Interview Series

Seven years ago, I was at Universal Studios interviewing producers for a group of screenwriters.  One of our guests cancelled and the organizer of the event (Gary Shusett) introduced me to two writers with the words, "They did the show 'Xena, Princess Warrior.'" Thirty seconds later, we began the interview, and with no preparation, I

Typically, when a production company or agency "passes" on your script (says "no"), they don't usually give feedback.  You simply get a, "Sorry, it's not for us" response.  That's the bad news. The rest of this philosophy tip is the good news. Apply Your Philosophy How you interpret a "pass" and what you do with

Want to know the easiest way to become a professional?  Kaizen.  It's the Japanese strategy of continuous improvement, and it can get you to the top of any field.  Here's the logic.  Improve by 1% a day, and next year, you'll be 365% better.  Continue to improve every day for another year, and you'll be

Many writers have expressed to me that they either don't understand the business side of Hollywood or feel like it is not their kind of business.  They want their movie made, but they've heard discouraging or frightening things about doing business with Hollywood. When most of what you see on the Net is either hype

In the business world, they say that there are two types of lawyers -- deal makers and deal killers.  The deal makers work with you to find solutions to make contracts work.  The deal killers focus mainly on finding and capitalizing on problems. Screenwriters can fall into deal maker and deal killer categories, as well. 

Let me ask you an important question:  How many times a day do you disempower yourself? Why would I ask a negative question like that?  Because it can produce some serious positive results in your life.  Recognizing when you disempower yourself and choosing instead to empower yourself could change everything. Let's start with a few

Each Philosophy Tip will accomplish a different thing for you.  The first two tips built confidence.  This one will improve the results your scripts will get from Industry players. First, let's acknowledge that, for those writing a script, whatever they write is interesting and emotional for them.  Every scene is something they created, and so

Over the years, I've interviewed many A-list screenwriters and heard the stories of how they broke in.  It always sounds easy when five years of work are described in a few sentences.  And for most of us, it feels like the A-listers did something magical that we can't do.One day, I interviewed A-list writer Allan

Think of the biggest successes you've had in life -- especially the ones that you worked for -- and let me ask you a question.Don't they all have a story that comes with them?A beginning when you decided to go for a specific goal.  Then a middle when you encountered the work required to make