Screenwriters, Streamline Your Development Communication with Producers Dashboard Dashboard

Use the Project Page to request information and make informed decisions about pursuing job opportunities.

(12/10/2021)

The Guild has introduced a new pre-employment tool for screenwriters called the Project Page, a document that writers or their reps can send to a producer or executive to request the information they need before deciding to engage on a feature project. This includes how many other writers are pitching; how long the project has been in development; if there is a director, actor or other talent attached; and whether IP rights have been secured. It’s a practical solution to the frustrations screenwriters often experience during the initial phase of a project.

“Too often writers engage in good faith, only to find that suddenly there are a dozen other writers in the mix they weren't aware of,” said WGAW Vice President Michele Mulroney. “And we hear time and time again from writers who spent weeks pitching and meeting on a project before discovering that the underlying rights were not secured. In some cases when the rights deal fails to close—and this has happened to me—all that work is for naught.”

In surveys and meetings among screenwriters, it became clear that a source of the problem was a lack of communication between producers and executives and the writers pitching on their projects. Mulroney then worked with other screenwriter members of the WGAW Board, as well as Guild Captains and staff, to draft and fine-tune the one-page form. Now, instead of sending a dozen emails to a producer requesting details on the project, a writer or their rep can send the Project Page and get all the information they need at once.

“I believe that the vast majority of producers really want to forge good working relationships with writers. We all collaborate closely and value those partnerships,” Mulroney added. “So we do not think that producers will view this as an onerous ask, but rather will want to provide the Project Page as a basic courtesy. A group of screenwriters will be doing direct outreach to producers around town to ask them to embrace this new tool.”

Members can access the Project Page online and contact Shelagh Wagener in the Agency Department with any questions.

Looking ahead, the hope is that the Project Page becomes an industry standard, embraced by writers, representatives, producers, and executives alike as a means of facilitating initial communication. The Guild will also be looking at expanding this tool to television projects.

Download the form today, and be sure to use it on your next feature opportunity.