Thoughts from Behind the Curtain

The past few weeks I've been working with the Writers on the Storm Top Ten. I've had lengthy chats with each of them -- talented writers all -- and we've been going through the scripts with my feedback, and in some cases, with the feedback from the CI analysts who covered the scripts.

What I've discovered is pretty interesting. The first thing I noticed is that two of our winners have Masters Degrees in Screenwriting, while another two went through the UCLA Professional Program (our winner, Bob Rhyne, starts next week at the UCLA Professional Program.) And another one of our Top Ten has taken classes at UCLA Extension and Writers Boot Camp. That's six of the Top Ten who have had higher education in screenwriting. Mind you, we had no idea of this going in, and contest judge Hal Ackerman, co-head of the UCLA Screenwriting Dept., insisted that the scripts be anonymous -- we tore off the cover pages before we sent them to him. Interesting, eh?

A few of our top ten are represented; but only a few of them are actually satisfied with their representation (big shocker.)

But here's the most interesting thing. The very talented Keli Rowley, who wrote the animated comedy/adventure Danny Longlegs, told me she placed 3rd in this year's Scriptapalooza contest. That's two strong contest showings in a month -- a true testament to that fact that cream rises. But when I spoke to Keli, I'd discovered that Scriptapalooza had already sent her script out to their list. This baffled me. No slight against her or her script, but why would any contest do this?

We've spent the better part of a month developing the top ten scripts with our Writers on the Storm winners so that when the scripts go out, they can put best foot forward. Some of the writers embraced the process and really dug in; a few others were less interested in doing so; that's fine in either case. But here's the thing: we are putting our reputation on the line when we send out that list (later this week.) It is VERY important that these scripts be as good as they can be for both the writers' sakes and our own. In the case of every single script, we found issues that could and should be addressed. As a result, our top ten scripts are ALL better than they were a month ago. So the scripts we are sending to the town we are confident in.

It boggles my mind how a big contest like Scriptapalooza can simply throw their scripts out there to the town. Again, no slight to the writers. I'm sure their scripts are good enough as is to attract attention. But are they as good as they CAN be? As a writer, wouldn't you want to do every single thing you possibly can to make your script as good as it can be BEFORE it goes out?

Anyway, that's not what we're about. We are going to do everything we can to get these writers attention, and that includes helping them up their game and their craft and marketing savvy. Because damn it, that's what a contest should be, don't you think?

--Jim Cirile

Inside UTA's Locker Room

A couple years back, Creative Screenwriting ran my interview with young UTA agents Tobin Babst, Julien Thuan and Jason Burns. Superagent Marty Bowen had dubbed them "The Locker Room Guys," because when they were first promoted, all three had to share a small office, which Bowen joked was rather like a locker room.

We had to cut the lengthy article significantly to fit in in the magazine. So for the sake of posterity, and because it's a cool, in-depth interview, I'm posting it here on the blog in its entirety. It's a rare glimpse behind the scenes at one of the top agencies in town, and all three are pretty cool guys, too. Enjoy!

--Jim Cirile

INSIDE UTA'S LOCKER ROOM
Jim Cirile interviews UTA feature lit agents Tobin Babst, Julien Thuan and Jason Burns

Jim: Great to meet you guys. Can you each tell me a bit about your background?

Toby: I grew up in Maryland. From University of Maryland, I transferred to NYU for screenwriting, playwriting. During my time there I learned more about the craft part of it. I started coming out here and interning and learning a bit about the business part. I thought, what if I don’t want to bank a career on whether or not I’ll be able to write a screenplay, and what kind of job could my degree apply towards? I ended up being excited by the other side of things—the development world and the agency world. I did a few internships in New York, and then I came out here and interned at Peter Guber’s company for a summer. Ultimately I just decided that I was going to come out here and figure out how I was gonna get into that world. Joining an agency mailroom, or agency training program, seemed like the way to go. I started at UTA a few months later and have been here 5 ½ years. That’s a month in the mailroom, two years as an assistant to John Lesher, a year as an assistant to Marty (Bowen,) and a little under 2½ years as an agent.

JC: You still doing any writing?

Toby: No. I don’t think there’s time for both. I just felt like if I tried to do both, I’d probably end up succeeding at neither.

Julian: I grew up in Nashville, Tenn. I went to Duke University. Junior year I came out here with a friend to do an internship with Chuck Rogan’s company. Mainly because they didn’t pay, I took a couple of meetings to see if I could get an internship that paid. I met with a Duke alum named Brad Joel, who was an agent here at the time, and he put me through the system. I was offered an internship, which was great, and spent the next two months doing that. An internship here is very much the same as being in the mailroom. You have the same sort of duties and responsibilities. I loved it, so by the end of the summer I was offered a job. I went back to school and spent my senior year knowing what I was gonna do. Two weeks after graduation I was back here pushing a mail cart.

I was in the mailroom for a month. I worked for David Kramer. Then I worked for Jeremy Zimmer—

JC: Both you guys were in the mailroom for a month?

Julian: It’s the minimum amount that you can be in the mailroom for.

Jason: It was a smaller company at the time, and there was a need.

Toby: It’s all timing. Almost all the assistants have to start in the mailroom as a trainee. There’s a minimum 4 weeks required, but beyond that it’s just when something comes available. If an assistant is leaving or going to another desk, there’s gonna be a spot opening up.

JC: So the mailroom is the talent pool.

