Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

[NikeeGoddess]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

i get it, greg. i guess i was assuming that readers were posting at their own free will like everybody else. thanks for clearing that up. i should have figured that out.

[lordmanji]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

i get it, greg. i guess i was assuming that readers were posting at their own free will like everybody else. thanks for clearing that up. i should have figured that out.

youre so smooth, nikee

[Moviequill]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

but of late she's only posting the rules and regs and now the FAQs, section by section.

I love that. It was nice to read the whole process from entry to standing on the podium...

[Telly]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

or do you just think i'm an idiot?

must. hold. back.

breathe, telly, breathe!

[Telly]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

I'll try to make this clear. Readers write comments on each script they read. I look at those comments. For the past several weeks I have been lifting a line or two selected from all the comments and posting them on the Nicholl Facebook page. Each comment line is drawn from the comments for different scripts and, most likely, from different judges.

I guess the "quote marks" around the readers' comment lines and the number and now the letter identifying the selected line didn't make it clear what was the comment line and what was an intro to it.

I don't think it has much to do with being a Facebook neophye; I'm in that boat too.

Don't sweat it Greg, your FB posts are as clear as day and make perfect sense to the majority of folks who use common sense as a guide.

Good luck

[NikeeGoddess]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

must. hold. back.

breathe, telly, breathe!

glad to know i get you that worked up. i must be doing something right.

[cupertinoCA]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

hey greg,

just curious if you can shed some light on what a typical winner's year is like... or can i look that up somewhere?

[Telly]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

hey greg,

just curious if you can shed some light on what a typical winner's year is like... or can i look that up somewhere?

I've had the pleasure of drinking (way too much) with two fellows myself and grilling both on several occasions. Both had very busy first years. Lots of meet and greats with one, and lots of work with the other. Both had nothing but glowing praise for the Nicholl process and are still riding the wave, one a year later and another, several years later. I'm sure Greg has similar stories to share.

Good luck everyone

[emily blake]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

Why, just the other day I posted an interview with Ronson Page, finalist from 2003: http://bambookillers.blogspot.com/20...writer-of.html

[LauriD]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

Many people have launched sucessful careers via the Nicholl Fellowship but some have not...

I'm wondering why some weren't able to capitalize on the win and turn pro. Was it the nature of their material -- too dark, not commercial, or ??? Did they just have the one script? Were they not "good in a room"? Did they live too far from LA to follow up on the initial meetings?

L.

[-XL-]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

hey greg,

just curious if you can shed some light on what a typical winner's year is like... or can i look that up somewhere?

Not Greg, but I do have some experience with the topic. I'm not sure there's even such a thing as a typical Nicholl winner's week, let alone year. That first week, on top of the Nicholl activities, I had half a dozen agency meetings in the first two days, met a bunch of high-profile execs, and took a few meetings about a studio assignment (that I ended up landing). Another winner was sitting down with Spielberg, to develop something, and having his script burn its way towards selling (and then getting made). For others it's a slower burn: a few generals, or a hip-pocket offer from an agent. Every experience is different, and a lot of things can change over the course of that first year (i.e. someone who starts out slowly might land a couple of jobs in succession towards the end of that first year). Even the "one new script" requirement of the fellowship year can be different for people, especially if they land work and have to put their fellowship script on hold.

And as with Lauri's question:

Many people have launched sucessful careers via the Nicholl Fellowship but some have not...

I'm wondering why some weren't able to capitalize on the win and turn pro. Was it the nature of their material -- too dark, not commercial, or ??? Did they just have the one script? Were they not "good in a room"? Did they live too far from LA to follow up on the initial meetings?

What comes after you win depends on many things. The material (certainly how commercial it is, but mostly how strong it is), the people (reps etc) you align with, whether you can take advantage of the opportunities that come your way (by being "good in a room", or being in LA), and of course the luck/fate/sheer persistence factors.

The Nicholl is a wonderful platform, a stepping-stone towards a career, but it's no guarantee of one. It's the beauty of the business: if you think it's tough getting a foot in the door, just wait till you see what's on the other side. Things don't get any easier. The challenges are different, that's all.

[SRothschild]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

Jesus. And I thought writing the d**n things was the hard part.

[cupertinoCA]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

WOW. great info! thank you, everyone!!

[TheCleaner]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

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[NikeeGoddess]

Re: Nicholl Fellowship: Reader Line of the Day

good stuff, XL
so really people need to know that they still have to "sell" themselves and "pitch" their own projects. socially inept hermit writers who lack PR skills may not get anywhere. i smile everytime i think of the polar opposite, twin brothers played by nicholas cage in that orchid thief flick where one sweats like a pig in the presence of a pretty woman and the other will announce at a party that he has to leave early so he can bang his girlfriend.