question about contacting agents/prodcos

Randall_Oelerich

Randall_Oelerich

Veteran
So when gearing up to send out queries to a hundred agents/agencies and a few hundred prodcos, I am wondering if I need to spend the time and expense of phoning each and every agency/prodco to ask for the specific name of the person to address the query letter to pitching my logline/screenplay? Ideally of course that is the best thing to do. But does it justify the time and expense (I do not have an unlimited smartphone plan)? At least for agencies, I would think the query letter gets opened by a receptionist, put in a stack of queries to read, so in that case is it worth getting a first and last name to put in the query letter? What about for prodcos, could one address the letter to 'Development' or 'Submissions'? Again, I know the optimal answer would be to call each and every contact/agency/prodco, get a name, specifically address the letter and query to that person; I am just wondering if that is necessary, and how much extra benefit one derives from doing that, to justify it? Going to be a lot of time/expense to do that, given that I am talking about sending out to perhaps 400 contacts. I have imdbpro, but not sure that the contact name info there would be current enough. Thoughts?
 
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Yes, you want to send queries to specific contacts. Even when you do most will not be opened. Find names at agencies and production companies. They receive hundreds of queries a week so make sure you research each agency/prod co. For agencies you need to know who they represent as well. Look up writers and see who they are repped by. Know your competition. Know the types of films the production companies normally produce. Sorry for the answer, but names are a must.
 
i figured. I have been going through my list off the WGA sites (East and West), looking up names in imdbpro, will need to call some who do not have names listed. Finding some on the WGA list do not even handle screenplays (via email correspondence) so that WGA list might be a bit outdated, hmm. I plan on send out queries to a good 80-90 WGA signatory agencies, and I am sure as you say some or many of those will just shred the incoming envelope. Just takes one though. I also plan to query prodcos, but first am going to query literary agents.

Kess said:
Yes, you want to send queries to specific contacts. Even when you do most will not be opened. Find names at agencies and production companies. They receive hundreds of queries a week so make sure you research each agency/prod co. For agencies you need to know who they represent as well. Look up writers and see who they are repped by. Know your competition. Know the types of films the production companies normally produce. Sorry for the answer, but names are a must.
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That's the attitude you have to have. It only takes one...and that one is out there waiting for your scripts to arrive. I read a great interview with Jerry Weintraub. He talked about wanting to become Elvis' promoter back in the day. He said he called Elvis' manager (Col Parker) 365 days in a row until he finally said "yes." That is what it might take. It's not necessarily the best writer or the one with the best contacts...it is often the one who is the last person standing. Never give up! No future in giving up.
 
The writer of Hannah sent out 400 queries to agents/prodcos, he sold, just took one. :)

Kess said:
That's the attitude you have to have. It only takes one...and that one is out there waiting for your scripts to arrive. I read a great interview with Jerry Weintraub. He talked about wanting to become Elvis' promoter back in the day. He said he called Elvis' manager (Col Parker) 365 days in a row until he finally said "yes." That is what it might take. It's not necessarily the best writer or the one with the best contacts...it is often the one who is the last person standing. Never give up! No future in giving up.
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Hardcopy, printed query letters, with sase return postcards.
WGAW and WGAE have the lists of guild signatory agents for screenwriters (agents more likely to play by fair rules, etc)
imdbpro has lots of good contact info to fill in the gaps (specific names of e.g. literary agents) for contact info gleaned from donedealpro's database; donedealpro lets one search e.g. for prodcos that produce horror films in the budget range of $3M-$7M (or $10M+, blah blah blah), or see lists of agents, or see lists of entertainment attorneys (a writer friend of mine and dvxuser member here sold his spec by using an entertainment attorney instead of an agent), etc.

alex whitmer said:
Are these going out hard copy or email? Is IMDB pro the only place one can find the info?
a
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Well, I don't have - nor can afford - IMDB pro, I refuse to ever go back to Done Deal Pro, and I'm not union and never will be. Screwed for lists, it seems.