Toby: Yeah. If there’s a lot of turnover, then you get out of the mailroom pretty quickly. If not, or if there’s a specific department you want to be in, then it can end up taking 6-9 months.

Jason: There’s plenty of stories here about people who are successful agents who were in the mailroom for over a year. Just because it’s a long stint doesn’t necessarily mean—

Toby: We were pretty lucky with the timing. But we also kind of knew what we wanted to do. We all wanted to be in a lit group.

JC: You guys were all in the mailroom at the same time?

Julien: there was overlap, yeah.

JC: Julien, where did you go after the mailroom?

Julien: I worked for David Kramer for about a year and a half. Then I worked for Jeremy Zimmer for close to the same amount of time. Then I went to work in the New Media group for about a year. I was there for the new media boom and the bust. I was there for both, which was interesting. Very quickly, when I was in that group, I realized I wanted to come back to the lit group. After about a year I came back and have been doing that ever since.

Jason: I grew up here, in Malibu. I was always around the business but never really saw my place in it. Unlike Toby, I didn’t have writing aspirations or… So I went to UC San Diego as an Econ major, graduated and started working for Smith Barney as a stockbroker. I did that for about 11 months and was miserable. I liked the sales aspect and the pacing of it, but there’s no creative outlet in the job whatsoever. You couldn’t even really form an opinion about what you’re selling. You can sell something if you can see what’s great about it. But if you can’t form an opinion, it’s really tough to be passionate about it.

JC: Same thing about being an agent.

Jason: Yeah. So I knew people who had done what Julien had done, straight from college started working in the business, and started reading books about it. I interviewed at William Morris, ICM and UTA, and it clicked here. It felt smaller, hungrier, and I felt I connected with the people. I ended up moving from San Diego and started in the mailroom. I worked for Jeremy Zimmer and Dan Aloni as a second assistant for about 3 months, and then worked for Jeremy Zimmer for about 2 years, and then Blair Belcher after that for a little less than a year.

JC: Exact titles:

(all) Just agent.

Jason: There’s some people who get promoted to departmental assistant. Your main objective is to compile lists and help the department run smoothly. You’re eventually given duties of covering a studio. That’s when you really feel like you’re an agent who’s contributing to the group and selling the whole agency’s clients.

JC: That’s a great point. How does the covering of the individual studios work?

Jason: You’re assigned a specific studio or multiple studios. You need to be the in-house UTA expert (on) that studio. So let’s say it’s Universal and New Line. Along with the other group of agents, there’s usually about 3 or 4 including talent agents as well, who together cover the studio. They need to know everything going on at that studio. What’s the new script that’s come in? What’s the new open writing assignment? What project’s looking for a director? At UTA, you’re given the freedom but also the incentive to really cover the studio. Just because you’re in a lit group doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be reading a script and thinking, “This is a great Harrison Ford vehicle.” You’re supposed to think outside your group.

JC: I assume this also entails reading every single thing those studios buy.

Jason: Yes, reading everything they buy, everything they want to rewrite, even. Reading everything that needs a director, casting, all of it.

Julien: You also spend a lot of time developing relationships with all the producers at the studio, so there’s a real flow of information, hopefully commerce as well.

Jason: If I had a question about Sony, I would call Julian before I would call the executive on the project, because he’s gonna know the history and the pitfalls of that particular project. By calling Julien, I get the whole history—who’s gone in, what mistakes have been made in the past, what’s the executive thinking, what’s their expectation? That way, when you call, you already have a perspective of what’s going on.

Julien: Plus, when you don’t talk to those people every single day like a covering agent does, it’s hard to maintain those relationships.

Toby: You’re responsible for representing all the agency’s clients when there’s a job opportunity, but also when there’s not. A movie opens and does really well. So you’re expected to be talking with the executives, and of course you’re bringing up the good things that are happening with the company’s clients. Sometimes it’s specific to a job, sometimes it’s information-based, and other times it’s just general relationship-building.

Julien: As a newly-promoted agent, it’s the best way for you to develop relationships. It’s great because you don’t represent a ton of clients, you represent the entire agency.

JC: And you become important even if you’re not. Where does the Locker Room come from?

Toby: All 3 of us were promoted at the same time. When you’re first promoted you don’t have an assistant; you don’t even have an office. You just have a cubicle. As the company was expanding and we were getting a little more established, they started letting us share assistants and they wanted to give us office space. But the only office that was available was one large office for the three of us to share. After walking in a few times and seeing scripts everywhere, the trades everywhere...

JC: The three of you all talking on the phone at the same time...

Toby: Yeah, three people talking over each other, throwing things at each other, one day I think it just dawned on (Marty) that our office should be called the Locker Room.

JC: Obviously, at this point, you guys have separate offices and assistants. Do you miss the old days?

Toby: Which just happened about a month ago.

JC: Really? And all of you at the same time?

Jason: Yeah. There’s definitely camaraderie that was built working together so closely. You miss that. But when Toby and Julien call it’s like the first returned phone calls.

Toby: Or so he says now.

JC: You guys are all on the same floor…

Julien: Exactly.

Jason: Between the three of us, we pretty much cover the whole town. We all have different territories. We have a good sense of what’s going on.

JC: In terms of clients, do you share clients or have your own lists? How does that work?

Toby: The whole agency’s corporate philosophy is based on teamwork. You’re almost never representing somebody alone, it’s almost always a team of at least 2 agents. Because we work so closely together, physically, we ended up sharing a lot of new business.

