Expert: Phil Nemy - 3/9/2009

Question
hi phil, one more question and ill leave you alone..but for the last couple of years ive come to realize how tough hollywood is to succeed in,and i know thousands upon thousands of talented people move their each year in pursuit of pursuing a career in film.having said that,Ive got a great idea on a screenplay i want to write and when i go to LA try to pursue film but also have this screenplay with me in case im having trouble finding good work..sell the script to a production company and have myself star in it..do you have any advice when it comes to selling screenplays or scripts i know ben affleck and matt damon become household names with goodwill hunting..how do you do it? thanks

Answer
Jared,

You're right. It IS incredibly tough to succeed in Hollywood. If I had the answer on how to do it, whether as an actor, writer, director or producer, don't you think I'd be an overwhelming success myself already? Not to be condescending, but having talent and contacts are important, but a tremendous amount of luck is necessary as well!

The reality is that even if you come to Los Angeles with a screenplay to sell, you are just one of another 100,000 writers trying to do the same thing. Some of those writers actually HAVE sold scripts before, but that doesn't make it any easier for them to sell their next one. A good idea is gold! Having contacts that can move that ideas to the next level is platinum! Then actually having the idea made into a film or TV show is priceless! But in reality, it's truly a crap shoot. You just have to keep trying, keep trying, never give up, and hope that one day the dice roll your way.

But help yourself by developing a strong network of contacts that connect you to the people who BUY and FINANCE screenplays. That way, when you actually DO have a screenplay that is simply great, you'll know who to give it to to try and get it made into a film.

That's the best I can offer.

Phil