I had an interesting conversation with a lit manager recently who suggested I lean into a thriller I’d been developing — even though my natural lane is dark comedy. His point was simple (and humbling): it’s an easier door to open right now than TV.
I took the note, refocused, and I’m now in final-draft territory. The project’s been scoring high in coverage, but what’s mattered most is seeing how quickly clarity and market awareness can reshape a script.
It’s been a reminder that flexibility doesn’t mean losing your voice — it just means letting the work find its best route to daylight.
Curious how others have navigated that pivot between passion projects and market reality.
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Congratulations on your project scoring high in coverage, Adam Reiver!
"It’s been a reminder that flexibility doesn’t mean losing your voice — it just means letting the work find its best route to daylight." You're right!
I'm aware of the market, but I usually don't let it affect what kind of scripts I write. I make sure a script idea is marketable before I write the script though. Even my passion projects are marketable.
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Congrats Adam! Yeah your Manager seems as they they know the power of suggestion. Just make sure to remind yourself that you were the one wise enough to pause, reflect, and consider a note that probably makes a lot of sense. Best of luck with the Thriller!
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I've been writing features for years, with no luck getting any paid work. Recently hooked up with a writer friend who's had the same no luck with TV movies of the week. We combined forces and optioned a TV thriller. Now we are working on a Christmas rom-com, hopefully with the same producer. More potential, it seems, with the TV MOW landscape, so even though that's not my true love, I'm exploring the opportunities.
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Congratulations to you and your writer friend, Erik Gagnon!