Breaking In

Lee Zahavi Jessup, author of Getting It Write: An Insider's Guide To A Screenwriting Career, is a highly sought after screenwriting career coach with 20+ years of industry experience. Lee’s clients include writers working in film and television, participants in the prestigious television writing programs, contest winners and many more. An invited speaker at the WGA, NBC, UCLA and countless screenwriting conferences, Lee is a contributor for Script Magazine and has been interviewed by many screenwriting-centric television shows, web shows and podcasts.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Special Thanks

Introduction

Screenwriter Spotlight #1: Erin Cardillo

Chapter 1: Understanding the Industry

Section 1.1: Profession Evolved: Screenwriting Through the Ages

Section 1.2: The Industry Today

Section 1.3: Becoming a Screenwriter in Today’s Industry

Screenwriter Spotlight #2: Kirk Moore

Chapter 2: So… How Do You Break In?

Section 2.1: General Insights from Agents, Managers and Executives

Section 2.2: Reverse Engineering Your Break

Section 2.3: Luck Favors the Prepared:

Section 2.4: Your Personal Narrative

Screenwriter Spotlight #3: Marissa Jo Cerar

Chapter 3: Your Craft

Section 3.1: The Importance of Craft

Section 3.2: Screenwriting Advice from Industry Professionals

Section 3.3: But… Is it Ready?

Section 3.4: Decoding the Voice

Screenwriter Spotlight #4: Terrell Lawrence

Chapter 4: Getting Representation

Section 4.1: Agent, Manager, or Both?

Section 4.2: What Managers and Agents Look For

Section 4.3: Attracting Representation

Section 4.4: The Writer/Rep Relationship

Section 4.5: Representatives on Representation

Section 4.6: Positioning Yourself for Representation

Screenwriter Spotlight #5: Eric Koenig

Chapter 5: Winning a Screenwriting Competition

Section 5.1: Screenwriting Competitions as Vetting Avenues

Section 5.2: The Screenwriting Competitions that Matter

Section 5.3: But are They Worth It? Industry Perspective

Section 5.5: Making the Most of Your Win

Screenwriter Spotlight #6: Greta Heinemann

Chapter 6: Acceptance Into a TV Writing Program

Section 6.1: Overview: Television Writing Program

Section 6.2: Television Writing Programs - Requirements

Section 6.3: Television Writing Programs - The Industry Perspective

Section 6.4: What You Can Do Right Now To Position Yourself For a TV Writing Program

Screenwriter Spotlight #7: Chandus Jackson

Chapter 7: Receiving a Feature Writing Fellowship or Lab Placement

Section 7.1: Breaking down the Feature Fellowships

Section 7.2: The Best of the Best: Labs and Fellowships

Section 7.3: Positioning Yourself for a Feature Writing Fellowship or Lab

Screenwriter Spotlight #8: Melissa London Hilfers

Chapter 8: Selling a Spec Screenplay

Section 8.1: How Does Today’s Spec Market WorK?

Section 8.2: Getting a Spec Out to Market

Section 8.3: The Anatomy of a Spec Sale

Section 8.4: When a Spec Doesn’t Sell - Measuring Success

Section 8.5: The Prestige Lists

Section 8.6: Positioning Yourself for the Spec Market

Screenwriter Spotlight #9: Moises Zamora

Chapter 9: Television: Getting Staffed

Section 9.1: Today’s Television Landscape

Section 9.2: The Hierarchy of The Room

Section 9.3: Getting into The Room

Section 9.4: Working Your Way Up: The Benefits

Section 9.5: The Room: Compensation

Section 9.6: Positioning Yourself for Television Staffing

Screenwriter Spotlight #10: Joe Webb

Chapter 10: Selling Your Television Pilot

Section 10.1: Bypassing the Room: Become a Television Content Creator

Section 10.2: Construction Your Show

Section 10.3: Pilot Pitch Meetings

Section 10.4: The Anatomy of Setting Up A Pilot

Section 10.5: Selling a Pilot: Financial Expectations

Screenwriter Spotlight #11: Barbara Curry

Chapter 11: General Meetings & Writing Assignments

Section 11.1: General Meetings

Section 11.2: The Road to Writing Assignments

Section 11.3: Developing Your Take

Screenwriter Spotlight #12: Diarra Kilpatrick

Chapter 12: Breaking In the Unconventional Way

Section 12.1: Query Letters, The Black List, Live & Online Pitch Opportunities

Section 12.2: Web Series and Short Film

Section 12.3: Other Avenues for Recognition: Novels, Plays and Other Supplemental Materials

Screenwriter Spotlight #13: Tawnya Bhattacharya & Ali Laventhol

Chapter 13: Everything You Can Do For Your Screenwriting Career Today

Section 13.1: Preparing Yourself for the Industry

Section 13.2: Writing Partnerships

Section 13.3: Every Screenplay is a Brick: The 3-Step Approach

Section 13.4: Networking & Your Screenwriting Community

Section 13.5: Your Industry Education

Screenwriter Spotlight #14: Isaac Gonzales

Chapter 14: The Kitchen Sink - Insights, Guidance and Advice from the Industry

Section 14.1: General Advice from Industry Professionals

Section 14.2: Mistakes Writers Should Avoid

Section 14.3: Living in Los Angeles

Section 14.4: Overnight Successes and How Long Building a Screenwriting Career REALLY takes

Section 14.5: Jeff Portnoy’s 5 Things Every Writer Should Know

Screenwriter Spotlight #15: Danny Tolli

Chapter 15: Final Thoughts

Section 15.1: Advice for Working Writers

Section 15.2: Lee’s Final Thoughts

Screenwriter Spotlight #16: Michael Perri