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Screenwriting Success Outside LA
by Bob Sáenz
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Scriptwriter and writer Bob Sáenz. photo: courtesy B. SáenzIN THE LATE-'90S, FOR THE FIRST FEW
years of my film career, such as it was, I was an extra—excuse me—a background actor in films and TV pilots shot in the Bay Area.
I was lucky enough to get a recurring gig as a uniformed cop on “Nash Bridges” for its whole six seasons. I even got to talk on screen in the character a few times, but mostly I walked a lot behind Don Johnson and Cheech Marin.
Finally, I got an acting agent in San Francisco and some principal parts on a few commercials and in a few films, but never more than one scene and a few words. It was clear to me, after a few years of scraping by, that I wasn’t going to make a living as an actor.
But I remember reading “Nash Bridges” scripts and thinking, “Hey, I can do this.” So, I got some screenwriting software and went to town. Had no idea what I was doing.
What I eventually found out is I was a much better writer than actor. I decided to concentrate on that while still walking behind movie stars to make some money.
When I first decided I wanted try my hand at screenwriting and let some people on set know, I was told by more than few of those people, “You have to be in LA to have a career as a screenwriter. You can’t live here in the Bay Area and succeed.”
My answer was, as it is every time someone tells me I can’t do something, “Why not?”
20 years later, with 14 produced films with my name on them as writer, four other film scripts sold and not made yet, one TV pilot sold, and an agent and a manager in LA, I’ve done what I intended.
I made a living at this and proved those people wrong at the same time.
A scene from Sáenz's 'Extracurricular Activities', directed by Jay Lowi, with actors (lft-rt) Colin Ford, Danielle Macdonald and Paul Iacono. photo: courtesy J. LowiI still don’t live in LA. I live in the East Bay. Yes, before this pandemic I had to go down to Southern California once a month or so for meetings and, yes, it was on my dime. And, indeed, that can get expensive. But it’s part of the cost of being in the screenwriting business.
When I first started getting my work noticed by producers, I never said “Oh, by the way, I don’t live in LA.” When they said they wanted to meet with me, I said, “Tell me when, and I’ll be there.” It wasn’t until I was face to face with them that the truth about my address was mentioned.
They didn’t care. They liked what I had. I never lied to them. I just never mentioned it. You don’t need to either.
The first thing a reader or producer or production exec reads on your script is the title page. The name of your film or pilot, your name, and your contact info at the bottom, which these days is just an email address.
There’s zero indication where you live or where the room or coffee shop was where you wrote it.
If you queried them for the read, there was nothing in your query about where you live. At least I hope not—if there was, get rid of it.
Producers and reps care about one thing. The story. The film you want them to see as they read. That’s what they option or buy. They never reject a script they loved because the writer didn’t have an LA zip code.
Having a script they want isn’t easy, of course. But I had one. I wrote an out-of-the-box black comedy thriller called “Orphans.” It’s about a high school junior whose after-school job is killing parents for his classmates.
The poster for 'Extracurricular Activities'. image: courtesy J. LowiIt opened every door in Hollywood for me. I never really intended for it to get made because it was so weird and controversial. What I did want was for it to be my resume, telling producers and reps what I could do in my own unique writing voice.
It worked.
“Orphans” was optioned eight different times over 18 years, to a variety of producers, directors, production companies, and one studio. None of them made it. Well, none of the first seven. The eighth did make it under the title “Extracurricular Activities”, and it was in theaters in May of 2019. Then went to VOD and now is free on Amazon Prime.
I’m proud of it, and it’s a good, funny, strange film. And it hit screens a mere 18 years after I originally wrote it.
During that 18 years, nobody involved in any of the options or in making it cared where I lived. In fact, the producers of “Extracurricular Activities” actually toyed with the idea of shooting it in the Bay Area. They didn’t, but it was nice to think about.
Also during that 18 years, I was selling other scripts and getting paid writing assignments from production companies and producers on a regular basis. All based on that one script. It’s still paying me off, to be honest.
If you’re writing and living out of Hollywood, stop worrying about whether it makes a difference. It doesn’t for film. At all.
For TV, if you want to work in writers’ rooms? Before this Covid-19 thing, you did have to live in LA. Now, I’m not even sure about that.
I have friends that are TV writers who are now meeting in virtual writers’ rooms for their various series at home. If that stays the norm, TV writers could work from anywhere, too. We’ll see where it goes.
Since the beginning of the lockdown, I’ve had more than a few Zoom conferences with producers, two paid rewrite jobs, a greenlight on one of my films, an option on my horror script, made progress on a new original spec script… and never left my home.
It’s a brave new world out there for writers. The need for content is high. If you have a low-budget film script—meaning a one to five million-dollar budget—there are all kinds of producers looking for it, if it’s the right one.
The cover of Sáenz's 'That’s Not the Way It Works'. image: courtesy B. SáenzNow is the time, while these producers are as stuck in their homes, as you are in yours, to query them with your projects.
Why low budget? Because no one right now is looking for big-budget films. No one. Not even the studios. It’s a sign of the times.
There are great examples of query letters online or… you can find examples in my screenwriting book, “That’s Not the Way It Works: a no-nonsense guide to the craft and business of screenwriting.” It’s available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, or anywhere online that sells books.
Also in the book: how to find producers to query, how to network online, and many other aspects of the business end of screenwriting based on my experience over the last 20 years.
You can succeed living where you are as a screenwriter. That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about. You still have to worry about writing a great script that producers can’t put down. That’s not easy and it’s a lot of hard, time-consuming work, but successful writers do it. I did it.
