Great advice. I recently got myself an agent after many previous attempts. This time around however, I made sure I was prepared. I sent my absolute best work. I gently tested the waters with only about eight agencies, just to start with, while preparing to contact many, many more. I got rejected by three within a week. Then I got a phone call from an agent who told me she'd loved my script and she wanted arrange a meeting, to "see how we get on". The day before the meeting, I reviewed all my scripts, all my ideas, all my synopses. I made sure I had plenty of material to offer if she asked. And I brought to mind all the previous rejection letters I'd had and consoled myself with the thought that even if it didn't go well, I could deal with this rejection easily, having had lots of practise. But at the meeting she agreed that we got on well and she would like to rep me. I smiled, shook her hand, and at the bus stop, did a little jig of celebration. So, send out lots of stuff, your best stuff only. To lots and lots of people. Get used to the rejection. It actually serves you well in the long term. But don't give up. And be prepared, be prepared, be prepared. It will pay off. It did for me.

My biggest concern would be that if you email a great script around enough someone is going to steal the idea. How do you protect yourself?

As someone who gets to read queries at a pretty big production company, I offer these few pieces of advice- - Keep it short and simple. Give your logline and a paragraph about who you are and why I should take an hour or two of my time to read your story. - One logline per email. - If I agree to read your stuff, don't bombard me with follow up emails. - Concept is everything. - I want to like your script. It would make my day to read your awesome script, and hell I'd pass it right along the chain, if it was a game changer. Not to sound like a snarky douche, but if you can follow these you would probably get more reads.

Christopher, do you mind if I update the OP with your advice? I think it's spot-on and deserves to be read by everyone. Thanks!

Of course Scott... Anything I can do to help out the community

Scott, you said:

Go back to square one. Come up with a great story concept. I mean a total, stone-cold killer of an idea for a movie. Do not settle for mediocre. Or fair. Or maybe it’s good. Or even it’s probably pretty good. No, you want to work with an unbelievably fantastic idea for a movie.

But what if you're inspired to write a great story that is not high concept? I'm thinking of great movies like Thelma and Louise and The Fugitive, amongst others. Great stories and Oscar nominees/winners, but not necessarily high concept.

Brandon, two things. First note how I almost always use the phrase "strong story concept" or "great story concept," not "high concept." I do not believe that you absolutely need a high concept to have a strong or great story concept. Nor do I think a writer should confuse the two. Lawrence of Arabia, Patton, Gone With The Wind, not high concept, but because of the underlying material [and in the right hands], strong story concepts. American Beauty, The Artist, probably examples of Acad Award winning movies / original screenplays that don't fall into the high concept category. That said, to my eyes, Thelma & Louise is a high concept: "After killing a rapist, two women become the objects of a massive police pursuit." The Fugitive, same thing: "Falsely accused of his wife's murder, a doctor goes on the run to find the real killer while the object of a manhunt." The pursuit / manhunt element is the conceit that lies at the heart of the story concept: These are chase story types. I think what throws people off sometimes is they equate "high concept" with "cheezy" story. I just don't buy that. In my view, "Romeo & Juliet" is high concept. Many successful break-out indie or specialty films nowadays are high concept like Sideways and The Kids Are All Right. To your larger point, if you are "inspired to write a great story that is not a high concept," then write it! A great story is a great story, just like a great script is a great script. And you know what I say: "If you write a great script, Hollywood will find you." It may take a bit longer or be a bit tougher than working with a high concept simply because of that first layer of defense in Hollywood: Getting past the gatekeepers where a simple, clean story conceit or logline [as in a high concept] is more likely to grab their attention than something that is not an obvious movie. But if it truly is a great script, it will find its way to the right set of eyeballs. I truly believe that. You should, too. Good luck in writing that great script!

The Fugitive is crazy high concept.