I just graduated college and want to be a screenwriter. What should I do?
I recently received this question on LinkedIn, where I give advice to screenwriters from a literary manager's perspective. Here is the long version of my answer.
This is a free edition of my Weekly Email Newsletter! Every week I do a deep dive on an aspect of the business of screenwriting from a (former) literary manager’s perspective.
Subscribe, so you never miss a post.
This December, I left my literary manager job.
I had been working in representation for almost a decade.
I graduated from Chapman University a semester early, in January of 2015, so this marks the ten-year anniversary of my career as a professional in Hollywood.
I have made mistakes, friends, memories, and connections along the way. I have built a vast and supportive network, burned bridges, gotten fired, and gotten promoted. I have suffered through an assistant’s salary (and hours) and built a roster of screenwriter clients I believed in.
I launched careers for writers in TV, getting them staffed on their first shows. I have launched feature careers for writers who had their films produced by Tubi, Lifetime, and Netflix. I got writers their first (and second and third…) jobs for hire, writing movies and pilots for studios like 20th, Wayfarer, and Lionsgate.
Safe to say, I’ve seen it all.
But the whole reason I got into this job in the first place was to be a writer myself.
They tell you when you graduate that the best thing you can do for yourself is to get a job as an assistant anywhere in the industry. So that’s what I did. But it’s easy to get stuck here. Taking a leap out of the safe position takes courage. Some people even require a little push against their will.
But I was lucky. I have the opportunity to move from executive to writer.
It’s a powerful but scary shift.
I’m excited to be doing this, and I am so grateful to my readers and supporters here on Substack for their feedback and encouragement that I’ve received over the past year.
I started this newsletter a year ago. Since then, it’s grown to over 5,000 readers and has become a Substack bestseller. And I don’t plan on stopping.
My position in Hollywood is changing and I’m taking on more of a creative role.
Moving forward, I will be focusing on my own writing projects. But I still plan to post regular advice on LinkedIn and weekly deep dives here on Substack. Some will be responses to reader questions based on my 10 years working as a manager. I still have much more to say on this topic, and I can even be more transparent about the realities of how literary managers work, now that I’m not in that position anymore.
But I also plan on talking more about the craft of screenwriting.
I will share the insights, successes, and pitfalls I run into as these writing opportunities shake out for me.
I want you to learn from my mistakes, triumphs, access, and studies. I’m still in Los Angeles, and I’m still very much in Entertainment.
I’m not going anywhere.
Now that I have made this leap, in the spirit of the New Year, let’s look back and see what someone should do if they’re just graduating, just getting started, and want to make this journey themselves.
Step 1: Get a job anywhere in the industry that you can.
I hate giving this advice, believe me.
Having been an unpaid intern and an assistant myself, I know how hard it is to sustain yourself in a big city like Los Angeles on the paltry salaries that these roles offer. But it unfortunately remains the best way to get access to bosses, mentors, and insights into how this industry works.
Start however you can. Get an internship, find a job doing script coverage, get work as a set PA or in reality TV, in casting, or in post-production. Anything.
You don’t have to love it, and it’s not for forever.
It’s just to pad your resume and show you have experience. From here, you can focus on trying to get a better job (more on this in a second).
I know this part is hard. While you're working on applications, skip down to Step 3.
Step 2: Whatever you do, do it well.
For the first six months, don’t focus on trying to get promoted.
Don’t focus on networking or trying to find a better job. Put your head down and excel in your current role. Ingratiate yourself with the people at your office. Make friends. Start building your network with your co-workers and bosses. Get them to trust you. Don’t be too ambitious right away. Experienced executives and assistants hate this. They want to see that you are willing to be a great assistant first.
(Don’t worry, it’s just for six months. You can do this).
CAVEAT: When I say “don’t focus on anything else,” I do NOT mean that you should neglect your creative work.
No matter what, it’s essential that you remind yourself why you’re here in the first place. If you came to this industry to be a writer, at the very least, spend 30 minutes each morning or evening on your personal work.
Work on your script on the weekends.
If you don’t keep up with your creative practice, it will hurt your emotional stamina. You’ll forget why you are here in the first place. This will result in either burnout or in you giving up on your dreams and becoming a Development Executive.1
Step 3: Build your personal network.
