A lot of metaphorical comparisons are made with building a screenwriting career, but few compare as well as going out and getting a job in a different field. In this blog, Rick Hansberry draws many parallels based on his own experiences. Be warned though, his advice here is brutal and to the point, so those waiting for the world to come to them need not apply - CJ
We’re into the second quarter of 2024. That went fast. If your New Year started with a career layoff or position elimination, like mine did, it’s been a long 12 weeks, but I’ve uncovered some parallels between writing and marketing scripts to career job searching and fortunately, the traits needed to survive both benefit each other. In fact, by using these four tactics to pursue both, it may become a hotly contested race to see what comes first: Full-time mortgage-paying work or a screenplay sale or option. Here’s my 4 Things a Screenwriter Should Do to use Job Search techniques to help become a paid screenwriter:
1. Get After it - Every Day. Attitude is everything. When you are job seeking, your job is to get a job. It takes discipline and consistent effort. Get up on Monday, get dressed and hit the job boards. Network. Apply. Call. Get creative. Email former co-workers and business colleagues. Attend job fairs. Your day, or the better part of it, should be applied toward finding a job. I know you would rather be writing but there will be time for that. Right now, lining up steady, bill-paying, full-time income is Job one to keep the lights on. Write great cover letters. Enhance your resume. Spruce up your LinkedIn profile. Done all that? Here’s the kicker: Get up on Tuesday and do it all over again – only better. At no point did I say this would be fun. If it were fun they would call it ‘play.’ This is work.
How does that translate to becoming a paid screenwriter? Again. Attitude is everything. When you put your script out there, your job is to get others to be as excited about making as you are. How? Get up earlier on Monday, and make sure your material is as good as it can be before sending it out. No typos. Scenes that start late and end early. Engaging descriptions. Fluid transitions. Your characters should have an original voice so that if you covered the character name on the middle pages, your character should be easily identified by how and what they speak. Hone your log lines. Enhance your web site. Don’t have one – Back up, create your web site -- then spruce up your About Me profile. Done all that AFTER looking for the mortgage-paying job? Here’s a pat on the forehead. Now, get up on Tuesday and do that all over again for your next script. Only have one script to market? You guessed it. Back up – write more material! Create content. Think you’ll magically have more time when you finally do land full-time employment? What is this? The movies? No way. Again, at no point did I say this would be fun, but you’ve got to plant seeds before you can harvest rewards.
2. Next, on the career job-hunting dashboard of duties -- Stay current and relevant. Don’t know what’s happening with AI in your industry? Better find out. How’s your SQL skills? If you just muttered “Say what, now?” Maybe watch a YouTube video and learn because here’s the front page of today’s Realty News: You’re not alone and you’re not special. There are hundreds of applicants for one job, and you better be setting yourself apart by checking all of the boxes in the preferred skills section.
How does this trait translate to becoming a paid screenwriter? Have you tracked the genres of scripts that are winning awards or getting bought? Noticing the trends? Here’s one hint: Contained and LGBTQ. Got one of those? No? There’s Tuesday morning’s writing prompt. Don’t know how to format a depiction of something we see on a computer monitor in a key scene of your script? There’s Tuesday night’s research. Do your scripts have a solid elevator pitch and one-page synopsis? No? There’s what you do AFTER your job-hunting time on Wednesday and Thursday. With job hunting and script shopping, the universal rule applies: No one is going to do it for you. You’ve got to buck up, strap in and take the reins of what you can control. Beyond that, there’s enough that’s out of your control and you better be able to just move on and continue to embrace and trust the process because you cannot just sit back and hit refresh and hope for an email or life-changing phone call.
3. Network. Network. Network. Complete a LinkedIn profile and get on there. Their algorithm recently changed, and your career profile will get bumped up significantly by liking, commenting, and interacting with others. Get comfortable searching out and connecting with other folks in your field of work. Be active on industry message boards and trade shows if they have them. Reach out to people in your area or in your circle of business connections that are also involved in the creative arts. Expand your horizons – get outside the box and take an acting class or stage production class. Attend a film festival in your area. Guaranteed, you’ll meet other aspiring writers.
How does this translate to the traditional job hunt? Networking yields the best results, plain and simple. The most ideal jobs are never even posted because they are filled by someone who knows someone that’s perfect for the role. Keep your network alive by being a cheerleader when a friend or colleague gets a promotion or closes a sale. It's a big deal to them and they should be commended and celebrated. Don’t just hit up your network when you need a job tip or a favor. Celebrate the success of others. In the simplest of terms, be nice, be kind and be generous with praise and support of others. It costs nothing and will pay great dividends when people remember you for how you made them feel.
4. Freelance and Contract work. OK, maybe you’re not getting hired to write scripts for someone, but you can still sell your writing. Write articles, blogs, short stories. Look at any writing trade publication and run down the list of content that is sought after. Don’t be an elitist about being a professional screenwriter. Be a paid ‘writer.’ Better yet, put your money where your cursor is and use whatever money you make selling your writing toward screenplay contest entrance fees. Placing in a contest is usually a good filter and may lead to some quality exposure. Win a contest and you are forever an award-winning writer.
How does this translate to full-time job hunting? 2024 is a brutal job market so far. Even highly-qualified candidates are struggling to get the few jobs that do become available. Gone are the days when you just hit the pavement, resume in hand, and knocked on a door until one opened for you. AI is not helping, and it is replacing some jobs. Bottom line, you’ve got to adopt the Lion mentality. Always be hunting. Never stop pursuing a way to make income. Revenue streams are more diverse these days. Everyone has a side hustle or a Patreon, an Only Fans or a YouTube channel. Make your own path. Hunt that paying work and if it doesn’t come your way, fight harder and write better content. Again, at no point did I say this would be fun, except it is pursuing our passion to write films that entertain and inspire. It is putting in the work to achieve a dream. Just accept that ‘the process’ is the dream and seeing your produced script on the screen is the result of that process, and that my friends, is very cool.