It’s a new year and (assuming the world isn’t going to end, thank you Mayan Calendar) a great time for new beginnings!

January is the perfect time to start writing that script you always wanted to write, or take that grand trip you have been talking about for years, or even cold call that person you have been wanting to meet.

In fact, this is my favorite time of year.

I have found that, right after the new year, people are excited to read new material from emerging writers and these people are looking for new projects to get off the ground. It’s a time when gatekeepers are actually excited to read material from unknowns!

Now all you have to do is capitalize on that positive feeling with a great piece of material.

And not only is it the new year that gets people excited, it is also Sundance time! The excitement surrounding the Sundance Film Festival is all about emerging writers, directors and talent.

People are actually encouraged to find new talent.  And, in fact, every year there is some unknown writer, actor, or star that causes a big stir at Sundance and then goes on to do huge things.

Case in point: Jennifer Lawrence, who made a huge splash with the 2010 Sundance award-winning movie WINTER’S BONE (the movie won both the dramatic competition grand jury prize and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award) and is now the lead in one of the biggest film franchises of this coming year — THE HUNGER GAMES.

Do not waste this month of new beginnings.  Get your material finished and ready to take out!

P.S.  And if you are at Sundance, check out our film LIBERAL ARTS starring Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Zac Efron, Richard Jenkins, and Allison Janney!

I’ve asked a tv agent at a top tier agency some questions for aspiring writers. Check out the great answers below:

Q. What’s the number one quality you look for in new writing talent?

A. Great writing.  It’s really simple.  Talent on the page.

Q:  Where and how do you usually find new clients?

A:  A lot of times, it’s through referrals.  Or sometimes I’ll watch one or two movies a week, and regardless of whether it’s a small Indie film or it’s a big movie, if I was interested by it, I pay attention to who wrote it.

Q:  What’s the best way a writer can make himself stand out in order to get representation?

A:  Honestly, I think this business is really about who you know.  And I’m not saying the new writer has to know somebody. Let me put it this way, writers who have people to recommend them, prove that they have a sense of the industry. Writers who have worked with people before or have sought out these relationships, like getting a mentor or working for a show runner, show that they’re aware that this isn’t a solitary business.

For example, I have a client who was a book author, and he reached out to a major writer randomly, just because he’s from the same area and grew up in the urban area where this writer grew up. He reached out to him blindly and said, “I’m a fan.” And just that prodigiousness that he would even do that, that savvy, caught my eye.

Q:  What’s the number one mistake you’ve seen your clients make?

A:  Number one mistake?  Not taking direction.  Well, let me rewind.  Agents only get paid, if we’re talking brass tacks, when the writer gets paid. That’s why it’s very much a partnership.  So, a lot of the advice or guidance or direction that comes from representatives is meant to be instructive and mutually benefiting. I find that most writers do take direction while they’re open to it, so I have not run into that myself but I know it happens.

Another thing that I think writers make a mistake of is not writing to their strengths.  They think that, “Oh, this is what I need to write, because this is what’s selling,” but I’ve noticed that the scripts that sell, whether it’s a feature or a TV show, is always something that the buyers have found a connection to.

So, the point is, follow passion and follow interest.  Don’t just write the big superhero movie because you think that’s what’s selling. The studios have writers for that.

Q:  How has the Internet changed representation?  And what does that mean for aspiring screenwriters?

A:  It’s funny you bring that up. I’m very interested in signing this particular writer who’s represented at another agency.  And a couple years ago, before the proliferation of content on the Internet, I was able to find all of this material that this writer wrote, without even having met her.

Normally, you can find work on more widely-recognized writers, but I found material on this writer who I’m even now more immersed in, just because I found all of her material online.  She writes a blog, her short story was posted online.  So, for me, the Internet has been more helpful.

Also, writers can publish their material online, whether it’s through a blog or whether it’s through a site that is a designated community of writers. And writer/performers can put their shorts online.  For example, I have a client who writes, directs, and performs in sketches online.  And now, if it’s good, I send it out everywhere.  So, that’s actually very helpful in terms of dispensing work, once they’re represented.

Q: How important is education in a resume?  How much weight does a film degree hold?