In every conversation, be polite and curious.
Build out your personal network in your job and outside your job. It’s tempting to think that this means spending all of your available income on getting drinks with friends. Believe me, I did this so much when I was an assistant, and I called it “networking” to feel better about myself.
But the people you meet out partying, even if they are rich or famous or talented, will not become solid connections.
Networking comes from intentional conversations:
Meet someone at work and ask them about their job. Go out with them in a social setting outside of the office. Especially if it’s an organized event (say, for a birthday or holiday) or a non-drinking event (like a screening or a hike).
When you talk to someone, think about the people you know that they would benefit from meeting. Introduce them (either via email, text, or in person). Ask your friends to make intentional introductions for you.
Stay in touch with everyone you meet. You should reach out to them via text or email about something specific at least every six months. There’s nothing worse than having to ask for a favor by first reminding someone who you are and that you met them 5 years ago.
For more actionable tactics on networking, check out the deep dive I wrote here.
Step 4: Create a system for keeping track of your contacts.
Regularly check in with everyone you meet at least every 6-12 months.
Following up doesn't have to be (shouldn't be) requesting to meet up for coffee. But it should be more than just "How have you been?" Ask them a question about their lives, bring up something that you think will be interesting to them. Send them a meme that reminds you of something you two talked about.
The longer you do this, the bigger your network will get.
Realistically, it’s going to be impossible to remember every detail about everyone you meet. And you don’t want to rely on social media for this because you never know when they might delete their account or neglect to update it with something important.
This is why you need a system.
Write notes in your phone’s contacts. Log in your Google calendar when you last spoke with someone, and put a reminder in there for when you want to check in with them again.
You can also create an Excel spreadsheet for this. Or use a CRM (Customer Relationship Management software) like Relatable or Dex.
Whatever you end up using, the trick is to stay consistent.
The longer you keep in touch with someone, the more they will like and trust you. And maybe even invite you to things.
In general, a great rule of thumb is to always go to everything you’re invited to. Even if you’re tired, even if you don’t feel like it, even if you’re an introvert. You don’t have to stay for very long. But you never know who you’re going to meet. It could turn into a mutually beneficial relationship, you could find a new friend, or it could just be a funny story for the future.
Stay open to opportunities and be gracious with everyone you meet.
If you do this, more and more doors will open themselves up to you.
Step 5: Know your Dream Day Job.
If your goal is to be a writer, your Dream Day Job is probably working as a Writers' Assistant, Script Coordinator, Assistant to a Literary Agent, Showrunner's Assistant, Producer's Assistant, or Staff Writer.
These jobs are hard to get.
You have to know someone to get hired as a Writers’ Assistant. This opportunity will not be found on a job board like Entertainment Careers.2
Many writers complain about this and say that it’s unfair. And they’re right. It is. I also wish that Hollywood was a meritocracy.
But I can’t change it. I can only give advice on how to navigate the reality that we’re all living and working in.
Yes, this industry is all about who you know. But this is a solvable problem. Get to know more people. And more of the right people. Make them want to help you, and they will.
As you network, every time you talk to someone, tell them your goal. Ask them if they can introduce you to anyone who can help you get there.
It’s only by speaking your next step objective that you allow your allies to help you. Speak it often, and don’t be shy about your long and short term ambitions.
Step 6: Carve out daily time to work on your own personal writing sample.
Whether it's half an hour in the morning, an hour at lunch, or an hour in the evening, stay consistent with your creative practice.
You’ll most likely find that evening hours are all but impossible to devote to writing. Most assistant and production jobs are rigorous and emotionally exhausting. You will probably be too tired to write when you come home.
Know this and plan accordingly.
Show up to the office before anyone else gets there. Find a nearby coffee shop to sneak off to at lunch. Wake up half an hour earlier and do a page of writing with your morning coffee at home.
Whatever it takes, never, ever neglect your own craft. Even one page a day adds up.
If this is why you’re here, you need to keep moving forward as an artist.
There’s no point in getting that perfect assistant job and building a supportive network if you don’t have a brilliant sample to hand someone when they are ready to give you your big break.
