First, I've been frustrated for days trying to re-upload my video pitch for Personal Demons to Greenlight My Movie.com (GMM) and send my pitch out to more VIP companies.
See, in early 2016 I purchased 3 videos from GMM, as I try to use a little bit (if not all) of my tax return each year on something that will help further my writing career.
Anyhow, I only recently found out that when you submit a video pitch on GMM you only get to send your video pitch to 1 VIP company. One video pitch equals one VIP submission.
Now, I thought that GMM video pitches (a lot like YouTube) just floated out there in the digital ether for any agent or producer who is scouring various venues for new clients or projects (as if there aren't enough unsolicited submissions in any given agent's slush pile and tons of hungry wannabe screenwriters out there looking for a break).
But then I heard about how you get to send your video pitch to VIPs.
So then that made me think that only the VIPs to whom you've sent your video pitch can view it.
Apparently this is not so.
From what I've seen, VIP companies can still view your video pitch (which I guess is floating out there in the digital ether of GMM).
One such company sent me a message to my Gmail today.
They are called Brick & Martyr. Now, sure, I am slightly wary of agencies with gimmicky names. Of course, Circle of Confusion (perhaps not gimmicky, but certainly cryptic) does represent the Wachoski siblings, so what do I know? It just seems like the biggest agencies have very generic, nondescript names (like United Talent Agency, Creative Artists Agency, etc.).
But I digress.
Bottom line, I went fishing and a fish caught my lure.
I couldn't find much on Brick & Martyr, save that they used to be an agency called Pathbender.
I did find that they participated in this year's Pitchfest (which I went to back in 2015...) and they have a profile on Pitchfest's website.
http://scriptfest.com/home/speaker/brick-martyr/
Now, according to their profile they are looking for "Horror, thriller, science fiction, action" and their budget restraints are "Low-mid" and the films they have produced are "Rites of Spring, Hansel and Gretel Get Baked"... Huh.
Apparently one of the partners in Pathebender/Brick & Martyr (E. Thompson) also helped produce the Twilight films with Mark Morgan.
Together they also produced The Wedding Planner, Agent Cody Banks and The Stepfather remake, as well as the Percy Jackson series and The Twilight Saga.
Sure, there's a lot of PG-13 and tween-orientated nonsense there, but hopefully they're looking to expand to more hardcore fare (as Deadpool and Logan have shown Hollywood the benefits therein). I'll also make sure to indicate to them that Personal Demons is indeed a rated-R script.
Anyhow, I wanted to submit to them, but, as I said before, when I go to upload a video, it tells me I have no submissions left.
So, what are the difference between videos and VIP submissions?
I seriously have no idea.
I purchased three recordings back in early 2016.
But apparently they expected me to submit one video pitch (one recording) each to one VIP company.
Does that make sense to anyone?
So now I've used all three of my VIP submissions sending Personal Demons to UTA, Gersh and Good Fear Film & Management and I still have two video recordings left which (if I were to use them for other video pitches I have) I cannot send to any VIP companies.
Oh, also, I have to purchase more VIP submissions in order to send Personal Demons (which is stored on GMM and is, apparently, viewable by any VIP company on that site) to Pathbender/Brick & Martyr.
Here's how the whole thing went down.
I received the following message from Brick & Martyr this morning:
"Dear Erik Harshman,
We are interested in reviewing your full pitch. Please submit it to us at
your
soonest convenience via Greenlightmymovie. Once received, we will review and
respond as soon possible.
Best Regards,
BRICK & MARTYR [formerly PATHBENDER]"
I then e-mailed GMM to see what was going on with my profile.
In response to the VIP request, they had this to say:
"
Hi Erik,
Per your welcome email...
Per your welcome email...
