Screenwriting : Mentoring program by Bill Albert

I've been a mentor in the past. I learned a lot from it - like never do that again!

What Dan said. Plus, a real mentor KNOWS you, sees something in you that makes them believe you will appreciate and learn from their mentorship. You can't put a price on it. Shane Stanley in one of his Film Courage interviews (I think it was Creative and Crazy), tells a story that illustrates this perfectly.

A good producer with some decent experience will help you write like a producer and that's a significant skillset to add to your craft. Very few writers are considering budget, logistics, and market appeal while the majority of the opportunities for assignments are in indie film where that thinking is critical.

Should you pay for it? That's tricky. Do only unsuccessful producers charge? Again tricky. The amount of constant free help industry members give out, particularly to writers, can often drive them to start charging in some form if only as a way to divert all those emails and personal messages.

Very enlightening, @danmaxx (hey, why isn't tagging working?)

And I'll offer my own opinion - for all of you, members of S32 who call yourselves "script consultants" or "story analysts" or "script doctors" or whatever and are charging money for these types of services.

You're doing a disservice to the industry as a whole and specifically to new writers trying to break in.

Stop it. Break the cycle of predatory behavior that dominates this industry.

This has taken a confusing turn. Bill was talking about joining a mentoring program which has specific producer involved but now this is being conflated with script consultants. The Executive Mentoring Program is a one hour call regarding career development. It doesn't even include a script read as that's not the focus of the discussion.

I do mentoring for a living (another industry) and what I can say outta that is endgame should be fully self-sustained operator in his field of work...if classes u take, lead to another offer then another, into oblivion (of money giving) I'd advise you skip that...you can always turn into self-taught system, thankfully scriptwriting allows it as no other branch in the filmmaking...

Yeah, confusing - someone's getting their wires crossed.

I haven't been in a mentoring program, but I've heard they can be beneficial. It may depend on the program.

CJ Walley called it exactly. I was asking about the offer that Stage 32 gives us and so many had to immediately throw hash on it I started to wonder why you come here since you seem to have no faith in this platform.

I feel that, as a community, we could all be doing more to focus on the original poster's question(s) when new topics are posted. Sometimes, it feels like we're just trying to answer as many as possible as fast as possible. The details on the Stage 32 Executive Mentoring Program are literally one click away yet here we are posting entire transcripts of something barely related.

We could also be a lot less black and white about everything.

Anyway, here's my take on mentorship from having a peek inside the industry.

Doing some quick finger math, I figure I've spent probably in the region of 1,500hrs working with an experienced producer and the amount of powerful stuff I learn every hour is remarkable. When I pass even a fraction that knowledge and personal experience on to new writers over coffee, it's like I'm hitting them with truth bomb after truth bomb. The amount of fog I'm clearing for them is huge and they tend to feel enlightened and empowered very quickly. On Script Revolution, we hold Zoom sessions for Rockstar members with Shane Stanley and myself and I know for a fact that simply answering one or two questions in detail has radically changed the career projections of some who've embraced the advice they've been given.

I also know of aspiring directors/producers who are paying for one-on-one calls with experienced industry members and those industry members give them a lot of powerful guidance. Hell, I know of someone who wants to be a cinematographer who's flying his whole family out of state and putting them up in a hotel so they can be on a set and gain experience.

On top of this, I've seen personally just how much the Stage 32 team care about delivering quality services and how they work with industry members to try and ensure that.

If it were me giving a mentoring session, even just for an hour, I would absolutely go in with the intention of giving the mentee something they can action as a result. Something they could get their teeth into for some time and pursue. I like to think most people would, especially when their name is there for all to see.

I also know how damn hard it is to get good experienced advice because most industry members with credits are walling themselves off somehow, particularly producers, simply because they're borderline harassed to read material, do favours, and give answers all on top of working 12hrs a day, 6-7 days a week.

This all said, I feel this kind of educating is very much the remit of the wealthy and you always have to be prepared to throw the money away because nothing's guaranteed. You also have to drop the notion that it's going to be your Cinderella moment. That said, if a writer's buying a load of feedback, competition entries, and evaluations, there's a good chance they are dropping similar numbers on what's effectively gambling rather than investing.

If you want quality mentorship for free, you're going to have to take the long hard route and, even then, there's going to be a lot of luck involved. As ever, you're quickly getting into the intern route which means you're simply paying in life-energy rather than money.

Once again, if you are a keen reader, the books out there by successful people give a lot of guidance, as does numerous interviews that can be found online. Know what you can afford to put into your own education and spend it wisely. There's no getting around the fact some people have options others cannot afford.

Welp, this was my first time posting. It'll be my last too. Sorry for inconveniencing everyone.

Hey Bill! Great question! I am a huge fan of our Career Development Calls (aka Mentoring Sessions) because these professionals are VERY good at what they do and share their years of knowledge, experience, and expertise. I like to think of it as someone who wants to get in shape using a personal trainer - or anyone else who is looking for professional guidance - be it from a coach, counselor, therapist, lawyer, etc. The insights and answers you get are invaluable and I know of several folks who have truly make big leaps in their career using the service. Always happy to speak further with you about it! Email me at j.mirch@stage32.com

CJ - you've nailed once again. I try to pass on some of the knowledge/observations/wisdom that I've collected during the years. I do it for free as I no longer have any other provocative hobbies but I've noticed a lot of reluctance and defiance in the peanut gallery. So I don't do much of that any more. Hey, if I can't help, I can't help.

I've watched you do the same for ten years on here, Dan.

To be honest, trying to help too many people nearly broke me a few months back. It pushed me to a very dark and stressed place and had me walking the streets at night trying to clear my mind.

It's nearly every day now that I get a request to help directly into some sort of inbox, be it email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Stage 32, Reddit, etc, etc.

I get full scripts with pages of explanation. questions, and life-story. I get meeting invites added straight to my calendar. I get reminders posted in the comments of my status updates.

The guilt just keeps piling up on my shoulders and, the thing is, so much of it is unrewarding because most people just want to talk about themselves and their goals and just see you as a step up the ladder. You give some an inch and they take a yard. You fail to respond to some, they take it personally, and they turn into crazies.

Many ignore your advice anyway and some constantly contend it.

And I'm a nobody. I know people who have it ten times more intense.

People call it a side-hustle or demean industry members for wanting payment but it's often not about the money. $200 isn't going to change the average producer's life. What it does do is it creates a pain point for the person who wants advice to have to get through. Someone willing to spend money for a limited time is showing commitment and appreciating boundaries.

You have some good insights CJ Walley .

I have not done the Executive Mentoring program, but I have considered it. You are investing in yourself and your career. I would offer this advice if you do decide take the plunge. Make sure you select the right mentor for what you''re doing. Contact Jason Mirch (j.mirch@stage32.com) for advice. Make sure you are prepared so you can get the most of working with the mentor. This is a networking opportunity and may be a way to for you to get an advocate and champion for your work.

I apologize to all, for drifting away from the original question. I was responding to the article quoted by Dan, which specifically talks about script consultants.

I also apologize for my tone, concerning those who call themselves script consultants. I'm sure the vast majority have good hearts and intentions. I just don't believe it's an effective way for new writers to spend their money - it wasn't for me.

My experience says the most effective (not fastest) way to break in (other than, writing, writing, writing) is to get on set, work hard at everything you're given to do, be professional and develop friendships.

Apologies again for contributing to the wayward path of this discussion.