Whitney Davis

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  • Whitney Davis

    Anyone had any dealings with her or heard anything about her?

    https://www.whitneydavisliterary.com/work.html

  • #2
    Re: Whitney Davis

    I moved this down here because she describes herself as working "with novelists and screenwriters as a developmental story editor and publishing consultant."

    That's a service rather than being a manager/rep who reps writers on deals, finds the works, sets up meetings, etc. Two different things.
    Last edited by Done Deal Pro; 04-06-2019, 06:52 AM.
    Will
    Done Deal Pro
    www.donedealpro.com

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    • #3
      Re: Whitney Davis

      Originally posted by Done Deal Pro View Post
      I moved this down here because she describes herself as working "with novelists and screenwriters as a developmental story editor and publishing consultant."

      That's a service rather than being an agent who reps writers on deals, finds the works, sets up meetings, etc. Two different things.
      But if you read below on the same page, she says "When screenwriters come to Whitney Davis Literary seeking management, we carefully review their writing portfolio and thoughtfully consider if we would be a good fit for that writer! When they have a polished product, we help them get meetings, guide their efforts and help them have successful writing careers as a whole. We agree to a percentage of the sale once a contract has been secured. Please contact us about submitting your work for representation with us!"

      Also, on her homepage (https://www.whitneydavisliterary.com/), she says she "offer(s) management for a small roster of screenwriters."

      So she's definitely a literary manager.

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      • #4
        Re: Whitney Davis

        Originally posted by Cokeyskunk View Post
        But if you read below on the same page, she says "When screenwriters come to Whitney Davis Literary seeking management, we carefully review their writing portfolio and thoughtfully consider if we would be a good fit for that writer! When they have a polished product, we help them get meetings, guide their efforts and help them have successful writing careers as a whole. We agree to a percentage of the sale once a contract has been secured. Please contact us about submitting your work for representation with us!"

        Also, on her homepage (https://www.whitneydavisliterary.com/), she says she "offer(s) management for a small roster of screenwriters."

        So she's definitely a literary manager.
        I see all that, but based on my experiences doing all this for years, I strongly suggest you or anyone else look at her as a paid service; particularly based on all the paid services she offers. I don't know of any legitimate, established managers that do that.

        I'll move it back to the REP section if you like, but WDL is infinitely more a "consultation" service, like many others of this nature. She also appears to run paid workshops as well, something again I'm not aware of any managers out here doing on any basis. Panels, yes. Podcasts or pitch festivals, sure. But not workshops.

        Also, I see nothing for her on IMDb.
        Will
        Done Deal Pro
        www.donedealpro.com

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        • #5
          Re: Whitney Davis

          Originally posted by Cokeyskunk View Post
          ...We agree to a percentage of the sale once a contract has been secured...
          Wait: So once a contract with a buyer/studio/producer has been secured, this company will 'agree to a percentage of the sale'? What if they don't, or if they insist on something like 20 or 30 percent? If the writer balks, does that scuttle the deal?!?!

          This usual 10 percent for repping is bad enough, for sometimes little more than rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, or wining and dining them, before announcing a deal is secured.

          At the very least, the percentage commitment has to be provided, up front.

          Time to ignore these "in-betweeners", or simply to do more of such "laborious" work ourselves!

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          • #6
            Re: Whitney Davis

            I've met her. She's very nice and personable, full of energy. She calls herself a manager, but she's based in Texas and her credentials are pretty thin. I wouldn't get too excited about what someone in a flyover state can do for a screenwriter trying to break into Hollywood.

            ~Dixon

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            • #7
              Re: Whitney Davis

              Originally posted by Dixon View Post
              I've met her. She calls herself a manager, but she's based in Texas and her credentials are pretty thin. She's very nice and personable, however, and full of energy, but I wouldn't get too excited about what a manager/consultant in a flyover state can do for a screenwriter trying to break into Hollywood.

              ~Dixon
              She says she spends half the year in LA and half the year in Dallas. Untrue?

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              • #8
                Re: Whitney Davis

                Originally posted by Cokeyskunk View Post
                She says she spends half the year in LA and half the year in Dallas. Untrue?
                I don't know her schedule. I do know she has children and is raising them in Texas.