JC: Are guys 100% lit, 50% lit 50% talent? How is it broken up.

Julien: A little bit of everything. It’s mostly lit. (We’re mostly dealing with) writers and directors. But in your day-to-day, you end up being on teams with actors. There’s an aspect of it that is talent-oriented. There’s a lit component of that, also, ‘cause a lot of actors now have companies which we service as well. Sometimes you’re reading scripts that is only (being read as a possible) open writing (assignment,) but you have a great idea for someone within the company that would be great to build the movie around.

JC: Obviously, everyone has different tastes. Do you have any specific genre specialties?

Toby: Defining taste by genre is a hard thing to do. We all represent a little bit of everything. The one thing that’s consistent is that we like original voices. We like people who have something new and interesting to say. A lot of times we share new people that we’re thinking of representing with each other to see what we think. The great thing about having a relationship with these guys is you have a sounding board.


Jason: It always comes back to original voices. It’s something the agency was built on. It’s championing people, maybe taking a bigger risk. When we look at material, we’re more excited by someone with a really original voice and point of view and great writing than we are by the next big spec idea. We’re building careers. It’s great to sell spec scripts, but for us what’s really important is longevity.

JC: (UTA client) Charlie Kaufman, case in point.

Jason: Yeah. Some of those scripts were just sitting around (at other agencies.)

Toby: You can’t really predict what the spec market is gonna do. You can get a sense of what you think people will get excited about or not, but getting them to actually buy a spec can be a tricky thing. If you’re excited about original voices and writing, it doesn’t quite matter as much whether the studios buy (the spec) or not. You hope that they do, but what you really want is a lot of people reading a writer who you think is talented—somebody that you can then get them to start working with.

JC: What do you like about UTA?

Julien: As a lit agent, I like that we’re very open to things that are out-of-the-box and different. There’s not that pressure to go in and sell the big spec. It’s much more “who are the writers that we’re excited about, and how do we embrace them as a group?” even though a new, young writer might have a spec script that goes out, even if it doesn’t sell, chances are the entire group has read that writer. We’ve all essentially signed off and believe in the person. That person still has a career, and there’s still business there. That’s exciting to me. It’s a different kind of business than a lot of other agencies have. Also I like that a lot of the business that we have has been here since the beginning. We grow a lot of talent. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing someone get their first big break.

Jason: I feel like the place takes more time in investing in its people and personnel. When you get promoted (they don’t just say) “Here’s your office. Good luck.” There’s not that feeling of sink or swim. They really want to see you succeed. There’s not that “You gotta go sign 30 people and good luck” (attitude.) Underlying it all is “Take your time with it. Sign the people you believe in.” It’s not a way of representing people where you sign 10 and if 2 take off, great—you can get rid of the other 8.

JC: Like some other agencies. What do each of you hope to bring to the table? How do you want the town to perceive you?

Toby: I feel like I’m just getting started. But what I’d like my reputation to be is (as) someone who is extremely hard-working, honest and straightforward, intelligent and passionate about the people that he represents. And is someone who will stand up for what he believes in, in terms of his artists.

Julien: I think integrity is one of the most important things in this job, which is ironic given the perception of agents, I think. I can say that’s the reason I do this, because I’ve seen people do it with integrity. You know they’re always working in the best interest of the client. There’s no greater compliment for someone who does what we do.

Jason: I would say…

Toby: Go for the zinger, Burns.

(Everyone laughs.)

Jason: Respect comes from being honest and direct, being passionate about the people you represent.

JC: What would your advice be to the CS reader who hopes to one day be represented by UTA?

Jason: People make the mistake of calling a production company or an agency, and it’s all about getting that (specific) person on the phone. If you get somebody (and it’s not) the producer you want to send the script to, but it’s their assistant, and they’re willing to take a look at your material—good reads, good notes can come from anyone. The people we listen to are executives or producers…

Julien: Managers…

Jason: Right, people around town, or even assistants here. Every once in a while an assistant will come up and go, “I love this script. Would you take a look at it”? And you listen to them. Any read is a good read. Just because you’re trying to get to that one person—you have to realize they probably don’t have the time to read unsolicited material, but there are people out there (who will read it.) You have to be your own agent first, and ingratiate yourself to the people you can get on the phone.

Julien: Assistants are a great way to go. We all have clients now whom we found as assistants that we sort of brought up with us.

JC: Were you guys taking home boatloads of scripts every weekend?

Toby: All the time, yeah. We still do. It doesn’t take that long, I think, to develop an awareness for how to get your script into somebody’s hands. I you have a Creative Directory and you get Creative Screenwriting, you can find out who reads and who doesn’t.

JC: You also have to be able to write a coherent query letter.

Toby: That’s true. But the most important thing is the script. Obviously there are certain things that are inherently commercial and certain things that are not, but at the end of the day, we respond to what’s personal and what’s real. The emphasis should be on the writing. Until you have that, don’t worry about the rest, because it doesn’t matter.

Jason: Don’t force your writing around. If you’re like, “I have the ultimate heist movie; I’m gonna set it on Mars.” Starting there is probably not the best place to start. Start from something you are really passionate about and think you can write well.

