Scott at 2016-05-06 16:43:51:

Paul, this post speaks to one of the key reasons I started this blog: To provide whatever insight I could into working as a writer on the front lines in Hollywood. Aspiring writers focus so much attention on writing scripts, as they should. However it's imperative to learn the craft as widely and deeply as possible, and that involves knowing the ins and outs of business side of things, too. Obviously whatever observations I offer are limited to my own experience. And some things you will only learn as you go through the transition process into Hollywood. So there are limits to what you can know in advance of breaking in. Still the more prepared you are on multiple fronts, the better. Hence a big point of focus for this blog.

Scott at 2016-05-06 17:00:54:

Yafang, I'm sure no two bottled water tours are the same, as it depends on what you've written, how it's been received, if it's a writing sample or got set up as a spec sale, who are your reps are, who you're meeting, but generally speaking it's a greet-and-meet type thing, often referred to as a 'general meeting'. Not about a specific project, although a meeting can turn into that depending upon the trajectory of the conversation and what the producer or exec has percolating. Do: Do homework on the company and the person/people you're meeting with (Google is your friend). Ask them about their background (as a rule, people in Hwood love to talk about themselves). Listen more than talk ("God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason"). Query about projects they may have, but don't press anything lest you come across as desperate. Be yourself (unless you're an asshole, then do your best at being a nice person). Always treat the assistants with kindness and acknowledge them and their work (they are human beings worthy of respect and besides they may become an exec or producer someday). Don't: Sit on the couch or in any chair elevated higher than them (subtle thing). If there is an extended conversation about your script, avoid going too much into the weeds of the writing process (If they're not writers, they're not interested in how you make the sausage). Never bad mouth anyone in the business (Hwood is a small town and that can come back to bite you in the ass). Remember: This is not a pitch meeting. This is a general meeting to size you up, get a sense of your personality, ability to communicate, find out your interests. Final tip: Give yourself plenty of time to get to the meeting. Obviously LA traffic, but also to handle screw-ups for drive-ons, parking, finding the building (this is for those who have never been onto studio lots before). Then be prepared to wait. That's a writer's lot in Hwood: Hurry up and wait. Extends to all facets of our lives. Final final tip: Read this blog post. Maybe I should tackle this subject as a blog post...

Paul L at 2016-05-06 20:34:21:

SCOTT, It's like you read my mind and anticipated the questions I had. Actually this could be 10 different blogs becacause there's so many questions raised: How to conduct yourself in meetings; how to make execs like you and not be awkward; what does it truly mean to be collaborative; what writers should do to maintain a good relationship with their reps; what must a writer do the second he or she is signed to Jumpstart and maintain their career; what shouldn't they do; what does"voice" truly mean and how do you get it...what does a great script have.

Eric Harris at 2016-05-06 22:21:53:

Hey Scott, I was a little surprised to find one of my past questions answered here. :) I forgot that I even asked this question, since it was a long time ago. As for the social part of the business, I admit that I feel really anxious about it. Writers sometimes become even more isolated when they're toiling away on their scripts and barely talk all day. So, to suddenly be "on" is like being a couch potato, then suddenly run a marathon at the 3pm meeting. I had one of those meetings once and didn't think I did that well. I wanted to ask you about this part of your blog: "How you do in those meetings — how comfortable you are, how knowledgeable you are about the craft, how well you mesh with people in the industry — is a big deal. This is Networking with a capital “N”. Rule of thumb I’ve discovered about Hollywood: People like to work with the people they like to work with. So apart from your talent, voice and ability to translate a story onto the page, if you come across as someone who will be enjoyable to work with, a problem-solver, not a problem-creator, that can go a long way in helping you secure gigs." How do you get people in the industry to like you? Mesh with them? Show them how knowledgeable you are about the craft? Do you have any advice on what to do? I'm sure most writers can meet people in their every day life, but the Hollywood meeting is like that except on steroids... And how do you go about being enjoyable to work with, collaborative and a problem solver? I've heard that mentioned a few times, but no one has gone into specifics of what that entails. I know I'm jumping in late on this...as I only just noticed it. I wish this was bumped up to the top of the page so people can see it. On the mobile phone, you don't see it on the first page so might overlook it.