The Final Round of Financing and Distribution Model Changes.

 The Final Round of Financing

and Distribution Model Changes

Usually what happens is you get most of the challenges in your capital raise for a film in the first round of equity investment or whatever financing structure your using at the beginning of the fund raising journey. Let's be clear, this project had that, it took three years in fact to get it where it is now. Not actually that unusual. Right now at this moment we have literally millions of dollars in the bank, name actors signed and a major relationship with a Digital distributor. So no, before you ask we did not get cough in the pre-sale theatrical window nightmare that most of the rest of the indie and blockbusters this summer got stuck in. #Covid-19 new normal 2020. We actually have been able to raise over $1million in equity during quarantine. 

This was so impressive to one investor that they offered me money to do something else, that I will put in my next post. 

The issues with this final round are unique because of covid, and the shake up in film/financial markets. It has both good and bad aspects too it. People are worried so they are hesitant to invest, BUT people are also looking for new ways to diversify and our model has very low risk. 

We (the team following our lead producer/director) came up with a distribution model that makes more sense and ... I can't talk about it. I know I know, what's the point of reading the blog if I can't talk about it. 

What I can tell you is where the industry seems to be going from my perspective. We have $1 million left to raise in one month and I think it will happen. What I am seeing is new business models in which the waterfall of film financing is getting rid of major sections of the in between people that eat into profits, dilute the process, and very very expensive. 

Part of this comes with the Studios finally giving in during covid and saying "Ok we get it, we live in a digital world".  Which means digital content which means the 100 year old contracts with the movie theaters and distributors is changing. It means that all the people in the middle of getting a project into 20 different kinds of producers whom the question "What exactly do you do again?" could be applied aptly. They don't raise money, they are not the studio, they don't run production, or post production and have no part in distribution except when the box office comes in. 

At Sundance in 2015 we took meeting after meeting met with this person and that person who had no interest in actually helping us with our project. But they could connect us with important people that could. It was bull, all of it. NOT ONE SINGLE LEAD FROM SUNDANCE in 2015 worked out the way that it was presented to the team I was working with at the time. What did happen however is I met a whole bunch of people that are not financing, distributing, or making films. Many of them have huge mansions in Park City, some have mini-festivals associated with Sundance, some have great parties, some have great resume's and are looking for a job. Nobody that I saw was a way to finance, cast, make and distribute a film. Now that said, if we had a packaged film, with a NAME or TWO attached and our little $50K first in then maybe it would have meant more. Maybe we could have gotten somewhere. But we went with two no name directors, very little money, and two films with zero actors attached. We...well in the end "I" got crucified. One of those films turned into another film and has been in post for two or three years now. The other got made with name actors and real money....and has not been released and its been two or three years now(I think it might have gotten stuck in the covid theater trap I mentioned before). The point is, even when everything comes together it was still "a tough row to hoe". 

What I see know, what I am even honored to be apart of now, is a different process. One in which much of the "middle man" issues are streamlined. The process is not only a lot more painless but it actually makes a ton more sense. Trying to explain the 50/50 traditional split, and how it actually works to investors was complicated and frankly embarrassing most of my equity network in Chicago is made up of high finance, or business professionals and it sounds like a bad deal every time I said it. Its a really really shitty business model, especially for film makers and investors. And yes it is absolutely the Distributor/Theater relationship that is to blame. 

Did you guys read the trades this month? Not sure how many articles talked about the new business model in Hollywood but it is great great news. Tried to link it but this computer having Technical issues. Look at the Hollywood Reporter and Variety. It should be out there, sorry for tech issues. Will post it when I can. 

OK, so now that your all up to speed lets look at the financing we need to get. Lets say for instance we need to cover some additional costs caused by Covid and flesh out our budget for some possible added shoot days. Just giving the creative folks some more space to do what they need to do. Maybe we through in a drone unit, just for some coverage. 

Lets say we have $3 million in the bank (No these are not real numbers, I literally am never going to tell you the real numbers of a project I am working on. Yes, it's in the millions of dollars on this one.) 

