Thread: Who do I submit scripts to?

I was wondering where I would send a script to. I am making a animated comedy series and have wrote like maybe the first 15 mins of an episode. I would just like to send this to some company or whoever who could tell me if its any good and if I should continue working on it. Thank you.

Hi EA,

If you just want someone to give you notes, this would be the place, though I recommend posting just a few pages at a time. Longer posts don't get as much feedback. I know there are some script feedback companies online. I work for a script reading service myself, but we do feature length notes. There may be a place that will consider your 15 min script, but it will cost you money. If I were you, I'd get notes from WF peeps for free.

Originally Posted by Wallmaker

Hi EA,

If you just want someone to give you notes, this would be the place, though I recommend posting just a few pages at a time. Longer posts don't get as much feedback. I know there are some script feedback companies online. I work for a script reading service myself, but we do feature length notes. There may be a place that will consider your 15 min script, but it will cost you money. If I were you, I'd get notes from WF peeps for free.

I meant like where would I send a script to get seen by a company like fox?
Also do I need an agent?

EA,

To be honest, there's no one at Fox waiting to give newbs notes and suggestions. It's not their job to cultivate new writers per se, especially becuase it doesn't profit for them. Though there are some companies like ABC DISNEY and the CW I believe which do fellowship programs for TV writers (very competative). Most are interested in 1/2 hour and 1 hour drama format since that's the length of show they make on TV.

HOWEVER, you are welcome to pick up a creative hollywood directory and send queries to your heart's content. They are availale at 40 bucks a pop here:

Amazon.com: hollywood creative directory

I will be honest, if you aren't established, like have an agent, manager, laywer to represent you, most places will not consider your work. They are worried about getting sued. And to get an agent is a whole other task. You can again spend Fourty bucks for the representation directory lower on that amazon list and send queries to your heart's content. Getting an agent can be difficult, I'd recommend having a portfolio of work to show them. My person rule of thumb would be 3 feature length scripts, a 1 hour drama spec of a show on TV, a 1/2 hour spec of a show on TV, and a pilot (maybe the script you are talking about). Can you find an agent for less under you belt? I'm sure, but you don't want to come in, guns blazing and not enough to show for it. If an agent says, not interested in that, what else have you got? You better have something to show them, in my opinion.

So... what to do with your TV pilot? Have you ever considered making it yourself? If you get notes on it, make it into say, short webisodes, then you can call up that agent and say, I have this show on the web, it's got 200,000 hits and people like it, you'll like it too. If I got a query letter saying that, I'd look into it. Plus it shows you have initiative to make the product.

I know it's not the perfect answer you were looking for, but if I were in your shoes, I'd start looking into how to make the pilot myself. It worked for the guys of it's always sunny in Philidelphia, it could work for you.

Cheers,
Kay

You might want to try and enter a few contests out there. High placement will usually get some calls from agents, managers etc. Some of the best are the Nicholl's Fellowship, Page International, and Sundance.

EA -

15 minutes of the first episode is a good start. You're almost done. Write the rest and then get some notes from a writer's group. Try to avoid getting notes from friends who don't know a lot about writing, as they're likely to love whatever you do.

And before you pitch the series anywhere, make sure you have a few of the other episodes written and polished as well. And if not episodes for the full series, at least have an episode outline for the rest of it.

Good luck!

Brian
Screenplay Readers

The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is a public service company and actually reads scripts by new authors, I don't know if American public service broadcasters do so. A word of warning though, they won't touch it if it's not in the right sort of format, they get an awful lot to read, so it's worth visiting their website and getting the details before you send.

Don't forget also to put together a thorough, well-written treatment and synopsis. That's what most readers will want to see. I think you should also go ahead and finish the entire script, go through a couple of drafts and polish it up to your liking and register it with the WGA before showing it around too much. You can also register a treatment or synopsis if you'd rather workshop the script and get feedback before finishing it.

Originally Posted by EAProdigy

I was wondering where I would send a script to. I am making a animated comedy series and have wrote like maybe the first 15 mins of an episode. I would just like to send this to some company or whoever who could tell me if its any good and if I should continue working on it. Thank you.

My comment may seem a bit harsh, but this is a very old post, so I am pretty sure the OP is long gone. However, the responses are quite good information for others interested in the subject.

I would like to add to the previous list of suggestions that those considering submitting written work to a publisher/producer/agent make sure that your grammar, usage, and spelling are correct. Submitting to forums or professional readers for comments could help reduce these errors giving you a better shot at getting past the preliminary cuts.

If used in a cover letter, a simple error similar to the one the OP has in his post above, "I am making a animated comedy series and have wrote like maybe the first 15 mins of an episode" ("wrote" should be "written"), could place his/her manuscript immediately into a reject pile.

Work on the mechanics of writing so your talent can show through.

Originally Posted by vangoghsear

If used in a cover letter, a simple error similar to the one the OP has in his post above, "I am making a animated comedy series...

a should be an - A, An grammar rule. Even small mistakes can upset people and I should know I've been getting it in the neck all my life!