5 Reasons Why Screenwriters Need to Think Like Producers

My entire life I always wanted to be a writer. So, when I graduated with an MFA in screenwriting from the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television in 2008, I felt like I’d achieved “the dream.” I soon realized however in running my first entrepreneurial endeavor as a video content marketer that the real success stories go beyond the proverbial dream and have an objective-minded strategy and clear plan of action.

Fast forward to 2019 – and I’ve tacked on the “producer” title to “writer”— a business decision I rationally made with some resistance to what it may mean for my attachment to the “art” I’d spent my life worshipping. In my journey over the last ten years to really embrace the “show” and “business” elements that run Hollywood in parallel, I’ve learned these are the top 5 reasons why being a writer who succeeds means thinking like a producer from these professors and mentors who I’ve had the honor of learning from:

1. It’s Big: Carving out a successful career for yourself as a screenwriter is possible, but it’s going to take more than just creating a great story. You will need to highlight, explain, and “package” it to sell within an existing market. It goes without saying, Hollywood is a competitive place, which means you’ll need to craft a pitch deck or “Bible” that illustrates how your story will be “treated” in the big picture. This clarifies your vision to others and assures executives that you have what it takes to compete. As Colleary also says, “Hollywood is littered with utterly unfilmable screenplays,” so let yours be the one people notice by thinking strategically – like a business minded professional who also operates on the creative side.

2. It’s Happening: Right now is a great time to be a screenwriter with a head for creative content. Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Google Play, Cable—the truth is, there are more platforms than ever distributing more content than ever. This means there is a massive content factory out there just waiting to find another winning idea. In fact, starting on the small screen can pave the way to future success, as David Albert Pierce, Managing Partner of the entertainment law firm Pierce Law Group LLP noted in a class I took this past fall at UCLA Extension:

“Never before has the technology been as inexpensive as it is for which a commercial film can be made and never before has it been easier to get your picture distributed even if it simply is a platform like YouTube.  You can tell your story and upload it to the world for mere thousands of dollars and it can still look incredibly polished and well edited. Your story can be told and you can be spotlighted, then commercial success can follow on your future efforts once you have established yourself as a creative and entertaining force.”

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About the Author: Kathy Berardi is a graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television MFA program in Screenwriting. In roles as a producer and writer, Berardi has created numerous award-winning short films, branded content and currently has several projects in development at Upward Media Partners with producing partner Walter Richardson. Her empathy-driven filmmaking style guides her team to bring classic stories to life from new perspectives, empowering underrepresented voices and narratives that encourage audiences to embrace each other by embracing the story of another. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.