Screenwriting : Does Hollywood accept scripts from writers out of state? by Jeff Kraus

Absolutely you can write from home. They only care about the writing and whether they can make money off of the script.

Wow, you seem to have many connections. That's cool writing a script for an A-list actress.

Jeff, I'm in New Zealand but recently gained representation from a manager in Hollywood. I certainly don't claim to be some kind of all knowing guru of screenwriting. I still have my day job and have currently made very little money as a writer. However, I may be able to offer some insights that may prove useful. Please do take them with a few grains of salt. Here's paraphrasing of a comment my manager made when I first signed with him; "I should be able to get you some work on assignment based in this sample but be aware if things keep going well for you, you will hit a ceiling that you can't break through unless you move to LA." A couple of months ago a spec script of mine hit the market. My manager pushed it really hard. I genuinely think he believed in it. But... it hasn't sold (cue melancholic violin music). However, a few people liked it enough to be interested in me as a writer. I'm planning on heading to LA in a month to meet some of those people. Hopefully they will be able to see that I'm a nice enough chap and someone they can envision working with. Combine that with a writing sample they've already read and respected and hopefully they'll throw some assignment work at me. Soooooo.... here's the cliff notes of my long rambling musings........ If moving to LA is going to be a pain in the ass, don't do it. At least, not yet. Polish your craft. Get your arsenal of scripts ready. Test the waters by using online tools like the stage 32 Happy Writers Pitch fests. Once you get to a point when people in the industry start paying you some serious attention and asking you the question; "Hey, Jeff we really want to work with you more, have you considered moving to LA?" That's when I'd start thinking about boxing up my stuff and calling the moving company. Last point. I don't want to tell you it takes a long time because I have no idea how long you've been trying. But, it looks like you currently have one script that's completed to standard that you're happy with, or at least close enough to that standard that you can envision being happy with it with a bit more polishing. However, it can take a long time and almost everyone thinks their first script is better than it is. I started writing my first script back in 1999 and I seriously thought it was going to blow people's minds and I thought everybody was stupid for "not getting it." Reading it now makes me want to kill myself. It's just complete shit. It really, really is. Maybe your first script is genuinely killer. But if you don't get the love you were hoping for when people start reading it, just be aware, most of the people I know who have worked professionally have at some point been told their work was shit because, back then, it was. Sincere best wishes on your career and journey.

Thanks for the input Guy. I'm currently re-working my outline, shuffling scenes along, etc. I hope to be done polishing my script in 1-2 months. I also plan on writing out another one which I have already created a treatment for. As an aside, I don't plan on running out to LA just yet. I have some business at home that needs to be accomplished.

Very best wishes for both the business and the writing.

Jeff: Having lived in both LA and now in Austin, I say the answer is a big, fat no. Since most people do everything online you can get your work to people in numerous ways. I've had no decrease in interest in my work and have had three screenplays optioned this year and am working with an LA literary agent. How long have you been working on your screenplay? Have you put it out there for anyone to read or get any script coverage?

@Leon J Brumby How were you able to get a hold of Hollywood producers pitch your script? It's awesome to hear that several producers are interested in your work.

@Phillip E Hardy Answering your questions, I have been working on and off on my script since summer of 2011. It's a story I feel passionate about, but before I send it out there, I plan on registering with the WGA and copyright protecting it.

Jeff: You can register your script online with WGAW and it takes about five minutes. I also advocate you spend the $35.00 and copyright your work. That can also be done online and takes about ten minutes.

I'm from the Midwest too Jeff. One thing I would like to see someday is a WGAM (Writers Guild of America Midwest) I think St. Louis is an ideal candidate for such a sect of the WGA and highly representative to the Midwest. Both St. Louis and Chicago have Writers Guilds and Chicago may be affiliated with the WGA but as far as I can find out St. Louis is not. I just don't think Chicago is representative of the Midwest. They are probably a good guild as far as that goes but I really think as far as Midwest representation St. Louis would be ideal. I myself hope to check out both L.A. and New York someday relatively soon and it will be a subject I will push in meet-ups and everywhere I go that can tactfully be done. I would even pitch this to the WGA if ever given the power or opportunity. Arizona, The Carolina's, Nashville and Florida have some good representation as well. Us Midwestener's need a voice too I think and believe. Honestly to be highly successful I think for myself that it is going to require true face time with the powers that be either in New York or L.A. or both. I will say Chuck Lorre has used a couple of Midwesteners on his shows that even have creative rights. I imagine home town and work towns are different and that info can be a bit tough to find where they actually work from. Show setting probably plays a factor too but that also can be sketchy because they may film the limited external like a skeleton structure and do the majority of production in studio. Good luck Jeff and maybe we'll meet along our travels somewhere someday.

I agree with you Mitchell. I might have to check out the Chicago guild (that's closer for me than St. Louis).

Jeff: Three years is a long time. Congrats and I wish you the best of luck with it.

pfft, try writing on and off on a script for eight years. granted there have been loooong spells where i gave up on it. but i just re outlined it again today and finally all the pieces fit and i am hapy with those pieces. now to finish off the script, again and be done with it at last. i live in australia so i have an even harder time trying to get scripts looked at. nevermind. we slog on.

