This is insanity, plain and simple.

This would be like me suing my bank because they didn't just hand over a million dollars. "But, see here, I KNOW they HAVE a million dollars, but they wouldn't give it to me because when I asked for it, they didn't take me seriously. Oh and by the way, I'm Jewish, thus it's anti-semitism."

This guy obviously is just taking this path because he figured he'd get some attention - - "lookit me, lookit me!"

That or he is certifiable. Which, y'know, is fine. I guess.

Wow. Just wow.

I don't think logic will get through to this guy. Or he's punking all of us. Insanity is almost a polite way of putting it.

Long comment, sorry... This guy is so galling, so offensive to me personally, that I just feel obligated to comment on it.

I've discovered that the "game" or "networking" part of Hollywood is really the easiest aspect: the hardest part is sitting in front of your own texts and realizing how far they are now from what you envisioned them being. It's not easy having queries rejected, but that pales in comparison to throwing out sixty pages of script because they simply don't work, they don't serve the story or characters. Revision requires, frankly, serious f-ing balls.

Based on this interview, can we imagine what Mr. Samuels' reaction would be when he's told to re-write his entire second act? Or to throw out a whole first draft of a TV pilot, all 70 pages of it, because so-and-so thought the lead was "uninteresting"? Can you imagine Mr. Samuels handling that kind of note in a writerly, professional way? I think the answer to that is obvious.


Mr. Samuels wants the easier part, the *networking* part, to somehow come to him. He wants access without earning it. For him to insist that there IS some shortcut and it's just that he's not being allowed to find it ... well, as an unpaid intern at the moment, it's awfully hard for me to read that and not be deeply insulted. I'm scrambling. I'm failing. I keep going. What right does HE have to get the keys to the kingdom without having to walk through fire for it?

Mr. Samuels thinks he is owed a read from "major people in the industry." Nobody is owed anything; what you need is to have a story that compels itself to be found.

***

When I say that "networking" is easy, understand that I am about the most introverted person on Earth. I'd rather read philosophy or play guitar in my bedroom than "mingle." This past month I've forced myself to go to a weekly networking party. You know what? The people there... were really f'ing cool. I found some drinks that I like and a new bar that I love. I recently went to a WGA Foundation event on showrunning. Got invited to join a writer's group as a result. (Also met one of the writers of The Pacific. THAT was awesome!!) Met another writer at a jam session. I guess the point here is that it's not like I'm some social butterfly, but even for someone as inward-looking as me, there's tons and tons of opportunities to just hang out with passionate, smart people.

Also, "major people in the industry" don't have time for me. Assistants do. I love assistants! All of 'em!

I cant wait to see the look on this guy's face when CAA/WME countersue him for THEIR legal bills... which for the big boys, are going to be the baddest and the best in the game... whoops

Talk about biting the hand that hasn't fed you yet...

I'm curious to see what kind of stuff this guy has written.

If you dare:

http://studios.amazon.com/users/3097

I couldn't get through the first couple pages of anything he's written. I saw them back when this was on Scriptshadow. There was a link there. Looks like the above is the same link.

His synopsis of his own work are muddled. It's fairly obvious, to me at least, that he doesn't know what his stories are really about -- and why they would be compelling to an audience from the summary alone.

I think this whole thing is weird --

He's obviously wrong.

But I also think he does make one point that is incredibly true. It IS very difficult to get reads.

I don't think that entitles him to any compensation. Or the right to sue. Or claim a racist agenda.

But it IS very hard to get a read.

I do think there are certain factors in place that make getting a read harder than it ultimately should be. It seems he wants to fail on his own merits and not just because he can't get the meetings. That is understandable.

But -- it's just part of wanting to do this. It's hard to get read.

My first meetings I ever got, the producers hadn't read the screenplay. And they were interested in it. It's ridiculous how little reading goes on.

It's difficult to get read. I'll give him that.

"It's difficult to get read."

Amen!

I'm a faceless -- pigment-free writer that queries via email and yes... it's difficult to get read.

And "pigment-free" does not mean "white." If someone wants to go down that road -- don't.

Black ink on white paper is all that I can offer -- pretty harmonious I must say.

Still -- It's difficult to get read.

I was given a "traditionally" female name at birth. "Why" I asked my mother one day -- "because I thought it was a pretty name," she responded -- yes she did use the word "pretty." But mamma explained -- and that was that.

Using Justin's logic I could sue every agency and management company that ignores my queries -- they must think I'm a -- GASP! -- a woman!

Or...

I can get off my ass and improve my querying skills and of course... my stories.

Blame blame blame seems to be the way to do business these days -- it ain't!

