To find my first manager I signed up for a two-week free trial at imdb pro because I couldn't afford a subscription. Go to Management Companies. Sort by Rank. And get the email addresses of every employee there, managers, principals, assistants, etc. If there are no email addresses, use some ingenuity to figure them out -- the internet can tell you anything. Make sure you send everyone a personalized email: "Dear Donald" as opposed to "To Whom it May Concern." I first queried about 400 managers. Got 10 requests for the script. Got an offer of representation from ONE MANAGER. It's all you need.

Ben, there you go. Congrats. It only takes one set of eyeballs to change everything. The trick is getting the story in front of those eyeballs. Just like it takes a bunch of ideas to come up with a GREAT idea, it often takes a bunch of queries to come up with that ONE rep who will believe in you. Thanks for sharing! And nice tip about the 2-week free trial at IMDBpro.com.

I'd like to pose a follow up question for either Scott or Marc in asking WHY try to land a manager first? I've read multiple writing blogs that talk about both but neither side really says why.

Sean, managers are just more open to queries than agents. In part, I think it's because managers can be producers on movie and TV projects, thus they are doubly motivated to seek out talent. Plus -- and this is a really big generalization -- agents are more about the deal, managers more about career. So managers more willing to find young / new talent and develop them long-term. The thing is, when you land a manager and you prove yourself to be someone who the manager thinks has a legitimate shot at being a professional writer, they will set you up with an agent.

Agreed. Also, because managers do not have to be licensed, the pool is bigger (and often dirtier). Make sure your manager has a good reputation; ask to speak to other clients of his to get assurance; make sure they define their role clearly as regards potential producing credits vs. managerial commissions. Agents simply will not talk to you at this level, unless you know someone personally.

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[...] screenwriters out there. Marc Maurino answers a simple (yet complicated) question about how one can land representation as a screenwriter. Here’s a brief tidbit: Lots of folks I know will send upwards of fifty, a hundred, a hundred [...]