John's right. If you want to write for television, you need to be in LA or NYC because that's where TV writers write. If you want to stick with features, there are more opportunities for those of us not in LA. But you still have to be willing to travel to LA to take meetings. Before you get to that point, you need an excellent script. That's what will open the doors for you, no matter where you live. But you'll need more than one to get representation. Managers and agents want to see a body of work -- consistent excellence, so that they know you're a "real" writer and not just someone with a great concept that was able to bang out 110 good pages. They're investing in a career, and they want a writer who is, too. Only fair. Good luck on your journey!

You need to be prepared to travel, but for feature films you can write from anywhere. First you'll need a script that blows people away, then query some midlevel managers who work in LA. IMDBpro is a good way to find info on people like that.

Cherie: Keep working and sending stuff to people. Speaking of Australia, I watched "Picnic at Hanging Rock" yesterday. Outstanding visual work but the storyline was a bit weak. Favorite Aussie pictures are "Danny Deckchair" and "Look Both Ways".

Diane: I agree with you on having a lot of output. I hear so many writers talking about what a rough time they have completing their screenplays. I think sometimes writers spend way too much time on polishing one script. I've written 13 features and one television show with several episodes in less than two years. Currently, I have a literary agent and producer in LA shopping four different scripts. At the behest of the producer, I made fairly significant changes to three of my scripts. I added nearly 25 pages to one of them and 10 pages to another last week. I took his suggestions, tweaked them to my satisfaction and the end result was better finished product. Of course, not everyone's ideas are good. But I'm finding in getting scripts to market, many people want to put their stamp on the writing. As far as output, I had another literary agent who hasn't read any of my work say that I'm writing too fast. I told her I'm sorry you equate time to quality. Not everyone works the same. I'm like to do a lot of front end work and when I start writing, the creative groove kicks in and away I go. Last week I wrote this paragraph in a letter to a dear friend in Germany: "I'm not a big believer is rewriting several drafts. Akin to jazz, I believe that certain aspects of writing are like playing solos. You creatively let it rip and see what happens. In writing my recent Salinger biopic, I had written down a chronological outline of possible scene ideas, I only used about half of them. Writing dialogue should also be a really organic process, where it springs up like real conversations. Here is what Joe Eszterhas says: "Give your characters enough room to plot the course of their own actions. Give them the freedom to tell you what it is they want to do or say." I know most of the accepted order says you have to polish, polish, polish but I think that also works against natural creativity. Fortunately authors like Donnelly brothers and that producer you sent me the web link to last year are in accord with my philosophy."

Phillip, picnic at hanging rock was based on a true story. three girls really did go to hanging rock and just disappear. if it had been fiction the story could have been made more entertaining. as for writing speed. people have their own speed their won style of writing, and lives which dictate a lot of their time. i dont know how you manage 13 scripts in two years. i'd be happy with one a year.

Cherie: Here is what Ask.com has to say about Picnic at Hanging Rock: Was Picnic At Hanging Rock A True Story? No, the book by Joan Lindsay, published in 1967, later adapted to film and directed by Peter Weir, is not a true story. However, parts of the story may be based on true events, or not. The author was deliberately very vague in all interviews and writings about parts of the story being fiction, and parts of the story being versions of real events. Fans have tried to track down people, and events, but only the location of the geographical feature that is the Hanging Rock have been proven. A chapter that had been cut from the end of the book was published after Lindsay's death, and somewhat explains the ending, but is still very vague. That book is called The Secret of Hanging Rock. As far as my speed, many writers think I'm crazy. However, I spend big blocks of time writing if I get into the groove. I say do whatever you think works. I like to write a solid draft that interests someone into working with me. Thus far, I'm doing fairly well in that respect.

Phillip, i'm an australian. I know all about the story. i have been to hanging rock and when I got lost there i thought of the girls and thought my fate would be the same. the story is well implanted into most australians minds.

Looks like a wonderful place. Good thing you didn't hear mystical voices calling like the girls in the movie.

I have interviewed a bunch of agents and managers for my website/podcast and most agents are not thrilled with clients not being local, but nearly all of the managers are okay with it -- so long as you'd be willing to come to Los Angeles once in a while to take meetings. The list of agent/manager interviews is here, if you're interested: http://www.scriptsandscribes.com/agentsmanagers/ Some of the managers that I can think of that mention not having a problem with a client not being in Los Angeles include Marc Manus (Manus Entertainment), Eric Wililams (Zero Gravity), Markus Goerg (Heroes & Villains). I think Jake Wagner of Benderspink put it best when he said that you can sell a spec from anywhere, but to build a screenwriting career, you have to be local. After you're somewhat established or had a bit of success, you can live anywhere. But you're much more likely to land a writing assignment than sell a spec and to get those OWA's or sell a pitch, you really should be in the room with the buyers. I do think that there are other avenues to be a screenwriter, not in Los Angeles, but they usually involve developing, financing, producing your own material or finding like minded independent filmmakers who can produce your work. You can start a screenwriting career and sign with a manager, not living in Los Angeles, but if you want to be a working screenwriter within the studio system, you should at least be willing to travel to Los Angeles at least a few times a year to take meetings. Best of luck to you!

well i'm screwed because there is no way I can rummage up the cash to fly over and live in LA without a job. sure i'd move over. just give me money first!

