""Neither of us came to Los Angeles with industry connections. We made our way through the rigorous USC Masters Cinema-Television program, forming relationships and honing our craft. Like many emerging screenwriters, we had numerous instances of almost selling a movie script. The greatest obstacle was often the most obvious: securing financing. In one case, an investment group lost the lease to studio space that we had planned to use for our film. In another, an investor pulled out at the last minute. Thankfully with CRATE, we have landed a deal that looks to be moving forward and have already received our option fee.

Coverfly seemed like a great way to summarize and showcase all the awards that we had accumulated for many of our screenplays. Not only does it provide a link to share our awards with industry professionals, Coverfly even assigns a score to the script that grows with every contest success. Eventually, we landed on Coverfly’s prestigious “Red List” as the #6 top horror of the year, which led to even more outreach attention from the industry.

Once our script CRATE made Coverfly’s Red List as the #6 top horror of the year, we began to receive several read requests from industry professionals. Eventually, Coverfly referred us to Wavelets Entertainment. They were looking for contained thriller/horror feature scripts like CRATE to produce for domestic release in China, followed by a global release on streaming platforms. After a few telemeetings, we were fortunate to secure an up front paid option deal, and the rest is history.

Be relentless. It sounds like a cliché, but we would have never achieved any measure of success without pushing ourselves every day to keep writing, keep seeking feedback, keep rewriting and keep polishing. In the end, you can’t control whether or not a company or investor puts money behind your dream script. All you can control is the quality of your work. When the opportunity comes to enter a script competition or share your work with industry professionals, make sure you have the best piece of writing ready.

Another way of putting is, flip the formula. Make it an opportunity for them—the producers, investors and industries pros that have the power to green-light your work. If your idea is fresh and original, and the writing is strong and easy on the eyes, you have a much better chance of piquing their interest.

Finally, don’t make your first or even second script a 100+ million dollar blockbuster. Be economic with your use of space, characters and props. With CRATE, we built a story around one intriguing contained location: a shipping container on a boat, where a group of immigrant stowaways are hiding on their journey across the ocean."
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""I write primarily for television, and I’m interested in truthful, authentic stories in any genre. I just signed with Sarah Nezamzadeh at Stride thanks to Coverfly’s Endorsed Writer Program.

The writing is easy, sometimes even getting produced is easy, but getting your work in front of the right people is the hard part. You’ve got to find a way to cut through the noise, and navigate these institutions, and then find people who will give you the time and attention you deserve. Fortunately, Tom at Coverfly was one of those people, and helped me connect with managers who gave me the same level of consideration.

I submitted with a short script that I wrote to direct myself. I just wanted to see how people responded to it, and maybe build some interest. I didn’t expect to win, and to build a relationship that would lead to representation.

A professor in college told me that I shouldn’t pursue reps, that it would work out when the time was right, and I really think that’s what happened. I’d met with several over the years but working with Coverfly was the most focus push I’d made. Coverfly introduced me to some great people, and coached me through reaching out to others on my own. The meetings are a bit like going on a date – getting to know each other and seeing what you have in common. That was the deciding factor – I went with the person who felt like the best fit, who I could envision working with long term.

I’m working on two pilots – one that’s pretty far along and I’m excited about how good it is, the other is still very much in the early stages but is wild and crazy and will probably be too expensive to ever produce but I’m excited about the potential. And I’m planning to return to directing when COVID procedures become a little more clear.

I don’t really feel qualified to give advice - I’m still blundering around in the dark as much as anyone else! But one thing I’ve focused on in the past few years is surrounding myself with the right people. By that I mean people who lift you up, and make an effort, and are kind. The work can be lonely and hard and it’s so much better with people you love around.""

""I think, like most trying to make a career out of this thing, it's finding an opening in the "yes" door. There seem to be a million ways in and absolutely zero ways in at the exact same time. Add in the fact that I don't reside in LA, and it gets even trickier.

"When I first signed up for Coverfly, it seemed like a convenient way to submit to a screenwriting competition. I wasn't aware of all the other things Coverfly was doing (Red List, Pitch Week, screenplay hosting, etc.). One day I started browsing the site and saw potential for further exposure through the platform. I began working toward getting on the Red List and creating a profile that showcased who I am and what I have to offer.

