“Anger” Is My Middle Name

Can anyone relate?

Sherry McGuinn
Publishous

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Dollar Gill/Unsplash

Today, I took some time to assess where I’m at in my “career” and where I’m going. This came about after receiving an email from a producer who’s been reviewing one of my screenplays, a female-driven thriller. He’d had it over a month and was trying to push it up the ladder to get it green-lit from the top guy.

The producer told me that it was “a ‘no’ for now.” But, he added that he would continue to think about how to pull it together as it was a “solid concept, well-executed.”

“Not all that bad,” I thought. Then, at the end of the email was the kicker: He told me to let him know if “any meaningful attachments happen that would make it more attractive” to the top guy.

Huh? Isn’t that the production company’s job? HTF am I, a screenwriter, supposed to get attachments? Should I give Julia Roberts or Emily Blunt a jingle? Ask them if they’d be interested in attaching themselves to my Indie script?

Not only did this let-down disappoint me, it also pissed me off. I’ve been at this a long time. Long enough to remember that it used to be the producer’s job to put a package together. That’s what the producer did: He or she attached a director, talent, etc.

Apparently now, this is the writer’s responsibility. Often, we’re asked if any financing is in

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Sherry McGuinn
Publishous

Long-time writer and big-time dreamer. Screenwriter. Cat mama. Red lip aficionado. sherrymcguinn@gmail.com