We need a final million. We get $300,000.00 from people that are already invested and a little bit from a new party. Now we are at $700k. But all our usual folks are tapped, our Roladex(list of people who have money) is either already in this or has already passed. We have gone back a re-approached the people who have passed and they passed again. 

The film has everything, in place, and is going to shoot and be distributed. That part is pretty well in hand, and the tax credits and everything else is buttoned up. We are fill swing into production in less than 30 days. 

Armed with all of this, we, have to open new fresh leads. Raw completely blind leads. It's good for two reasons. 

1. It's new leads, which expand our investor base and help diversify the investor pool  

And my personal favorite ...

2. It's uncomfortable. That's right, going after new money is uncomfortable. It's tough, you have to find people who have money and are willing to talk to YOU (in this case me). Not in person,(remember it's covid, and in the US a bunch of civil unrest. Everyone is freaking out about politics also) so the old tricks of going golfing and going to a country club, or associating where rich people are might now be enough. More than they normally are not enough, lol. This probably has to be done entirely digitally. 

I have a plan and when it's done I will definitely share if it was successful or not. The methodology may kinds become trademark so well see in the process. I wish all of you well, don't forget to be kind to yourself and trust the process. You can do this, until next time. 

Break a Leg!

Co-Executive Producer ... FINALLY!!

Co-Executive Producer ... 

$9.5 Million Dollar Feature film with Distribution...What this actually means, and some reflection.

Right now there are people all over the world suffering and dying due to the spread of the COVID-19 Virus. I am taking time to address this even thought this is not what the post is about it's impossible to not address it some. Specifically it is very much directly influencing what is happening Macro and Micro in the entertainment industry across the board. This post is about sharing some good in the middle of all of this suffering.  Personally I finally have some actual triumph to share in this very long journey I have been on as an indie producer. 


This has been one of the fullest years of my life and we are only 4 months in. I am very grateful and humbled to be in the position I am in right now.

In January of this year I was working mostly from my house and office. We had just returned from a very successful 4th quarter and a PAID trip to LA where my company produced an indie short.  There where some set days as working as a Union Member of [ IATSE:Local 476 ] later in the month. To be perfectly clear that whole section of time the first two months is a bit of a blur. I kind of feel like I didn't do much creatively. At the end of last year I was talking to another member of 476 John whom I had worked with before in trying to raise money for a $17.5M indie and he brought up this project that I had actually done the script approval read for him, and the over project VETT. Basically I looked at the project and told him and the other producers it was viable. I consulted with them off and on as a friend. A year and half or so passed and John was still on it and had some amazing updates.

By February of 2020 I was working between 3 and 5 days a week. I had a few Dolly Grip gigs on shows like Batwoman, I had done both Shameless and Batwoman the last time they where in town. During this time John got me up to speed on his project and it was like a dream coming true. John and Theodore the director both invited me to officially join the project and help finish out the equity raise. I of course do nothing without by girlfriend and business partner so we both came on with contract signing later that month. The team they had in place had done an amazing job. I have to only use first names and can't say the name of the project or any talent attached because of how many names are attached. Needless to say we hit up our entire roladex and continue to do so. As I type this we have $1.5 million in the bank and have already paid our male lead. The film will be Oscar bait and it is just one of those films that you can feel it. Lots of talent a good script, a great producing team(yes besides me, I am definitely with some of the best), great relationships with distributors already in place. No sales agent needed!!

In March I was working full time in Crafty on the final season of the show Empire. It was a great gig! One of the best jobs at Cinespace. I had been waiting for the call for that one for a long time, the guys in the department are long time friends and we had all done other work together. So my day was surrounded by good food, motivated people who knew what they are doing, a great overall crew, on a great show. What ever you think of the show creatively as a viewer, working on it was amazing. I was there in season 3, where I learned how to be a grip, my only day as a rigging electrician, a couple weeks in special FX, and finally the holy grail of crafty. Crafty can be brutal thankless and one of those jobs you avoid. Like everything in film, it depends on the team.  This team was like a well oiled machine, it was like everyone loved what they did and enjoyed each other. I had friends on this show from my days as a PA back in 2010,11,12,13. So it was like coming home in many ways.

