The key to doing anything in the Hollywood screenwriting business, whether it’s selling your script, getting a movie financed, or getting the cast on board if you’re an actor, is networking. And here’s the fun thing about networking: People tend to move in circles with people who are of a similar social status to you, which means if you’re not already online and trying to reach out to A-list actors.
Find friends who are on the same level
And this has nothing to do with the talent you have as a writer, but with human psychology. People by nature have an aversion to being used, which makes them reluctant to hang out with people who are not in the same social stratum as themselves. In other words, if you meet a famous person, it will take you longer than usual to gain his trust and form a lasting relationship because he thinks you are going to use him to try to break into the business. And let’s be honest, if you had the connection, wouldn’t you use it to try to sell your script?
What does all this mean in the long term? It means that if you are going to build your social network of industry players to try and sell your script, you need people who are rising stars, not already famous ones, to help you build your social network. If you spend all your time trying to reach people who have already made it, you have nothing to offer them, and as much as this sucks to say, almost every interaction people have with each other, and have had since the beginning of time , it boils down to this: one man has something the other man wants. It’s as simple as that: The friendship would be one-sided, and the hypothetical celebrity in question is more than aware of this and probably won’t help you sell your script.
So how do you begin to go through this process of selling your script? Well, if you have the time, the money, or the inclination, this is where I will recommend you move to New York or Los Angeles. A small town, no matter how much you love it, won’t have the kind of entertainment infrastructure you need to meet actors, directors, producers, and other writers who can help you launch your career. For better or worse, who you know is going to trump what you know in this business every time, and this is something you should always keep in mind.