Trackinb Contest

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  • Re: Trackinb Contest

    Originally posted by Breanne View Post
    Hi Eddie,

    I've spoken to him over email quite a bit and on the phone a few times. I've never met him personally. Nor have I met any of his staff.

    Prior to entering, the only thing I had to go on was the contest results and a few email exchanges. I got a good impression of him. I actually appreciated his no nonsense approach.

    I was already a quarterfinalist in the Nicholl at that time. For months, I had cringed at some of the things the Nicholl people had to put up with from contestants who refused to read their website.

    I can't say I know the Insider. Since getting an HM, all I've learned about him personally is a first name I refuse to divulge, his gender, and that he is one of the hardest working people I've met. He's the type of advocate a writer like me needs. I feel it was well worth it.

    Had I failed to make the eight, I probably would have just worked into my next script a character who runs a contest in Hollywood who meets some gruesome demise.
    Haha, I like the idea of a movie like "The Player," but with a contest organizer who is being stalked by disgruntled entrants.

    Thanks for the info. I have no doubt he/she is hard working. That is very clear. As for the other stuff, I'm a little troubled that you don't know his last name, have never met him, and don't know where his office is--or if he has a staff.

    But I suppose his results in helping writers outweigh having that info in many people's minds. Not for me going forward, unfortunately.
    Quato Lives!

    Comment


    • Re: Trackinb Contest

      This is the heading of this sub-forum:

      Classes, Contests, Conferences, Festivals, Groups, Panels & Seminars

      yet all there is, as far as the eye can see, is contest fever.

      Where are the discussions about festivals, where are the classes, the panels, the groups and the seminars? All of the activities that encourage a writer to develop?

      They have been consumed by the obsession with contests, and Little Miss Sunshine is the key to unlocking the truth about them.

      Why did it lose? Why did it not even place in any of them? How could they have got it so wrong?

      I think it's precisely because they're NOT getting a meaningful read. Or otherwise how could it have been so overlooked? The first round readers of these scripts aren't buyers. A lot of them are still just aspiring writers themselves. They wouldn't know what a buyer is looking for, they haven't got a clue.

      And imagine for a second, that the writer of Little Miss Sunshine had believed these contest outcomes, and the resulting claims that he's just not "ready" or that he's not skilled, or good enough.

      You see how crazy all this is? How far removed from reality it is?

      And I can't say for sure, but maybe TrackingB charges $70 because for some ungodly reason, the losers of this contests have to pay for a bunch of reps to have dinner. You see what I mean?
      That's even crazier.

      Comment


      • Re: Trackinb Contest

        Originally posted by EddieCoyle View Post
        I'm a little troubled that you don't know his last name, have never met him, and don't know where his office is--or if he has a staff.
        I know the names of the people I’m making contact with through him.

        Comment


        • Re: Trackinb Contest

          Originally posted by joe9alt View Post
          This thread is downright mind-boggling.

          Trackingb is a legit contest and any astute aspiring screenwriter would be wise to invest in entering.

          Same goes for Nicholl but Greg you're coming off as...ummm...bitter....to say the least and that's putting it mildly.

          You really think reps would just agree to "rep" people because they're pals with somebody that runs a contest? I mean where is your "shared rep" theory actually going? You're saying...wait, what are you saying? Who cares if some of the honorable mentions and winners wind up repped by some of the same people? My agent and manager have a lot of clients. I think Lowell and I have the same agent (or maybe my agent is like one of the hundreds on Team Lowell? ). Last I checked, nobody cared and it didn't matter so there's no smoking gun here, dude. It's a good contest, just like yours and that's okay. There's room for both Ginger and MaryAnne, right?

          Full disclusure, I'm for a former Nicholl semifinalist and Trackingb honorable mention. When I entered Trackingb I sent them an email saying I was broke, explaining the reasons why and asking them to waive the entry fee. They did. Greedy bastards, huh?
          Yeah, Greg's mention that the TrackingB might be using friendships/relationships to involve reps in the contest really gave me pause. That's the entire business. I will say that I would like to see them get some fresh blood in their judging pool, but that's just because I want to get the earliest possible look at the material and I'd like it to be us.