During this time I was able to step away anytime I needed too to make a call or send and email. John and I would take turns covering each other so we could keep talking to investors. John covered me a ton since he had already closed the bulk of his raise.

It's April 2, 2020 and my teams first equity party has dropped this week, will drop more next week. The film has been all worked around COVID-19 all the right precautions are being taken and everyone is safe. Thank God! This movie is gonna happen this year! That's inspite of everything that is happening. In spite of the horror that is before us of hundreds of thousands of Americans dying before the end of the year. An even larger number globally. It is strange to have a victory in the midst of all of this but we definitely have one.

Here is the package that the film has right now, and why I am so excited. 

Talent:
All A-list or Name talent. This includes 3 A list talent, that if someone on the street heard the name they would likely know the actor. The supporting cast is all working and active on shows both in the US and UK. All names. 1 or 2 also A list.

Distribution:
A very close personal relationship, that is supported by all of the correct moves professionally with the head of acquisitions at the major studio. Also is supported by several Name production companies.

Financing:
$1.5 Million in the bank of a $2.5M equity raise. We also have multiple potential equity buy out parties waiting for US to close the window on the raise. We actually bumped it from $2.0M to $2.5M because the investor pool is so positive and strong. We also have some Collateralize Dept, a Tax Credit of $2.4 Million, and an Minimum Guarantee from the Studio on the horizon. We are looking for the MG to be $4.0 Million or greater. All together this brings us to $9.5M. The equity parties will mostly likely get paid out before the end of principle photography, either by a single equity partner or the MG.

I have said on this blog before you need to have Money, Talent, Distribution if you can get one then you can get the others. We have all three. 

The How, and my perspective.
How this was done is the most important part of this post and the reason behind this blog.
The  lead producer on this film has cultivated relationships from relationships that he had from family, University, and having successfully sold an indie film to this distributor once before. No, he is not a name or the cousin/son/brother of someone famous. He does have some connections in the industry but they where all cultivated and built. He's only 23. He did in his career in 5 years what I have been trying to do for 15. Something I hope people are seeing, this producer had all of these things in place that I couldn't reach. Things I would have zero access too even with my gift for making connections with people and having been on Tier 3 union shows for years. He knew how to work his network and had the right people around him. Now I get to play a small part in all of this but for me and the path that I am on it is the culmination of a lot of blood, sweat, and learning. His path isn't mine and that's OK! It's in this situation where the "all ships rise with the tide" phrase is the most applicable. So how is this the how? I made myself valuable to a person who had the things that I didn't. I was able to do that by cultivating a relationship with a friend John who in the ups and downs of friendship we always respected each other. This all came about in a year when my company/team was producing on like 7 indie shorts and small projects. We just simply where grinding it out and focused on that. Focused on getting better, focused on getting more higher quality projects and relationships. Which we have found is a constant. Reassessing relationships and continually improving the nature of those relationships is the biggest film secret I have. Sometimes they need to go away, sometimes dynamically change, sometimes get deeper. It's in developing the human side of things, in the journey about being a better person that has made the biggest difference.

So many times I wanted a project to work, so many times I was desperate and having this deal then could have saved me so much heartache. Which is exactly why it didn't happen. This film is not a winning lottery ticket, it's the shrimp boat in Forrest Gump got lucky because he was in the place he was supposed to be. Lt. Dan wasn't, not until his friend needed him. I was Lt. Dan looking at the boat not seeing the potential, hating the other misfortune and failures of my past. None of that matters, in film your past is always relative to your future which depends on what your doing right now. "What are you working on?" Is the constant question because until we retire, or many of us, until we die, it's what we do. 

