Who is he?
Who is she?
What is he like?
What is she like?
Does he like girls like me?
Does she like guys like me?
Is he into Twilight, or The Notebook?
Is she into Godzilla, or even the X-Men???
Awkward.
First dates can be a tense battle, with heightened observation, over analyzation, and carefully crafted projections. Remember: image is everything (not).
I just finished a nearly one-hour long phone call with Little Studio Films executives Alexia Melocchi and Lance Robbins concerning Back to Normal. Joining me at my location was long-time friend and reality television veteran Jeremy J. Ford (my real-time advisor).
I have to say that it was thrilling to be talking to Lance Robbins. Mr. Robbins was president of Saban Entertainment, and helped to bring the famous Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to the world (a brand that is still going over 20 years later). He then moved on to Fox Family Television as president and has worked on over 250 movies and tv shows. Thank you, Mr. Robbins.
It was all very cordial and polite at the outset, with everyone introducing themselves, sharing their backgrounds and experience. But the trivialities of "Hello my name is" quickly gave way to the business at hand. Mr. Robbins asked me to share my story of how Back to Normal came to be, and the steps that I have undertaken to promote it. After my five minute historical overview, Ms. Melocchi asked me point blank:
"What exactly is it that you want or are expecting from us?"
Awkward. You could tell from many of the probing questions that the combatants on either side of the ring had been sizing each other up. We had been teasing information out of them, and they had been scouting out our strengths and weaknesses.
Jeremy took the lead and explained our current position, and of the many inquiries that we have had, and interest in the "property" that has occurred at many levels (In Hollywood a script or concept owned by someone is called a "property"). The goal at this point is to let them know: "Hey, I'm not desperate, we have other options."
The back and forth was not unlike the uncertain and often uncomfortable pushing-pulling on a first date. You are needy, but you don't want to appear needy. They want to impress you with their experience and contacts, you want to impress them with the number of suitors seeking your hand.
In every first date, there is usually something that signals whether it is going well, or that there probably will not be a second. About 30 minutes in, they tipped their cards a couple of times quickly, gauging our response. They dropped the word "Fee." This is one of the biggest words in the world that only has three little letters.
What we discovered is that they are Consultants. They are interested in taking on projects for a FEE to help to take it to the next level. Instead of them making YOU money primarily (and then they make a percentage from that), these type of consultants are getting money up front from clients (With the real goal of helping them eventually sell their property, no doubt).
This is a bit of a frowned upon gray area in the world of promotion and representation in Hollywood. I am not saying that they are dishonest or fraudulent, but just that new, young, inexperienced writers (like me) need to sit up, take note, and learn a valuable lesson.
When you are looking for REPRESENTATION in Hollywood (people who will help to take your property, massage it, fix it up, and then pitch it to the gatekeepers of the business) they WILL NOT ASK FOR MONEY FROM YOU UP FRONT. They make money by helping to sell your property (or at least to negotiate some type of deal for your work) because they will then make a percentage of that sale (typically 5%-15%). There may be small clerical fees, but these will be small, certainly not even in the hundreds of dollars.
Once Jeremy and I heard the Red Flag word "FEE," we signaled that we were not interested in any way, shape, or form pursuing that type of relationship. You could feel the temperature of that first date change instantly (and perhaps rightly so from their perspective). I am not looking for a consultant, I am looking for either a (1) Literary Agent to help get my property to the gatekeepers, or (2) A Production Company (or Show-Runner) who believes in the property and wants to produce a pilot to pitch to networks.
They said that their website clearly revealed that they were primarily consultants, and that we should not have been at all surprised. But a few things make that less of a clear-cut case. Here is a quote from the front page of their website:
PACKAGING PRODUCERS | DISTRIBUTION CONSULTANTS | PROJECT EVALUATION | LITERARY MANAGEMENT
Literary Management implies a Literary Agent (who will NOT ask for a FEE). The night before the phone call I spent about an hour researching Little Studio Films online (any agency WILL have a web presence). I found a few troubling reports about this gray-area-consulting-fee-agency mixture in their practice model. The experts online say that all new writers with properties should RUN FROM any business that offers promotion services for a FEE, some of them while claiming to be agents, are in actuality consultants.
Also, on their REVIEWS page, one of the testimonials says the following:
"Have they asked for anything in return? Only that I do the right thing when my career is concerned. And that’s exactly what a professional would ask of a writer...I want to make them proud of representing me."
So, it is easy to see that there needs to be a lot of clarification, are they agents, or consultants? It is not as black and white as they suggested.
Also, the State of California has very tough laws against any kind of "predatory" behavior (think about it: new writers and actors are desperate to make their "break" into the business, and they could easily be exploited by "connected" people who promise the world but only serve to drain the wallet). Here are actual excerpts from the California code against "representation for an advance-fee" (also known as the Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act)
LABOR CODE SECTION 1702-1702.4
1702. No person shall own, operate, or act in the capacity of an advance-fee talent representation service or advertise, solicit for, or knowingly refer a person to, an advance-fee talent representation service. 1702.1. (a) "Advance-fee talent representation service" means a person who provides or offers to provide, or advertises or represents itself as providing, an artist, directly or by referral to another person, with one or more of the following services described below...
(the law then lists out various things that cannot be charged for)
"If they're representing the client, any money that comes to them comes as a commission...Never pay anybody to represent you." Richard Walter, UCLA Screenwriting Graduation Program Co-chair
Click here for a short Q & A involving this issue.
Remember: true agents make money on the BACK-END not the FRONT-END. They only make money when they make YOU money. PERIOD.
I was armed with this online research and the experience of Jeremy J. Ford guiding me, and it helped end a conversation that could have led to thousands of dollars of investment with a very uncertain return (of course, nothing in Hollywood is certain).
After further research AFTER the call, I discovered this defense of Little Studio Films that is worth repeating:
"I have also looked into it and talked to Alexia about it. I suggested that they might want to more clearly separate the management and consulting side of the business and she is looking at doing that. She confirmed that they do not "charge a fee" to represent writers or directors but that it is on a commission basis, just like any management company. As well, it turns out I know two of the three people that they use for notes and consulting and they are solid, real executives--far more solid than any of these contests out there that give "feedback"... I believe that they do charge a fee for expenses. Some folks do this. I, personally, would not. But, I will tell you this, considering what's going on right now, I would not be surprised at all to see more boutique management companies starting to do this just to mitigate their overhead." - Geoff Alexander
(that post was in the following forum: CLICK HERE FOR LINK)
Here is another discussion of their behavior in the past CLICK HERE FOR LINK.
I do not think ill of them at this point. They are consultants, and may do wonderful work. The date ended amicably, but with no front-porch kiss, and certainly no illusions of a relationship.
Dating isn't always about finding what you ARE looking for---sometimes it is also about finding out what you are NOT looking for. Better to go our separate ways now, rather than after we have been married for 20 years with five kids, 2 pets, 3 credit cards, and a mortgage.
Does anyone know a cute Literary Agent?