Toby: If you write a good script, someone will find it. Somebody will recognize it and give it to an agent or a manager. It will find it’s way into somebody’s hands, because everybody’s looking for a good script. But for your readership, I would say read a lot of scripts. Watch a lot of movies. Think about how they were written. And beyond that, most importantly, keep writing. Write a lot. And remember you’re writing for Hollywood, which is a business. And remember that there is an audience out there, and that determines whether Hollywood wants to invest in your screenplay. But at the same time, you have to write for yourself, because that’s the only way your voice will show through.

JC: Anything else you guys want to add?

Toby: Despite the “Locker Room” nickname, it wasn’t given to us for the smell.

The new website's here! The new website's here!

Well after a scary 2 days with our site down (thanks to the geniuses at names4ever.com,) we now finally have launched our new website! Check it out and let us know what you think. We'll be adding lots more content as the weeks go on, too. Whew!

Click here to visit the new Coverage, Ink!

Excelsior!

--Jim C.

Coverage, Ink website is down...

Yep, we know, it's been down since Sunday. I flipped the switch to make our new website go live, you know, the one we've been working on for months, which is finally ready to launch... and of course, nothing worked! But fear not, folks (actually I'm the one fearing right now to be honest) we'll have the site up as soon as we're able to point the DNS to the new server, whatever the heck that means. In the meantime, here's a look at the WOTS winners announcement we're running in the next issue of Creative Screenwriting magazine. Enjoy!

--Jim C.

The BWCS/ICM Merger

The big news of late is of course the merger of powerhouse agency ICM with the medium-sized Broder, Webb, Chervin and Silbermann. What does this mean for us writers? Well, we will find out. I certainly will be talking to my panelists from both agencies very soon to get their take on what happened and will report it in the next issue of Creative Screenwriting.

Known for their top-notch clients, boutique style and shrewd dealmaking, BWCS seems to me to be a very good fit with ICM, an excellent old-school agency who could benefit from BWCS' nimbleness and reputation. But of course with any merger comes layoffs, and that potentially takes opportunity from writers by taking a major player of the field.

Of course, some of the folks laid off will likely land elsewhere or maybe start management companies, as tends to happen.

Well, maybe with the addition of BWCS, ICM will be able to afford a new sign. This one is looking a bit de clase. Joking! I snapped this picture at ICM last year -- it's behind the building in the parking lot ;)

WOTS WINNERS

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that we present the winners of the Writers on the Storm Screenwriting Competition. Co-Chair of the UCLA Screenwriting Program Hal Ackerman called our top ten, "a decalogue of fine, varied, extremely imaginative and well-written screenplays. Persuasive arguments could be made for any of them being winners, and its easy to see why they went to the finals of the competition."

But in the end, there could be only one winner and two runners-up. They were chosen for their crisp dialogue, well-developed characters, excellent pacing and inventive storytelling. But above all, each one of them is a Movie with a capital "M"--all three jump off the page and into your mind's eye as you read them. We suspect you’ll be hearing about all our finalists in the months and years to come.

Once again, thanks to every single person who participated. We hope that all of you took away something positive from the experience. We promise you'll be hearing more from Writers on the Storm very soon.

Jim Cirile
Founder, Coverage Ink
Writers on the Storm Screenwriting Competition

GRAND PRIZE WINNER
RATIONAL PANIC by Robert Rhyne

FIRST RUNNER-UP
TRIO by John Unger Zussman & Patricia Zussman

SECOND RUNNER-UP
THE DOLLMAKER by Ned James Beedie

THE OTHER WOTS FINALISTS, in alphabetical order:

DANNY LONGLEGS by Keli Rowley

FURY by Dane Edward McCauley

HEAVENS TO BETSY by Brad Hennig

INK by Eric Andersen & Scott Smith

MASQUE by Kellen Hertz

THE NEWLY DEAD GAME by David Warfield

TYLER HUDSON'S CHRISTMAS EVE ADVENTURE by Carol Hoffman

COUNTDOWN TO THE WINNERS

Noon Monday... even now the leaders are jockeying for position...

Oh, the suspense!

Who's going to be $2,500 richer???

Stay tuned!

Producers... Agents... Managers...

I've gotten a few calls from industry folks who are tracking the Writers on the Storm contest, which is very nice to know! We have some awesome scripts coming down the pike for you folks -- you will not be disappointed. We're less than 1 week away now from announcing our winners.

If you're in the biz and would like to be added onto the list to see the winners, shoot me a mail at coverageink@aol.com.

We are sending all the companies on our list the winning script, along with the loglines of our top ten and a select few honorable mentions, plus a few comments on each. You may request to read any and/or all of them that strikes your fancy. We'll also keep you on the list for Writers on the Storm II.

WINNERS SOON!

--Jim Cirile

new website... almost ready!

We're about a week away from launching the new Coverage, Ink website! This all-new site features new services, articles and information, and some big news... but best of all... no price increases. Yep, you can get your script expertly analyzed for $129... less than it costs to gas up your Hummer.

The URL will be the same: www.coverageink.com. We're also kicking off the launch with a SALE which will only apply to folks on our newsletter mailing list, so if you're not on the list, send us an e-mail at coverageink@aol.com and we'll put you on the list. FYI, we will never spam you--you will only receive our monthly newsletters, chock full of (we hope) tips and inspiration.

Oh, and Writers on the Storm WINNERS... coming soon!

--Jim Cirile

The State of the Spec Market

I'm in the middle of writing my column for Creative Screenwriting, and boy, this is a weird one. It's my annual fall spec season column, and I am getting some wildly varying reports about the health of the spec marketplace.

