Managers and Development

[docgonzo]

Circle of Confusion.

[jtwg50]

If it's them (C of C), they named themselves with perfect anticipation of that business model! I guess same could be said for ZG, with slightly less clarity.

[Geoff Alexander]

Ccd!

[holly]

as someone who has never had a manager (i think im cheap, and the ones who courted me didn't seem to add 15% value) this is just how the business has always felt to me. i was signed by a big agency, have had the same agents for 10 years, and only feel as safe as my latest sale. they wont send out things they dont believe in and i rarely override that because in general, i think they know more about the marketplace than i do.
its not cozy, but its life, and its worked out for us.

reading this tho i sortof crave a handholding type of manager. that would be nice.

[Geoff Alexander]

Originally Posted by holly

as someone who has never had a manager (i think im cheap, and the ones who courted me didn't seem to add 15% value) this is just how the business has always felt to me. i was signed by a big agency, have had the same agents for 10 years, and only feel as safe as my latest sale. they wont send out things they dont believe in and i rarely override that because in general, i think they know more about the marketplace than i do.
its not cozy, but its life, and its worked out for us.

reading this tho i sortof crave a handholding type of manager. that would be nice.

I hold hands. I listen to complaints about the government. I pay for all meals and drinks. I can get you upgrades on most domestic flights. I can teach you to surf. I know when to leave you alone. I am super laid back with you, but an ******* with everyone else. I have perspective. I just took my first yoga class. I make a mean matzoh ball soup. It's all true. I have to go and read now.

[iggy]

Originally Posted by docgonzo

Circle of Confusion.

That's the one that made me ask the question. I guess people who've experienced this with them could chime in and we could see how many there've been. I've counted 5 writers with similar stories. I could be mistaken. Also, I have no idea how long a rep takes to develop a spec when they have every intention of sending it out.

[iggy]

Originally Posted by holly

as someone who has never had a manager (i think im cheap, and the ones who courted me didn't seem to add 15% value) this is just how the business has always felt to me. i was signed by a big agency, have had the same agents for 10 years, and only feel as safe as my latest sale. they wont send out things they dont believe in and i rarely override that because in general, i think they know more about the marketplace than i do.
its not cozy, but its life, and its worked out for us.

reading this tho i sortof crave a handholding type of manager. that would be nice.

Do they work with you at the concept stage? Or do they wait for you to write what you want and then tell you they're not sending it out?

[LIMAMA]

Originally Posted by JeffLowell

I'm jaded, and I just heard a story from a working writer friend of mine that shocked me. A well known management company (mentioned here often) apparently works this way: they sign TONS of writers, and get them all speccing new ideas and/or rewriting scripts that they think have promise. If one out of twenty pan out? Great, they take it out. The rest? The script never goes out, and the manager tries to convince the writer to write a new spec. If the writer raises too much of a fuss, fuck it. There are ten more out there.

It costs them nothing, and writers line up to do it. It makes sense - they have a manager at a legit company that has sales...

But it's obviously fucked. No, I'm not going to name the company, because it's hearsay. But I trust my source.

You said it. This is ****ed up.

[holly]

they work with me at the concept stage - kind of as much as i want. its not nearly as cozy a collaboration as i sometimes hear about with managers, tho. they'll invite me in, ill tell them im interested in this area or that (i do film and tv both) and they'll support or dissuade it generally. they'll tell me what to steer clear of. they do support passion projects.
in tv use more concept help as the market is so balkanized and i always want a clear sense of where something could potentially go before i start working on it.

[holly]

Originally Posted by SBScript

I hold hands. I listen to complaints about the government. I pay for all meals and drinks. I can get you upgrades on most domestic flights. I can teach you to surf. I know when to leave you alone. I am super laid back with you, but an ******* with everyone else. I have perspective. I just took my first yoga class. I make a mean matzoh ball soup. It's all true. I have to go and read now.

screw a management deal, are you single?