At
the typical pitching event, you only pitch 10 to 15 companies and
that's just not enough. We're focused on getting your scripts sold, so
we’re changing the writer / company ratio so you pitch an average of 40
companies in a single day and for about the same price.
InkTip guarantees a 100% refund* if you're not completely satisfied with the experience.
This will sell out, so I wanted to make sure had a chance to attend. You can go here to register: http://www.inktippitchsummit.com/?page_id=5
Some of the 500+ companies who are Summit clients:
Best,
Jerrol LeBaron
CEO, InkTip
jerrol@inktippitchsummit.com
*requests for refunds must be made within 7 days after the Summit.
InkTip guarantees a 100% refund* if you're not completely satisfied with the experience.
This will sell out, so I wanted to make sure had a chance to attend. You can go here to register: http://www.inktippitchsummit.com/?page_id=5
Some of the 500+ companies who are Summit clients:
- Dream Factory Entertainment | deal with Paramount
- Little Engine Productions | deal with ABC & Fox
- Trancas Int. LP Films | deal with Dimension Films
- After Dark Films | deal with Lionsgate
- Bogner Entertainment | deal with Fremantle Media North America
Best,
Jerrol LeBaron
CEO, InkTip
jerrol@inktippitchsummit.com
*requests for refunds must be made within 7 days after the Summit.
Your Screenwriting Career
Part I
Being your own chief strategist
by
Gato Scatena
InkTip, vice president
Scatena & Rosner Films, executive
Part I
Being your own chief strategist
by
Gato Scatena
InkTip, vice president
Scatena & Rosner Films, executive
Statistics
and strategy are incredibly important to the success of every business,
and screenwriting is, make no mistake, a business.
Strategy Exists Regardless of Your Participation
Personally, I like logic. So, let’s start with Basic Logical Truth #1 off which we can later expand.
Strategy Exists Regardless of Your Participation
Personally, I like logic. So, let’s start with Basic Logical Truth #1 off which we can later expand.
Basic Logical Truth #1:
Achieving a successful career requires strategy.
Achieving a successful career requires strategy.
Sure,
there are arguments to every rule. One rebuttal to this logical truth,
specifically in regards to the entertainment industry, could sound
something like “but Troy Duffy was just a lowly bartender who gave his
screenplay, The Boondock Saints, to the one industry assistant connection he had, and the rest was history.”
These instant success stories do happen, but they are in fact not a rebuttal to the rule, and lead us to…
These instant success stories do happen, but they are in fact not a rebuttal to the rule, and lead us to…
Basic Logical Truth #2:
Strategy is the mitigation of failure.
Strategy is the mitigation of failure.
In
other words, strategy is simply a method employed to increase the
chances of success, but does not necessarily guarantee success!
For argument’s sake, let’s first assume Troy Duffy’s “strategy” was to give his screenplay to the single industry connection he possessed. I would never recommend this “all your eggs in one basket” strategy, but occasionally it works. For Troy, this would be a 100% success rate (the number of scripts sold / the number of individuals given a screenplay), however if he expected this success rate to hold true in the future, he would likely be disappointed, because his initial sample group (the number of people he gave his script to) was far too small to get an accurate statistic (sta-tis-tic. Noun. - A fact or piece of data from a study of a large quantity of numerical data.)
A different scenario: now let’s consider that Troy Duffy, being the social bartender he was, actually had dozens of industry connections. Instead of giving his screenplay to just one connection, he gave it twenty-four! In this scenario, Troy understands the “raffle ticket” logic: that by giving his screenplay to more people, he thereby increases his chances that the screenplay gets sold. If he sells his script to one of the twenty-four, this success rate would be about 4.1%.
Since the latter scenario has a larger sample group, it’s safe to say that the 4.1% success rate is much more accurate than the former 100% success rate. Based on this 4.1% figure, would it then be prudent for Troy to give his next screenplay to only one person? Or would it be better to give his script to one hundred industry people—increasing his chances 4-fold from his last success? Obviously, the more the better, based on these statistics.
So, both of the aforementioned scenarios technically had strategy, but it was the second scenario’s strategy that was more likely to succeed.
For argument’s sake, let’s first assume Troy Duffy’s “strategy” was to give his screenplay to the single industry connection he possessed. I would never recommend this “all your eggs in one basket” strategy, but occasionally it works. For Troy, this would be a 100% success rate (the number of scripts sold / the number of individuals given a screenplay), however if he expected this success rate to hold true in the future, he would likely be disappointed, because his initial sample group (the number of people he gave his script to) was far too small to get an accurate statistic (sta-tis-tic. Noun. - A fact or piece of data from a study of a large quantity of numerical data.)