Great advice, Kevin. Also, I recently had a manager tell me that if you want to write for TV and live outside LA, the "easiest" route is to sell a feature first. And yes, being able to travel to LA a few times a year is key. Nothing beats a face-to-face meeting. Just think of it as being willing to go the extra mile (or 3,000;).

@Diane - I laughed when I realized you wrote "easiest" with quotes. Haha, yes, it's never easy with screenwriting - it's all various degrees of difficult. The thing about TV is, there is no one way in. You can sell a pilot/pitch, you can be hired on a staff based on other work (like a sold feature that you mentioned), you can work as a writer's assistant and pitch an episode that the showrunner likes and hires you to write it. In fact, in TV, landing on a staff has as much to do with your personality and background as it does your writing ability, since writing a TV series is a group effort. Most showrunners would rather hire a good writer that they feel will mesh well with the room and potentially contribute something interesting, than a brilliant writer whose personality might be less collaborative or who they simply don't think would get along with everyone. We interviewed Aaron Sorkin's former writer's assistant turned Newsroom writer, Ian Reichbach, if you're interested in TV writing and want to see how someone else broke in. http://www.scriptsandscribes.com/ian-reichbach/ I've got another similar interview with Vince Gilligan's (Breaking Bad creator) former writer's assistant turned script coordinator and newly minted writer on Sundance Channel's Rectify, Kate Powers, coming up on Friday. Lastly, I wanted to touch on the L.A. thing. One manager equated it to Wall Street. If you want to work for the big Wall Street firms, you have to move to NYC. Sure, business COULD probably be done electronically, but a vast majority of it requires a presence in NY. If you're Warren Buffet (i.e. successful), you can live in Omaha, but for most everyone else, they live and work in NYC. This isn't the perfect analogy, but the spirit of it rings true I think. The plain and simple hard truth is, if you're not in L.A. (at least part time), you're competing for jobs (or not competing if you can't take meetings) with thousands of other screenwriters who ARE in L.A. and sitting in on those meetings. Spec sales are only one way screenwriter's get paid and not the most common at all. A vast majority of spec scripts are not sold (124 were sold last year according to SpecScout of perhaps 30,000-50,000 estimated written every year) and they're used as writing samples to get other paid work... work that generally takes many meetings to acquire. Again, CAN you make it as a screenwriter, living and working in Boise, Idaho? Sure, anything is possible. Is it more difficult to break in that way? Unfortunately, it's likely to be MUCH more difficult. And as you mentioned Diane, it's already an EXTREMELY competitive industry as is. That being said, I wouldn't necessarily recommend that most aspiring screenwriters move (or travel) to L.A. unless they have representation already in place. You can definitely sign with a manager while living basically anywhere until you have the need to live or travel to L.A. (i.e. you have a rep setting up meetings for you).

Pretty good post Kevin. My vision of a good writers room is not necessarily "playing nice with others" but always being cordial and considerate even when not playing nice. Maybe that sounds like an oxymoron but that is the way I envision a good writers room that is creatively condusive. Maybe that doesn't even make sense to some but it does in my mind and I know I'm right. LOL!

@Kevin, thanks for the link! Although I'm sure Sorkin's writers' room is unique. I wonder if they have a test for how fast you can write a brilliant two-page monologue? Answer - not as fast as Sorkin. Agree that when hiring personality is half the battle. Even when we hire at my day job, I look for someone who's a good writer, but who is also sane. No one needs more drama than is already inherent in most workplaces. On a related note, I was fortunate enough to be at the AFF in 2012 and heard Marti Noxon (one of my personal fave writers) discuss writing for TV and features. She said that coming from a dysfunctional family is the best prep for working in a writers' room, especially if you were the "referee/caretaker." At least I qualify on this point;) Living in LA makes it much easier to compete for work. But I agree that there's no need to put a for sale sign outside your house until you have a rep who tells you it's time. Or you sell a pilot or get hired as a staff writer or sell a feature. Anything's possible. At least that's what I tell myself;)

@Mitchell - Yes, agreed, being good in a writers' room isn't necessarily just about being likable, but being collaborative and respectful. If you're pleasant and easy to get along with, that's a plus too. @Diane - re: the writers' room being like a dysfunctional family.... hahaha

this is the topic that gets me depressed the most. there's nothing of an industry in austalia and really the same shit gets made over and over again by the same people. and of course it's the shit I don't do. feeling really screwed lately. well maybe ahahahaha i'll get lucky. ahahahah and i'll be different. bwahahahaha

Read my article about this topic: http://scriptcat.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/do-you-need-to-live-in-hollywo...

" same shit gets made over and over again by the same people. " - HA, sounds like Hollywood!