I'm an older guy and my mom raised me right so I see it -- and so do my friends -- so when I produce garbage... whatever it may be, writing, cooking, dating you name it -- it's my garbage to sift through... not theirs.

I wasn't coddled and told I was a winner whenever I failed -- it happens. We all fail. And what do you do? You get off of your ass and change whatever it was that didn't work.

Full disclosure... I'm in a slump right now... maybe you can tell?

I received a pass yesterday with no informative reason behind it. Did I blame the reader -- no. Not his fault that my story didn't knock him over -- it's MY story.

Maybe I should sue! Nah.

What I WILL do is feel sorry for myself for a bit then brush the dust off and keep writing -- the only way out, is through, right?

Once again the failure was MY doing... not the reader's. But he has a little surprise headed his way -- my next script!

Blaming everyone other than yourself for YOUR shortcomings only makes one person look like an ass... YOU.

And God bless Amazon if Justin's scripts get bad reviews.

Thanks for the rant.

Stepping off soap-box... it's happy hour!

As I recall, Antwone Fisher got his script read even though it was hand-written. Granted he was, I believe, at the time a security / parking guard at the Sony lot, but the point is, if you write a great story...

See OP.

If not, I would most definitely not recommend suing agencies.

Instead how about going back to the proverbial drawing table and write a great script?

May I add that Antwone Fisher wrote countless drafts... more than he can remember.

Those were his words via "Tales From the Script."

Guess it all boils down to hard work and determination...

Not lawyers.

What I find frustrating about this suit is that there IS a serious problem with underrepresentation of black writers and directors and women writers and directors - and I do think that his point about the "old boy network" is a major part of that problem.

I think at this point in time it's partly unintentional; people mostly know people like themselves, and in Hollywood most jobs go to who you know...but I still know women who've been told they can't write action or don't belong behind the camera, and I have black friends who've been told they should try something more urban. (If anyone doubts there's a genuine problem - http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/files/2010_Celluloid_Ceiling.pdf )

But this guy does not, personally, have a case. So it just undermines the legitimacy of his claims.

After re-reading people's comments I'm going to go on a bit more.

It is NOT all about hard work. There IS discrimination.


Go back and look at the must-see films we all posted a while back in response to Spike Lee's list. How many of those films, out of the many comments, were written or directed by black people or by women? If I remember, from my perusal, I think it was about 2.

This is not something that can be dismissed with the thought that not enough women are trying hard, or not enough black people. That is insanity.

So, yeah, this guy's a fool because he didn't put in the work. But even after putting in the work, there are other factors that can detract from your chances at success.

@Laura: The only case of official discrimination in Hollywood I know of -- and by official, I mean an actual legal case that won against the industry -- is this: A $70M victory by TV writers against 17 major television networks and 7 major talent agencies for "intentional and unintentional age discrimination" in hiring practices.

There may be others. If so, I would hope GITS readers post them here.

That said, there is certainly something going on, I suspect more in the unintentional front, especially with re to women. The numbers for females as writers and directors is disproportionately low. I don't have the links to reports in front of me -- if someone finds them, please post -- but on the screenwriting front, I seem to recall numbers over the years in the 20% range. Directing even lower.

What's ironic there is I don't think this is reflected nearly as much in the studio executive side of things where women have increased their presence considerably over the last two decades or so including studio heads (e.g., Sherry Lansing, Dawn Steel, Stacey Snyder, Amy Pascal).

So yes, Laura, there are issues in this regard, real ones. But I just can't imagine a Hollywood buyer refusing to buy a great script based on the writer's gender, race, or sexual identity. For whatever potential discriminatory instincts might be in play, there is a much more substantive one that trumps everything: The hard-wired desire to make money. That is the bottom bottom line in Hollywood.

Laura, I must say, that "Must see" list from the other day is not exactly a decent barometer of the relevance of African Americans in film. The fence was lifted only an inch or so. If I were able to start coughing up 20 films or more, you'd see the likes of "Crooklyn," "Do the Right Thing," "Boyz in the Hood," "Devil in a Blue Dress," "Soul Food," etc. John Ridley, a man from my neck of the woods (north of Milwaukee) has certainly had his share of success both in novels and screenwriting (most recently as one of the scribes, along with The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder, of the Lucas produced RED TAILS).

The thing of it is that the discrimination you claim still, sadly, occurs in real life, all over the nation, every single day. Hollywood, for better or worse (usually worse), is merely an amplification and reflection of reality.

As Scott said, the almighty dollar makes the mare go out there, end of story. And we as screenwriters and filmmakers have enough stacked against us already, nearly insurmountable odds.

