Networking With the Elite

an Interview by Hal Croasmun

While many big name conferences have top producers as guests, Gary Shusett has had over 2,000 top producers, actors, directors, managers and agents at his events -- and Gary has them speak to only 10 to 12 screenwriters at a time.

I recently interviewed Gary to talk about how he networks with some of the most sought after people in the World. He gave some very interesting answers that could make a big difference in your own networking.

DISCLAIMER: Even though Gary talks about how he gets producers and actors to speak to his classes, the same principles apply to networking to get your script read. Just remind yourself, there are some profound truths in here about networking with important people in Hollywood. And if you're impatient, skip about half way down for Gary's direct answers about what screenwriters should do.

HAL: When it comes to networking, how do you think of it? What do you do?

GARY: It's just total focus and devotion to my goal. It's like a war. If someone wants to win a gold medal or get an Oscar or set a world record in anything, you can't just say "It would be nice to win the Olympics." You don't get there that way. You spend years of training, going through injuries, pushing yourself, giving up many things. Basically, it is going to war.

I say "This is my goal, now, I'm going to do anything I have to get there." Not anything illegal, but whatever it takes. I'm always thinking "How can I get this working?" Sometimes I have to go to events, spend money, do things that are awkward. You just focus on the goal and then do anything you have to do to get there.

Some producers don't want to speak to only 12 screenwriters. I have to convince them. But I know it is good for the screenwriters to have personal relationships with them and it's better for the producers to meet writers that are this committed.

HAL: I've actually witnessed you walking up to stars like Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington and others and very casually asking them to come over and talk with you class and they do it. What makes you think you can do this?

GARY: Well, I don't think I can do it every time. I don't assume that everyone I talk with will come over, I also don't assume they won't. I just feel it is always a possibility.

It has to do with brevity and honesty both. When I talk with anyone famous, a typical discussion with me is under a minute. It is never over 5 minutes. One or two minutes is very typical.

If it is someone I don't know, I'd say...it's hard to think of someone I don't know, but let's say...Diane Lane. I'd say "Diane, I'm with Sherwood oaks and we have a small group of writers who would very much like to talk with you." That's it! The exchange is always very short, never negative. Even if they say "I don't speak to groups," I'll just say "Okay, well maybe another time."

If they say "This is a bad time for me." I'll ask them if they may be open to sometime in the future. If they are, I say "How would I get ahold of you? Do you have an email or should I call your manager or what?" They sense a certain honesty to it.

Hal: You've been turned down more than anyone in Hollywood. How do you feel about that?

GARY: Here's the phrase I say to myself. "Failure is part of success." It doesn't bother me. It is just part of the process. I don't mind them saying no, I do mind not trying. When they say "no," it is just part of the road. If you're driving and there's a pothole, do you stop?

I don't mind them saying no. I do mind not trying. It is all in the numbers. If you ask enough people, someone is going to say yes.

I try to think of who they are. I've probably seen Denzel Washington 50 times in the last four or five years. There's something I like about him. You go up to him and he stops everything he is doing and talks with you directly. He doesn't gaze around. He focuses on you. That's great. But is also a lot of pressure. It's like Denzel Washington is listening to every word I'm saying.

He's very serious and very direct. He has said no to me many times. But at one event, he just walked over to me and ask me how I was doing. It was unexpected. So I asked him to speak to our group of writers and he did.

HAL: One thing that I notice is that you "belong" with these people, as in, you are acknowledged as part of the A-list community and you act as if you belong. What's the difference between someone who belongs and someone who doesn't?

GARY: Well, I'm not in a line of spectators or tourists taking pictures of them. If I'm taking pictures of them, what does that say about me? So there is a clear line with the public on one side and insiders on the other.

Some people are intimidated by important people. They think someone famous is better than them, more important than them, that they're wasting their time. I don't think that way. I have a business. They're a producer or actor or writer. That's what they do. My business is getting well known people to talk with screenwriters.

I'd do the same if I was a screenwriter. I'd say to myself "My business is screenwriting. Their business is producing or acting. We each have business with each other." That is how I'd think.

Also, They sense that when I talk with them, I'm not movie star gazing. I'm more interested in who they are from a business perspective.

