The Key to Growing Your Screenwriter Network
Screenwriting is a funny business. Sometimes we embrace the fact that there is an amazing community of like-minded creatives out there all excited to meet up and exchange ideas and notes. But then we suddenly abandon the party to burrow into our caves and quietly work on our script in isolation. While these solo sessions may be great at producing pages, they can also be detrimental to one of the most important parts of the profession: Growing our Screenwriting network.
Before we know it, weeks turn into months and we haven’t really embraced or engaged anybody in our community for nearly a year!
(I bet a few of you can relate, right?)
While it might be awesome from a productivity standpoint, how is it actually helping your project or your career? Because, when all your work is finally finished, you now have to re-emerge from your dwellings and begin a whole new job of trying to get someone to read your script.
From the outside, all people see is this guy or gal who only shows up when he/she wants something.
The Screenwriting Network Balancing Act
Without a doubt, stay productive! Absolutely keep grinding out the pages, constantly refining them. But make sure that you make a point to interact with other people in your community.
Make sure that you meet up with other writers, directors, actors, and producers regularly. And don’t just wait for the BIG networking events.
How about you just throw someone a quick message and ask them to meet up for a drink or a chat? You’d be surprised at how social people are when you ask! In fact, this could become of your daily emails that we talked about recently.
And you’re not alone in this. So many of us do it. I too found myself in a place where I was working my tail off. But nobody knew.
So I made a deal with myself. I will meet someone from the film and TV industry once a week. Doesn’t matter why I’m meeting them.
Usually, it was to catch up and chat. But soon enough, we talk about projects, we find out how can help each other out - “Oh, I know someone who could help!” And away we go!
And the best part of it is: It doesn’t feel like work. And it doesn’t come across as sh💩tty sales tactics. It’s just connecting with real people who share the same passion you do on a consistent basis.
So that’s on your ChoppingBoard for this week: Contact a peer and meet them either online or face-to-face. Then do it again the week after… And the week after that, and the week after that… And watch how quickly and organically your screenwriting network will grow!
Now before I leave, I want to tell you a quick story:
In 1968, a down-on-his-luck musician named Lonnie Mack decided to quit the industry and start selling bibles out of his car. After a few car boot sales, he met up with an old colleague, who was surprised to see Mack grinding away at his new vocation.
The colleague told him to ditch the bibles and helped him get a gig as a janitor at Electra Records.
Mack did exactly that!
So he got the job at Electra and started doing odd jobs for a little money here and there.
Then One Day (of course there was going to be a One Day!), a band was in a recording room. They realized they were in need of a bassist. They saw Lonnie Mack shuffling around the studio and asked if he could play.
Lonnie obliged. He picked up an instrument and went to work. That night, Lonnie crushed it! And his efforts ended up on the final version of the song.
Oh, and that song, by the way, was Road House Blues, by The Doors!
So, you see what I mean: Opportunity can leap into your life if you are actually present to let it!
So get out there, nurture your screenwriting network, and if nothing else, Be Seen!
Okay, that’s a wrap for now. Hope you enjoyed it! And if you did, then definitely share this article with a peep or a colleague as well. Drop this to someone and agree to meet them to catch up. Because if we support each other, then the projects will be stronger, more people will enjoy them, and more opportunities will present themselves! Makes sense, right?
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Now let's get to work rascals!
The Track I listened to when I wrote this: Miles Morales Theme, Samuel Kim
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