A:  Honestly, not at all.  To me, as a representative, it shows that they probably have a basic knowledge of film history and maybe some film jargon.  That’s it.  Beyond that, I’ve never found a clear distinction between having gone to film school and being a talented successful writer/director/producer.

Now, it’s not to say that they’re mutually non-exclusive. I can argue it both ways.  The ones who do go to film school, they have built up relationships, and so they have connections.  And so, it’s an easier start for them, oftentimes.  They have connections, so they reach out to their film school buddies and their mentors, and there’s more of a network to get in.

Once you’re in, though, you’re kind of in.  I think that for the other side, a lot of times, if somebody can’t afford to go to film school or they had another career or they use that time doing other things, it enriches their writing, because they’ve had different personal experiences.

Q.  In your opinion, what’s the best place to network?  And what kind of connections are the most valuable?

A:  Writer-to-writer. Always. Writers challenge each other, and they’re also competitive. So, they’re always hearing (about other jobs), and it’s also community.  Writers hire each other in television, too.  So, in television, I found that writer-to-writer is very, very important. In film, I’ve actually found writer-to-producer is very important.  And writer-to-director…

Q:  And where can writers go to find these people?

A:  That’s a good question.  I think, in the television community, maybe a new writer starts off as a writer’s assistant and, you know, gets to know that writer’s room of 10 to 15 writers.

They get to know the network and the studio, to that point of view.  If you’re not in a position where you can get that writer’s assistant job, then I think that maybe film school can help, but I don’t know if it’s worth that tuition, at the end of the day, just for those networking abilities.

Maybe find them online, blindly reach out to them.  I had absolutely no connections to the entertainment industry, whatsoever, in terms of becoming an agent.  I had not one single connection.  I didn’t even know anybody who worked in entertainment.  The closest I had was actually seeing them on the screen.

But, you figure it out.  Frankly, I don’t know.  Maybe reach out to certain authors. Also, by the way, with Facebook and the Internet, you can reach out to these people.

If you’re a fan of somebody’s show, as a young writer, you can now reach out to that person.  I also get a lot of queries on Facebook that I end up disregarding because I think they’re very random.  I’ll tell you this.  I will pay attention to the random, specific, eloquently or, sometimes, interestingly-written query letter, just because.

Because, they took the time and creativity to actually make it special, to me, so I end up paying attention.  There are always the typical form letters, but sometimes I’ll pay attention.  Or if it’s a link to a short sketch, if I have a couple minutes, I’ll check it out.

Q:  What’s the best way to get an agent, then?  A query letter?  A referral?

A:  Not a query letter.  That’s very rare.  I would say when I was first starting out as an agent I paid attention to everything. I did pay attention to more query letters, even though, when you’re in a larger agency, you’re not supposed to.

It’s actually that we’re not allowed to take any blind submissions.  I think, in the beginning, if you’re a newer writer looking for a younger agent, I think there’s just more in-roads because they’re also looking to build their client list and move forward.

Now that I’ve been doing it for several years, it usually goes by referrals.  By the way though, that referral can come through my mom. My mom still pitches me writers.  Like, “My friend’s daughter has this”, and I’ll read it, you know?  But, it’s always by recommendations.

Q:  What kinds of pieces do you look for in a portfolio?  What would you like to see?

A:  Original material.  Always.  Always, always, original material, when you’re in a larger agency, the business is not just to staff somebody. It’s to grow a career and grow a show runner or a show creator or a film writer.  So, I always look for original material. The spec episode of a show is helpful, as a means to an end to try to get that writer staffed. But, if I’m blown away by their original material, whether it’s a short story or if it’s a screenplay or it’s a pilot, that’s what impresses me.  Always original material.

Q:  What are the big trends you see happening in TV?

A:  Well, it’s all over the headlines now is just that there’s a renaissance of comedy.  And not just comedy, female comedy. So, I think that those female voices are definitely being heard.  Also, a lot of women watch TV, in terms of how the Nielsen ratings are skewed.  It appears, based on the research, that a lot of women are watching television.  So, I think that those shows cater to those audiences.