If I did, you can, too.
Bob Sáenz is a screenwriter and writer living in the East Bay whose IMDb page can be viewed here and can be reached .
Posted on May 16, 2020 - 07:22 PM
by Bob Sáenz
Please support our stories by liking articles—thanks!
Scriptwriter and writer Bob Sáenz. photo: courtesy B. Sáenzyears of my film career, such as it was, I was an extra—excuse me—a background actor in films and TV pilots shot in the Bay Area.
I was lucky enough to get a recurring gig as a uniformed cop on “Nash Bridges” for its whole six seasons. I even got to talk on screen in the character a few times, but mostly I walked a lot behind Don Johnson and Cheech Marin.
Finally, I got an acting agent in San Francisco and some principal parts on a few commercials and in a few films, but never more than one scene and a few words. It was clear to me, after a few years of scraping by, that I wasn’t going to make a living as an actor.
But I remember reading “Nash Bridges” scripts and thinking, “Hey, I can do this.” So, I got some screenwriting software and went to town. Had no idea what I was doing.
What I eventually found out is I was a much better writer than actor. I decided to concentrate on that while still walking behind movie stars to make some money.
When I first decided I wanted try my hand at screenwriting and let some people on set know, I was told by more than few of those people, “You have to be in LA to have a career as a screenwriter. You can’t live here in the Bay Area and succeed.”
My answer was, as it is every time someone tells me I can’t do something, “Why not?”
20 years later, with 14 produced films with my name on them as writer, four other film scripts sold and not made yet, one TV pilot sold, and an agent and a manager in LA, I’ve done what I intended.
I made a living at this and proved those people wrong at the same time.
A scene from Sáenz's 'Extracurricular Activities', directed by Jay Lowi, with actors (lft-rt) Colin Ford, Danielle Macdonald and Paul Iacono. photo: courtesy J. LowiWhen I first started getting my work noticed by producers, I never said “Oh, by the way, I don’t live in LA.” When they said they wanted to meet with me, I said, “Tell me when, and I’ll be there.” It wasn’t until I was face to face with them that the truth about my address was mentioned.
They didn’t care. They liked what I had. I never lied to them. I just never mentioned it. You don’t need to either.
The first thing a reader or producer or production exec reads on your script is the title page. The name of your film or pilot, your name, and your contact info at the bottom, which these days is just an email address.
There’s zero indication where you live or where the room or coffee shop was where you wrote it.
If you queried them for the read, there was nothing in your query about where you live. At least I hope not—if there was, get rid of it.
Producers and reps care about one thing. The story. The film you want them to see as they read. That’s what they option or buy. They never reject a script they loved because the writer didn’t have an LA zip code.
Having a script they want isn’t easy, of course. But I had one. I wrote an out-of-the-box black comedy thriller called “Orphans.” It’s about a high school junior whose after-school job is killing parents for his classmates.
The poster for 'Extracurricular Activities'. image: courtesy J. LowiIt worked.
“Orphans” was optioned eight different times over 18 years, to a variety of producers, directors, production companies, and one studio. None of them made it. Well, none of the first seven. The eighth did make it under the title “Extracurricular Activities”, and it was in theaters in May of 2019. Then went to VOD and now is free on Amazon Prime.
I’m proud of it, and it’s a good, funny, strange film. And it hit screens a mere 18 years after I originally wrote it.
During that 18 years, nobody involved in any of the options or in making it cared where I lived. In fact, the producers of “Extracurricular Activities” actually toyed with the idea of shooting it in the Bay Area. They didn’t, but it was nice to think about.
Also during that 18 years, I was selling other scripts and getting paid writing assignments from production companies and producers on a regular basis. All based on that one script. It’s still paying me off, to be honest.
If you’re writing and living out of Hollywood, stop worrying about whether it makes a difference. It doesn’t for film. At all.
For TV, if you want to work in writers’ rooms? Before this Covid-19 thing, you did have to live in LA. Now, I’m not even sure about that.
I have friends that are TV writers who are now meeting in virtual writers’ rooms for their various series at home. If that stays the norm, TV writers could work from anywhere, too. We’ll see where it goes.
Since the beginning of the lockdown, I’ve had more than a few Zoom conferences with producers, two paid rewrite jobs, a greenlight on one of my films, an option on my horror script, made progress on a new original spec script… and never left my home.
It’s a brave new world out there for writers. The need for content is high. If you have a low-budget film script—meaning a one to five million-dollar budget—there are all kinds of producers looking for it, if it’s the right one.
The cover of Sáenz's 'That’s Not the Way It Works'. image: courtesy B. SáenzWhy low budget? Because no one right now is looking for big-budget films. No one. Not even the studios. It’s a sign of the times.
There are great examples of query letters online or… you can find examples in my screenwriting book, “That’s Not the Way It Works: a no-nonsense guide to the craft and business of screenwriting.” It’s available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, or anywhere online that sells books.
Also in the book: how to find producers to query, how to network online, and many other aspects of the business end of screenwriting based on my experience over the last 20 years.
You can succeed living where you are as a screenwriter. That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about. You still have to worry about writing a great script that producers can’t put down. That’s not easy and it’s a lot of hard, time-consuming work, but successful writers do it. I did it.
If I did, you can, too.
Bob Sáenz is a screenwriter and writer living in the East Bay whose IMDb page can be viewed here and can be reached .
Posted on May 16, 2020 - 07:22 PM