I don't buttonhole anyone. I never talk to them too long. I doubt if anyone famous ever said "the guy talked my ear off." If it is more than a few minutes, I leave. A lot of times, the conversation is 30 seconds.

When you talk to anyone in the industry, you want to leave a good impression. You want them to know that you are sane and normal and not desperate. By talking too long, you're making a bad impression in all three of those areas. Far better to make the mistake of talking too little than to become the guy they want to avoid for the rest of their lives.

Another example is Nathan Lane. I've seen him on talk shows and always liked him. So I went up to him one time. He said "I really don't like things like this. I'm sorry." I said "That's okay, I understand." A few months ago, I see him at an award show. I catch his eye. He sees me, I see him. He knows what I'm going to ask. He knows that he is going to say no. I know he knows all that. I know he is going to say no. So I nod. He nods back to me. We both know what happened. There's no reason to bother him.

HAL: In that case, you gain more respect by honoring his wishes.

GARY: I think he realizes that I'm not going to keep hitting on him. He made it very plain, for whatever reason, that he doesn't want to speak.

HAL: So you're considering them and treating them in a business-like manner, instead of trying to push them to do what you want. Does considering them like that often work in your favor?

GARY: There's my famous David Kelly story. I've seen him at many award shows. I went to him and said "David, I've known you a long time and never had you speak to our group. Would you mind talking to us?"

He goes into this tirade. "Don't you understand? I'm writing three shows at once. ABC wants me, NBC wants me. Schools want to fly me to their graduation ceremonies. They even pay me. But I can't do any of these things." I'm just listening to him, not saying a word. I was almost going to interrupt and tell him not to worry about it, but I couldn't even get that in.

After three or four minutes of talking nonstop, he paused and looked at me and said "Okay, when do you want me?" I don't know why he agreed. Maybe it was because I didn't say anything. Maybe because I listened and let him vent.

When someone says no, I never push them. I just say thanks and maybe they can do it another time.

HAL: What do you say to people who are uncomfortable approaching important Hollywood people?

GARY: I have a writer friend and I invited him to an award show at the Director's Guild. He said "I don't know, what would I say?" Easy. You get there, you see James Cameron and go up to him and say "Hi Mr. Cameron. I'm so and so, I really like your work." That's all. You don't have to give him your card or anything else. Just say hello.

He asks me "What good is that?" What good is that? You might see him again somewhere. Now, you know him. The next time, you might say "Oh, yeah. I saw you at the Director's Guild."

The whole industry is about relationships and anything you do to create a relationship is a huge benefit to your career.

If you're too intimidated for that, maybe you start with the non-actors. Maybe you can talk to assistants or other writers or whoever. It's important to get comfortable talking with people in the industry. And you don't have to say much. Don't tell them how you want a job or you want them to read your script. That's not important in the beginning. Just introduce yourself. Say "Hello, I wanted to meet you." You don't have to say you're a fan or rattle off their credits. Just introduce yourself. That's a great start.

HAL: You use a combination of email, phone, letters and meeting in person at events. Tell me your strategy.

GARY: It's a war. My job is to get them to be part of what I'm doing. Their job is to avoid that. There are a lot of people bothering them. They have gatekeepers. They have agents. They have private phone numbers. They don't want their address known. So I have to figure out how to get around that without getting them angry.

I try not to interact with their agent because that is a low-percentage move. The best percentage for me is to see them in person. I'm also pretty good over the phone.

In the letters, I make every effort to make it as short as possible. I give a sentence about what I do, then a few sentences about what I want. Then my contact information to make it easy for them to get a hold of me.

There's one thing I don't do. I never go to anyone's house without an invitation. If you go to someone's house, you're crossing the line. You want to avoid having them feel like you're stalking them. I rarely go to their office without an appointment.

And on the phone calls, I just say "Hi, this is Gary. We're doing a conference in March and I'm wondering if you'd like to come." If they say no, I thank them and say goodbye. If they say yes, I say I'll send them the info. That's it. That is a typical conversation.

HAL: So sum this up for me. The reason you're short and to the point is what?

GARY: Several reasons. I don't want them to think that I'm grabbing their attention just for the ego reason of talking to them. I want to be focused and get to the point and they can quickly say yes or no and our business is done. I don't want them to think I'm crazy and the next time I see them will corner them and talk for 20 minutes.