A different scenario: now let’s consider that Troy Duffy, being the social bartender he was, actually had dozens of industry connections. Instead of giving his screenplay to just one connection, he gave it twenty-four! In this scenario, Troy understands the “raffle ticket” logic: that by giving his screenplay to more people, he thereby increases his chances that the screenplay gets sold. If he sells his script to one of the twenty-four, this success rate would be about 4.1%.
Since the latter scenario has a larger sample group, it’s safe to say that the 4.1% success rate is much more accurate than the former 100% success rate. Based on this 4.1% figure, would it then be prudent for Troy to give his next screenplay to only one person? Or would it be better to give his script to one hundred industry people—increasing his chances 4-fold from his last success? Obviously, the more the better, based on these statistics.
So, both of the aforementioned scenarios technically had strategy, but it was the second scenario’s strategy that was more likely to succeed.
Basic Logical Truth #3:
Strategy exists regardless of your participation, so being a participant is advised.
Strategy exists regardless of your participation, so being a participant is advised.
The bottom line is that anyone can increase their chances of success as long as they do two things:
- Know the statistics that affect their career.
- Act on those statistics (AKA employ strategy).
Supply & Demand Strategy
Selling ice to Eskimos is not a recommended business model. Why is this? Eskimos have access to such a large supply of ice that the demand for ice is non-existent.
As much as I appreciate all of the artists reading this article, and the potentially genius screenplays you have written, if the demand for such a screenplay is low, then the chances of it getting produced are exponentially lower. So, if your goal is to get your screenplays produced, it would be advisable to write screenplays that are in demand. And with that, let me shed some light.
Through InkTip.com, producers and executives produce approximately 28 feature films per year, in addition to hundreds more options, purchases and hires. The following figures are just a broad snapshot of the producer demand over the past few years:
Selling ice to Eskimos is not a recommended business model. Why is this? Eskimos have access to such a large supply of ice that the demand for ice is non-existent.
As much as I appreciate all of the artists reading this article, and the potentially genius screenplays you have written, if the demand for such a screenplay is low, then the chances of it getting produced are exponentially lower. So, if your goal is to get your screenplays produced, it would be advisable to write screenplays that are in demand. And with that, let me shed some light.
Through InkTip.com, producers and executives produce approximately 28 feature films per year, in addition to hundreds more options, purchases and hires. The following figures are just a broad snapshot of the producer demand over the past few years:
- Thrillers – 42.6%
- Comedy – 30.5%
- Drama – 27.6%
- Horror – 23.5%
- Action/Adventure – 17.7%
- Crime – 12.1%
- Family – 7%
Of the movies in production or already produced through InkTip in 2013:
- Thriller - 38.9%
- Drama - 33.3%
- Horror - 16.7%
- Action - 11.1%
- Romance - 11.1%
- Crime - 5.6%
- Sci-Fi - 5.6%
- Comedy - 5.6%
- Western - 5.6%
- Family - 5.6%
Hollywood
trends move in cycles, so even though comedy is a very popular genre
statistically, it has not been in as much demand so far this year
vis-à-vis last year at 26.1%. Producers are very familiar with these
trends, and as such, shifts in the marketplace can occur any given week
based on distributor demand.
Do not necessarily read the aforementioned statistics as a reason to not focus on your comedies however. These statistics should be read much like the stock market. Do you sell your stock out of fear when they’re low, or do you wait for them to rise again? Professional traders say “wait,” and when you have a long-term statistic like we do above, then you know comedy is literally bound to bounce back up.
In other words, comedy is likely to end up with a 20-30% market demand by the end of the year, and thus far, it’s only at 5.6%. This would suggest that in the next 6 months, interest in comedies is likely to rise.
I’m not here to dwell on the ebb and flow of comedies; rather I wish to illustrate the importance of both historical statistics, contemporary statistics, and how to read the relationship between the two.
To keep these statistics for yourself, I encourage everyone to read InkTip’s weekly newsletters to see what’s getting optioned and sold, keep stats on the current box office, read The Hollywood Reporter to see what’s selling. With these information sources, figure out what the statistics mean for your current screenplays versus what you should be focusing on for the future.
Do not necessarily read the aforementioned statistics as a reason to not focus on your comedies however. These statistics should be read much like the stock market. Do you sell your stock out of fear when they’re low, or do you wait for them to rise again? Professional traders say “wait,” and when you have a long-term statistic like we do above, then you know comedy is literally bound to bounce back up.
In other words, comedy is likely to end up with a 20-30% market demand by the end of the year, and thus far, it’s only at 5.6%. This would suggest that in the next 6 months, interest in comedies is likely to rise.