Some of my panelists are reporting nothing but doom and gloom--nobody's buying jack. So then I point out the various spec sales listed in the trades, and say, how about these? Well, it turns out most of these are packages or scripts written by well-known writers with track records. Oh. Okay, so how are things for the emerging writer? Depends who you ask. Some of my panelists have had a great year and are excited for the fall. Some... less so.

I don't want to give away too much at this time (my editor would kill me if I did!) but this should be a do-not-miss column with a few surprises and hopefully a nice little sidebar on finding your screenwriting "voice."

Oh, and anybody who wants to know how the contest top ten are faring... heh heh heh. You'll get nothing out of me yet ;)

--Jim Cirile

WOTS TOP TEN

What a fantastic group of scripts we have here. And what a terrific assortment! We've got thrillers, horror, drama, comedy, animation, family, suspense--let it never be said we discriminate against any one particular genre.

The next three weeks, I will be reading these scripts along with UCLA Screenwriting Department Co-Head Hal Ackerman and a few other select industry folks. I am greatly looking forward to it. We will announce our WINNERS Monday, July 31st at noon.

Here are the awesome Writers on the Storm finalists in alphabetical order:

1) DANNY LONGLEGS --- Keli Rowley
animated/family/comedy

2) FURY -- Dane Edward McCauley
dramedy/thriller

3) HEAVENS TO BETSY -- Brad Hennig
comedy

4) INK -- Eric Andersen & Scott Smith
dramedy/suspense

5) MASQUE -- Kellen Hertz
drama/period drama/romance

6) RATIONAL PANIC -- Robert Rhyne
thriller

7) THE DOLLMAKER -- Ned James Beedie
thriller/suspense

8) THE NEWLY DEAD GAME -- David Warfield
teen/horror/comedy

9) TRIO -- John Unger Zussman & Patricia Zussman
drama/period drama/romance

10) TYLER HUDSON'S CHRISTMAS EVE ADVENTURE -- Carol Hoffman
family/comedy/adventure

Thanks to everyone who entered for helping to make our contest a smash hit!

To Refer or Not to Refer?

Informal poll here, guys, as we await the WOTS top ten.

Some of CI's competitors, for example Script Shark, ostensibly refer scripts that do well to industry contacts. CI's policy has always been that we make no representations about helping you market your script (Writers on the Storm contest excluded, of course.) We simply give you a thorough analysis--usually much more in-depth than our competitors--and charge you less, but the marketing is up to you. I've always hated the carrot and stick approach personally. I think it's a bit disingenuous to hold that prize out for people and then hand out disappointment to the vast majority of clients.

However, we HAVE actually helped a few clients from time to time. We just don't make a big deal about it. In fact, we've gotten a small handful of folks agents and managers.

So the question is: do you guys think CI should change our policy or keep it as is? Would like like to know (stated publicly on our website) that if your script gets a strong consider AND we consider it marketable, that we will all read it, discuss our feedback with the writer and then, with writer's permission, give it to some industry folks--bearing in mind that's less than 1% of submissions? Or do we just continue to offer better service and cheaper prices and not dangle some imaginary carrot? We're rolling out our new website within the next 2 weeks, so now would be a great time to incorporate any changes... IF we are going to make any. The floor is open!

--Jim Cirile

WOTS SEMIFINALISTS

Ladies and gentlemen, Writers on the Storm and Coverage, Ink proudly announces our semifinalists.

There are some AMAZING scripts in this group. Every single person on this list should be congratulated for really bringing the goods.

As for the 160 folks we eliminated--we feel your pain. We're all writers, too. We know what it's like.

I can tell you that the scripts below all had good writing AND a great concept. Many of our contest entries had one or the other but often not both. Of course, writing is a skill which can be learned just like any other craft. Some may be more adept at it than others, but at the end of the day, if you keep at it long enough and study with the right people, you will get better.

But concept is, er, another story. There were some great writers we had to eliminate in this round because while they could turn a phrase, the story just wasn't as unique or fascinating or cool as it could have been. Others had a really neat idea, but the script execution just was not quite there--yet. (Of course, if anyone wants serious feedback on their script, contact us at coverageink@aol.com, and don't forget to request $10 off as a WOTS entrant.)

Our TOP TEN will be announced at 12 noon on July 9th.

And so without further ado...

