I've been a lit and talent manager for 19 years, and I also regularly do consultations and teach classes here at Stage 32. From time to time, I try to post information here that can help aspiring writers, or at least leave people a bit more informed about the inner-workings of the Film and TV world. I figured that, this time, I'd leave it up to you.
Opening the floor here, and happy to answer reasonable questions. Feel free to fire away!
Hey Spencer Robinson - thanks for the opportunity. I'd like to broach a topic that is discussed quite often here on Stage 32 but never (as far as I can tell) from this perspective.
As the industry continues to evolve the 'pay-to-play' transactional relationships between writers and others seems to be increasing in volume. Still, the arrangement seems to be verboten from the writers perspective and people are counseled to avoid it like the plague and assume the practitioner is scamming the writer.
What are your thoughts? If I wanted to engage with an executive or working creative for the experience, access, skill and feedback and pay a 'modest' fee to do so, do you find that fair or foul?
Darrell A Pennington Can you be more specific? Not sure what you mean. Paying an exec for what?
Hello Spencer, what factors do you consider prior to deciding to accept a client?
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Antonio Dunn Great writing, always writing, is able to take a meeting well, watches TV/Film, networks, is not an asshole.
If I wanted to engage someone with the expressed goal of developing a project that would be worthy and be presented to the network of professionals they have access to (most commonly expressed as a writer paying a consulting fee to a Producer) and that results in gaining referrals, opportunities to pitch to buyers, etc...etc....is that something that is considered offsides in your opinion?
Darrell A Pennington I think that paying for a notes or career consultation makes sense. You're hopefully getting great notes and/or advice in those situations. I guess paying for "access" to referrals doesn't make sense to me because I would never refer something that is not good, so that wouldn't be anything I could see taking money for.
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Thanks Spencer Robinson , appreciate it. And I agree, I would never expect or want anyone to refer something they wouldn't stand behind. To clarify, the payment is for time and feedback on a project that said professional may be intrigued by. My working assumption is that during the consultation the goal is to develop a project that they would want to refer (or champion themselves) and that outcome is achieved, then a warm hand off / referral situations occurs. Thanks again for being so active on here, I've learned a lot and started writing features because of you specifically haha.
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Darrell A Pennington Not necessarily. I do script notes consultations with the idea of making the script the best it possibly can be. There is no promise or expectation of anything past that.
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Appreciate the honesty thank you for that.
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What is one recent movie or TV show from the last few years that makes you think, 'I wish I had a client who could write something like this?'
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Pat Alexander I have clients who I think write incredible projects, so I never think anything like that. Not even once.