Author: Steve Baer
Script: Loco Love - Feature
Production Company: Bryan Lewis, Three Springs Production

[This script] was produced a few years ago. Bryan posted (on the Internet at a website neither of us can remember) a request to read a low budget romantic comedy that takes place in LA. I sent him a logline and a very minimal synopsis. We made a movie. Won the award for best feature at the HD Film Festival. The Hollywood Reporter gave me a fairly nice review.

I am still contacting various producers by the above method. [InkTip's] Preferred Newsletter has been a big help. I've been receiving it for about a month and have had several producers request various material. For security, I keep the initial synopsis minimal and always request any interested parties to e-mail me a request to read the treatment &/or screenplay using the working title of my work.

I try to leave the producers alone. If I don't hear from them after six weeks, I will reach out to them via e-mail. If a certain producer likes my writing, but passes on the project, I always contact them when I have completed a new screenplay that may fit into his or her game plan. In all cases, I keep my e-mail friendly, but not personal, brief and to the point.

Author: Barbara Kymlicka
Script: Killer Bash
Production Company: David Decoteau

Producer/ Director David Decoteau was the first contact I made. I believe it occurred in this way...he had moved to Canada from LA and was looking for a Canadian writer. He used this as his criteria for his search on InkTip. What caught his attention was the number of scripts I had written and had posted (since he likes someone who can work quickly). I believe at that time I had at least six scripts written and posted. After that he checked out my script "PHOBIA" which is posted on InkTip. He liked it, contacted me and hired me to write a script based on an idea he had for a horror, which developed into the now produced "KILLER BASH".

First I made sure I worked quickly so he could see I was serious and professional. I wrote a synopsis followed by a treatment in a matter of days. I then made sure I followed up if I hadn't heard any feedback after one week had passed.

As far as maintaining the relationship after the script was produced, well that was easy since I really hit it off with David and think he's a great guy. I make sure I check in with him every so often to see how he's doing and also to give him updates on what I'm doing.

Author: David Neilsen
Script: Varley's Game, which was made into the feature film, 'The Eliminator'.
Production Company: Tritan-Northstar Entertainment

I was introduced to the eventual producer of the film through a friend who knew my writing. The producer was looking for scripts and my friend had pitched an idea to him that he liked. However, my friend was not much of a writer, so he came to me for help. We worked on the script together at first, then I took it over and wrote the entire script. That script was never made.

But the producer liked my writing. So he asked me to work on another picture of his. He had 50 pages of a script that had no writer and no ending. So I took it and re-wrote it for him. That was also never made.

Being a glutton for punishment, when he came to me a third time with a script that had to be completely re-written, I said sure thing. Wrote it up, nailed it down. Completely changed it. He loved it. We got talent attached. Money was in the bank. Then the deal died. The script was never made.

At that point, I was tired of writing his scripts that never got made; it was time to write some scripts for myself. So I wrote Varley's Game. Showed it to him when it was done. He bought it. It went into production pretty quickly, and got made.

Basically, a mutual friend put us together, and I simply stuck it out with him. I emailed him every week for updates, both on his end and on my end. This all took the course of a few years. But by sticking with it, not letting the contact ever get stale, it eventually paid off in a produced script.

Author: Michael A. Matteo
Script: Descansos, see IMDB.com. Here is the trailer to the script which just finished postproduction: CMR Studios | Northlight Films | Descansos Movie Trailer

Actually the story behind 'Descansos' is kind of funny. I was trolling the net looking for writing jobs. I found a producer who said he was seeking a screenwriter that he could collaborate with and requested a writing sample. Turns out that the director, Joe "Kip" Kipikash, lived in my own backyard in Tampa (approx 45 mins away). He liked my writing sample, sent me a nondisclosure agreement. I signed it and he sent me the idea that he had and I put together a story for him and we co-wrote it. It was originally going to be a VERY low budget film (think 2 guys and a super 8 camera, LOL). Well, 3 years later and we found producers (Gulf + Atlantic Films) and the budget became 1.1 million and we attracted Charles Durning, Gary Busey and super model Cindy Taylor to be a part of it. We filmed it in hi-def and used some of the technical people who worked on the film 'The Punisher'. It was a real whirlwind. The script was filmed in 12 days and just finished postproduction.

[InkTip] helped me find an agent several years ago. I'm still with him, Andreas Gruenberg, and he's enabled me to option 2 screenplays in Europe and we are on the verge of optioning a third one. Life is moving quickly for me and I'm developing scripts and writing new ones for several producers. I've also been coaching some local writers. I have been writing for almost 20 years. I've been fortunate enough to have had 3 books published, I had a stage play produced in NY, LA and Chicago and now I pretty much write screenplays exclusively…

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