WRITERS ON THE STORM JUNE 2006 SEMIFINALISTS

Ariadne's Thread by Stephen Callen
Bloody Mary by Erica Land
Booker T. by J. Hol
Boys In Red by Jeffrey Davis
Danny Longlegs by Keli Rowley
Dimmesdale by Doug Molitor
Divorce In The White House by Dane Edward McCauley
Empire of the Wolf by Michael Kogge
Felix The Flyer by Christopher Canole
Fire and Rain by Phil Smy
Fishtown by Aaron Schnore
From the Old World by Adam Mosher
Fury by Dane Edward McCauley
Good Ole Boy Band by Jason Ancona
Good Television by Matt Dallman
Healing Marie by James Ossi
Heavens to Betsy by Brad Hennig
Ink by Eric Anderson & Scott Smith
Iron Men by John Metzner
Jerusalem Idol by Lewis Papier
Jonathan's Missing by Leslie & Michael Green
Kakakarma by Carlota Bennett
Lost Souls by Bryan Carrigan
Magick by Jeff Spry
Masque by Kellen Hertz
Mister Perfect by Carri Karuhn
Rational Panic by Robert Rhyne
Red & Dead by Patrick Udomsak
Richard by Kathryne Sheard
Rochester by Terry Frazier
Scent by Ronald DiPrimio
Sherlock & Jack by Jeff Wolverton
Shroud of Darkness by Max Adams
Sole Pursuit by Jason Siner
Stars and Bars by Troy DeRego
The Art of the Dodge by Donna Miller
The Big Four Oh by Bernie Felix, Jr.
The Brick Layer by Laqueta Lewis
The Contest by Melanie Winstead
The Curse of Nostradamus by Robert Williams
The Dollmaker by Ned James Beedie
The Fraternity by Jeff Wiegand
The Joshua Device by John Connell
The Magick of Time by Patricia Joyce
The Man Behind The Man by Michael Brand
The Newly Dead Game by David Warfield
The Rut by Kevin Caruso
Time Surfer by Sandi Steinberg
Tray People by Fred Pakiewicz
Trio by John Unger Zussman & Patricia Zussman
Tyler Hudson's Christmas Eve Adventure by Carol Hoffman
Vincent's Shadow by Don Perez
Viral by Mark Kratter

SEMIFINALISTS - to be announced 6/24

Hi folks, since we had a lot more quarterfinalists than we anticipated, and since we want to make sure every one of them gets read again, and because we need to make sure we have the absolute best, top 50, we are bumping the announcement of the Writers on the Storm semifinalists to 12 noon SATURDAY 6/24. We apologize for the extra couple of days. Now we've got to get back to reading those scripts!

--Portia Jefferson

Rock N' Roll Nightmare on DVD!

Way back when, in the halcyon days of the late '80s when Republican presidents were sane and big hair still rawked, I had the pleasure of working on a little film called The Edge of Hell (later renamed Rock N' Roll Nightmare for VHS release.) Conceived by my brother-in-law John Fasano (who went on to an excellent screenwriting/directing career) as a ultra-chee-Z camp rockin' horror flick, we assembled a team of our friends -- artists and sculptors all -- in John and my sister's basement to sculpt all manner of wacky monster puppets on a budget of $3. Literally. Oh yeah, and we also all starred in the film as heavy metal icon Jon Thor's band. That there was some fine actin', let me tell you! The finished film came out laughably, wonderfully bad, and has garnered a sizable cult following over the years.

Well, I am happy to say that Rock N' Roll Nightmare is finally coming to DVD June 27th in a glorious, feature-packed special edition brimming with outtakes, a Thor documentary and and hilarious commentary from Thor and Fasano. If you live anywhere near Burbank, stop by horror bookstore and collectibles shop DARK DELICACIES on July 5th at 7 PM. I'll be there along with Fasano and my sister Cin and others involved with the movie signing DVDs. Dark Delicacies is located at 4213 W. Burbank Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505.
Check out the review at DVD Maniacs. Then stop in and ridicule me for my outrageously bad Aussie accent in the film. Well, at least I get to play drums, get laid AND eaten by a zombie. Which I consider to be a great way to spend the day. Friggin' A, mate!

Pre-order the DVD from Amazon HERE.

(Good Lord, me with blond hair!)

--JIM CIRILE

THE PRESSURE MOUNTS...

Picking the WOTS semifinalists... this is the really hard part, for several reasons. First, there are a lot of really good scripts in the quarterfinal round. Whittling 200 scripts down to 50 is going to be very hard.

But definitely not as hard as it will be for the 150 of you who get eliminated in round 2.

Yep, that's a killer. May even be harder than getting knocked out in round one, because you've maybe gotten your hopes up a little bit. And 3/4 of you are going to have to be jettisoned. Ouch. Man, I feel for every one of you guys that happens to.

The folks who make the semis and get eliminated before the top ten, I feel less sorry for. They can still use that semifinalist status to plug their careers and feel confident they're good writers whose scripts need more tweaking than a big rewrite.

We're going to be using a points system in the QFs to hopefully help with the elimination process. This is the exact same scoring system we've been using to judge the CS Open Live Writing Tournament for 5 years, and it works well.

We'll have those semifinalists next week!

--JIM CIRILE

QUARTERFINALISTS FYI

Hey guys,

One of our quarterfinalists asked a good question -- are the QF scripts going to be read again, or are they simply going to be advanced based on the scores from the first round? The answer is yes, we are going to reread all the quarterfinalist scripts with fresh readers. They will not be privy to to opinions/feedback from the first reader. As for the 50 semifinalists, same thing -- they will all be read again by a fresh set of eyes.

The top ten will be read by me personally along with UCLA Co-Head of the Screenwriting Dept. Hal Ackerman, our top 3 CI analysts and select industry friends. I've deliberately kept myself out of the loop as far as the feedback goes and have no idea of what the analysts have thought of each script so far (with the exception of the folks who entered through Coverage, Ink and made the quarterfinals -- although I have not personally read any of those either.)

One other comment: One fellow wrote me to say that he thought we were treating the Coverage Ink clients with kid gloves, since they only have to get a consider with reservations for script to make it to the quarterfinals. In fact, exactly the opposite is true. As any CI client will tell you, our analyses are thorough and tough. When you sit with a script for 8 hours dissecting it, you find a lot more issues than if you simply read it and write up a quick paragraph of mini-analysis. It's actually harder, not easier, to make the quarterfinals through CI than if you had submitted directly to the contest. The trade-off there is that CI clients get the ammunition to improve their scripts and are then encouraged to do so and then resubmit directly to the contest. In short, they got a second chance, and several CI clients took advantage of that. So in the end, I think it all balances out in terms of fairness.

regards to all,

Jim Cirile

NOW WHAT?