The thing is though, I’ve always noticed that whenever something becomes a hit, that’s no longer the time to do those same kind of shows.  Like when “Lost” hit, when “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Desperate Housewives” hit, everybody tried to duplicate those.  At that time, those are now the benchmark.  It’s too late to copycat them.

My point in saying that is not to, then, have younger writers who are hearing this or reading this, write female skewing comedies, necessarily.  If that’s what speaks to you, go do it.  But, it’s not meant to be a reactionary thing.

Q:  Say a writer becomes your client.  Now what?  How do you find them their first gig in TV?

A:  It depends. If I start working with a writer who has started off on the feature side, they’ll usually end up developing (tv).  They’ll sell shows, and we’ll put them together with a producer, based on original ideas that they have.  Or maybe they have profile on the feature side, so, now, producers are pitching them ideas, and networks want to be in business with them because they have a certain level of profile.

If they’re brand new writers or if they’re coming in from the television side, then they’ll usually end up staffing first, unless they have a spec pilot that’s so unique that we can sell it.  But, first-time, very young new writers usually start staffing, then kind of learn the ropes.

Q:  If you have just one piece of advice to young writers, what would it be?

A:  I think that writing in television is very communal.  So, I think, a lot of times, young writers make a mistake of, “I’ll just build the right relationships, and write what I can.” A lot of it is based on their writing on the page and their talent on the page.  But, because it’s such a communal act, you have to also be personable. Again, writers hire one another.  You have to be able to withstand being in a room with other writers for 12 hours a day.  And that takes a certain kind of personality to make it through to the next show.

Because the reality is, most new shows don’t end up coming back.  The majority don’t end up coming back.  So, you’re moving from show to show to show, and how do you get hired over and over?  Writer recommendations and referrals.  Like, “I work with that guy.  I think he’s great.  Not just on the page, he’s great at pitching ideas.  But, I also like hanging out with him.”  If you can bear hanging out with him for 12 hours, I think that’s also crucial.

I wish it were just a meritocracy, where it’s all on the page. I think that’s maybe a little bit more on the feature side of things, because it’s more solitary.  And television is very much who you are as a person as much as what is on the page.

In my continuing Tips from the Pros series I reached out to an executive that I have worked with before and who I admire greatly for her intelligence, work ethic and great taste! Check out what she says below:

Tia Maggini is an executive at Disney Channel Original Movies. She has previously worked at Marc Platt Productions, Red Wagon Entertainment and Creative Artists Agency.

*************************************************************************

1. How do you find new projects? Where do they come from?

We’re open to new ideas wherever they come from: books, available scripts sent to us by producers or by agents, original pitches or treatments from writers, and original ideas we generate internally.

2. Say a big project is greenlighted. What is the process for it to make it to principal photography?

Disney Channel is a bit different because once we’ve greenlit a movie, we make it. It’s unlikely to get derailed. We bring in a director, then our production departments, casting, and often music department dive in and get to work. It’s a bit more of a straightforward process here.

3. What is the number one deciding factor in whether or not you make a project?

Whether we think that the movie will be a hit with our audience, whether it feels fresh and different and exciting to us.

4. What’s the best way to impress you during a pitch?

Great ideas and brevity.

5. What do you see as the major trends in today’s screenplays and films?

High concept is still king. Easy to market ideas. But I do think that people are open to really fresh, original ideas. Remakes are tanking at the box office, and smart executives know that cool new ideas, characters, and worlds are what audiences are responding to.

6. What’s the biggest mistake you can make while pitching?

Taking way too long. Pitches that take more than a half an hour, no matter how good, make executives want to shoot themselves. We don’t need to hear all the details, we don’t need dialogue, we just want the major characters and the main beats of the story pitched out in an engaging way. Tell me a fun story, keep it punchy and short.

7. What’s the best advice you can give to an aspiring screenwriter?

Be aware of the market. That said, don’t necessarily write something just because you think that it can sell. You should write what you love. But you should also be aware of the realities of the marketplace and shouldn’t be putting a ton of time and effort into a story that has no realistic chance of getting made.

8. Where would you say are the best opportunities to break into the industry?

TV feels a lot more fruitful than features these days.

