in that case almost always involves the talent's rep(s). That's not a bad thing. Seems to apply in both television and features (based on my experiences).

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