So what's next? What are you guys all going to do with those scripts? Have any marketing plans? Going to take the summer off? Going to take some classes?

Me, after taking a 9-month sabbatical to recharge my batteries and earn a certificate in the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, I plan on jumping back into the game again. I've got two new specs nearing completion. And when I say nearing completion, I mean they still need quite a bit more development (which is a kind way of saying they still kind of suck eggs.) My long-suffering agent is probably going to have a cardiac when and if he sees new material from me. (Don't laugh. It's happened before. Agent Bobby Littman, may he rest in peace, left the planet shortly after sending out one of my specs many years ago. Coincidence? Hmm.)

How about you guys? What are you going to do with those scripts you submitted to WOTS? Have you entered them in other contests? Does anybody have anything interesting going on career-wise? Let us know!

--Jim Cirile

MINI-ANALYSIS

Hi folks -- Just a quick note to let you know we should be able to get all the mini-analyses sent out by June 9th.

Best wishes to everyone who participated.

--Jim C.

2006 WOTS QUARTERFINALISTS

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that we present to you this list. Writers on the Storm received 907 submissions--outstanding for a first-year-contest--and even more remarkable was how many GOOD scripts there were. We had a LOT of considers and recommends--over 20% of our submissions! Maybe that's because a lot of you guys are Coverage, Ink clients and have been working to develop and hone your scripts. Whatever the reason, a lot of scripts rocked the house!

To everyone on this list, a big congratulations. We will be reading your scripts again in the semifinal round. To all of you folks who didn't make the quarterfinals, don't get discouraged! Sometimes success is just a quick polish or maybe a class or a script analysis away. And to that end, we plan on sending out the mini-analyses on every submission by June 9th. . We will announce the semifinalists June 20th.

And don't forget that everyone who entered Writers on the Storm gets $10 off any Coverage, Ink analysis throughout 2006!

Without further ado, we proudly present the WOTS quarterfinalists. Nice work, everyone!

