I'm just curious. I have been getting the e-mail news bytes for a long time, and finally registered so I could get in on a promising pitch this weekend. Went ahead and entered the comedy script contest as well, mostly to get a feel for things. I have a few questions though, and though maybe some of you who have been members for a while might know.
1) What would be the purpose of uploading a logline or script on your profile? Is there any actual history of that finding interested parties, or is it just for people to poke and prod at?
2) Other than in the canned "success stories" does anyone know anyone here who made a vital contact, sold a script, etc? I was looking at the recent success stories and noted that one of them even repeated if you scroll down the list. I know a couple of people here have had success but I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the site... I've been writing a long time, and find that everything I do here gets a response that includes a link to pay for some class or some tool or some seminar or other, even when the post or link doesn't really apply to the offer... I've seen reviews of the site, but mostly on both extremes so its like politics on Facebook... you don't know if any of them are real, when positive, and you don't know if any of the negative ones were from actual professionals, or people who expected to sign up and get famous and it didn't happen?
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This is a great site on so many levels.
1. It has a great variety of people to pitch to on a weekly basis.
2. It has a great variety of educational opportunities.
3. It has a large number of creative people for networking opportunities.
4. It has forums that can be insightful, humorous, and provocative.
5. It has the opportunity to meet your future wife, like I did. I mean....like I didn't. Not yet, at least.
6. It has contests like you mentioned.
7. I've had long conversations with producers that I can call anytime...well, almost anytime...and who have given me great and invaluable insights.
8. I've made friendships.
9. I can put together a local crew as a result of my network here.
10. The sadistic side of me can enjoy - and even participate - in the occasional forum train wreck.
11. I can have conversations with people from around the world, and we can realize how we are all really alike.
12. I can look forward to the day when my "success story" will be the biggest one of them all.
Sometimes people focus too much on one thing, and can lose sight on the other benefits, and the butterfly effects that can circle our lives. But as you can see, I love Stage32 for many reasons, and am glad it's here. I don't list loglines for personal reasons, and have had a few passes on scripts that I pitched, but see step 7.
P.S. - I was contracted to write one script a while back. I pitched a different script to a producer...who introduced me to a guy who hired me as a business writer for a cancer pharma company....who introduced me to a guy who hired me as a business writer for a beauty products company....who introduced me to a girl at a party and who I had a lot of fun with...who introduced me to a guy who hired me to do some mortgage marketing....who introduced me to a guy that hired me to run a newspaper....whose assistant introduced me to a girl for potential dating reasons....who introduced me to the people who contracted me to write a script. I might have missed a couple links in that chain, but sometimes life works in funny ways. I also got free rent in L.A. for two years through that chain.
Best of luck to you and everyone else! And thanks to Richard Botto and team for making steps 1-11 happen for me, and step 12 in the near future.
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Thanks Bill. That sort of answers my question, really. Sites like this (in general) are most valuable for connections... and it appears those can be had. I used to do TV phone pitches to Star Trek Voyager and DS9 regularly (I wrote one of the novels for Voyager and got in because of that) so I' hoping this pitch on Saturday goes well.
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Hi David, this site is for networking and learning. It has a brilliant amount of information and informative people on board. The key is to think of yourself at a party - how would you introduce yourself and get to know people? Do you go straight up to them and say 'Hey I've just published a book... blah, blah, blah.' No. You would find out about them and get to know them, then build up a relationship - online first, that may lead to an offline meeting. The key is to be polite, connect with as many people in your interest field as you want and build up that professional relationship. That's my two-penneth. Hope it helps.
Kaye
Heh, if you go into a party and say "I wrote a book," you would get one of two or three common questions before interest flagged completely.... make that four. EITHER they ask "Have you written anything I would have read?" ... or "Do you know Stephen King?" or... "Can you introduce me to your agent?" OR they pitch you this novel idea they have always had, and tell you YOU can write it and split the money... As long as it took to get to the point where I had published books, it took only about a week to realize that the majority of the world does not care. I usually end up talking about my cats or my dog.
People love cats and dogs.
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David. I am only here because I like screenwriters so I am not trying to make connections or sell anything. If you like communicating with people you have something in common with this is a great place to spend some time.