When they see me, they may be thinking "Here's Gary again," but I'm sure it registers that I don't talk long, so they're willing to give me that minute or two of their undivided attention.

HAL: How would you recommend screenwriters approach stars, producers and agents to be part of their project?

GARY: The star is the most complicated one, so I would put that at the bottom of that agenda. The time and energy required to get a major star is so difficult and they have so many people protecting them, I would only go through their production company.

Going through their agents will probably not work. But if you write something really interesting and very short and send it to their production company, you may get through.

The great thing about producers is that they have offices. They do business there. You can call their development person or assistant and give them your pitch. There are a lot of producers who don't have a staff. So the chance of getting a meeting with them is much higher.

The most important thing is why you're getting a hold of them. If it is to say you're a great writer, they'll probably laugh. But if you have a great logline, they may want to see your script. Or you can try the social approach. You call an assistant and invite them to lunch on you. Why would you do that? It's easier to get someone to like you than your material. Once they get to know you, they will like your material.

My approach would be to go for the smaller companies. Meet the people on the bottom of each company. Let's say you get to know 10 development people in 2003. By 2004, some of these people will have moved into more important positions. Eventually, one might be the head of the company. It happens all the time, I'm dealing with a person and they'll be a reader. Two years later, I call back and they're the Vice President of the company.

HAL: In general, how else would you recommend a screenwriter network in Hollywood?

GARY: I think everyone should go to at least one awards show a year. I'm not talking about the closed events like the Academy Awards, but there are a lot of events that aren't closed and anyone can go to. Just read the trades, read the Reporter and every Monday, it has all the events they're doing here.

Like there is something called the Casting Awards. There are actors, agents, casting directors there. It cost $100 or $150 to go. If you can pick one or two of these events to go to, they're great networking opportunities. Don't go to a tourist event like a new star on Hollywood Blvd. That's useless.

But at an industry event, you never know who you might be seated next to or who you might meet on the way in or out. Just talk with people and see what happens.

HAL: What about screenwriters who don't live in L.A.?

GARY: Try to come to L.A. two or more times a year. Make those trips count. Come to classes like mine where you'll meet 25 producers in a week. Then follow up with them after you go back home. Or you can call companies before you come here and set appointments to meet with them.

Maybe you write letters before you come out here. Let's say you write 60 or 70 development people and get two or three lunches. That's fine. You go to lunch with them and establish a relationship. The same time, that week, maybe go to someone's pitching event or a Sherwood Oaks class. Go to something that makes your time count.

If you do that twice a year, you'll build relationships over time.

HAL: What are the mistakes you see most people making?

GARY: I think most people over-estimate their own writing and understanding of the process. Their vision is: I want to become a writer. I see all this stuff that is not that good and I know my stuff is probably better. So they think they'll get a big agent like CAA or William Morris. They represent a lot of people and they'll get my stuff and put me on top.

It's more like they have to spend years doing this and they'll get an occasional break. But they have to put a lot of time and energy into it. That's one reason to come to Hollywood. You have to figure out where you really stand as a writer. How good is your material, really? You can't know that from any other place. Most people who give feedback are really supportive, but a producer or agent makes their living from screenplays, so their view is very different.

HAL: Any last advice for screenwriters?

GARY: You should evaluate yourself as a person. Some people are great at writing letters. Some are very good in person. Some know lots of people. Some have money. Let's say you're a business person who wants to become a writer. You have the money to buy tickets to premiers, to take the classes, to go to the pitch fests, to meet the right people. All that would be good for your career.

If you have one of those personalities where everyone seems to like you, this is a huge advantage. You need to get out there and meet as many people as you can. If you have a great High Concept, again, this is another huge advantage. You should use it any way you can.

Determine what you have to offer and where you're weak. Capitalize on what you're good at.

You can't get discouraged because someone doesn't like your material. It seems like FORREST GUMP, ALIEN, TOTAL RECALL, many movies that made huge amounts of money took 10 years to get made.

I remember this basketball player who was a star and in an interview, they asked him how he approached his career. He said "Every year, I take something I feel is average and make it better. One year, it was free throws, last year, rebounding." As long as you're bettering yourself, you're probably going forward even though it may not seem like you are.

If you would like to attend a Sherwood Oaks event,
please contact Gary at 323-851-1769.