Screenwriting Blog
Posted on by Courtney Meznarich

How to Make it As a Screenwriter, According to This Popular Hollywood Consultant

If you want a straight-up answer in this business, ask No BullScript Consulting owner Danny Manus. He’s a well-known screenwriting consultant in Hollywood, and he’s seen it all! So, naturally, we had lots of questions when we sat down to interview him on screenwriting, or, more specifically, how to succeed in screenwriting. You can watch his advice on everything from general meetings to pitch meetings, and business tips to big mistakes to avoid. But today, we wanted his simple truth: If you could only give one piece of advice to someone who says they want to be a screenwriter, what would it be?

“If you want to be a screenwriter today, my advice would be, you have to really, really, really love it,” he told us. “There has to be nothing else that you are trained or prepared to do. Because, if there is, then you should go do that because it will be easier, whatever it is. It will be more stable, whatever it is. It will be a steady paycheck.”

Well, that’s good and bad news, I suppose. The bad news? He’s right. Making a living off screenwriting alone is not easy and not consistent. The closest thing to consistent screenwriting work would probably be being staffed in a TV writers’ room, and even those gigs have a pretty short lifespan in the bigger picture. But, if you’re willing to work more than one job and have the energy to take on the challenges, you could tackle the consistent paycheck issue.

The good news? This key ingredient for success is free. It’s yours to take. Your screenwriting success is largely in your hands. You need to hone your craft, stay persistent and disciplined, and keep believing in yourself. To do any of these things, passion for the page is absolutely necessary if you want to turn your screenwriting hobby into a career.

“You have to really immerse yourself in the business as much as the craft,” Danny said. “So, you have to really love it. It’s got to be in your bones. It’s got to be the thing you want to do and love to do.”

Of course, there will be hard days. Maybe even hard months and years. But again, the key to getting through it lies in your love for screenwriting.

“You don’t always have to love the process. God knows most writers don’t,” he said. “But, it has to be the thing that you feel most passionate about doing.”

Passion: Check.

Everything Else: See SoCreate blogs.

We’ve got you,

Courtney Meznarich, Director of Community Outreach
Courtney Meznarich Director of Community Outreach
@courtonthecoast

You may also be interested in...

Screenwriting Consultant Danny Manus Gives Script Writers 5 Must-Have Business Tips

Screenwriting Consultant Danny Manus Gives Script Writers 5 Must-Have Business Tips

Screenwriting consultant Danny Manus is a former development executive, so he's been on the other side of the screenwriting business dynamic. He now runs his own consulting firm, No BullScript Consulting, to teach screenwriters the things they must know if they're to have a successful career in the industry. And here's a hint: it's not just about the script. Listen to his checklist and get to work! "On the business side, it's just knowing more about each side of the business," Manus began. "It's great to know 30 seconds of everything to have a conversation. But know a little bit more, and you could have so much ...
The Biggest Mistakes Screenwriters Make, According to Script Consultant Danny Manus

Script Consultant Danny Manus Tells Screenwriters How to Avoid 2 Critical Mistakes

Ahh, wisdom. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to take advice from people who are more experienced than I am, instead of pretending like I know it all. Sometimes, it’s a hard pill to swallow, kind of like this screenwriting advice from script consultant Danny Manus. Manus has gained so much screenwriting wisdom that he can charge for it now through his company No BullScript Consulting, where he takes aspiring writers under his wing and teaches them the tricks of the trade. But for you, today’s advice is free and simple. We asked Manus about some common screenwriter mistakes, and he did not ...
Danny Manus Describes a Perfect Screenplay Pitch Meeting

Former Exec. Danny Manus Names 2 Steps to a Perfect Pitch Meeting for Screenwriters

The pitch. Depending on the type of writer you are, that word just probably inspired either fear or thrill. But in both instances, you’ll need to calm those nervous or excited jitters so you can get your point across to the people who hold power to get your screenplay produced. Danny Manus used to be one of those people. Now, the former development executive has turned his experience into a successful coaching career for aspiring scribes, called No BullScript Consulting. He has a very clear way of describing the perfect pitch meeting, even though, as he puts it, “there’s no one right way, there are just a ...

Comments