9. Where’s the best subject matter for screenplays coming from these days?

Books and true stories will always be popular, but I think that there’s a dearth of original ideas out there, and studios are definitely eager to find things that feel fresh.

10. What’s more important to you in a screenplay, an original idea or polished execution?

Both are important. An original idea written terribly won’t get you far, while very well written lower concept stories (see: anything by Dan Fogelman) often get made.

11. Are you more likely to make a movie that will be commercially successful or critically successful?

Commercially successful.

12. What’s the best way to get a spec script to you?

Through an agent, manager, or producer.

**********************************************************
Special thanks to my intern Jinjin Sun for compiling these questions.

My business partner at Tom Sawyer Entertainment and producer Jesse Hara graciously agreed to sit down and answer my questions for writers.  You can check out his last movie HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE (Sundance 2010 Audience Award Winner) on DVD and his next movie, LIBERAL ARTS, is currently in post-production.

1. What are you looking for in a project?

Pure and simple, material that I absolutely understand and connect with and that I feel like needs to be out in the world.

2. How do you find new projects? Where do they come from?  

My curiosity and from people I trust.

3. What’s the best way for a screenwriter or screenplay to get your attention?  

Have a point a view and find a way to tell a relatable story in an original way.

4. What kinds of projects do you think the industry needs right now?  

I love material that is original and positive and comes from a good place.  I would love to put a ban on remaking classic films.

5. What makes a successful pitch?

Energy.  A clean, succinct story told with a lot of energy can make up for a million plot holes.

6. What’s the number one quality that can make you decide to make a screenplay?

Believing I can’t live without the project.

7. What are the best screenplays about?

Humanity.

8. What’s the most valuable kind of networking contact for an aspiring screenwriter to make?  

An Ellison sibling.

9. What role does the internet and social media play in your work?  

It gives me an outlet to research anything I am curious about and also keeps me from focusing on actual work at the same time.  It’s good and bad.

10. What’s your best advice for new screenwriters?  

Write every day.

11. Where is the best material coming from these days?  

TV

12. What’s the number one best thing that an aspiring screenwriter can do for themselves to launch their career?  

Write something that forces people to take notice.

Special thanks to my intern JinJin Sun for putting these questions together!

Josh Spector at ConnectedComedy.com responded to my interview with an interview request of his own. He asked me some great questions and you can check out the answers here. Enjoy!

Josh Spector is the founder of Connected Comedy, through which he provides marketing, business, and career strategies to comedians and other creators. You can read more of his advice at ConnectedComedy.com or subscribe to the Connected Comedy Free Tips Newsletter for more exclusive information. http://connectedcomedy.com/free-tips-newsletter/

Josh graciously let me ask him 10 questions and his answers are invaluable to any creator who is looking to break into Hollywood.

1. How has the internet changed how comedians/artists find opportunities?

It’s changed a lot about the landscape of the business, but the biggest overall change is that comedians no longer need “permission” to have a career. It used to be that you needed the various Hollywood/comedy industry gatekeepers to enable you to reach an audience and build a fanbase, but now the Internet allows creators to reach the entire world with their creations at virtually no cost. The elimination of the need for a Hollywood middle man has created limitless opportunities for artists who understand how to reach fans directly and are willing to put in the work to create content that will fuel the growth of their own career.

2. What’s the best advice you can give to someone who’s just starting out?

I think it’s important to understand two seemingly opposite things. First, be realistic about what you’re setting out to do – it is not going to be easy to build a career for yourself as a comedian (or in any part of the entertainment industry). Most people will not ultimately succeed, and if you do succeed it will likely take a long time to do so. It’s important to understand that going into it. Too many people think it’s going to be easy and they get frustrated when it’s not.

But the flipside of that is that it’s just as important to understand that it is possible to succeed and that now, more so than ever before in the history of the entertainment industry, you are able to control your fate. Thanks to the Internet and new technology, you’re able to create whatever you want and expose it to the whole world – if you have the talent and are willing to put in the time and effort to succeed, you probably will. I think it’s important for people to understand and truly believe they can succeed – it will take time, but it is possible.