                ~D

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                • #9
                  Re: Whitney Davis

                  A few months ago, I had a not positive interaction with her on Twitter. Due to this, I did some research on her. She is not a manager -- she is a glorified coach and editor. There is nothing wrong with this per se, but I don't like the fact her website gives the appearance of being a manager when she doesn't have a public client list and has not brokered any deals that warrant an IMDb entry, or mention in the book trades. It feels duplicitous. I read through her testimonials. They're all for editing, none for SELLING.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Whitney Davis

                    Originally posted by lostfootage View Post
                    A few months ago, I had a not positive interaction with her on Twitter. Due to this, I did some research on her. She is not a manager -- she is a glorified coach and editor. There is nothing wrong with this per se, but I don't like the fact her website gives the appearance of being a manager when she doesn't have a public client list and has not brokered any deals that warrant an IMDb entry, or mention in the book trades. It feels duplicitous. I read through her testimonials. They're all for editing, none for SELLING.
                    Interesting. Could you elaborate a bit more on the Twitter interaction? Was she snarky? Defensive? Evasive? Any specifics would be helpful. She is reading one of my screenplays now. Thanks.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Whitney Davis

                      Whitney Davis posted a misleading antidote about Diablo Cody.

                      Her tweet said this (from January 12, 2019):

                      #DiabloCody was working at Walmart when she wrote #Juno. So you can do this #writing thing too. The key?
                      Do
                      Not
                      Quit.

                      You never know. Write the script for the life you want. Dare to dream.


                      Uh, no. This is very inaccurate. So I corrected Whitney. I told her that telling these kinds of stories diminishes the kind of work that goes into being a successful writer. My impression is that she wants to feed the dream that you can be working at Walmart and write an Academy Award winning script.

                      But it's not true! Diablo Cody did the following --

                      First off, she went to a private Catholic high school that right now costs $12,000+ year in tuition and fees, graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in media studies, and worked as a clerk at a Chicago law firm where she started blogging. She moved to Minneapolis where she proofread for ad agencies and worked as a stripper at night while writing about stripping on her blog, a blog that became well known for it's unique voice.

                      A manager (Mason Novick) stumbled across her blog and encouraged her to write a memoir, which she did. He sold it to a New York publisher. The resulting memoir was a critical success, it's called Candy Girl. (I own it and it's a very witty, quick read.)

                      THEN Mason Novick encouraged Diablo Cody to try writing a screenplay. That's when she wrote JUNO.

                      She was not "working at Walmart." Give me a break, the woman had spent a good 5-8 years really working at writing -- her degree, working as a copy editor, a year of blogging, a successful memoir, etc. I recall a tidbit from some interview where Diablo Cody said she wrote JUNO (or parts of it) in a Starbucks at a Target while living in Minneapolis. I think that might have led an inefficient reader to conclude that Diablo Cody was "working" at a Walmart.

                      I gave Whitney a heads up about all of this. But she refused to take down her tweet, and instead left it standing. No surprise, her next tweet was for her $60 "Dare to Dream" webinar.

                      So I didn't like that. I'm all about writers being presented with the reality of what they're undertaking, and the reality of the story is that JUNO wasn't Diablo Cody's first rodeo as a professional writer, and she never worked at Walmart.

                      End of rant!

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                      • #12
                        Re: Whitney Davis

                        You're right. I looked it up, and it appears she was actually working as a columnist for Entertainment Weekly when she met Mason Novick and wrote both Candy Girl and Juno. Well, that's kind of surprising. I appreciate the insight.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Whitney Davis

                          Also, I think you've asked this elsewhere -- it's totally possible to get an LA-based manager for features, especially if you're willing to fly in for meetings. Go for the LA-based manager with a client list on IMDb. A manager who has working clients. There's a guy from Australia, I think his name is Pete Bridges and he might be on this board. I found this blurb about him on Scriptnotes podcast. You might want to read this whole transcript.

                          https://johnaugust.com/2016/scriptno...ves-transcript

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                          • #14
                            Re: Whitney Davis

                            Originally posted by lostfootage View Post
                            Also, I think you've asked this elsewhere -- it's totally possible to get an LA-based manager for features[/url]
                            But only if you look like LostFootage.

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