I was hired to write a feature. It all started with an email from Coverfly notifying me that an industry professional downloaded my script. I gave it little more than a "that's nice" and carried on. Not long after, Rekola Studios reached out to me to strike up a conversation and see if I was a good fit to write a feature they were looking to shoot next summer. We hit it off and turns out he loved my screenplay "The Fuck-It List." Contracts were signed and I'm now developing and writing a feature in an awesome collaborative relationship.

Write every day. It doesn't matter if you're writing in 12-point Courier or not, just write. Writing is a muscle. Don't allow it to atrophy. The more you use it, the stronger your writing and the easier it'll flow. It's really that simple. Everything else will follow. ""

"I’m from the Midwest, but I’ve lived in more states than I have fingers. I live in California now. I write supernatural and psychological horror features, and I’m repped by Scott Faucett of HG5 Entertainment.


The biggest obstacle was being the primary caretaker of my two young children and finding time for my work.

When Coverfly first began I thought it was just a handy way to submit for competition, but they’ve done so much more for me! They’ve been a great resource and support: helping me with my bio and loglines, launching me as a featured writer, being there to give advice, and most importantly, introducing me to my manager.

Coverfly helped me work up a query strategy timed with my “featured writer” release. After initial queries to my researched list, they actually reached out and introduced me to other reps as well, one of them being my current manager. He read my work, we had a couple of phone conversations and really hit it off, and that was all we needed.

There is no secret surefire way to make things happen. The one thing you must have is people that believe in you and will vouch for you. It's not "networking", it's building your tribe. Make friends you love and can depend on. Help people out and be grateful for the help you receive in return."

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"It's tough to get read, to garner support, to build momentum — and then you have to pitch and market yourself, network, sell. It's a lot to ask of a writer! I've found blind persistence and a touch of delusion to be essential for making headway.

I signed up for Coverfly hoping to find an avenue for getting my writing in front of more producers. One day, I just got a message from Elixir Entertainment out of the blue. I'd been updating my Coverfly profile, making sure my scripts were all up-to-date, refreshing my scores just to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Might have added a few points to a screenplay that raised its exposure at just the right time.
"

"Half of my approach to the craft is like working out: lots of repetition and just being tenacious with story math and form. The other half is fielding whatever intuition brings organically. Learning how to invisibly meld those two sides was a tricky hill to climb.

When I signed up for Coverfly, I was hoping to make connections and find representation — but only if they clicked. I was really looking to network within the business and Coverfly provided great connections through their Writer Success Team, who was an incredible help at just the right time.

After winning and placing in several competitions, and while continuously working hard over a couple of years at just getting better, The Writer Success Team put me in touch with several people to try to find a good fit. You’ll often hear this process compared to dating, but it’s actually simpler. It’s more like making friends in kindergarten: you know five minutes into recess. Elixir and I hit the ground running.

I just completed an Alternate Reality Game for a feature I wrote and directed called ALIEN THEORY. (Facebook.com/alientheorythemovie for info and all the fun.) Elixir and I are pursuing several studio and independent opportunities and are hoping to have sharable news in the near future.

Decide to want to be better and better at what you do even more than you want to break in. Put your energy into that and eventually people will want to break in on your behalf. Get notes from Coverfly as much as you can. I found their feedback system very helpful— whether I liked the notes or not, I always tried doing a draft as suggested. That exercise created the most gains as a writer, which is more important in the long run than how good the 3rd draft of your latest script is. Coverfly also provides access to great writers, so read them. When you write, remember to put the audience first. Finally, read screenwriting books but only follow a piece of advice if you can fit it on the back of a napkin."

"We're from Massachusetts, we write comedies that often have some kind of historical, literary, or supernatural twist, and we've just started working with Brad Petrigala at Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

We kept meeting potential reps and producers who were impressed with our materials but thought we were too niche, which was incredibly frustrating when it seemed like every week there was a Deadline article announcing a new show exactly in our wheelhouse. We had a meeting where we were turned down by a rep basically because he didn't think there would be a market for us and the next day Apple announced Dickinson, a show that seems like it was ripped from our heads. Definitely wondered if we were just experiencing a totally different reality from other people sometimes.

Well our pie in the sky dream in signing up with Coverfly was to get representation, so I guess that worked out! Otherwise, any opportunity to get our names out there and get more people familiar with us and our work would have been helpful, since this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Our awesome contact at Coverfly took a look at our materials and made a list of reps he thought we'd fit with. Based on those lists we attacked! We were particularly interested in Brillstein. Having those recommendations was a huge boon to us. We had a long (nearly two hour) meeting with our now manager talking about scripts, the industry, and some fun casual stuff. We vibed very well and within a week decided we would work together!