          Comment


          • Re: Trackinb Contest

            Originally posted by joe9alt View Post
            I've been to the Trackingb offices. When you arrive there is a twenty foot high gate made of solid platinum. Portraits of the Insider's obscured face are painted graffiti style all over it, at once protecting his identity and paying homage to his omnipotence.

            There are watchtowers, guards,a moat filled with live alligators and other creepy crawlies.

            An enchanting forest nymph always greets you with a song. She strums a harp and escorts you over a drawbridge that leads to...

            Dude, why is this even relevant?

            Would it really matter if he were running the thing out of his grandmother's basement? The only thing that matter is winners and honorable mentions are getting read and repped by legit agents and managers.
            To play devil's advocate for a moment, I think it's valid to ask how entries are read. And that's it, it doesn't matter if he has a physical office. One would hope that all entries are read, and that they are read by folks with at least a passing awareness of what makes a script worth considering. If folks ask and his response is MYOB, and they don't like it, they don't have to enter. But it's a reasonable question, IMO. And, btw, I am a huge fan of the guy.

            Comment


            • Re: Trackinb Contest

              Originally posted by nojustice View Post
              This is the heading of this sub-forum:

              Classes, Contests, Conferences, Festivals, Groups, Panels & Seminars

              yet all there is, as far as the eye can see, is contest fever.

              Where are the discussions about festivals, where are the classes, the panels, the groups and the seminars? All of the activities that encourage a writer to develop?

              They have been consumed by the obsession with contests, and Little Miss Sunshine is the key to unlocking the truth about them.

              Why did it lose? Why did it not even place in any of them? How could they have got it so wrong?

              I think it's precisely because they're NOT getting a meaningful read. Or otherwise how could it have been so overlooked? The first round readers of these scripts aren't buyers. A lot of them are still just aspiring writers themselves. They wouldn't know what a buyer is looking for, they haven't got a clue.

              And imagine for a second, that the writer of Little Miss Sunshine had believed these contest outcomes, and the resulting claims that he's just not "ready" or that he's not skilled, or good enough.

              You see how crazy all this is? How far removed from reality it is?

              And I can't say for sure, but maybe TrackingB charges $70 because for some ungodly reason, the losers of this contests have to pay for a bunch of reps to have dinner. You see what I mean?
              That's even crazier.
              This **** is all subjective. I would probably pass on half of the Nicholl scripts. After I read Blue Car, I went out and puked on the grass. I hated that script. One script that became an indie hit (Little Miss Sunshine) has nothing to do with this discussion. And you're complaining about the judges being taken to dinner? Really?

              Classes, panels, seminars, all that is bullshit. I doubt any of those things will improve anyone's writing and they won't push folks' careers forwards. Contests can, so they are more relevant than any of this other stuff.

              Comment


              • Re: Trackinb Contest

                I don't think potential entrants are out of line in asking how the contest is judged. I just don't think the answer is all that relevant if writers (a good bit from this board) are consistently getting read and repped by legit reps. John Swetnam got his first sale and launched his career as a direct result of entering the contest. However the insider is whittling it down, reps are taking winners and honorable mentions on. SB, you of all people know a rep will not waste his or her time taking on writers they don't think can have careers so it's safe to assume the pool that's forwarded to the judging panel at the end can be generally described as "quality writing" written by writers that have potential. If legit reps are signing the majority of these writers then I dare say that the system seems to be working.

                I think it's dumb to ask has anybody ever been to the offices, though. Who cares?
                "I hate to break it to you but there is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent.- - Don Draper

                Comment


                • Re: Trackinb Contest

                  Originally posted by SBScript View Post
                  To play devil's advocate for a moment, I think it's valid to ask how entries are read. And that's it, it doesn't matter if he has a physical office. One would hope that all entries are read, and that they are read by folks with at least a passing awareness of what makes a script worth considering. If folks ask and his response is MYOB, and they don't like it, they don't have to enter. But it's a reasonable question, IMO.
                  Thank you!

                  Comment


                  • Re: Trackinb Contest

                    Originally posted by joe9alt View Post
                    I don't think potential entrants are out of line in asking how the contest is judged. I just don't think the answer is all that relevant if writers (a good bit from this board) are consistently getting read and repped by legit reps. John Swetnam got his first sale and launched his career as a direct result of entering the contest. However the insider is whittling it down, reps are taking winners and honorable mentions on. SB, you of all people know a rep will not waste his or her time taking on writers they don't think can have careers so it's safe to assume the pool that's forwarded to the judging panel at the end can be generally described as "quality writing" written by writers that have potential. If legit reps are signing the majority of these writers then I dare say that the system seems to be working.

