Hollywood Etiquette Part II: 4 Ways to Get Your Script Read without Being Annoying

Last week’s post was about why it can be detrimental to send your script out over LinkedIn or Social Media to people you don’t have a relationship with. Now that you know what not to do and why not to do it, let’s talk about ways to go about getting your script read AND foster important relationships in the process.

Here are 4 ways to get your script read without annoying people: 

1. Cultivate REAL Relationships.

Think of the people in your life that would do you a big favor: Drive you to the airport, take care of your dog, help you move. Chances are the people you feel comfortable asking for a big favor are people you’ve cultivated a strong relationship with. Asking someone to read your script is no different. It’s a BIG favor. So wait until you have a real relationship with someone before you ask them to read your material. This might take more time than you want it to take, but they’ll have more investment in you doing well if they really know you. Lasting success in Hollywood is about taking the long-term view.

2. Use Social Media the RIGHT WAY.

The internet can be a great asset for your writing career: you can create a website that catalogues all of your scripts, you can display your festival laurels on social media, a great IMDb account can give you instant credibility. There are so many platforms to shout out you and your work. And trust me, if you start meeting new people in the right way they are going to look you up (it’s no secret that we all Google each other). They’ll find your social, your website, and most definitely your IMDb. So make sure all of those pages reflect how impressive you are so they’ll be intrigued to reach out to you and further a relationship (and maybe even ask to read your work) rather than you hounding them and scaring them off.

3. Get out into the REAL WORLD.

Social Media and online engagement are great, but you can’t rely on that alone (almost no one found big success by never leaving their apartment). Get out of the house and into the real world! Meeting someone in real life can create a connection much stronger (and faster) than messaging them on Facebook. Building strong, real connections is what’s going to prompt someone to want to read your script, see your reel or watch your film. So go to film festivals, put on a script reading, join a writers group, sign up for a communal workspace like WeWork, go to screenings or writer’s Q&A’s… if you’re living in Los Angeles the list of opportunities to meet people (yes this includes “important people”) is endless. But be smart, go to these events to build community in an authentic way, don’t be the creepy writer who’s just going to social events to hand out drafts of their script.

4. If you Build it They Will Come.

Hollywood loves people who are ‘Doers’. And no, a ‘Doer’ is not someone who spends their precious hours pestering people to read their scripts. A ‘Doer’ is someone who makes their own opportunities. Whether it’s creating a web series and putting it online, hosting a public script reading, or going to an open mic and reading their short story.  A person who doesn’t wait for Hollywood to give them the green light and is instead getting their work out into the world NOW is highly attractive. People like this have a dynamic energy that communicates they believe in themselves. Be a ‘doer’. If you are, chances are the “right people” will find you and want to work with you, rather than you having to hound them.

What are your favorite ways to create meaningful relationships in Hollywood? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!