PicoBlog

Good morning to the smartest, most creative email list in the whole world!

This week’s newsletter is coming at you one day early, so you know what that means: That’s right, tomorrow I announce an upcoming webinar that will dive deep into the topic that every single writer always asks me about.

Make sure you’re subscribed to this newsletter so you receive it in your inbox the second it goes live.

What’s the webinar about? Today’s email topic is a hint.

Let’s dive in…

The second a screenwriter finishes their script, they immediately start thinking about next steps: Get a manager, get an agent, sell their script, make millions of dollars.

They learn pretty quickly that it’s not that easy. But signing with a manager remains an important milestone for many writers at the beginning of their career.

If signing with a manager is on your short term goal list, you should have an understanding of what, exactly, it is that they can do for you.

This will help you:

Here are the 9 types of services your literary manager can provide:

This used to be referred to as “the water bottle tour,” but these days, most “general meetings” take place on Zoom.

The way it works is simple. Your manager makes a list of people you should get to know. This includes executives at:

• Production companies

• TV studios

• Movie studios

• TV networks

It all depends on your goals and who your material is the best fit for. Your manager sends your script to the exec and tells them that they “absolutely have to meet this super talented writer I just signed.”

Their offices set up the meeting, and you start networking at a level you haven’t been able to access yet on your own.

Depending on the size, reach, and specialty of a management company, it might be able to get you staffed on TV shows.

TV staffing is harder than ever these days. The landscape is competitive, the budgets are tight, Showrunners prefer to hire their friends, and Staff Writer jobs usually seem to go either to an assistant who is getting promoted or to someone coming out of the studio’s fellowship program. If staffing is your goal, know that you have a long road ahead of you. It can take years of general meetings to get that first job.

But if staffing is one of your goals, a manager who hears about those opportunities will put you up for them.

Production companies and studios (in both film and TV) will often option a piece of IP or have an idea that they need a writer to “pitch a take” on.

This means your manager sends your writing sample over to the relevant executive. If the executive likes your voice, they will ask to meet you. You will come in having read the book/article/material/one-pager and pitch them your vision for what this could look like as a TV series or a movie (depending on what the execs have asked for).

Sometimes this development is paid, meaning if the company likes your pitch, they will pay you to write the script.

Often the development is unpaid, meaning if the company likes your pitch, they will work with you to generate additional pitch materials to take to financiers, studios, or other pieces of talent. Especially if you’re a newer writer, you will be expected to do tons of free work up front with projects like these. The upside is that if you’re working with a reputable company, this project will have a better chance of getting sold in this competitive, IP-obsessed market than your original spec script would have.

Plus it’s a great opportunity to foster a relationship with a producer in a way that demonstrates your creative professional skills.

A manager can be a creative partner.

Some managers will read a draft of your latest script and give you notes until it is ready to “take out” (aka start sending to their producer friends).

If having a creative collaborator who is good at giving notes is important to you, make sure that you listen carefully during the signing process. When you’re first meeting with a manager, notice how they talk about your script. Are their suggestions for improvement insightful? Does it seem like they “get” you and what you are trying to say? Do they see the core issues in your script, or do they stay surface level?

Not every manager is going to prioritize their ability to give detailed creative feedback. This is why it’s important to understand at the beginning of your manager search exactly what you are looking for in a rep.

Maybe you just want someone who will send out material, and you don’t care whether they read or like it. That is a valid strategy!

But it’s important to know what you’re looking for, so you make sure that you get it.

Managers spend all day reaching out to executives at production companies, studios, and networks, asking them what kinds of projects they’re looking for.

We also keep a close eye on the trades, tracking what projects have sold, what is in development, and what kinds of scripts generate eager responses among buyers. If a client is deciding what to write next, many managers will suggest that they share a list of 3-5 potential ideas.

Your manager can work with you to decide which script has the best chance of moving your career forward.

Technically, managers aren’t allowed to “procure work” or “negotiate deals” for clients.

That job supposedly belongs to agents, who need to be specially licensed in the state of California to perform those duties. What managers can do is help you find an agent, help you find an entertainment attorney, or ignore the law (it’s more like a “guideline,” anyway) and negotiate the main deal points of an offer on your behalf. When you’re just getting started, there isn’t going to be a ton of wiggle room here for negotiating, but your manager should always try.

If you’re closing a big deal, like selling a show to a network or a feature to a major studio, it’s best to bring in a lawyer to handle the “longform” (the actual contract).

Most managers did not go to law school, so don’t rely on them for the fine print stuff.

Being a professional writer isn’t easy. Sometimes you need a pep talk.

Agents have reputations for being too busy or too callous to handhold their clients through the ups and downs of an often painful industry. Managers, on the other hand, are known for bringing a more personal touch to their relationships. We’re typically more willing to listen to our clients problems and console them. If emotional support is a priority for you, make sure you choose a manager that you feel comfortable with.

A word of caution here: While many managers are happy to drop what they’re doing to handle a client meltdown, keep in mind that every hour you pull your rep into your crisis is an hour they could have spent working on finding a job for you.

Be conscious of their time. It will benefit your career.

Unlike agents, managers are legally allowed to be producers.

Sometimes this looks like a separate division of the company that finds IP, packages scripts, or finances films. Sometimes it looks like that manager being an EP on every single thing their client develops no matter what. There are different opinions on the pros and cons of these various approaches to manager-producing (that’s a whole other conversation for another day). What’s important is that you understand whether you want your manager also being a producer.

Make sure that you ask what their producing policy is so that you don’t find out too late that it’s not what you want.

It’s rare in 2024 to find a network or studio willing to buy a TV show or movie idea without a “strong package.”

This means that buyers don’t spend money on just a great script anymore. No, they want projects that come from proven Showrunners, Writers, or Filmmakers with a track record of hits. If you don’t have a proven track record creating and running hit shows, you need to find someone who does. They “attach” to your project, which means that they agree when someone buys your project, they will be involved. You are now a package deal.

You can package your script (or pitch) with a production company, a Showrunner, a director, or even an actor (or all of the above!) Your manager will help you form a packaging strategy and make a list of people to go to in a specific order.

They will make those calls on your behalf until the project is packaged enough to appeal to a buyer.

On some level, a manager should be able to handle any of these services.

But no one has time to fully deliver all 9 of them to every single client. These different services tend to be embodied by different managers who have different personality types. To maximize the benefit to their careers, many writers choose to have a manager who is good at some of these and an agent who is good at the others. Some management companies put together what is called a “team,” meaning you have 2-3 managers representing you. Each of them has a complementary skill, ensuring that all your needs are covered.

Before you meet with a manager—before you even start reaching out to managers, sit down and be honest with yourself about which of these services you want and need from your rep at this stage in your career, based on your goals and abilities.

List them in order of priority. Now you know exactly what to look for in a manager.

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