The Unusual Suspects: Unconventional Film & Television Contacts to Launch Your Screenwriting Career

If you believe the Traditional Hollywood Playbook, getting an agent is the only path to selling your screenplay and launching your screenwriting career. Veteran screenwriter Michael Elliot – whose first spec sale to a major studio was realized without an agent or manager – couldn’t disagree more. As a working writer for over 13 years (with four produced credits), Elliot knows firsthand the wide range of industry professionals that are not agents, managers or production company execs that are routinely responsible for a new writer’s break-through script sale. These nontraditional industry professionals that are often instrumental in giving unrepresented writers their big break, inspired this unique directory.

For writers that are willing to think out-of-the-box and refuse to leave a single stone unturned, Elliot developed The Unusual Suspects: Unconventional Film & Television Contacts to Launch Your Screenwriting Career. This 200+ page downloadable directory features over 750 listings to help you secure a producer, director or talent for your script, including:

Bankable Actors
Oscar-winning and nominated actors – whose careers have cooled – are often hungry for good and/or ‘comeback’ role. Many Oscar-celebrated actors also Produce and/or Direct. Get your script in the hands of internationally recognized Actors with the appetite and resources to bring your material to the big screen. The contact information for over 200 bankable Actors are included in The Unusual Suspects directory.

Cinematographers
Many of today’s celebrated Cinematographers (also known as Directors of Photography or DP’s) will be tomorrow’s film directors and many of them are hungry for the ‘right’ script to make the transition to directing. Get your script in the hands of DPs who may aspire to direct. You will find the names and contact information for some of Hollywood’s most respected Cinematographers in The Unusual Suspects directory.

Commercial & Music Video Directors
Michael Bay, Spike Jonze, Brett Ratner, David Fincher, Gore Verbinski, Antoine Fuqua and F. Gary Gray are just a sampling of the film directors that got their start directing commercials and music videos. Many of today’s hot Commercial & Music Video Directors are one ‘right’ script away from the opportunity to helm their first film. Your script might be the project that a hot Commercial or Music Video Director wants to use for their feature directorial debut. Who are the Commercial Directors and Music Video Directors poised to transition into feature films? You will find them and their contact information in The Unusual Suspects directory.

First Assistant Directors
On any film, the First Assistant Director (also called First AD or 1st AD) is the Director’s right-hand. Many First Assistant Directors aspire to helm their own film and consider their First AD jobs preparation for the day they will be the Director. Alfred Hitchcock is the most famous First AD-turned-Director. Present-day First Assistant Directors-turned-Directors include James McTeigue, the First AD on the Matrix trilogy and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones was the director on V for Vendetta (2006). With so many of today’s most in-demand First Assistant Directors destined to be among tomorrow’s feature directors, they are ideal targets for your screenplay, and you’ll find them in The Unusual Suspects directory.

Tomorrow’s Film Producers
Many top Unit Production Managers (or UPM), major Casting Directors and successful Screenwriters aspire to produce, but without the right screenplay, their producer dreams are on hold. Get your script in the hands of these unconventional film and television professionals, many of whom have the hunger and the resources to bring the right’ script to a buyer, or to the screen. You will find the contact information for top Unit Production Managers, major Casting Directors, and some of Hollywood’s most accomplished Screenwriters (listed by genre) in The Unusual Suspects directory.

Listings in The Unusual Suspects directory include Names, Credits, Representatives, Mailing Addresses, Phone/Fax Numbers, and Email Addresses.

NOTE:
The Unusual Suspects directory was originally conceived as a companion to Michael Elliot’s Renegade Tactics to Launch Your Screenwriting Career – Live Webinar series presented on November 6 and November 20, 2010. This 2-part webinar series was recorded and is available to view/and or download (see ‘Buy Together & Save’ for more information). Elliot’s ‘Renegade Tactics’ webinar series and The Unusual Suspects directory arm you with a complete new game plan to launch your screenwriting career.