If your an indie producer out there and your worried about the nuts and bolts of A to Z you can learn most of what you need from trying and failing. You fail 9/10 the first ten times, then it goes 5/10, then 2/10, and eventually it starts going the other way. You start wining 5/10, 9/10, and all of the sudden your actually living the dream. All of this said, I try and post as many details in this blog about nuts and bolts as possible.

Flashback - Friendship, how this relationship changed everything 3x.
Some back story about John and I  really quick. In 2014 I raised the initial $50k from an YouTube millionaire who lived in a suburb of Chicago. We went to Sundance and I was off the project shortly after Sundance after putting in 2 years of work for basically no money, my rent was payed 4x and then I was evicted(more about that later, maybe). Shortly after the indie team associated with project fragmented and I reconnected with the Director after he got back the creative rights and we spent the next year trying to pitch any and everyone we could think of to raise money. John was apart of that effort, he and I hit it off and have been friends ever since. He's actually the one that got me into 476, after I finally parted ways with the director on the $17.5 Million film and had to go back to work on set to live. From the time I started working on the $17.5 Million film and go back to set, it was three years. I was part of the dissolution of 3 partnership corporations, 2 film companies taking the film and spitting out, I was fired 2x, and quit I don't know how many times. I was evicted from my apartment, and had to essentially restart my film career...AGAIN. Just in case your counting it's 3x I personally have had to do that. Amazingly enough  my girlfriend didn't kill me through all of this, yes she is a saint and yes the ring is a thing...sooooon.

In the 15 total years I have been in film since I worked on Dom with Joshua Kulic in 2005 since I fell in love with this business. Just to be clear I love all of it, I would do ANY job in film. Especially right now, the pull of set is really really strong. To not be able to go and watch friends and colleges die far from the set family is really tough. Just like the rest of the world our community is doing its best to come together and stay strong.

Since that first day with Josh in southern California I have been hooked. I have also been homeless 2x, been fired or quit/changed non-film/civilian jobs 20x, and done just about the same in the film industry, I also have been promoted and demoted.  I have lived in my car, a friends car, traveled 6 hours in the snow during snow-apocalypse circa 2011 in Chicago to work a 5 hour job minimum wage job at a gas station then travel 6 hours back to have to sleep on benches so I could be let into the house where I was staying because the owners of that house didn't trust me enough to give me a key. My last civilian job working for someone else was at the deli counter at Angelo Caputo's in Downers Grove, which is now permanently closed. That was like 2015 the same year as Sundance.

I am sharing all of this because it is very very very difficult to be a producer in film. It is harder when your poor, it is harder when your family isn't supportive, or your spouse/GF isn't supportive, it is harder when you have no college degree and no connections. I had all of these challenges and more. None of it was fast, all of it was work, all of it required me to grow and change as a person. I am not the same person I was in 2005, not in the general sense but specifically this journey in film has changed me. If your trying do do what I have been trying to do there is no demon you have in your closet that you will not absolutely have to face and defeat. That's OK!! Those demons showing up let you know what it is you have to work on and are a great indicator that your going in the right direction. Own your issue's first! And if your lucky enough to have someone point those out to you learn to take that criticism and grow.

In 2021 I thoroughly expect to be LA going to Awards shows, the next chapter looms large in front of me, my family, my company, and my career. It's not over, I have a lot to work on still. I still have to make this count for something, and I have to increase my value. The other thing that I mention all the time is growing and adapting. Just because we have a winner in the works doesn't mean you stop, it just means we graduated from one level to another. High school to College, Middle School to High school. It's all the same work, just higher stakes, and more work. That of course is a good thing and ultimately that's the point.

What is a Unit Production Manager?

What is a Unit Production Manager?

A friend asked me this the other day and I thought it might make sense to spell it out a for people who maybe don't know.

In simplest terms a Unit Production Manager or U.P.M. for short is the Production Manager that oversees the production of a specific film Unit.

