The Who's Buying What database has been optimized for speed and ease-of-use, and there are a LOT of different ways to use the information. Here are some helpful hints on how to get the most out of your subscription to Who's Buying What.
1. BROWSE!
The
Who's Buying What Buyers & Sellers feature is the quickest way to get a broad overview of the Hollywood film script marketplace. Click on
Studios & Production companies, for example, for a quick list of all the companies that have been involved in recent script purchases. (The current total is
3194, and we're adding new companies on a daily basis!) Click the company name for a detailed listing of the recent script deals they've been involved with.
If you're more interested in specific individuals than companies, click the Producers & Executives option. Voila! We're currently listing 4236 producers and studio executives, and new individuals are added every day. All of these folks are potential targets for your queries.
2. FIND AN AGENT
Guess what? Producers & Executives aren't the only folks listed on
Who's Buying What. As a first-time writer you may need some assistance getting your screenplay through the door, and that's where literary agents and managers come in. Click the
Literary Agencies & Management Companies option to see a list of the companies involved in recent script purchases, on the
sales side of the equation. Click
Individual Agents & Managers for a list of the specific individuals involved the transactions. (
573 so far!)
3. TARGET YOUR QUERY
Have you written a drama? Comedy? Family picture?
Who's Buying What can show you a quick list of all the companies who have purchased screenplays in your particular genre. Just click the
Genre option from the main menu, then select the genre that best describes your material. Handy! An even better way to get at this information, though, is to use our search engine, which allows you to refine your query for greater accuracy.
Here's how it works. Let's say you've written a thriller. You've written it on spec (that means you haven't been paid in advance), so your best bet is to seek out companies who have purchased spec thrillers. So click on the script sales option. At the top of the page, you'll see a simple form much like you'd on Yahoo or another search engine. Type:
spec AND thriller
and press the "Search Script Sales" button. Now instead of seeing the dozens of thrillers that were written on assignment or adapted from books, you'll see only those thrillers that were sold on spec. Now we're getting somewhere!
But, wait. There's more! What if your thriller is just a little bit edgy, with elements or horror? Try this search:
spec AND (thriller OR horror)
Now you'll see a list of spec sales in either the thriller OR horror genres. See what we mean? You can use the AND and OR operators to create highly sophisticated search queries.
4. STAY INFORMED
New material is added to the
Who's Buying What database on a regular basis, so make sure you visit the site at least once a week. Click the
Recent Sales option from the main menu to see some of the most recent additions to the database. When you come across a company or individual you're not familiar with, click over to the
search engine and get to work. Type in the name to see what
other kinds of projects these folks may have been involved with. If they sound like a good fit, track 'em down and send a query letter.
|
HINT: it's often smart to play both sides of the equation. If you think the folks behind a recent script deal might be receptive to your material, send a query letter to the production company that bought the script, and another one to the agency that sold it. If no agency is listed, look at some of the other scripts that that production company has purchased. Any agents listed there? Query them, since they obviously have a relationship with the production company you'd like to target. These are the kinds of connections that make Who's Buying What such a powerful marketing tool!
|
5. STAY IN TOUCH
If you've got a question about how things work, or a suggestion about how things
should work, drop us a line at
support@moviebytes.com. Even better, let us know when you've sold your script so we can shamelessly claim credit for your success.
