In honor of John Wick: Chapter 3 being number #1 at the box office this past weekend, here is a writer’s quote from Derek Kolstad, screenwriter of the John Wick franchise.
I’ve been writing since the age of 13, but having grown up in the mid-west, I never really saw it as a career. I went to school, started a career in business, but over time grew desperate to leap at this which I did at the age of 26. Fourteen years later, I get my first theatrical, thus making me -as many would argue- an “overnight success”. It’s been a rough ride, but a good one. - Derek Kolstad
King Brings his “Eyes of the Dragon” to Hulu
To satiate the hunger people have for Game of Thrones, Hulu is throwing their hat in the ring for your next fantasy binge. The streamer is developing a pilot for an Eyes of the Dragon series, based on the fantasy novel by Stephen King. The book is a fan favorite of his many stories, as it’s filled with dragons, knights, sorcery, conspiracies, but not as explicit as GoT’s. Here’s the official synopsis:
Thus, begins one of the most unique tales that master storyteller Stephen King has ever written—a sprawling fantasy of dark magic and the struggle for absolute power that utterly transforms the destinies of two brothers born into royalty. Through this enthralling masterpiece of mythical adventure, intrigue, and terror, you will thrill to this unforgettable narrative filled with relentless, wicked enchantment, and the most terrible of secrets.
Seth Grahame-Smith, will serve as series show runner, he has a solid track record with King’s material as he produced It, and It: Chapter Two coming out later this year.
Ever since I saw Hulu’s Castle Rock last year, I am beyond stoked for this series in-the- making.
CAREER CORNER:
Do I need an Agent or a Manager to make me a star?
What is the difference?
As a screenwriter myself, this is a question I’ve always had when sourcing an agent. Should I start with an agent or manager? Priyanka Mattoo a former comedy agent at UTA and WME has represented numerous big-name writers and performers before leaving to start a TV production company with actor, writer, director musician Jack Black, breaks down the difference.
(*below are summaries of her answers.)
What differentiates the jobs of an agent and manager.
Let’s start by differentiating their job roles:
Agent - Looks important, is supposed to keep you busy with writing gigs, send out your script, orchestrate pitch meetings, share your writing deck, etc.
Manager - A manager serves a more broadly defined purpose, which is to keep your long-term, big-picture goals on track.
“The manager spends all day making sure the client is set up to succeed, while they are working with the agent and lawyer to keep all of the progress going.”
Manager is more Mama Bear and develops you from a young cub into a strong Grisly Bear!
*An awful reason to hire a manager is if you feel they need to pick up the ball because your agent keeps dropping it. If your agent isn’t doing her job, you need to talk to her about your feelings, and if she doesn’t correct it after a reasonable amount of time, you need a different agent.
Do I need both an agent and a manger?
It’s truly a matter of personal preference, as you want to surround yourself with a team that makes you feel like you’re being exposed to the most opportunities.
Often in comedy, the people who we see benefit most from managers are writer-performers, with extensive and diverse list of goals.
So going forward knowing both, what’s a good game plan?
Secure a manager, with an experienced hand guiding careers, he/she will get you access to a good network of new collaborators and people who can hire you.
Once securing work, then get an agent to get you plugged into the selection process of writing assignments.
P.S. Just remember, they’re working for you, and if they’re not pulling their financial weight don’t carry their load. They’re supposed to make your life easier as a creator, not the other way around.
You can read the full breakdown here:
Thai film “Bad Genius” Garnering American Treatment
Film studios Picturestart and Picture Perfect Entertainment are developing, producing an English-language remake of Bad Genius, based on the 2017 teen heist movie written and directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya.
The original film followed a genius scholarship student who starts a cheating crime ring in order to pay her way through school, and is hired to pull off an impossible heist to help the rich, privileged kids at her school pass a college-admissions test.
*Cough Felicity Huffman
*EVEN MORE VIOLENT COUGH Lori Loughlin
Bad Genius seems like a film that could have EASILY be in any small town America USA. The writer of the FX series ‘You’re the Worst’, Eva Anderson, is set to pen the adaptation. If you haven’t seen “Bad Genius” place it on your ‘to watch’ list as it smashed all kinds of box office records in Thailand when it was released in 2017.
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