What does that mean? Well in layman's terms a UPM is like the Human Resources director/Office Manager/Union Negotiator/General oversight person. The UPM is also the Line Producers right hand in dealing with the entire production. The Director could be the Line Producers left hand in this analogy. More often than not the Director works with these other two positions as the head of the creative department as opposed to "working for" either of these positions. Since either the Director is also one of the Executive Producers or is directly hired by a producer above the Line Producer.

Where a UPM is in the Rankings: Technically speaking.

Executive Producer
Producer
Line Producer
Unit Production Manager
Production Coordinator
Assistant Production Office Coordinator (A.P.O.C. or "A-POCK")


Production Office Departments: 
(All are below the UPM and part of the oversight, depending on the size and type of show)

Location Manager
Assistant Location Manager
Location Assistants
Location Scouts

Production Accountant
Assistant Production Accountant

Payroll Accountant
Assistant Payroll Accountant

Travel Coordinator

Production Secretary
Production Assistants (Ancillary Staff)

Production Departments:
Every Union Department Head Answers to the Unit Production Manager.

* (The Director of Photography and the 1st Assistant Director can sometimes be excluded from this hierarchy if they are direct hires from the studio or part of a Directors contract, this is more political than chain-of-command.)

Assistant Director Staff (AD STAFF)
1st AD
2nd AD
2nd 2nd (Or 3rd AD)
Set Production Assistant (AKA "PA's")
Additional PA's
Day Player PA'd


This is just a general overview in terms of a big film set's structure and where a UPM fits in. It's at the upper end of the command structure.

I saw a diagram once that said that the UPM was the head of the "Business Side" of a film like the director was the head of the "Creative side".

Wikipedia
"A unit production manager is the DGA–approved title for the top below-the-line staff position, responsible for the administration of a feature film or television production. Non-DGA productions might call it the production manager or production supervisor. They work closely with the line producer." 


Here is a link that pops up when you search Google. Its a pretty good article but it's not everything. Lots of nuance in the job, and what you actually end up doing depends on the budget and type of show your working on.

http://getinmedia.com/careers/unit-production-manager

Some of the things is this article are not 100% correct for every single project. Often on Indie Stuff the Line Producer and UPM will be the same person. The LP (Line Producer) is the person who actually controls the approval of money, they often will consult with the UPM about Labor and or costs on the show. At the end of the Day the Money is controlled by the Executive Producers, who the LP and UPM answer to. To keep those money folks at the top happy the UPM should have a pretty clear idea of what is being spent everyday, what your labor weekly and daily costs are, your projected costs. Right down to the cost of each specific shot.

 While all the information is technically correct it doesn't cover everything. The best way to figure it out is to either work for a UPM or go do the UPM job on a really really indie set and keep working that way learning as you go. 



Short and Sweet feel free to ask any questions in the comments.

Legalities and Contracts Part 2: Breaking down a contract.

Legal Disclaimer.
[THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, I AM NOT A LAWYER]

Lets get right into it. THIS IS REALLY COMPLICATED, so where people get got is the nuances.
What we are going to do here is try and give you some guide posts to look for. Think of it as questions to go over with your attorney. This is about strategy, and know where to look. Always have a lawyer, but know how to use that lawyer. It's on you to educate yourself.

 Here's an example of complexity in legal jargon, and kind of what I mean. The phrase, "Remit to Comity" was used in a case that I consulted on (Strategy not legal advice) where a States Attorney was Asking the Federal Court to not grant a motion that would have undone a judgement already passed down by the State. That's three words and it took me a paragraph to explain it's context. Confused? Yea, myself and 3 lawyers had to look it up also. We knew what the States Attorney meant, but no one in 2 different offices had every heard of the word "Comity".

So when your sitting with your attorney ask them to explain where each of these elements are in the contract and how each one is outlined, then ask them what that means. Remember the entertainment attorney works for you no matter how nice there suit is. This is also a good metric for knowing if your going to keep working with an attorney. If they don't take the time with you, and your paying them, how do you know they are really taking the time when your not there?
For a contract to be legally binding it needs to have some basic elements:

Offer

Acceptance

Consideration

Mutuality of Obligation

Competency and Capacity

It also should name the parties in full, give contact information for each party and establish the rules for the "language" of the contract pretty early in the document.