We are working on a series for our YouTube Channel "Shipwrecked Comedy" that we were meant to be shooting right now!

Definitely don't be afraid to write the things YOU want to write. We've been told many times that our writing is too niche etc. While we are always keeping audiences in mind, we write things that we ourselves would want to see!"

"The biggest obstacles I've faced ave been trying to generate pages and find time for endless rewrites while supporting myself financially, getting finished screenplays into the right hands and finding like minded creatives who are interested in making off color controversial projects.

When I first signed up for Coverfly I hoped to find representation or independent producers interested in making my work. I was introduced to Coverfly through my boss Jacob Krueger (if you want to tag). Through Coverfly's Endorsed Writer Program, I met with, sent samples to and queried a number of managers and agents. After several meetings I met Nick Leicht at Elixir. We had a natural connection and decided to work together exclusively.

Currently, I'm wrapping up a co-written spec script entitled Kill The Light. It's a sci-fi/action adventure about a sheltered young woman and oppressed AI fleeing the newly founded and extremely conservative Republic of Texas. I'm also embarking on a new Horror Comedy that is technically about four young women partying at a Lake House until one of them becomes possessed by Satan, but is really about what women have to go through to claim their autonomy.

My advice for aspiring writers would be go ahead and write the crazy passion project, but when you get to a place where you've honed your voice and skill set start thinking in terms of marketability and have a screenplay in your back pocket that's an easy sell. Easy sell = clear hook, contained locations, low budget and if a topic is fraught with controversy turn the story into an allegory. "

"It’s so easy to put yourself down and lose faith in your journey and feel like your stories and ideas don’t matter. But believing in yourself is KEY, and even though you may feel like an outsider, you have to trust the process and have faith that your tribe is out there.

Having an engaged mentor has been a complete game-changer for me. To be a writer is to face rejection regularly. When no one wants your script, managers aren’t writing back, and you’ve run out of things to write, it’s crucial to have someone you trust telling you, “Yes, it’s hard. Keep going anyway.” The team at Coverfly were super supportive and always available to chat whenever I had questions or needed advice.

Finding reps was a bit of a roller coaster if I’m honest, and there were some quick rejections along the way too. But for me, the most important thing was being able to get my brand across as a writer and figuring out if our pairing was the right fit for one another. My reps are badass, but they always make me feel like I deserve to be there!

Currently, I’m getting introduced to the town and headed out on several meetings. So my next immediate goal is to staff on the show of my dreams.

Trust your instincts and write the stories that keep you up at night, even if it means taking risks. Risks pay off in the long run, and eventually, the right people will find you."

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"I’d love for reps and buyers to remember that maturity is also a category of diversity. Mid-career writers should be sought after. Unique perspectives and fresh voices don’t have an expiration date, in fact they can get sharper with time. It would be lovely if the brilliant female and talented artists of color, who have endured tougher times when inclusion was not on everyone’s mind, would be viewed as they should be – a spectacular talent pool."

"I struggled finding ways to get my stuff read and to make connections in a town where every second person at every coffee shop is busy writing their own screenplays In the past, I’d had some success in contests and on the Black List site and even once had a pilot in development at one of the studios. Lots of steps forward and near misses but nothing had really got me over the wall and into the WGA.

Coverfly was able to help connect me with a manager who was specifically looking for the kind of scripts that I write. Nick was on the site hunting for high concept action-comedies and found a script of mine that he instantly connected with. He reached out through Tom at Coverfly and the rest is very recent history.

It was a bit surreal, honestly. When my manager found my work on Coverfly, he reached out immediately and I signed with him less than a week later. But, I don’t want to make it sound like the whole thing happened instantly, because it’s been at least a couple of years since I started using Coverfly to enter contests and I’ve been writing features and plots and specs and putting them out there for years before that.

The long game has always been to make a career out of making up stories and putting one word in front of the other. The next step is under wraps with my management right now, but keep an eye out for something from me soon :)

Stay on your hustle. Always be writing."

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""Working with Coverfly felt like the best and most comprehensive way to advance in my career. They have the connections and tools to open doors that I did not. It made me feel really supported that I could work diligently on my craft while Coverfly helped with the daunting but imperative task of meeting the right people that understood my voice.""

