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Can Scriptapalooza Launch Your Career?
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JM: Self-taught. I still do—and have for years—write and study every single day. Every book and magazine and script I can get my hands on I study. I have a voracious appetite for screenwriting. I’d written dozens of scripts before the one I sent to Scriptapalooza.
RJ: I never did take any courses or classes. However, there are some really great writers groups that I’ve had the pleasure of sitting in on and getting some feedback on a work-in-progress.
The script I submitted to Scriptapalooza was indeed my first script. The best thing I ever did for my screenwriting career was submitting that puppy to Scriptapalooza.
PAO: I decided to switch my major in college during my last semester… never a good idea. In order to graduate on time, I had to do an independent project with a professor. When I told her I wanted to write, she told me the basic structure of a screenplay and how to do it. I then devoured every book on writing I could find. The script I won Scriptapalooza with (Don Juan) was actually the second script I wrote.
MM: There’s a large number of screenplay competitions out there—what led you to enter Scriptapalooza? How did you hear about it?
JM: You know, I don’t really know how I heard about it. It’s one that I was aware of most because I saw it in film and screenwriting magazines that I read on a regular basis; the quality reputation of Scriptapalooza really does get out there.
RJ: I heard about Scriptapalooza just by researching competitions on the Internet. Wherever I went, I saw Scriptapalooza listed. Not only listed, but rated as the number one place to submit a script. Because so many other screenwriters gave such good feedback regarding their experiences with the competition, I made the decision to submit my “baby” to Scriptapalooza, and only them. I wanted to see what it was like before I felt confident enough to submit to others. Turns out, Scriptapalooza was one of only three that I submitted to.
PAO: I had heard about Scriptapalooza online. I knew it was one of the biggest competitions out there. There are thousands of entries so just being named a quarterfinalist is a huge accomplishment. That was my only goal. And then my script kept advancing further.
MM: How has winning Scriptapalooza affected your screenwriting career? Scriptapalooza advertises that semifinalists and above get representation for a year; how helpful did you find this to be?
JM: In terms of my mental state, my second place win and semifinal placing has given me more confidence and understanding of what people respond to. In practical terms, telling producers about wins or high value places in a contest as recognizable as Scriptapalooza gives them extra incentive to read work and, in the case of Dark Woods, actually sign on to produce.
RJ: The judges who work the Scriptapalooza competition are all professionals currently working in the entertainment industry. When my script was read by a management firm, they contacted me directly when the entry period closed and called me in for a meeting. Based on that script, they offered me a contract to represent me in Hollywood. The script went on to the semifinalist level, but the real prize was getting representation out of it.
Having a manager (one that I garnered from entering Scriptapalooza) was key to getting my career started. It gave me that much-needed whiff of legitimacy in submitting projects to Hollywood. In fact, without representation, it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) for a writer to get read by industry pros.
PAO: Winning Scriptapalooza is like having an ace up your sleeve. Development people meet with so many writers each week, so when I tell them I won the contest, it makes their ears perk up. They take you seriously. I’ve sold a script and gotten a paid studio writing assignment since winning. I got several calls from people interested in managing me after winning… but I already had a great manager. But I’ve kept in touch with [Scriptapalooza founder] Mark [Andrushko] and last year he helped hook me up with my current agent at Abrams [Artists Agency].
MM: Are you working on any scripts now for future productions?
JM: I have two high-concept horror films written and soon to be in pre-production—and of course my first produced feature Dark Woods, starring Tracy Coogan and James Russo is being released later this year.
RJ: I am currently writing a thriller for my production company, Guest House Films. My partner and I started this company as a way to tell the stories we wanted to tell, with a target towards the LGBT audience. We are both writers, so our films tend to be heavy on the actual storytelling. We believe the best movies start with a solid script and write what may fall within the usual Hollywood genre films (like horror or romantic comedy), but with a gay “twist” or sensibility.
PAO: I just won another screenwriting contest with a raunchy comedy script I wrote. My manager will be going out with that next. I’m also co-writing a historically based baseball script with one of the bigger writers in Hollywood and a studio producer friend of mine. So that is the one I am most excited about.
MM: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to aspiring writers who are looking to get their first big break?
JM: Write and study your ass off. Enter Scriptapalooza and other major contests until you place well or win. And produce your own script!
RJ: The best piece of advice I can give aspiring screenwriters is the same advice my manager gave me in our first meeting: Write something commercial and write it well.
It’s all about the box office in Hollywood, so, as writers, we need to gear our writing towards what Hollywood wants to buy. That may rankle the sensibilities of the auteur in us, but if we want a career, we have to actually sell something. And Hollywood will buy The Proposal many more times than they will buy Napoleon Dynamite. Start out by putting the odds in favor of the writer first. Script buyers will read your indie drama a lot faster if you’ve already sold a formulaic romantic comedy.
That being said, anything that is written well will get the attention it deserves. To make sure it is written well, have the script read out loud so you can hear the dialogue and the prose. You’ll know when something doesn’t sound right, even if it looks right on the page. That’s where formalized education or writing groups are so invaluable to aspiring screenwriters.
That and step away from the computer for a couple hours and go see a movie.
PAO: As hard as you think you need to work to make it as a writer/filmmaker, multiply that by 10. That is how hard it really is. But people make it every day, so you can too. You just need to keep writing. In the end, it’s not about talent, luck or even hard work… it’s about resiliency. Because everyday you stay in the game, someone else you’re competing with quits.
For more information on Scriptapalooza, visit www.scriptapalooza.com.
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COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
- Comment by Angie Comer on 3/20/10 at 8:00 pm
Enjoyed your article on scriptapalooza. I did win first place in 2005 in the TV pilot competition and unfortunately, I have not had any luck or opportunities with that. I don’t think its fair to plant that seed in a writer’s mind that great things will happen if you win this contest. Just like life...it’s different for everyone.
Thank you!
- Comment by Snow Goose on 4/28/10 at 6:34 am
I wasn’t aware of this, good to know for those looking for an in.
- Comment by Yemek Tarifleri on 5/04/10 at 11:31 pm
being an aspiring screenwriter, this is a very useful post and gave some idea on how the game is played,
thanks- Comment by best makeup brushes on 9/03/11 at 2:54 pm
It’s a 3-D movie with a 1-D script.
It’s boring, there’s no intrigue, and the action sequences were just business.
The people who think this film is good must be on kraken.
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