Launch Pad Twitter Chat (8.8.14): Brooklyn Weaver

Brooklyn Weaver, manager at Energy Entertainment, joined us for our final Launch Pad Twitter Chat session. Weaver’s stats are impressive. He set up 14 of 16 specs he went out with in 2013. He also reps 8 writers from the 2013 Hit List and 6 from the Young & Hungry. He signed 3 writers from the 2013 LPFC and 3 from the 2014 LPPC. This is his third time judging a Launch Pad Competition. He had plenty to say about what a good “voice” is in a script and what constitutes “good material.”

In case you missed the session, here’s the transcript of Weaver’s Twitter Chat:

@BrooklynWeaver‬: i am good to go – traffic jam on sunset, i will just answer via my iphone
‏@ronpivo‬: Where are you on Sunset ? I’ve got a script I’ll run out to you.

@MyTrackingBoard‬: And we’re kicking off! @BrooklynWeaver what keeps you coming back to the Launch Pad competitions? #drivesafe
@BrooklynWeaver‬: i have built my co brand on new voices i dev & package w my agent / talent / director relationships.

@AustinDHart‬: What’s more important in a manager (if you had to pick): one who hustles/gets projects out there OR one who develops projects/careers?
@BrooklynWeaver‬: both- every manager i know reads/develops/positions material and works close w agent-partners

@ChristianSavage: What’s the last script that blew you away, and why?
@BrooklynWeaver‬: i read everything that sells and every client draft- too many great scripts to single 1 out. @MickeyFisher73 his final #Extant ep is amazing, #Eden spec by a new writer-client. a non-client tv spec called Consent by 1st time writer which @SugarMichael found was very strong
@BrooklynWeaver‬: several drafts of studio material as well which come to clients to rewrite which i also read.

@sc700: Are you looking for “readily-sellable” scripts/concepts? Can you give any ex of outside the box scripts you took on?
@BrooklynWeaver‬: amazing voice & chars- that “writer engine” i can harness w the types of actors & directors we are in biz w. every client i have is an elevated “outside the box” writer on some level- mostly in the thriller genre.

@RantsOfJacobR asks: Is there an age limit to writer’s you will rep? Do fresh voices only come from young writers?
@BrooklynWeaver‬: there is no age limit to “great”, i read for a voice that compels me its that simple.

@caithallnyc: If a script is a hybrid of 2 genres is it beneficial to pitch it as such or simplify to 1 & explain nuance later
@BrooklynWeaver‬: grt q as most of my clients voices that subvert genres- i would say clean log w “elements of”

@parkerpromos: Is making a short film to showcase a spec a good strategy? Or should I focus on contests, queries, etc?
@BrooklynWeaver‬: each artist has diff skill sets, go with whatever showcases yours: spec / short / both / etc.

@yoclaudini: everybody wants ‘good material’. That’s given. Now what’s your current dream/passion project?
@BrooklynWeaver‬: every client knows when i try to sell their spec i start with the very highest level of “dream elements”
@BrooklynWeaver‬: thus- my current dream project is anything i have spent hundreds of hrs on w client- sold or prepping.
@yoclaudini‬: Intuition, superstition, gambler? How do you know when the baby is ready?
@BrooklynWeaver‬: “great material” is subjective to genre & sensibility- plenty of grt reps to support those permutations

@rdlln: How much say does a series creator have in terms of where the writers’ room is located?
@JeffLieber‬: a lot, unless your gonna be shooting on a lot.
@BrooklynWeaver‬: @JeffLieber was quicker on the tweet- what he said!

@HappyHarryHarde: How did you became the Top Manager of 2013? Whats the secret?
@BrooklynWeaver‬: i am blessed to do what i love, and changing lives- thats what i focus on, not titles or stats.
@BrooklynWeaver‬: there are a lot of managers i admire and package with, so any title or stat has teamwk behind it.

‏@loribcrawford‬: Has your strategy changed for branding TV writers with the increasing crossover between comedy/dramas?
@BrooklynWeaver‬: not one bit- my clients start w ideas for great chars/stories then we figure out where they should live
@loribcrawford: Do you focus more on selling a pilot or staffing the writer?
@BrooklynWeaver‬: that said, i set hi level producer & talent/director generals- staffing offers have resulted from.

@CaitlinMcWriter: Is it a turnoff if a writer lives outside of LA (but will fly in for meetings & move for work)
@BrooklynWeaver‬: grt voices are the focus, getting into town for agency/producer/studio/ntwk mtgs is hi-class problm

@filmwritr4: What did you initially think of the #Extant script when you first saw it?
@BrooklynWeaver‬: love at first sight/5pgs! By the time i finished spec i knew @MickeyFisher73 was a special writer.

@TheWrookie: can you expound a bit on ‘great voices’, please!
@BrooklynWeaver‬: a “great voice”, like art/music/architecture is subjective- what i love is personal & specific to me.
@BrooklynWeaver‬: chars/story/tone/theme/subjectmatter etc all become nuanced extensions of a ‘voice’, much like a song.

@BrooklynWeaver: ok, hand going numb- thanks for the support guys, continue to strive for greatness and believe your dreams can happen!

@MyTrackingBoard: Massive thanks @BrooklynWeaver for pushing through Friday LA traffic to join us for our Q&A and delivering some amazing answers!