So many wonderful scriptwriters with great stories have gone to great lengths and risked so much to write and circulate stories without a clear pathway to protecting, marketing and financing them. Even with a big publishing house, believe it or not, most authors still must personally market their own creations. If you publish independently, spending the focus and time on marketing and selling is required more than ever. Protecting your work, while it is a work in progress and a finished work requires a very different kind of awareness. It requires accountability protocols at every step of the stories movement. Nobody, including your friends, should be treated any differently about this protocol. That’s the Wild West of Content, the intellectual property world we’re living in now, with a click of a button and all of your work, blood sweat and tears is gone. There’s a distinction between being paranoid and being mindful. This article is about being mindful in the Wild West of Content.
In an intellectual property marketplace, where content is King, in the Wild West of Content, there are no boundaries. Competition is fiercer than ever and hundreds of millions of people are on the hunt for moneymaking creative works that they can turn into properties. Investors are looking for potential money- makers and the fastest track to delivering. The minds of most investors haven’t really changed that much when it comes to money, ownership and taking credit. The entertainment industry is one of the most creative and dynamic industries in the world and yet, it has been one of the cruelest, most ruthless and parasitic cultures in the world.
Many of the business processes, industry standards and protocols protect the studios and those who belong to it, such as agents, managers, publicists, production companies, celebrities, existing writers, producers and directors.
Scripts are routinely stolen with indifference and impunity. For Content Creators, an entirely different business awareness, understanding and practices are needed to achieve success and arrive at the desired finish line.
When it comes to taking a potential product, such as a prototype, an application, a script, or, any piece of substance and turning it into an asset, The Rainmaking Company is poised to be at the right place, at the right time, with the right expertise and experience to help receptive people move into success. Rainmaking is an art, a craft and a science.
Suppose you have a script that you want to turn into a film, with the intent to establish a distribution that elevates the presence and prosperity of it and in so doing, become a highly talked about, loved and remembered story?
Should you, or, your team, really be circulating it to every person who says they want to read it? Is this the best way to secure the right team to help you bring it to life? I personally know at least three people who had their scripts lifted, in their entire composition, altered a little and made into a film.
One way to avoid this is to establish a protocol that requires accountability as your script is being circulated and read. Without accountability being built into the process from the start, it’s like circulating a blueprint for a trade secret, patent or application when the people who learn more about what you have don’t have any accountability to you.
The Rainmaking Company has been involved in bringing products to the market, sometimes taking the lead, sometimes behind the scenes, but either way, we know and understand the important nuances of the realm.
The question really is, How do you share your dreams and projects with others and yet, move with mindfulness and accountability so that it lives in all of your protocols?
If you have a script that you really believe in, that you are passionate about and you are willing to make it your business and priority that it becomes a successful film, do what you can to prepare it ahead of time as much as you can before circulating it.
Consider investing in your cherished script, so, that it can be ready for funding and go forward with the right people, so, that the following can be identified:
- What does the story need, if anything? Are there any weaknesses in the script that could serve as an obstacle, or, several obstacles for attracting independent investors or investment groups? i.e.… Where does the story lag, if at all? What are its strengths?
- Might it be helpful if the script had other characters, or, are there areas in the story that could use more clarity, or, need to be communicated differently, so that the story is more engaging and distinguished, so investors and audiences can better relate to them?
- What markets does the current story serve? Are they the right markets? Are there other markets that the scriptwriters don’t see?
- Are there any Ancillary products that should be sold along with or after the film is released?
- Can the script be sold as is and if so, what would work best & why?
- Is the title the right title? Are there other resonate titles that may make the whole project more attractive, memorable and lucrative? People are usually very attached to their titles.
The Rainmaking Company sees no difference between a product development department and a place where scripts should be turned into films.
After reading your script and having these discussions with you, you would also be poised to:
- Know more about what needs to be done, what you need to do next and have a feel for how the project is likely to go forward.
- Decide if you would like to have an executive summery developed to attract investors, producers, directors and distributers.
- Know what kind of people the project may need and why.
Call The Rainmaking Company for a brief consultation about your script.