The Art Of Bringing Your Script to Screen

The Art of Bringing Your Script to Screen:
Understanding the World of Producers,
Managers and Agents
February 23-24, 2022
8 p.m. - 10 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific)

We're moving into a new year. Time to reboot with a new mindset.

In today’s world of theatrical movies, television, and streaming, writing a great script is not enough. You also need a business mindset and a plan, which can leave a lot of talented screenwriters overwhelmed.

This seminal class will help you navigate the business of entertainment. The faculty of literary champions and professionals will help you learn how to find an agent or manager, work with a producer, and write a great query letter (including coverage), increasing the chances your work will be read, represented and produced.

You’ll be in the excellent and likeable hands of Margaret French Isaac, the president of DiNovi Pictures and one of the producers of Apple’s upcoming The Sky is Everywhere, based on the YA bestselling book by Jandy Nelson. Margaret’s company, DiNovi Pictures, also recently produced the award-winning motion picture, Little Women, directed by Greta Gerwig.

Featuring Margaret French Issac, president of DiNovi Producers and producer of The Sky Is Everywhere, based on the best-selling YA novel and premiering on Apple TV on Valentine's Day 2022.

This class will give you the confidence to take the next step in your screenwriting career.

The Q&A format of this class means you can get your questions answered from some of the most successful professionals in the entertainment industry.

Is your screenplay right for a studio or streamer? Is your script more appropriate for an independent producer?
Why is “packaging” so important in today’s market? What exactly is it?
Should you send your script directly to a star or a star-director? Is that a faster route?
How do you transition from the creativity of writing to the business mindset of selling your screenplay?
How do you know if you need a literary agent? What do agents do?
Where do you find the right agent for you? What questions do you need to ask?
How do you know if you need a literary manager? What do managers do? And what is the difference between a manager and an agent? Do you need both?
Are all those screenwriting contests worth it? Do agents, managers, or producers care?
How can an agent or manager help your writing career?
Do you need a manager and an agent?
How do agents decide which screenwriters to represent?
Should you get a New York agent? Should you get a Hollywood agent? Should you go to a big agency? Or should you go to a small agency?
What are the pros/cons of signing with an experienced agent vs. someone newer to the playing field?
What makes a good agent? A bad agent?
Do you need two different agents if you’re writing books and screenplays?
What is a query letter and how do you write one that will get an agent’s attention?
What are agents looking for?
What does an agent contract look like?
Is there a “best” time of year to query an agent?
How does an agent help you find a buyer?
What does an option and purchase contract look like?
What kind of option money can a screenwriter expect?
Once you get a contract, what happens next?

Here’s how the course will unfold:

Margaret French Isaac, along with producer and executive Lindy Goldstein and manager Matt Rosen, will lift the curtain on the unknowns about the business and culture of entertainment. They’ll give you honest, practical advice to reduce the intimidation factor so you can better understand how to be successful in the entertainment business.

They'll address the screenwriter-agent-manager relationship and how to get your screenplay into marketable shape. They’ll also talk about what’s selling, what’s not, and why—and how you can realistically increase your chances of getting into production.

Bring your questions—this team will answer them all.

Faculty

Margaret French Isaac

Lindy Goldstein

Matt Rosen

Debra Engle

Amy Ferris

Registration fee: $129 for four hours of instruction.

EVENING CLASS

February 23-24

8 to 10 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific)

Please note: Our classes are designed specifically for live participation, so your attendance is important. If you need to miss a class for any reason, you’ll receive a passcode-protected link to watch the recordings after the course is over.