Document Detail and length are also tells. 

 Non-Circumvention, Non-Disclosure Agreements [NC/NDA]

I once got an NC/NDA from a producer looking to partner on a movie that was really great story. He asked me and my then partner to sign an "standard NDA". We of course where happy to. He sent it over to us and it was over 20 pages long. As I read through it, there where elements of an Operating agreement(rules and structure for how the film would be managed) and language that literally would have bound us to doing things a certain way legally. Keep in mind, this is all before we had even read the script. The standard length of NC/NDA's is between 1 to 5 pages.
Obviously we didn't sign the contract and passed on the project.

So from 1 to 5,6,7 pages in an NC/NDA is pretty normal.
My personal rule is 2, 3 pages. The ones we have for both of my main companies are 2 pages long.

10 pages is definitely getting long. I start getting nervous if its over 5 pages and the language gets repetitive. If it's long you should read it.

Meeting strategy and When to sign something.
If someone meets with you and hands you an NC/NDA and you don't sign it and they start talking about the IP/Project/or Client that is there responsibility. Likewise if your telling sensitive information to someone who is in a position to be a risk to you or your IP and they don't sign that paper your only putting yourself at risk. It's a weird, and often awkward thing to do but most professionals I have met go to the trouble to make sure its signed.

Now, that's the general rule, you have to be the judge of this. Sometimes a little bit of IP sharing is a sign of good faith and you don't want an opportunity to disappear because you pushed contract talk too soon. Sometimes, especially when your starting out the least experienced person in the room pushes for NC/NDA's too soon. That said, in really early meetings no one will ask for one.

Two months ago I was in an Entertainment attorneys office and we sat down, THE VERY FIRST thing my partner and I did was sign an NC/NDA.

My metric for what to share before the NDA (NC/NDA is often abbreviated to just NDA) is pulled out. Is the answer to this question,

"Do the people in this conversation have the ability to sell or execute the IP I am about to discuss?"

If they do, then be careful. If they don't (you might not know that they do) still be careful.
I usually try and prep by having a LOG Line and a story synopsis ready.

Also if I have registered and copyrighted everything that I am sharing and NC/NDA is not as important at that moment.
Still get the NC/NDA, just don't go for the jugular in the first meeting.

This is an art almost and get's into elements of the negotiations which we can discuss in a later post.

As always, get a lawyer and good legal advice. Hopefully these tools help you understand a little bit more of what the lawyer is talking about. It's your job to educate yourself on how to work with your attorney.

CAUTION: In the entertainment business, lawyers love to become producers. Know how to deal with your attorney and that is the beginning of your legal defense strategy. 

Legalities and Contracts Part 1 "Chain of Title"

Legal Disclaimer

[NOTHING THAT FOLLOWS IS LEGAL ADVICE, I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY, NOR HAVE I EVER CLAIMED TO BE. NOTHING ON THIS BLOG OR THAT FOLLOWS IS LEGAL ADVICE. IT'S ALL AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. THE FOLLOWING IS A INFORMATION RESOURCE POST, AND IN NO WAY CONSTITUTES LEGAL ADVICE.] If your in a contract issue, or have a chain of title copyright issue, go get an attorney. I have several firms I can suggest that will be linked at the end of the article. If you have ANY legal issue, go retain an attorney.

One of the things that I hear all the time that people get intimidated about are protecting themselves and dealing with contracts. It's a scary thing, lets face it. All of us have heard of some horror story about someone not understanding a contract correctly and getting taken advantage of. The thing is, it doesn't have to be. It has helped me over the last few years to understand a few things, like IP protection and how to read a contract. The first is how to protect my IP (intellectual property, something I created or something a client created). It has different industry names, but it's basically the same idea legally. In film and television it's often referred to as the "chain of title' process. We often say "Chain of Title" but it is actually a process not a thing.

