Screenwriting : Who are you? by Sami Garcia

It's important to highlight your credentials to show that you have some expertise in the subject of your screenplay. But be brief and not go into every detail.

Lol I interviewed for a non-show biz job and I took the power away from the HR person/interviewer. I asked him, "where do you see yourself in 5 years." He said still with the company, making it grow (ho-hum). He asked me same question and I said, "probably employed somewhere else."

Then I asked about salary. He wanted to push it back to end of his speech. I asked again, save time and tell me what $ you're offering. He said the number and I said, "Nice to meet you. Take care."

lol

Sami Garcia yea i would agree i have 2 similar stories lol

one guys like well what have you done & another guy that was way more successful in the industry said i don't care what you did how good is the script lol , i think the best thing we can focus on is good work obvi ! and most important people skills, people really go off vibes & energy

& Dan MaxXx HAHAHA THATS HILARIOUS , I FEEL YOU THO 100% GOTTA NOW YOUR VALUE

A Manager told me I should be writing low budget screenplays. I told him I don't except unsolisited advise.

Dan Guardino i cant stand cheap people lol !!!!

I would say credentials are less important in the creative fields. Sure, if you went to a big school or have some nice credits, lead with those where you can. But a passion and deep knowledge of what you're writing about can always make a difference on the day. The "why now?" piece of pitching yourself of course can be credentials, but it can also be your regular everyday experience just as much. In pitching I always lean into the content and why it matters to me. I write about a lot of my hobbies like photography, tech, and cooking so I'm always able to infuse my passion for those things into what I'm pitching because it's so natural

Pat Alexander It depends. She was Associate Deputy Warden, with tenor of over 12 years working in the State Penitentiary, a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice, and certification in Forensic Investigation, and writes in the crime genre. That would convince a lot more producers and agents to read her screenplays. Anyway, that is my opinion.

I'm my written pitch I'll give a link to one just to give them example. Not to much, just a brief reference at something I've done.

In the future workflow (minding the ditching the whole concept of 9-5, offices, AI coming along...) experience will have a lot of head start before the credentials...so you better have a good grip of hires, produced scripts, awards, business touch before even seriously digging into pitching to high class...it might take a lifetime, so be it...

Dan MaxXx that's a cool take, but I ain't Neil McCauley...I love barbecues and ballgames...and having an steady income all times, having my kids eat couple of times a day and having my bank not texting me I'm late with the mortgage :)...

From a writing perspective, a great story is all that matters. If you have a great story, if you can pitch that great story, credentials are an afterthought. IMHO.

I'll be honest, I've never pitched before but from a sales perspective, I would imagine you'd need a healthy dose of both credentials and concept. You want to have a good product, but you also want them to buy it from you. Screenwriters are like Starbucks - we all sell the same thing, but there's a reason why we will go out of our way to go to that one Starbucks that just does it better than all the others, and it's usually not because the coffee itself is better. It's because the experience is better. Use your credentials and your personality to help you set your story apart, to create that experience. They're not just buying your screenplay, they're buying you as the writer and they need a reason why you're better than that other writer doing the exact same thing. That's my thought anyway, and take it for what you will because again, I've never actually pitched before. Best of luck!

If I were in your shoes, I would have both my credentials and my pitch materials ready and just ask them, "Hey, everyone wants to know something a little different, so if you'd like, I can give you a little background on my experience and what got me here, or I can jump right into the pitch, whichever you prefer." That way all your bases are covered.

Tom Lapke Why give them that choice? She can set herself apart from the rest of the wannabe screenwriters out there trying to sell their screenplays so she should start off with that.

Dan Guardino I guess my thinking was if she is prepared for both scenarios, she does not run the risk of leaving them wishing she had given them information they wanted.

Tom Lapke There are over 150,000 unsold spec screenplays floating around Hollywood on any given day and out of them maybe 75 or 100 will actually sell in a good year. So why shouldn’t she let them know she had a career in law enforcement. I would think any producer in their right mind would want to know that. That is just my opinion is all but I am only a screenwriter.

Dan Guardino I think we might be talking past each other and championing the same POV. :-) I am fully on board with telling the pitchee (is that a word? If not ©Tom Lapke 2024) any and all things about her life if they want to hear it.

Tom Lapke Were just coming at this from defernt perspectives. I am just coming at it from a screenwriter talking to a producer for the first time.

Thank you everyone, this is all incredibly helpful. The last pitch and query I did, I streamlined the important stuff and it worked so yay !!!!!

Glad it worked for you. Another way to sell a screenplay is to sneak up on them in the middle of the night with a gun or knife and ... Wait! I forgot you were in law enforcement.

It has to be a balance of both Sami Garcia and another thing you need as well is a big social media prescence: tell them how many subscribers and views you have on YouTube; How many folks follow you on X and Instagram, Or? The daily engagement for your film idea. Because they want an audience already built in which would make their job much easier and marketable. Hope this helps. Cheers!

There's a saying in acting: Book the room, not the project. Any time you're pitching, win over the room and you'll win in the long run. A lot of people liking YOU goes a long way towards your success, moreso than having one great script. You're selling yourself, your personality, your brand, your mind, your creative process, your boundless ideas more than anything.