"With no connections to the industry, it can be intimidating at times to break into a career field that seems to be all about who you know. I’m still not where I want to be yet, but something I wish I knew two years ago is the more writing samples you have the better. Even if they’re not good (and they’re usually not going to be) people will see that you’re willing to put in the effort."

"Not being educated was the biggest struggle early in my career. I didn’t even realize film and television were written mediums until I was a junior in college. Developing and curating an amazing network was the most helpful once I jumped into the industry. Taking the time to develop my skillset prepared me to take advantage of every opportunity I have had since."

"Coverfly has been a champion of my writing since day one. They are always willing to go that extra mile to send out my material or make industry introductions. They’ve been particularly helpful in connecting me with fellow writers and helping me grow my writing community as my career progresses."

"You need to write, read, watch tv and scan the trades daily. It’s a must, I don’t know anyone who’s doing that who is not successful."

"The most important thing is doing the work. I constantly focus on developing my writing skills and projects. I also submit to labs and competitions. They give me deadlines and therefore fire up my writing a bit. What feels the most helpful outside of that is building a community of support around me. When I was connected with the Coverfly team, that gave me a good boost to put into motion a goal I have for a long time; to get repped."

"Breaking into the entertainment industry, let alone television, is a daunting task. I built up my slate, had some work produced, and then started to submit to contests while I built up my network. It’s still so much about who you know and getting into the right rooms. Which led to placing on The Bitch List, which was very cool. The mission behind that list is something I’m passionate about and it was an honor to be recognized for that work alongside so many other talented and hard-working writers.

Partnering with Women In Film to produce my gender parity comedy series Flip The Script was a game-changer and really set me on the path for writing as a career. Now signing with new management will be the turning point in this next chapter!

Placing on The Bitch List 2020 was very cool. The mission behind that list is something I’m passionate about and it was an honor to be recognized for that work alongside so many other talented and hard-working writers."

"I felt that as an Asian American woman, I had very few acting roles of substance available to me, and so I decided to create my own roles. Then I realized I liked the creating side more than the acting side and so I stuck with it.

One of the biggest struggles is just figuring out what to do. How to get an agent? How to get a job? How to get recognized? I submitted to a number of screenwriting contests – not so much for the exposure, but really for me to understand how my writing stacked up against other people. I truly had no concept of whether I was a good writer or not. And while contests are all subjective, so is this whole business! So I figured, it was a good place to start.

I also found great mentors through years of networking, forming friendships, reaching out and cold-calling/emailing. Luckily, a wonderful manager advised me to just keep writing and the rest would come. Very “Field of Dreams”, but it worked."

"The largest obstacle I’ve faced as a writer is myself. At one point the idea of finishing a feature length screenplay felt impossible, and it wasn’t really until I accomplished that, that I felt like I could do anything as a writer.

Coverfly was a great resource in getting myself out to different competitions. That was a huge help in getting me connections after winning a student competition. Then getting on the Black List and the Young and Hungry list, I signed with representation, and a director signed onto my feature."

"Early on—as both an actor and a writer—access felt like the biggest external obstacle, but the bigger issue was thinking I was ready to make the most of the access if I could get it. It’s challenging when you don’t know enough to realize you’re turning in a product that is undercooked. I needed to put in more time to what I was working on. I still do that.

Screenwriting competitions have been the most crucial resource for me. That and the relationships I have been able to make through them and my other projects."

"I wasn’t used to turning out the amount of work that we were tasked with in that program every week and was getting in my own way with trying to make every line perfect on the first go. I remember a teacher telling me: “the perfect is the enemy of the good.” You have to allow yourself to fail and get down a less than stellar rough draft. If not, you’ll never finish them.

Without a doubt Coverfly has been the biggest tool for my success. Fresh out of school, I was able to connect with potential reps and avenues to get eyes on my samples. That was crucial for me. Finding representation that I felt enjoyed and understood my work from the beginning, while also being excited about where I ultimately want my career to go. That doesn’t happen every time you meet or inquire with reps."

"One of the most formidable obstacles I’ve faced as a writer is the barrier to entry in the industry. It’s difficult to get exposure as a writer while maintaining a full-time job and providing for a family.

I had entered my script in a few competitions and placed in the semi-finals/finals in a few. As a result, my screenplay was made available for industry professionals to review through Coverfly. I had almost forgotten about the script when I received a notice from Coverfly that an industry professional had downloaded my script. A few weeks later, the producer contacted me and we arrived at an agreement for option shortly thereafter.