                    I think it's dumb to ask has anybody ever been to the offices, though. Who cares?
                    Completely agree about the physical offices thing--totally irrelevant.

                    And, it's an interesting question, what if there were no readers? What he was reading every script himself? And then passing on his top twelve (or whatever the number is) to his judges? Would people have a problem with that?

                    I mean, I can tell you in a couple pages if someone can write. I've passed on scripts in ten pages. 90% of his submissions could probably be thrown out by reading five pages. What if he did that? Would people have a problem with it? Probably. But you know what, it mirrors the REAL WORLD more than guaranteeing someone a full read of their script for an entry fee.

                    Comment


                    • Re: Trackinb Contest

                      This subforum looks exactly the same as the Amazon Studios forum. It's dominated by the winners, who all rave about how great the contest is.

                      Well, obviously, they have a vested interest, they want to preserve the illusion, because their query letters depend on it.

                      You say the losers aren't allowed to speak, but then in fairness, the winners should shut up as well.

                      Comment


                      • Re: Trackinb Contest

                        Originally posted by nojustice View Post
                        This subforum looks exactly the same as the Amazon Studios forum. It's dominated by the winners, who all rave about how great the contest is.

                        Well, obviously, they have a vested interest, they want to preserve the illusion, because their query letters depend on it.

                        You say the losers aren't allowed to speak, but then in fairness, the winners should shut up as well.
                        The whole point is that it's a good contest because the majority of the winners and honorable mentions wind up REPPED by legit reps so needless to say, they're not querying any more, dude, so your theory is pretty much shot to smithereens.

                        Speaking for myself personally, my only "vested interested" in this thread and on this site is to communicate my experience with other aspiring screenwriters. Simple as that.
                        "I hate to break it to you but there is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent.- - Don Draper

                        Comment


                        • Re: Trackinb Contest

                          Originally posted by nojustice View Post
                          This subforum looks exactly the same as the Amazon Studios forum. It's dominated by the winners, who all rave about how great the contest is.

                          Well, obviously, they have a vested interest, they want to preserve the illusion, because their query letters depend on it.

                          You say the losers aren't allowed to speak, but then in fairness, the winners should shut up as well.
                          In the case of TrackingB, when you win and get repped, the point is that you don't have to write query letters anymore. So, no, that's not their interest here.

                          Comment


                          • Re: Trackinb Contest

                            I see, so it's all about a few writers getting repped.

                            Do you really think this is your only chance at getting repped?

                            How many new writers are repped each year, versus the number who are repped by contests?

                            Maybe 5 to 500?

                            So we're maybe looking at 1% of new writers getting repped by a contest. And how many of those are still with the same rep the next year?

                            Half of those?

                            And within 2 years, half again?

                            So, in reality, about 0.25% of new writers are getting long term representation is through a contest.

                            Dude, you think Oscar winning writers should be mutilated and left in a bloody mud puddle for those odds? Oh, that's right, you're a winner, so, of course you think they should.

                            Comment


                            • Re: Trackinb Contest

                              Originally posted by joe9alt View Post
                              Would it really matter if he were running the thing out of his grandmother's basement? The only thing that matter is winners and honorable mentions are getting read and repped by legit agents and managers.
                              Indeed.

                              Comment


                              • Re: Trackinb Contest

                                Originally posted by nojustice View Post
                                I see, so it's all about a few writers getting repped.

                                Do you really think this is your only chance at getting repped?

                                How many new writers are repped each year, versus the number who are repped by contests?

                                Maybe 5 to 500?

                                So we're maybe looking at 1% of new writers getting repped by a contest. And how many of those are still with the same rep the next year?

                                Half of those?

                                And within 2 years, half again?

                                So, in reality, about 0.25% of new writers are getting long term representation is through a contest.

                                Dude, you think Oscar winning writers should be mutilated and left in a bloody mud puddle for those odds? Oh, that's right, you're a winner, so, of course you think they should.
                                Sounds like all you need now is need a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity you need and you're off, dude. Wait, what?
                                "I hate to break it to you but there is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent.- - Don Draper

                                Comment

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