Hi everyone! I just made a formal introduction over in the Introduce Yourself Lounge, but thought I'd do a more specific intro here as well. My name is Taylor Budesky, I'm 28, and live in the completely average and extremely cold state of Minnesota.
I'm fairly new to writing as more than a hobby, I have a BS in Art Teaching with a k-12 license and a few Film Studies courses under my belt, but other than that, I've recieved no education that's typical for this line of work.
I do have a finished Romantic Comedy screenplay entitled "We'll Call It Love" that's been entered into several industry contests, including two that are fellowships (fingers crossed for any and all of them). "We'll Call It Love", as well as several other works in progress I have, are definitely focused on capturing and celebrating stories that have themes surrounding love, and all of the complicated emotions that come with it. Right now, that is where my passion lives with writing, but I hope to write more than just a Romance or Romantic Comedy - or to write a Romantic Comedy that makes you rethink any connotations that come up for you when you hear that genre.
At the present moment, I am unrepresented and I'm actively seeking the right home for myself and my stories. I'm in search of a fun and collaborative team/agent - with ample and clear communication and support with those as passionate about telling stories as me.
I'm ecstatic to be on this journey and to get to do it here, with people who share the same love and excitement for this industry. I can't wait to meet more of you and hopefully make some wonderful, lasting, and genuine connections soon!
And with that, I leave you with a few questions that may seem fairly self explanatory, but I'm new, so go easy on me:
1. As stated above, I'm unrepresented at this time. I'd love to hear what you think is the best first step to finding representation? I'm entering contests and I'm building up my portfolio, but I'm curious how to sort of take the leap - especially when I don't have the typical education one often sees. I know being in here and making connections is a great first step, but any other insight is greatly appreciated.
2. Research. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on how they begin researching for a project - do you follow a general list of guidelines, the same questions that need to be answered no matter the genre? Do you travel? Do you record interviews? For me, I'm interesting in telling stories about love, and obviously, while I can draw from my own life and let that fuel the story, I can't know all there is to know about such a wide and complicated human experience. So I've been curious how to start that - do I go up to strangers and ask: "Hey, I'm a screenwriter, will you tell me about love?" I guess I'm just curious to hear about others processes and any advice you can grant me in this subject.
Thank you so much in advance for any and all comments/advice!
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Question 1: It's great that you're entering contests and building up your portfolio, Taylor Budesky. And you're right, being in here and making connections is a great first step. Besides that, Stage 32's contests can move your career forward (www.stage32.com/scriptservices/contests).
There's a Romantic Comedy contest going on right now (www.stage32.com/happy-writers/contests/3rd-Annual-Romantic-Comedy-Screen...). One of the prizes for the grand prize winner is you'll be flown to LA for meetings (travel permitting) to meet with the contest judges. Another prize for the grand prize winner is your professional biography will get sent to an exclusive roster of over 30 agents and managers who have a First Look deal with Stage 32 and are actively looking for new clients and material (also the prize for
You could pitch your script to managers, executives, etc. through Stage 32's Pitch Sessions (www.stage32.com/scriptservices/pitch-sessions). The Pitch Sessions are mainly to get feedback on pitches, but members have gotten managers, signed shopping agreements, etc. through the sessions (www.stage32.com/scriptservices/success-stories).
Question 2: I usually look up things on the internet, watch videos, look at photos, and read articles/books when I research.
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Taylor Budesky Welcome. With a script already finished and other projects on the way, it's sounds like you've made a lot of good progress already.
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Thank you so much for these links Maurice Vaughan ! I unfortunately missed that Romantic Comedy contest, but I did just submit to my first open writing assignment! And yes I was looking at the Pitch Sessions! I haven't gotten a chance to join one, but I did just watch an on demand Pitch Tank with Nadya Panfilov sitting in and giving feedback with Nick and John and soaked up a lot of the tips. Also, thank you so much for answering my other question with your own process! Since I asked these questions, I've definitely started doing my own research and it is very in line with what you do.
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Christopher Phillips Thank you so much! One step at a time
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You're welcome, Taylor Budesky. Congratulations on submitting to your first Open Writing Assignment! Hope your script gets selected!
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Great to meet you Taylor Budesky and I highly recommend the Writers´ Room here on stage 32, it is a place where you can pitch your new amazing script to Producers looking for your art. You can ask for a free month to check it out as well, hope this helps. Best of luck and Happy Weekend!