Mail service in my part of the world is pretty sketchy, so another strike against me per SASE.

I went the attorney route a while ago, made a little progress then it fizzled out. Some years later an entertainment lawyer royally - and I do mean royally - screwed me, so I'll never trust another one.

I'm always looking for ways that have the fewest people and least amount of logistics involved.



a
 
You can scour the trades (thr.com, variety.com, deadline.com) on a daily basis to find names. Google the writers names looking for their agent. If any article was ever written about them then the agents are often listed. The internet is full of useful info...and a lot of useless info as well.
 
Maybe do a vacation/trip to LA and make the rounds to screenwriter agencies? I just heard this past week of a writer that did that, saved up and flew from Australia to LA to find an agent, and was able to snag an agent at a mid-sized agency, and without even showing them his screenplay (which as I have heard from another sold writer who knows the guy, was not read by the agency and the screenply still needs work).

Curious-- why the refusal to go back to Done Deal Pro ($25 for an entire year) to access their database of agents, prodcos, managers, attorneys?

The list of WGA agents is public, you could use it to write agencies even if you do not have specific names (or you could use VOip to 'call' them to get a specific name to write to beyond just their address); in your queries, ask that if they are interested in your script to please email you, just be honest with them and tell them that you live in a part of the world where snail mail is sketchy. Here are the WGAW signatory agents, there is also a list for WGAE
http://www.wga.org/agency/agencylist.aspx
You yourself do not need to be union to get a WGA agent, it just means those agents have agreed to certain WGA requirements, making them more trusted.

imdbpro.com, at least when I signed up, has a two week refund trial (in fact I do not think they even charge your credit card until the two weeks are over); one could easily use those two weeks to scour and cull all the info you need for names for the WGA agencies, etc; and about half of them have email addresses which would avoid having to use snail mail, except that I personally prefer snail mail as it could be that spam filters inadvertently block one's email queries from reaching the agencies (although one would think the agencies would set up their filters to allow incoming email with the keywords logline, screenplay, and such).

There are also services that will do the mailings/emailings queries for writers, but I prefer to just do it myself.


alex whitmer said:
Well, I don't have - nor can afford - IMDB pro, I refuse to ever go back to Done Deal Pro, and I'm not union and never will be. Screwed for lists, it seems. Mail service in my part of the world is pretty sketchy, so another strike against me per SASE. I went the attorney route a while ago, made a little progress then it fizzled out. Some years later an entertainment lawyer royally - and I do mean royally - screwed me, so I'll never trust another one. I'm always looking for ways that have the fewest people and least amount of logistics involved.
a
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The first mail I always open is the stuff addressed to RESIDENT OR OCCUPANT.

Actually, those get thrown away without opening them.

- Bill
 
At least the letters I get addressed to RESIDENT are such that I know they are not letters from lame 3rd cousins looking to borrow money, lol. Sometimes they even have a coupon for half off a pizza!

The letters I get addressed to my actual name are usually utility or cell phone bills. :)

wcmartell said:
The first mail I always open is the stuff addressed to RESIDENT OR OCCUPANT.
Actually, those get thrown away without opening them.
- Bill
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@randall, I recommend reading two books to prepare for your agent hunt:

The Real, Low Down, Dirty Truth About Hollywood Agenting

and

The Script Is Finished, Now What Do I Do?

The first is written by a literary agent, and it explains exactly what the agenting business is from their point of view. If you want to get an agent, you need to understand them. Most writers don't, and so they mishandle their opportunities.

The second is a best-selling guide of how to go about querying an agent. It has many bits of advice from successful agents, as well as a directory.


I also recommend that you move to L.A. Seriously. You are at a grave disadvantage, because you can't meet Hollywood people and hang out with them if you're Down Under.

FWIW, all the pros I know got their first agent through a friend they knew while they were in L.A.

Can you get repped through queries from a foreign land? Yes you can. Is it easier to do it in Los Angeles, meeting people? You bet.

FWIW. HTH.
 
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