I’m not here to dwell on the ebb and flow of comedies; rather I wish to illustrate the importance of both historical statistics, contemporary statistics, and how to read the relationship between the two.
To keep these statistics for yourself, I encourage everyone to read InkTip’s weekly newsletters to see what’s getting optioned and sold, keep stats on the current box office, read The Hollywood Reporter to see what’s selling. With these information sources, figure out what the statistics mean for your current screenplays versus what you should be focusing on for the future.
Choosing Your Marketplace(s)
More produced and agency-represented writers use InkTip.com and the Pitch & Networking Summit than any other similar companies or marketplaces. This is for one simple fact: InkTip actually gets movies produced. Obviously I’m a bit partial to InkTip, but not because I’m its vice president, rather because I know the numbers. Both in my work at InkTip, and my work as a producer and film finance strategist, I use statistics to inform my strategy and investor recommendations. So far, none of my company’s investors have lost money on film investments, and InkTip has gone from 12 films per year to 28 since my tenure began. I certainly cannot come close to taking all the credit for either, but I can guarantee that the numbers influenced every individual who played a part in these successful records.
It’s no wonder that career writers and their representatives use and recommend InkTip; they know the numbers.
That said, don’t blindly take my word or anyone else’s word as fact. Do your research. Fortunately, you’re in an industry that thrives on credit. Everyone involved in every production wants credit for their efforts. When a pitching event, marketplace website, or screenwriting service makes claims that they have gotten movies produced, look them up on the International Movie Database (IMDb.com)! Google them! Confirm or debunk claims before making a decision as to where to put your efforts, time, and money. (InkTip’s IMDb profile: http://www.imdb.com/company/co0251773/)
This is just like any other statistic in your career; you need to know what works.
Your Career Moving Forward
Every aspect to your screenwriting career, beside the creative spark, can and should be managed like a company. I know it can be difficult to turn off your creative switch, and press the CEO button, but just getting familiar with these concepts will beneficially change the way you work. So, in conclusion, to all of you, find your stats, find your strategy, and keep writing.
About The Author
Gato Scatena is vice president at InkTip.com, and has been producing films through Scatena & Rosner Films since 2010. Most recently he was a financial consultant for “Filth” (starring James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, produced by Celine Rattray), and produced “Imaginary Friend” for Lifetime (starring Lacey Chabert, Ethan Embry, directed by Richard Gabai, found through InkTip). He and his company are now in post-production on the feature comedy “Mantervention” (starring Mario Van Peebles, Nick Roux, Travis Van Winkle).
Questions can be Tweeted to Mr. Scatena at @GatoScatena
More produced and agency-represented writers use InkTip.com and the Pitch & Networking Summit than any other similar companies or marketplaces. This is for one simple fact: InkTip actually gets movies produced. Obviously I’m a bit partial to InkTip, but not because I’m its vice president, rather because I know the numbers. Both in my work at InkTip, and my work as a producer and film finance strategist, I use statistics to inform my strategy and investor recommendations. So far, none of my company’s investors have lost money on film investments, and InkTip has gone from 12 films per year to 28 since my tenure began. I certainly cannot come close to taking all the credit for either, but I can guarantee that the numbers influenced every individual who played a part in these successful records.
It’s no wonder that career writers and their representatives use and recommend InkTip; they know the numbers.
That said, don’t blindly take my word or anyone else’s word as fact. Do your research. Fortunately, you’re in an industry that thrives on credit. Everyone involved in every production wants credit for their efforts. When a pitching event, marketplace website, or screenwriting service makes claims that they have gotten movies produced, look them up on the International Movie Database (IMDb.com)! Google them! Confirm or debunk claims before making a decision as to where to put your efforts, time, and money. (InkTip’s IMDb profile: http://www.imdb.com/company/co0251773/)
This is just like any other statistic in your career; you need to know what works.
Your Career Moving Forward
Every aspect to your screenwriting career, beside the creative spark, can and should be managed like a company. I know it can be difficult to turn off your creative switch, and press the CEO button, but just getting familiar with these concepts will beneficially change the way you work. So, in conclusion, to all of you, find your stats, find your strategy, and keep writing.
About The Author
Gato Scatena is vice president at InkTip.com, and has been producing films through Scatena & Rosner Films since 2010. Most recently he was a financial consultant for “Filth” (starring James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, produced by Celine Rattray), and produced “Imaginary Friend” for Lifetime (starring Lacey Chabert, Ethan Embry, directed by Richard Gabai, found through InkTip). He and his company are now in post-production on the feature comedy “Mantervention” (starring Mario Van Peebles, Nick Roux, Travis Van Winkle).
Questions can be Tweeted to Mr. Scatena at @GatoScatena
