I was recently connected with another member of Stage 32, and they politely said if I was ever interested in collaborating on a project, to let them know. I have a 10 episode dramatic series I have been pitching to a number of producers, and shared that with this individual. They were very interested and asked for the pilot script. I sent them the pilot script. They were once again very excited about the concept, and as a film company owner, executive producer, they wanted to greenlight my project. I googled and researched this particular person on IMDb and they appear to be very reputable, successful and respected. However, they said they would charge a standard $3300 collaboration and project fee to produce it. Is this common? Should someone be asking me for money after I have shared my project and pilot? They did send over a professional nondisclosure contract, but it just doesn’t feel right that I should be asked to pay someone to produce my project, without any knowledge of funding or financial support. What should I expect financially as the screenwriter and potential actor of the project? Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated. I just don’t want to be taken advantage of. Thank you.
Filmmaking / Directing : Advice Needed - Proper Procedure for Collaboration by Matthew Nichols
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3 people like this
One word for you: NO! I am not part of the industry, yet, but one thing I do know is that you never give people money. Anyone can create a "persona", remember that when dealing with "industry" people.
6 people like this
Don't pay it, Matthew Nichols. The upfront fee scam is becoming more and more common in the industry. Report the person to Stage 32 (support@stage32.com). Send screenshots of the messages and the person's profile link.
2 people like this
Hmm not completely scamming but this dude wants to be paid working for you. Who exactly is funding pilot ' cause selling a tv pilot/series isnt done this way (most cases). Research how many ppl Self-financed a tv pilot that got picked up by a corporation. And it wasn't reshot and recast with corp exec's input
4 people like this
Nichols, my dear don't pay, it happened to me more than once, good enough i didn't have the money on me, the had asked 2000$ and another asked 1000$, on reporting to this platform these very people had asked several of us. please don't pay, how can you pay for your work to be produced. " can a house helper pay you to acquire a job". its a scam don't pay. Maurice your a D thanks for saving during those days.
2 people like this
Hey Matthew Nichols , I know how tempting this sounds. It's happened to me a number of times. An exec contacts me all excited about my project, and after I reply, they ask for a "refundable" fee. It can be really hard to vet these hooligans. Sometimes they even have snazzy websites, and claim a number of corporate contacts. But, if you notice, the corporate principals are not identified on the site. In correspondence they often use someone else's IMDb profile.
If in doubt, a quick way to sniff them out is to counter their offer, asking for an option agreement. They pay you up front for the exclusive right to shop the project around and put together financing themselves (with certain specific agreement requirements, i.e. time frame, attached actors, copyright ownership, etc.), like most producers do. If they still show interest, you can consult an attorney as to how to proceed.
3 people like this
Matthew Nichols Hi Matthew, $3000 is not a standard charge. if they are so into what you have written, why do they want to charge you a collaboration fee? They are basically hoping you are desperate to get this thing made. It’s just time to walk away. Don’t be tempted. If they need the money, it basically means they probably have no money to produce it.
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Thank you again everyone! Lesson learned. :)
You're welcome, Matthew Nichols.
2 people like this
From what you've described, it seems fishy. But it's not a scam or unreasonable for someone to be paid to put your project together. If this person is lining up your locations, cast, crew / seeing your film to the finish line, then yes, paying them is fair. If they are asking for money to 'tell their contacts about it' or something to that nature, I'd run. I've heard of attorney's asking for thousands of dollars to shop a project around. Deep down, they probably know it's going nowhere, but it's easy money. Same goes with people offering consulting services, but they've never done anything big in the industry. Rule of thumb...if you have to ask, it's probably a scam. Remember, everyone is out to make a buck. Some the right way, others preying on your dreams and ambitions. Best wishes to you!!
4 people like this
Matthew Nichols, did you report the person to support@stage32.com?
3 people like this
I did. At least I reported the person they were pretending to be, or the profile they were using. I also sent all of the emails and Stage 32 correspondence between us as well.
3 people like this
Thank you, Matthew Nichols!