So, two years ago, I completed my second script called THE STRAP. It's a post-apocalyptic, pro-wrestling action spectacular.
Anyway, I tweeted producer Adi Shankar for ideas on people who would be possibly interested in it. He suggested I hit up John Hennigan, then Impact Wrestling Champion. I thought that was a great idea considering that I modeled one of my main characters after him.
So, I began tweeting John Hennigan and he started following me on the twitters, but never responded to my tweets.
A year later, I actually meet John Hennigan when he is in Alaska working with an independent wrestling promotion. I jokingly apologize for tweeting him so much about my screenplay, to which he asks to be reminded. So, I pitch it to him in person, and he tells me to tweet him again.
I tweet John again and he finally gives me a script request. I am over the frickin' moon!
A couple of long months go by and I finally get a response, he likes my script, says its "some good shit".
But, that's as far as he can go. Also, he just got resigned to WWE to continue as his John Morrison character.
I feel like I completed some major quest, but I don't know what to do now. What would you do?
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Derek McHenry Perfect example of why you need to be both persistent and prepared! Congrats and good luck.
Thank you, Marshal Gordon.
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Did you do your homework first? What other movies has Hennigan been in? Did they make a profit? Who besides you has ever heard of him? On IMDBpro's standard Starmeter listing, Hennigan gets a 17,000, which means he's barely visible in the industry. And you want him to star in a "spectacular"?
A couple years ago a producer friend partnered with WWE execs to produce a family movie starring a couple of WWE's leading names, wrestlers most Americans didn't know or care about. The movie bombed, big-time. Lesson learned? Better to cast actors people recognize and care about , unless you're doing a small film targeted at a wrestling channel audience.
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I wanted an actual pro-wrestler to give me some feedback on my script. I count myself blessed that I got one of the actual people I based one of my characters on to read my material. Plus he gave me some good notes.
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I'm with Marshal Gordon - way to persevere! I have no advice on what to do next without knowing what you're endgame is. Sell it? Produce it? Direct? Each goal has its own path.