3. What would you say is the biggest mistake that rookie comedians typically make?

I think a lot of people decide to become comedians because they don’t think of themselves as business people and have no interest in “working.” They look at the funny comedians that inspire them and assume those guys don’t really work hard because of their personas on stage. But what they fail to realize is that 99% of the most successful comedians out there have been successful because they treat their comedy seriously and treat it like a business. There’s tons of talented comedians who never quite make it, and usually that’s because they weren’t really willing to treat their comedy like a serious career – they just wanted to perform, hang out, and hope that things magically come together for them.

4. What’s the best way to break into the industry?

There’s a lot of different ways you can break into the business these days, but I think the best plan is to work to develop a fanbase for whatever you do. Too many comedians spend too much time trying to get the attention of bookers, managers, agents, development executives and other industry types as opposed to building their own fanbase and working on creating great content. What they fail to realize is that as soon as you have your own fanbase, all the industry people start flocking to you.

5. What would you say is the number one most important quality of a successful comedian or comic writer?

I think it’s important for a comedian or writer to be fearless and willing to find their own way. You can’t be afraid to be unique and to experiment because ultimately the way you’re really going to succeed is if you can find your own distinct voice and you can’t do that if you’re afraid to take chances. Not everything will work of course, but that’s ok. The people that really break out are the ones that do something new and different – too many comedians are afraid to go against the grain of the conventional wisdom and as a result they just blend into the crowd.

6. Are there places besides Hollywood where comedic screenwriters can find success? How?

This is another thing that I think has been drastically changed in recent years thanks to the Internet. A writer can now showcase their writing online in a variety of ways (everything from Twitter, to blogs, to short YouTube videos, etc.) and get themselves discovered no matter where they live. The key is you have to put content out there – too many writers are afraid of getting things stolen – and be willing to put in the work and time to build an audience for your writing. And of course, what you do has to be good.

7. What do you think of blogging as a self-promotional tool for emerging writers?

I’m a huge fan of blogging and believe that every writer and comedian should be blogging on a regular basis. That said, I define blogging in a much broader sense – I mean that they should be creating and posting content on a website that they control. It doesn’t mean they have to write journal entries about what they ate for breakfast or what they did last night with their friends. The word blogging has some negative connotations, but I’d definitely recommend they regularly create content. If you’re a writer, you should write.

8. Obviously tools like facebook, twitter, and youtube can help a comedic performer build up a strong fanbase, which can then be used to launch their career. Does internet marketing have a similar place for comedic writers looking to sell screenplays or TV pilots?

Yes, I think it does. What all of these social media tools really do best is allow you to find, attract, and communicate with the exact audience you’d like to reach. Again, the key is creating content that will appeal to that audience and then understanding how to make sure that audience sees what you’re doing.

For example, if I was a screenwriter who wanted comedy producers to know that I existed then I would consider launching a blog specifically about comedy movie producers. I’d interview them, I’d share stories about their experiences (and my own in dealing with them), and I’d try to create a site that became a must-read for comedy producers. Because in doing so, they would also be introduced to me and I’d be building connections that could ultimately get me (and my screenplays) read by them.

The key to Internet marketing is to understand the audience you want to reach, to create content designed specifically to appeal to that audience, and then to market that content to that audience. When you do that, it works.

9. What’s the best way for an emerging comedian to reach out to other, more established comedians?

Besides interacting with them when you see them in clubs or on shows whenever possible, you can always reach out to them through Facebook, Twitter, or their email address which is usually posted on their website. Not everybody will respond to you of course, but I think you’d be surprised that most people will be responsive to you depending what you’re asking of them.

If you’re just pestering somebody to let you open for them or give you work, they likely won’t respond. But, if you’re asking for advice or suggestions, there’s a good chance they will.

10. What do you think might be the next great unmined frontier for comedic material?

I think there’s a lot of great material out there right now in places that Hollywood thinks it’s tracking, but is still missing. For example, Hollywood is finally scouring things like YouTube, podcasts and blogs looking for material but in most cases they’re probably missing a lot. That’s because the people that came through the Hollywood development ranks weren’t trained to find stuff online – they were trained to look for books and more traditional sources of material.

