Member-only story
So, around six months ago, following the production of Break Even, a feature film I wrote on assignment staring Tasya Teles, James Callis, and Steve Guttenberg, I moved onto attaching myself to my second feature film project. As the lead producer negotiated signing on, they laid out their baggage which, to my surprise, included me, the screenwriter, becoming a co-producer. This was a shock to me given I had no expectation of ever receiving such a credit and an acknowledgement I found more pleasing to receive than I could have imagined. Seriously, it was one of the nicest unexpected surprises I’ve received thus far in my career. In this blog, I’m going to talk about what I’m learning from being on the other side, how I feel that impacts writing, and I how I believe screenwriters can get ahead.
Firstly, I want to address the elephant in the room; the real life significance of the producer moniker. If you’re a screenwriter, the opening paragraph above most likely impresses you and possibly even sounds like a dream coming true while, if you’re a producer, you’re probably wondering what the fuss is about. This is the reality of producer credits. They are both meaningless and meaningful depending on where you stand in relation to them. To most people in the industry, particularly those above the line, the term holds ambiguous weight as people know…
