Michele Wallerstein: “How To Be An Agent’s Dream Client”

Screenplay and novel consultant, Michele Wallerstein, gave us wonderful advice today in dealing with agents at the Scriptwriters Network's Seminar Series at CBS Radford Studio lot. Although she was an agent for 25 years, she gave it up to do the parts of the agent job she liked best -- work with the writer and work with the material.

Summarizing all her advice isn't easy. She warned writers to not get stuck on one idea, that you need to move on when it doesn't sell, not try to tweak it for different media. She thinks writers do this out of fear. "Instead, keep generating new ideas."

She said that when she was an agent she wouldn't look at a writer without three spec screenplays by him/her alone. Because if you have a partner, it'd better be a partnership more solid than a marriage, because you have to stay together.

She indicated that attitude is important, too. You can't believe that they are all wrong and you are right or nobody will want to work with you. It can be quite possible that your screenplay is not ready -- that you might have a good story but the audience doesn't care for the characters because they have not become invested in them. More important than anything is the need to write good compelling characters.

Too many writers ruin their own meetings and end up sabotaging their careers. "If you're not early, you're late," she told us. "Never make any producer wait for you." She also encouraged people to get over being shy, because if you don't share something personal about yourself, you're going to be forgotten.

She then said an amazing thing: that you would also be forgotten if they can run right over you. So she suggested not taking crap from anyone. She said that she tells her clients that if they have been waiting more than 30-45min, walk out. She tells this story about how she was waiting in the reception area and could hear this producer talking non-work stuff, so she got up and left after 30 odd minutes. She said by the time she got back to her office, he was calling and apologizing. Since then they've become friends and have done a lot of business together.

She also said dress was important and gave as an example of someone whom everyone wanted to meet because of his great spec scripts and never wanted to hire after meeting him. Nobody would tell her what was wrong and she couldn't suss out the problem until he came into her office after one of those meetings wearing combat boots, shorts and a tank top.

I wrote an article about dress -- I should check into republishing it.

Another important thing to know is to not stay too long. You have to develop a feel for when they are done.

Michele also said that clients screw up by missing opportunities. She gave an example of a writer client who wanted to direct, and got to be producer on a show, but could never find time to direct, citing too busy as producer. Which seems very odd to me, because there are so many people who take advantage of that kind of opportunity and so many people who can take over your other duties in the meantime and guide you through it. Sounds more to me like he was terrified of not doing as good of a job as he envisioned himself doing and hence, used his producing duties as a smokescreen.

She also mentioned writers will sometimes turn down writing assignments when they shouldn't, for even if they are small assignments or cheap assignments, there's usually a reason why your agent thinks you should do them and is proffering them to you.

Another question most writers want to know is how often to call their agent. Michele said that a writer should keep in contact with their agent to build a relationship. Besides she wants to know that her client is working. But it shouldn't be just an empty call where you are quizzing your agent about what he/she has done for you, you should be giving something as well. It's a given that you want to know what the agent has been doing for you, but you should have three or four ideas that you are working on that you want to run past the agent to see if it's marketable -- or to tell your agent how you met some person who wants to read your script and ask if it's a good idea to give it to them.

Once every two weeks should be sufficient to build the relationship. "You don't have to always talk to your agent. Give the assistant the whole message -- what you want your agent to know." That way you can follow up with the assistant and build a relationship there.

It also helps, she reminds, to see your agent as a human being. Call on his/her birthday. Give a Christmas present. "Show that you care about them."

The subject about changing agents came up. She admitted this was tricky business because agents don't like to fire clients. She doesn't know why that is, but they just get cooler and cooler, wanting you to leave. And until you do, you don't really have an agent working for you, even though you think you do. She said that before you consider leaving, you need to honestly evaluate yourself. "Are you taking responsibility for your stuff? Have you given them every chance to work for you?" And she cited making an honest evaluation of whether the work is really ready to be shown, because you only get one shot at things, producers won't read a work twice. "So do everything you can to make it work before you leave."

Another interesting area she talked about was that it's rare for anyone to get all the money promised when they announce in the trades something is sold. That only happens if the script is produced and if you remain the sole writer on it. Payments are always in steps.

So another way writers shoot themselves in the foot is by demanding too much money because of what they have read or demanding too much time of an agent or producer.

"Drugs and alcohol will destroy a career," she reminded and then decided nothing else needed to be said on that topic -- it should be obvious why.

Everyone knows how important networking is, but Michele reminded us that everyone is a connection, even her now that we attended her seminar. She said that we need to call, email and write those connections to keep them alive. And she gave an example of how to do it. The best is a two paragraph email, starting out with "I heard you speak at XXX and you were wonderful" and ending with "I want to call you in a week" -- because you can't expect them to call -- they won't. (Although my experience is that if they really want you, they do find the time to call.)

In the Q and A section, a few other useful pieces of advice came to light:
1. You have a right to know where your material goes - ask the assistant to give you a list.
2. Have at least three scripts in the same genre.
3. Be direct - tell people what you want and they will try to give it to you.
4. Don't ask people to do all the giving.

Anyway, one of the best seminars I've attended because her information was so useful.