As a result, they’re trying their best but they don’t really understand how this all works and where it’s all going. In my opinion, the “traditional” development business tends to still be very behind people who are closer to the Internet when it comes to breaking material. I believe that finding material online is its own unique skill set, and most of the people that have it are not working in traditional development at the moment. But that will likely change at some point…

* Special thanks to my intern Jinjin Sun for putting together these great questions!

It’s TV development season, which for many writers means they are spending countless hours working on their TV ideas and getting these ready to take out and pitch to producers, studios and networks.

Here is the one tip I tell to all my clients:

You must illustrate to buyers why they should buy this idea from you and not from the 1000 other writers that are pitching the same idea.

Let’s be honest. There are only so many new ideas in the world and, if you are pitching to networks, there are even less new ideas. (Networks all want ideas that are pretty down the middle and are about family, workplace or relationships.)

You must have a reason that the networks should buy this idea from you — especially if you are an emerging writer — and not from the already very established show-runners who the networks know and most likely have deals with. Think show-runners such as Bill Lawrence, Chuck Lorre, David E. Kelly, Shonda Rhimes, Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd.

Networks can and will buy most pitches from the show-runners and writers they know and trust — and who consistently deliver hits for the network. Your job is to come up with an authentic idea that is entirely original to you and that the networks can’t just go out and buy from someone else.

Perhaps you grew up in a family so unique that it would make for a great family sitcom. Perhaps you had a certain job that would led itself to a great drama show. Perhaps you have access to an organization to which it is very hard to get access (think any three-letter organizations) and that you can use to make a very rich world.

Whatever that special thing is — use it to your advantage and pitch an idea that only you can write.

I was just reading a great article on Amanda Hocking, who is the first self-published millionaire. She broke through by writing YA novels and publishing them on Amazon Kindle.

Recently she closed a huge book deal with St. Martin’s Press ($2 million for her next four books!). I find her to be very inspiring and her books very fun. One of her quotes really struck me because her advice is exactly what I tell all my clients:

She notes that inspiration struck her. She caught a clip on YouTube of Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus talking to Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz.

“I was like, ‘That’s it!’” Hocking said. “This whole time I’ve had a passion and I’ve waited for it to happen. I need to do it.”

It was January 2009, and Hocking started treating writing as a job. Before, it was “something I always did . . . like playing video games.” After this she wrote even when she didn’t feel like it. Over the next year she wrote “at least five or six new novels.”

And this is exactly what I tell my clients:

Writing is a job. It is something you have to do every single day whether you are feeling inspired or not in order to really improve.

It’s a muscle that gets better the more you practice. And just like I show up every day to work, and every day I get better at what I do — the same goes for my clients. The more they write, the more they will improve. It’s a simple as that.

There is no shortcut to being a great writer — just like there is no shortcut to being great at anything — it’s practice, practice, practice.

So sit down in front of your computer today and write!

Read the full NY Times article here:

TSE will be at the Great American PitchFest on Sunday, June 5th! Writers meet with industry executives and thousands of pitch meetings happen over the course of a weekend. Each meeting is five minutes in length, and a chance for industry executives to hear a large number of pitches and ideas in a short period of time. Come by our table!

www.pitchfest.com

Who could have imagined a year and a half ago when a Facebook friend recommended that I read a YA manuscript that today the first of Josephine Angelini’s trilogy would be officially released in the U.S. by a major publisher (HarperCollins) with foreign language versions upcoming all over the world.

I couldn’t be more excited! After all the hard work, now it’s payoff time.

I’m hoping that book readers will respond to the published novel the way I did to the original manuscript. In fact, it feels somewhat weird to put all your heart and soul into something and then just release it into the wild and hope for the best. But that is what we have to do.

I am especially happy because the story behind the success of author Josephine Angelini is a true rags-to-riches one. She went from $60,000 in debt to making a seven-figure advance — all because she believed in herself and didn’t give up!

And seeing her accomplishments brings into focus the best part of my job — finding and believing in talented emerging writers and helping them turn their dreams into reality. I couldn’t be more proud or happy for Josie!

You can read my earlier post about this fairytale journey now.

And read the glowing LA Times book review of Starcrossed.