Chain of Title is a process in which you take a script/screen play and copyright the intellectual property. Either as a creator of that IP or on the behalf of a client. Often this process includes a letter of assignment or an option agreement. That's more like the second half and something we will get into at another time.

Part 1
The FEDERAL COPYRIGHT

 Register your script/treatment/show idea with the US COPYRIGHT OFFICE.
Link to the actually website: https://www.copyright.gov/

Notice that the end of the website ends with ".gov" ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT HAVE THAT IS NOT A REAL COPYRIGHT OFFICE! It is a service that is going to charge you money to do what I am telling you how to do.

This is the link to the page your taken to after you select the copyright option that inlcudes scripts.
https://www.copyright.gov/registration/performing-arts/index.html

It's under "Performing Arts"

The link to the Script submissions page is here. https://eco.copyright.gov/eService_enu/start.swe?SWECmd=Start&SWEHo=eco.copyright.gov

You have to create a USERNAME and PASSWORD but it is a simple process after that to log in. The site walks you through it. Be patient and take your time to read all of the instructions.

This process will end with them giving a printable receipt and or a confirmation email.

THERE IS A FEE last time I did this was in 2018 and it was $50.00. It may have changed so just be prepared to pay something.

Then you have to wait for the Copyright office to approve your copy right. This can take weeks, 6 to 8 weeks roughly. Just know that you will have to wait for it. They will mail you a copy of your certified copyright and send you an email that it has been approved or denied.

Part 2
The WRITERS GUILD ASSOCIATION REGISTRATION

The WGA registration is the second step. Here's why, if you do a WGA registraition and I do a US Copyright of the same script each of us claiming that we wrote it. Then we go to court, the US Copyright wins, EVERY SINGLE TIME. You mail it to yourself and don't open the letter, and I register it with the Copyright office I win, period.

Link to the WGA site: https://www.wga.org/
That is the homepage. What your looking for is at the bottom of the homepage.

The part your looking for to register your script is: https://www.wgawregistry.org/

Click on the big link button that says to register your script and it takes you to this form:
https://www.wgawregistry.org/registration.asp

Each submission costs $20.00 for the general public. And there is a credit card info section of the form.

Why do both WGA and US COPYRIGHT? Well the US Copyright is the most powerful legal protection you can have, and the WGA is the second most. Also if the script is picked up and optioned have it registered with the WGA can help with ensuring your protected in that sale and that your rights as a righter are respected by the producers seeking to buy the script. If you just do the US Copyright your on your own.


Hope this helps good luck out there! Break a LEG!






Some Lawfims that help with IP Protection and Entertainment Law.

In Chicago:
(Smaller firm, local, and honest still)

Shambee Law Office: Law Office Evanston, IL

https://shambeelaw.com/

Shambee Law Office is a diverse law firm practicing in various areas of law. If you need help with your case, you can trust us. Call us now at 773-741-3602.

Looks pretty good for more information. 

https://vlaa.org/get-smart/film-law/

In California:

https://filmtvlaw.com/

(this is a pretty big firm)

No Lottery Tickets, just Hard Work.

No we don't want to read your script, and yes, that makes you the asshole.

Almost 100% of the time when anyone ever learns what me or any of my peers do for a living we are almost instantly pitched. Why? Because people are desperate and don't actually want to do the work it takes to actually get the idea in the place where it might get made. It's really a kinda of shitty thing to do, and if I did that to someone in there job they would have me escorted out of the building. The thing is, I totally get it. I was actually there myself. In some ways still am, it's a constant fight to maintain professionalism in the face of amazing opportunities. What does that mean? I will give you an example.

Our company gets opportunities that are unique and have a huge range of possibilities probably 3-4 times a year. These are the Omega tier opportunities. Like literally a winning lottery ticket, except that the mindset of having the winning lottery ticket is the exact thing that will kill that opportunity.