Additionally, I'm Jewish, and everyone always tosses out the stereotypical "Jews run Hollywood" phrase all the time. I can honestly tell you that I haven't had one single extra read or sale because of my religion. Though I did kinda' flub up a few parts of my Bar Mitzvah so perhaps I have some strikes against me... ;)

This man has inspired me to move forward with my suit against the Olympic Committee for not awarding me all the gold medals I feel I deserved in Nagano back in '98. I shouldn't have to fly to Japan to compete. I'm perfectly well established here in Los Angeles. They make it almost impossible to win gold medals these days!

I just don't buy this. At all.

Here's my story on getting read. In my first few months after getting to Hollywood I got read by an agent at ICM after sending her a polite message via Facebook (back when you could message non-friends). She had written an interesting quote on her profile about not giving up and I spoke about how it relates to me. I provided a log-line for a supernatural horror script I had written at film school and politely asked if she'd be interested in reading it.

Within a few days, she replied saying her assistant would contact me to sign a release and send it over. A few weeks later she sent me a message via Facebook saying I was talented, scared her quite a bit at times, but overall the script was lacking what it needed to go to the next level. She gave me very thoughtful notes and told me to keep at it.

I got read. By an agent. After messaging via Facebook. And I had been in town for probably six months.

A few months ago I sent out query letters to various management companies. Probably half a dozen. I put my script title in the subject line and my log-line in the body. I closed with a simple, "I would love to send you this script for your consideration."

I got 1 reply. From one of the bigger management companies. I sent them my script. Haven't heard back. Yet.

How did I end up landing a manager? I got my hands on a spec that I loved -- from a new writer. His e-mail address was on the cover. I composed a very polite and courteous e-mail saying what I loved about his script, and I asked him if his new/young manager was accepting queries. He contacted his manager, and his manager said I could send him all the log-lines I have for finished scripts.

He picked one. Read it. Didn't care for it. He picked another. Read it. Liked it. He picked another. Read that one...and now he's my manager.

I don't buy this guy's story one bit.

All I do is work and write. I have HARDLY ANY contacts -- nowhere near how many I should have. But what I do have are a bunch of scripts. And I have two with a pretty catchy, high-concept log-line. They may not be perfectly executed, but the talent and story-telling ability is on the page. And only getting better.

Contests. Queries. Contacts. Repeat. Took me THREE years of living in LA...SEVEN years since I wrote my first screenplay and EIGHT more before I landed a manager.

It's F$#@ING HARD.

And that's after an alumnus (of my film school) had two of my scripts read by his manager -- he didn't like them enough to rep me but said I have talent. Another alumnus had two of my scripts read by his manager and she didn't want to rep me either.

I was happy just to be REJECTED. It's hard enough just to get read. Eventually, if the talent and writing is there, you're going to find the right person to work with.

And now I'm close to having one of my scripts optioned. Not a sale...but it's progress. SLOW...but steady progress. 7 years. 9 specs. $100K in student loans. It. Ain't. Easy.

@Matthew: Do you mind if I post your comment? You've offered an outstanding example of (1) the reality of how hard it is, (2) how persistent a writer has to be, and (3) the simple fact that if you are persistent enough and have the material to support your efforts, you can get read, you can get repped, you can get optioned, etc.

Let me know if that would be okay.

And best of luck to you as well as everyone in this comment thread. As Matthew notes, "It's F$#@ING HARD." But that's why writers have to be fighters, too.

Go right ahead Scott. And edit as you see fit. :)

Happy to be an example of what it takes to even get this far! Wow.

Oh...and to clarify this:

"Contests. Queries. Contacts. Repeat. Took me THREE years of living in LA...SEVEN years since I wrote my first screenplay and EIGHT more before I landed a manager."

8 more specs, not 8 more years. Sounded funny to me. :)

Thanks, Matt.

@Matthew

Great job! Makes me tired just reading your venture but I hope to walk a mile in those shoes soon!

@Courtney

Yeah...sorry. Quite the lengthy process, but hopefully it shows in greater detail what it takes to break in.

I didn't even mention the internship I did and the script I wrote on spec for them... :)

@Matthew

Don't be sorry. Reality can be a bitch but we're all in this knowing the prize can be a long-time coming.

But the ride is one hell-of-a ride -- but well worth it.

And for those that think everyone out "there" is out to get them -- and that's the only reason they're not moving forward -- a quick glance in the mirror will reveal the true reason. That -- or what's on the page.

We're not entitled to anything in this business -- we have to earn it.

And you're doing a damn great job!

@James

Sorry, can't let this go.

Just downloaded three of his stories --

Wow!

If I was a betting man -- would guess that those that defend him -- haven't read his scripts.

I'm no William Goldman...

But I digress.