2012 by Susan Yeich
2 Bedroom 2 Bath by Scott Liapis
4-1-9 by Jake Van Vuuren
50-50 by Robert Henry Hill
58 Nights by Irving de la Concha
Absolution for the Innocent by John Heim
Adelitas by Sarah Vaill
A Family Dream by Constance Brenner
Age Before Beauty by Doris Gill
All the Stars In the Heavens by William Stoddard
American English by Phil Swinburne
Amputation Station by Richard Smith
Amy's Porch by Jennifer Buttell-Kersey
Ariadne's Thread by Stephen Callen
Attack of the Toaster! by Greg Quinn
Balls of Different Sizes by Robert Tobin & Leslie Coogan
Beneath The Mask by Robin Warder
Black Rising Sun by Susan Yeich
Blonds by Elizabeth Winstead
Blood Brothers by Patrick Wier
Blood of Angels by Reay Jespersen
Bloody Mary by Erica Land
Blue Notes by Vishal Reddy
Booker T. by J. Hol
Boys In Red by Jeffrey Davis
Broad Daylight by David Leonard
Broken English by Alexander Stirling
Broken Heartland by Greg Daubenspeck
Brutes by Mark Glinski
Bull Riders Only by Melinda May
Bury The Lead by Maureen Murphy
Butcher #57 by Lando Barbagli
Chasing Stephen Spielberg by Robert Tobin
Clear Heels by Dave Cooper
Colter's Hell by Robin Russin
Community Sports by Tom Thompson
Constantine the Great by David Mulholland
Cost of Living by Kellen Hertz
Cougar Run by Sean Kelly
Count Her Clock Wise by Christopher Canole
Crush On You by Maria Lusby
Danny Longlegs by Kelly Rowley
Dead End by Christopher Fry
Dead Man Running by Terence Loose
Demon Slayer by Anthony Pindrock
Diamond Trust by Tim Rosenow
Dimmesdale by Doug Molitor
Divorce In The White House by Dane Edward McCauley
Double Bind by Greg Daubenspeck
Driver Ed by Bill Ward
Echoes of Tiananmen by William Flannigan
Empire of the Wolf by Michael Kogge
Every Time I Go To Staten Island by Irin Evers
Exposure of War by Kevin Caruso
F*Stop by Roberta Degnore
Far From The Tree by Mary Batchellor
FATS by Mitchel Resnick
Felix The Flyer by Christopher Canole
Film As Literature by James Merrill
Finding Center by Richard Rossner
Finding Love At Mardi Gras by Anna Maganini
Fire and Rain by Phil Smy
Fire Ants by Daniel Barwick
Fishtown by Aaron Schnore
Forces Unseen by Curt Nickels
Fortunate Sons by Roy Schmitz
From the Old World by Adam Mosher
Fury by Dane Edward McCauley
Game Night by Chris DelliCarpini
G.I. Samurai by Carlton Saito
Good Ole Boy Band by Jason Ancona
Good Television by Matt Dallman
Healing Marie by James Ossi
Heavens to Betsy by Brad Hennig
He's A Winner by Warren Clarke
Hellsville by David Agranoff
High and Low And In Between by Suzanne Carney
Hopper by David Kurtz
Humanimal by Tim Wells
Hung Jury by Jason Siner
In Search of Captain Childe by Heather Rose
Ink by Eric Anderson & Scott Smith
Invasion of the Pod People by Craig Proudly
Iron Men by John Metzner
Jackie's Girls by Joan Kufrin
Jerusalem Idol by Lewis Papier
Jocks & Geeks by Marla Brandon
Jonathan's Missing by Leslie & Michael Green
Kakakarma by Carlota Bennett
Kingbird & Franklin by Donald Adams
Lady Jazz by Jean Hunter
Life Is What You Make it by Russell Dye
Looks That Kill by Robert Gemmill
Lost Souls by Bryan Carrigan
Love Conquers All by Dane Edward McCauley
Love Unexpected by Antoinette Ojeda
Lurch's Friends by Larry Boodry
Magick by Jeff Spry
Manhunters by Don Perez
Masque by Kellen Hertz
Miracles by Zack Heath
Mirror Mirror by Douglas Hall
Mister Perfect by Carri Karuhn
Mock Trial by Alex Lerner
NightStop by Tom Zambrano
Play With Fire by Karen Mobayed
Pool Guy by Saena Yi
Princess Reborn by Lee Tidball
Projekt Outcast by Dennis Shutty
Purr by Dave Hackett
Quiet Storm by Marc Kravitz
Rap Mitzvah by Jacqueline Frazier
Rational Panic by Robert Rhyne
Reality Show by Sara Denson
Red & Dead by Patrick Udomsak
Richard by Kathryne Sheard
Rise by Jason Crittenden
Rochester by Terry Frazier
Rotten by Hal Jordan
Sandscape by Joe Lam
Sandwiches & Chips by Ritchard Shadian
Santa Ana Winds by Paul Jarnagin
Scent by Ronald DiPrimio
Sculpting Acacia by Richard Abercrombie
Second Chance Dog by Mark O'Neill
Sherlock & Jack by Jeff Wolverton
Shroud of Darkness by Max Adams
Shuffle Hustle by Kevin Lewis
Smashed by Lisa Dahlseid
Sole Pursuit by Jason Siner
Songs For The Dead by Mark Tompkins
Sons of Illusion by Adriana Cepeda
Soul Calling by Victoria Sambursky
Spitting Image by Andrew Smith
Spring Break by Murray Spitzer
Stars and Bars by Troy DeRego
Stick & Stones by Kathryne Sheard
Stuck in the 80s by Seth Argabright
Sultana by Laqueta Lewis
Ten Shots of Tequila by Ted Gurich
Terror Alert by Bernie Felix, Jr.
The Art of Deception by Kevin Caruso
The Art of the Dodge by Donna Miller
The Backup by Anthony Sclafani, Jr.
The Beneficiary by Marshall Thornton
The Big Four Oh by Bernie Felix, Jr.
The Brick Layer by Laqueta Lewis
The Contest by Elizabeth Winstead
The Crescent City by Cathy Krasnianski
The Curse of Nostradamus by Robert Williams
The Dark Radius by Frederick Kim
The Dollmaker by Ned James Beedie
The Domain by Michael Raymond
The Essence of Anarchy by Brian Ivey
The Essence of Emily by Jack Brinkerhoff
The Fickle Pickle by Eric Johnson
The Fraternity by Jeff Wiegand
The Fun In Funeral by Mario Mojico
The Good War by Murray Spitzer
The Great Quest by Steve Weissman
The Joshua Device by John Connell
The Kray Survivors by Ronald Randolph
The Last Act by Nathan Perkins
The Last Campaign by Parrish Griggs
The Last Flight of The Blackbird by David Cooper
The Last Princess by Jacquelyn Prell
The Last Sky by Barbara Senatore
The Long Night by Barry Barclay
The Magick of Time by Patricia Joyce
The Man Behind The Man by Michael Brand
The Maple Gods by Lisa Judge
The Mothership by Scott Shackelford
The Newly Dead Game by David Warfield
The Perfect Proposal by Phil Olson
The Rut by Kevin Caruso
The Second Coming by Leroy Bryant
The Secret of the Smile by Robin Russin
The September Issue by Jeremy Vogel
The Stunning Box by David Bertoni
The Walk-Ons by Alexander Drummond
The Want Ad Widow by Sharon Shipley
The Rock of Abandon by Stephen Blackburn
Time Shift by Richard Joslyn
Time Surfer by Sandi Steinberg
Timing by Anthony Sclafani Jr.
TJ by Don Grail
To Dream of Life by Bradley Duncan
Tony See and The Salvador Deception by Russell Riggins
Top Story by Alberto Valenzuela
Tray People by Fred Pakiewicz
Trio by John Zussman
Tsunami Warning by Carlton Saito
Tunnel Rats by Robert Marks
Two Kings by Jason Wall
Tyler Hudson's Christmas Eve Adventure by Carol Hoffman
Ultraviolet Child by James Ossi
Vincent's Shadow by Don Perez
Viral by Mark Kratter
Voyage To Freedom by Larry Hedaa
War of the Galaxies by Thomas Eng
Warrior Pride by Fred Maske
Witness Creek by Ross Buckner
Worse Than Prison by Rick McCormick
Year of the Hangman by David Russotto
You're Invited by Jennifer Barrow
Zebalun by Peter Rex Wilkes
Zelko by James Dickson