Step 7: Keep taking classes.
Yes, even if you went to film school and have been studying writing for the past 4+ years, you still have a ton to learn.
You will learn more about writing in your day job (hopefully), but if you aren’t working for writers in a creative capacity, you will need to carve out time to keep your education moving forward.
Invest in reputable online or in-person courses. Ask writers you admire how they learned. Don't just focus on your Work in Progress. Take time to methodically improve your skills. Diagnose your weaknesses (or ask someone else to tell you what they are).
Improve on them until they become your strengths.
Step 8: Build a support network outside Entertainment.
I cannot over-emphasize how crucial this is for your sanity.
You need friends who work in other industries. This is helpful for when you’re dealing with an abusive situation at the office. Once you’re immersed in entertainment, it’s easy to think that certain behaviors are normal. But if you have a friend who works in insurance, medicine, or education, the look of horror on their face when you tell certain stories is a helpful reality check.
You need someone to give you perspective.
Certain milestones can feel like an end-all-be-all with fellow creatives. But if you have friends who aren’t on this path, they can allow you to take a break and focus on other parts of life that matter, like family, relaxing hobbies, or visiting nature.
Take regular steps away from this world, even if it’s just for one conversation.
Step 9: Build and maintain a hobby outside Entertainment.
Writing is a lifelong practice, and you can’t always see the results immediately.
This can be demoralizing. For your mental health, pick up a hobby that gives you linear, tangible results. Think: Lifting weights, running, learning a language, or dance.
Not only will this strengthen neural pathways that boost your creativity, it will also do wonders for your sanity. You need a feeling of encouragement when you see yourself making actual progress in something quickly.
I love writing, and I know you do too.
But you will be a better writer if you take some time away from it every week.
Step 10: Don’t burn bridges.
No experience is a waste of time.
No meeting is pointless. Even conversations that don't immediately result in a job can snowball into a supportive network of people who are willing to help you in the future. Stay friends with people. When you ask them for a favor in the future, you want them to remember who you are and think positively of you.
But there’s no need to be fake.
I am not telling you to lie.
There are literally millions of people in this industry. You can thrive even if you only stay friends with the ones you actually like.
It's all about work ethic, personality, and grit.
Don't give up, but also be willing to change tactics and get realistic about where you need to improve if something isn't working.
If you’re interested in a transformational Zoom writing class that will level up your understanding of story structure, I recommend Talton Wingate’s Process Intensive.3
It starts January 16th and goes through March 20th, from 2-5pmPT (with 1 week off).
The Process Intensive is designed, through daily writing assignments and weekly one-on-one feedback with your teacher, to help you learn how to start achieving consistent strength and clarity in your writing.
While the work is rooted in conflict-driven structure, they'll be teaching crucial skills and tools that will help you test, modify, and train your process to achieve your strongest writing.
Tools such as the Context Paragraph, Escalation Blueprints, Mistake Lists, Rewrite Plans and more, as well as learning how to create strong and commanding goals and stakes plus identifying a character's Fear and Purpose, will help you to break down and approach any story you want to tell.
The journey to a great script starts with a great process, and the journey to a great process starts here.
More info on the Good Material Writing Intensives can be found online
at www.itsgoodmaterial.com.
If you have any questions or would like to sign up, please reach out
to Amy at intensives@itsgoodmaterial.com.
There’s nothing wrong with this, of course! Maybe you (like many development execs) will realize that you actually don’t like writing as much as you thought you did and you’ll be happier in a different role in this industry. That’s a valid possibility for your journey. But if you, like me, just can’t ever be happy unless you are writing, make sure you keep writing.
Entertainment Careers is, however, a great resource for getting that Step 1 foot-in-the-door job. Another site for this is Tracking Board. It’s where I got my Receptionist job at Cartel.
I am not getting paid to promote this, I legitimately found so much value in everything I learned from these classes. However, if I refer enough people, I can get a discount when I sign up for another one in the future, so please tell them that Audrey Knox sent you, it will help me out :)
And what would you say to writers over 50.
“…the whole reason I got into this job in the first place was to be a writer myself” Gosh I can relate, Audrey! Exciting times though, what a transition! 💪🥂