We had confidential information about the sale of a professional football team, that was going to move from one city to another, years before it actually happened. That said we only had only a few weeks to find millions(or billions) of dollars and put together a group of investors to buy a chuck of this team.  My company, our CEO and affiliates don't work in sports team franchise acquisition so it was a ask in an ideal situation. Almost impossible in a situation where we had other goals an clients actively needing out attention. This deal even at a 1% kickback would have been a lot of money for us. The entire time we had to not be calm and cool as thought deals like this came across our desk every week. Excited enough to get the investors excited but calm enough to not come across as desperate. Desperation is the number one biggest red-flag or make-the-money-run-from-you signal an investor can get. The number two is arrogance. Nobody wants to work with an arrogant jerk, unless there are really really good, or are a proven model. Even then it's not going to work with every investor, especially in film. To finish the story, we held our cool pitched every group we had with the capital to do something about it. By the time we heard back from everyone, the deal was over. It was a long shot to begin with but we increased our value by calmly bringing a big opportunity to the groups we knew could handle it. The next time we reached out to them, the turnaround was much much faster. Had we been desperate and treated the investors like a lottery ticket they would not only have taken longer to respond to our next opportunity, they probably wouldn't have responded at all.

Very specifically when someone tells me they have a script what they in part are telling me is, "I don't know what I am doing", the other part is "I have not put in the work to figure out what to do".  This is why they are the asshole, I didn't make that decision. Neither did the people I work with. We are putting in the work right now, to try and figure out how to do just that with our OWN ideas. Now, you(the person with the script) arrogantly assume that because we work in film that we are "always looking for a good idea" not giving us the credit of having our own good ideas. Now this person with the script expects all of this exciting stuff to happen. And what do us film idiots do, we take the thing, maybe we even read the corner-stapled pile of diner napkins written in gibberish with a picture of Brad Pitt taped to the front. Just in case you have a golden goose of an idea. Which for me, in 13 years in film has never ever happened. No idea that I have read from a lottery ticket chaser has been better than ideas from myself or my colleagues.

The hard work. David Mamet quotes Ernest Hemingway as famously saying "Writing is easy, all you have to do is sit down at the page and bleed.", and that is literally step one in creating a film. Just step one. There is Chain of Title [Which is always step two, OMG mailing the script to yourself is not going to work if I file the same script with the US Copyright office. No the writers guild does not beat the US Copyright office in court. DO BOTH, on the same day! That is the US Copyright office first, then the WGA registration.] Now that is just step two, you still have to create a log line, tag line, one sheet, character breakdowns, story boards, mood boards, and possibly a pitch deck. This, is just to get it ready for any other professional to even look at. Unless you have a "Relationship". This often takes teams of people weeks to do correctly and even then often does not work. We are not even to the point where anyone outside of the writers and there friends are looking at the script, it's probably on the third or fourth draft. It might have 20+ more revisions to go through before it gets purchased, as an option. So no, I am not going to drag my team, and my company through the hell of pitching and building out a script because your cousins-sisters-roommate ate bath salts once and saw an alternate ending to Forrest Gump. This is part of the reason why companies do not take unsolicited scripts, because most of the time they do not have the time put into them to be worth the time it takes to read the first ten pages. Good luck, happy sets!

My Producer Plus PODCAST!

Hello everyone! So I am happy to announce that My Producer + (or Plus) will be joining the world of Podcasting! I will be hosting along with Mary Angela Munez (Her IMDB Link) and Jacalyn Gisvold. Mary has been producing with me and around the entertainment industry since 2014. She was in events, marketing, and talent since she was a teenager. I born business woman with a Bachelors in Communication and a Masters in the art of hustling. She is the CEO and founder of GoLucky Studios.

Jacalyn Gisvold will be a regular guest on the show, she is a film student at DePaul University and an Associate Producer at GoLucky Studios. Jacalyn's goal is to be a creative producer and her perspective getting into the industry and seeing things from another point of view can be valuable to other people just getting started.

They will be joining me as much as possible! The show will drop Sunday afternoons at 3pm starting February 3rd! Links will be on  this blog and a youtube page that I will link in a later post this week.

Glad to be back, so much to update everyone on! Best Wishes!!