I truly believe that competitions can generate exposure for writers that are struggling to make industry connections. I would recommend opting for notes and critiques whenever available. Each set of notes or reader comments I received helped me to fine tune my screenplay. Although the screenplay didn’t take the grand prize in any of the competitions, the exposure on Coverfly definitely made the difference in getting it noticed."

"“Coverfly is a revolutionary platform. A free-to-play portal connecting screenwriters to producers. Your script goes directly to their desk without any subscription fees or mass mail-outs or the need to secure an agent or manager. A Hollywood producer downloaded my script from Coverfly, then came to me with an offer I couldn’t refuse. Without Coverfly, my project wouldn’t have been optioned by an established film producer. It would seem Coverfly is fast becoming the go-to place for connecting writers to real opportunities.”"

"After years of sifting through countless screenwriting competitions, I am now able to simply search through an easy-to-read list on Coverfly and submit my projects all in one place. Never before did I know that the Nashville Film Festival had a screenwriting competition until I was introduced to it through Coverfly. I submitted my project and subsequently ended up winning the top screenwriting honor for my TV Pilot, Radicalized. Subsequently I signed with manager Randy Kiyan at Luber Roklin Entertainment and I’m now in pre-production on my feature film, A Brotherhood, with David Moscow attached to produce."

"After Coverfly put me in contact with a producer, I was fortunate enough to get signed this week! I’m now working with a literary manager whom I trust to guide me and my screenwriting career. Thank you Coverfly for working so hard and so passionately on behalf of screenwriters… and most of all for believing in our stories."

"Coverfly gave our screenplay valuable exposure to industry management. After years of hard work, it was through Coverfly that we were introduced to our manager. Not only was the Coverfly staff amazingly proactive, they were communicative every step of the way, which is a blessing for emerging screenwriters."

"Coverfly is a revolutionary platform. A free-to-play portal connecting screenwriters to producers. Your script goes directly to their desk without any subscription fees or mass mail-outs or the need to secure an agent or manager. A Hollywood producer downloaded my script from Coverfly, then came to me with an offer I couldn’t refuse. Without Coverfly, my project wouldn’t have been optioned by an established film producer. It would seem Coverfly is fast becoming the go-to place for connecting writers to real opportunities"

"Coverfly gave my script the industry visibility it needed to connect with a producer who read my script and then hired me for an open writing assignment, furthering my writing career. The Coverfly team has been generous with their time, advice, and support, which is an invaluable resource in this business. Thank you Coverfly!"

"The entire experience with Coverfly has been so encouraging. I’ve submitted quite a few scripts and the process is very easy. What I recently realized, though, is how easy it must be for the industry to find the kind of script they want. The very first script I submitted was found and now I have a shopping agreement in place. The Coverfly team has been wonderfully supportive. Thank you!"

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"Once Coverfly put me in contact with a producer who loved my screenplay, everything took off. She was amazing at getting the script into the right hands and I now have an attachment agreement in place for it with a hugely talented director/producer. I can’t wait to keep growing the script and pushing it towards production. Thank you to everyone at Coverfly who worked so passionately to get my work out there!"

"After a producer discovered my script F*** YOU, JOHN on Coverfly’s The Red List, everything took off. She made some great connections and got my script into all the right hands. Two months later and I’ve been hired as a Staff Writer at a production company for not only my first gig, but with producers whose mission statement I vibe with. Moral of the story: always include bad words in your script titles. Big thanks to Coverfly for giving further access to undiscovered writers!"

"What Coverfly is doing is a much needed service and is an absolute gift to writers. I can’t thank Coverfly enough. Working with the reps at Coverfly has been a dream. And I absolutely love how it came together, leading me to the wonderful pairing with Kevin at The|Machine, whom I’ve found to be the perfect fit as my literary manager. I’m speaking for myself, and I know many writers share my story; not being able to just pick up my life and move across the country can feel daunting, especially when all you hear is that you have to live in Los Angeles to make it in the film industry. And in this age of technology where we can FaceTime and Skype and be in touch instantaneously, ‘having to live’ anywhere seems archaic. So in this way and many others, I feel that what Coverfly is doing with this advocacy program is visionary and paving the road for the future of our storytellers. Brava. Coverfly will always be ‘how I got my foot in the door,’ and I would be delighted to be a mouthpiece for the benefits of this program. Thank you Coverfly”"