I heard about my placement in Zoetrope on the day that they announced the contest. I received an email that morning.

It took about a week before I started hearing from production companies. I had some great conversations with some people, but for most it was an email exchange.

I paid my own way to get to LA at first. I made a trip down to visit with producers I’d met as a result of my placements in the Nicholl and Zoetrope. I just did this to build relationships and get practice chatting about the film business, and it was a great education. I still talk regularly with some of the folks I met.

It wasn’t until about a year later that I was in development and someone was actually flying me down there. Whenever I went down on someone else’s dime, it was intense with long meetings and lots of writing and editing, so I was glad I made earlier trips on my own to get a feel for the city.

Being an out-of-town writer makes it hard to build connections. But it’s not impossible. I don’t make my living this way, but I’ve earned a little bit of money and made some good friends. And I now know a few folks who will read any of my new scripts. I figure if I keep it up for another 10 years, I’ll eventually become an overnight success.

Good luck. Let me know how it goes. And keep writing good scripts.

Cheers, DB

How does that process work (do you simply wait for companies/agencies to contact you)?
About how long does it take before you actually set up meetings?
If you are based out of another city/state, how soon do they expect you to fly out to L.A.?
How do those meetings go?

My script is in the contest, and I just wanted to be prepared and have my creative packaging ready in case I get called for meeting. I would love to chat with you online about this, or you can shoot me an e-mail at your earliest convenience.

Thank you,

G.H.

If you are interested in discussing US film distribution, please give me a call

Brett
973-290-0015