Success Stories: SEP'2 Script Requests

Thanks so much. It’s definitely challenging while Hollywood has so many challenges, but having someone in your corner and willing to give you advice makes a world of difference, especially when you’re still looking for representation.

Congratulations on meeting with the writer/ producer and the script requests, Aaron Engel!

I would not be giving out your material to anyone, especially in a Facebook group. If they are successful writer/producer what are they doing on Zoom with you? The few that offered this with me, they had 'credentials' but it turned out, they weren't them. They were imposters. Be aware.

Aaron Engel Well, keep the faith. I assume you've checked-out the "successful writer/producer" and that you felt comfortable enough with him to send the two scripts. I've found requesting a script and actually reading the script aren't always aligned.. It's polite to ask and easier than showing you his palms. What I'd like to know, privately, is what steps you have taken to this point. Connect with me so I can DM you. One of us might learn a thing or two.

Pamela Faber I appreciate the concern, but I’m in a pretty lucky position. I spent 10 yrs in banking and I’m well versed in fraud. I also grew up on sound stages. So I have a pretty good ear for what sounds like a professional and doesn’t. I researched him prior to our zoom and we spent some months casually talking shop. He is who he says he is. And there are multiple Hollywood execs, managers, and writers in the group, including Spencer Robinson, who is a manager frequently posting here.

Ok, just be careful. The guy who was defrauding me was posting here too as a famous producer. It took administration to look into him and find out it wasn't the real one. Good luck!

If not, pitch here.

Robert Zwerneman Appreciate the concern. I did look him up prior to getting too involved. I spent some time in business banking, so I’m trained to look for fraud behavior. I also had the good fortune to grow up on sound stages, since my dad lit tv shows for a living. I got to hear how people in the industry sound and move. This person hit every mark. It also helps that our conversations were progressive over months, not a few days. He was giving me advice in other industry situations and it was really useful. He never made any promises about what he could do for me, he just wanted to see what I’m capable of with my writing before making any kind of plans.

Aaron Engel Really cool premise with Pardon Our Mess. I’ve written a DID character myself, so the setup caught my eye. Have you thought about framing Joe as a literal 'devil on the shoulder' that only Cliff can see and hear?

Real-world DID carries a lot of deep psychological weight and usually isn't funny—focusing on a clinical representation can actually undercut the tone you're going for. Playing Joe as a distinct alter-ego arguing with Cliff in real-time—while everyone else in the room just sees Cliff arguing with thin air—unlocks huge comedic potential without dragging the audience into heavy territory. Just a thought. Best of luck with it.

Thanks for the praise. The key is not treating DID like it’s the joke. Mental health deserves some representation with empathy.

Wait, it's a comedy without making fun of... okay, whatever. Maybe that is the invisible stumbling block in your path.

I never said I had a stumbling block.

Aaron Engel I offered my comments as trying to be helpful. Maybe the myopia is what the issue really is. Best of luck, over and out.

That sounds like a meaningful step. Did he ask for the two scripts based on loglines you discussed during the call, or had he already seen some of your writing beforehand?

Zoltán Varga He'd seen excerpts of my scripts I posted to the Facebook group, but we also just chatted on messenger for a bit. We had some really funny "yes and" sessions. That led to him asking to zoom. By the end, between the rapport and what he'd seen, he requested the 2.

Theresa Maverick absolutely. That's the funny thing about this industry. Things can snowball when you least expect them to.

Aaron Engel I’d definitely count this as a win. Getting someone experienced to look beyond generic career advice and actually ask to read two of your scripts is meaningful in itself. And I love that he’s intentional about helping emerging writers he believes in. Sometimes the most valuable opportunities start with a simple conversation rather than a formal pitch. I’m curious, what kind of scripts did you send him?

Theresa Maverick I’m doing a rewrite on one of my scripts that had some logic issues. But polishing my animation script that’s best described as a cross between Severance and Sorry to Botther You. It’s a workplace comedy about an evangelical retail employee who climbs a corporate ladder whose top he’ll never reach— at a boot company whose executives divine corporate strategy through its

cryogenically frozen founder.

Jeniffer Cole I agree wholeheartedly. I sent him an animated workplace comedy and my live action comedy about a gay construction foreman with DID whose homophobic alter makes it clear he wants a girlfriend.

Aaron Engel Okay, that definitely got my attention.

Jeniffer Cole It’s an unusual idea, but after Heated Rivalry blew the doors off the hinges, I felt like a gay comedy about mental health, treated with empathy, was ready for the market. I go out of my way to make DID not the joke itself and write as clinically accurate as possible, with a dash of Fleabag bluntness.

Aaron Engel That’s actually a really interesting combination. I especially like that you’re making the DID part of the character’s reality rather than the punchline, while still giving the comedy that sharp Fleabag edge. What part of the story are you finding most challenging to get right so far?

Jeniffer Cole I think I’ve found a really strong balance for the pilot. It’s tricky, because you want to make his challenge something real without it being ridiculous (it’s not that kind of comedy). So I made his time lapse the issue at work. He screws up an employee’s overtime and it creates chaos, but he’s dealing with his own problems since his therapist drops him and refers him to a new specialist.

Aaron Engel That actually sounds like a strong balance. The overtime mistake gives the external conflict real consequences, while the therapist situation keeps the pressure personal rather than turning his condition into the joke. I especially like that the chaos comes from his struggle navigating an ordinary workplace problem. That could make the comedy feel much more human. How far does the pilot take him before the two sides of his life really start colliding?

I hint at a lot of onion peeling. His alter, Joe, is tired of being alone, but he has just as much growth to get through as Cliff does. What gums up the works in the end of the pilot is a regular hook-up says he wants more. Cliff deflects by revealing his DID, thinking that’s enough to make the hookup back off, but he’s undeterred. The hookup has experience with DID in the family. The problem is, he doesn’t understand the difference between someone with years of therapy under their belt and someone still trying to find balance. So he gives Cliff an ultimatum: make this something more or we’re not hooking up anymore.