VIP Requests
VIPs
are sent users’ titles, loglines, genre and format [based on the formats/genres
the VIPs are looking for] via an algorithm and, if interested, the VIP can send
you an email requesting that your full pitch [synopsis/video] be submitted to
them via your account on Greenlightmymovie. It is then up to you to decide
whether or not you want to use one of your submissions to submit your project
to that company. If yes, simply click on the woman’s head icon next to your
project listing on your dashboard, select the VIP and click “submit.”
Best,"
Okay... I'll get to the implications of that later.
But first, in order to take advantage of this opportunity, I had to figure out what was going on with my account and why it said I had two recordings left but no VIP submissions.
Because, as I said earlier, I was unaware that one recording meant one VIP submissions. I guess that's my bad, but when you let your users expend all their VIP submissions on one video pitch, it gets a little confusing, no?
Anyhow, I wrote to GMM the following message:
I have purchased three videos your site and have submitted one.
However, every time I go to upload a new video it tells me I have "0" VIP submissions left.
Please advise as to how to remedy this."
Their response?
"There is a blue link at the bottom of your dashboard to purchase more submissions."
My rebuttal:
"All well and good.
But, see, I'm encountering a problem.
On my dashboard it tells me that I have 2 recordings left.
However, when I attempt to upload a new video and submit it to VIPs, it tells me I have no VIP submissions left.
I thought, for each recording I purchased, I am entitled to submit each recording to 3 VIPs.
Essentially, I thought that by purchasing 3 videos, I had purchased 9 VIP submissions.
Is that not correct?
Please advise."
Their response:
"You can create more projects but without submissions you can't send them out"
Yikes!
This whole system is meant to nickle and dime you (a lot like recent genre conventions that make you pay for entry, photos, digital downloads of said photos, autographs, meet-n-greets, etc.).
And this kind of disturbs me.
For one, it is pretty much the golden rule that any agency that asks for any kind of a fee is a scam and is not legit. They will not connect you to fame and fortune; they are simply out for your money.
I learned that in 2013 when Charlotte Gusay requested Pillow Queen from me and asked for a "reading fee".
With that in mind, how do I know that GMM isn't pulling something shady and that they (GMM) didn't just send me that e-mail to get me to buy more VIP submissions (and feed them another $30 in the process)?
How do I know my submissions is actually going to Pathbender/Brick & Martyr?
In fact, how do I know they even have a direct line to these agencies and producers period, or are they just cold calling them (like I could do!) and sending e-mailed links to our video pitches that wind up in spam folders or are deleted by assistants thinking them (rightfully so) junk mail?
This is the heated debate of a lot of people: Absolute Write had a little barn burner about it:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?307833-Submission-service-Greenlight-My-Movie!
And yet another on Stage 32:
https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Green-Light-My-Movie-com-Any-suggestions
GMM are not however, a Better Business Bureau approved business:
https://www.bbb.org/losangelessiliconvalley/business-reviews/internet-services/greenlight-my-movie-in-beverly-hills-ca-412533
I honestly don't know what to think.
It's extremely capitalistic (duh!) and a bit nefarious to tell people,
"Got an awesome idea? Cool! Give us thirty bucks and we'll connect you with the right people to turn that idea into fame & fortune!"
Yeeeeesh!
Sounds like an infomercial.
On the other hand, GMM is run by FadeIn Magazine (a legit and fairly well-regarded magazine among aspiring screenwriters, from what I can tell) who also run an extremely professional pitchfest each year that takes place in Los Angeles (instead of Burbank, like the one I went to) and keeps their location private only to those who have formally registered (whereas Pitchfest just throws their info out there) and who have a solid, single name for their pitchfest (whereas the pitchfest I went to was alternately known as the Great American Pitchfest, Pitchfest and Scripfest...!).
So, in the end, I suppose they might have access to all those agents and producers. If they put on such a grandiose and large pitchfest in the heart of the showbiz capital (L.A.) then they must be doing something right and connecting people with the right opportunities.
We shall see.
I'll buy another VIP submission and send my video pitch for Personal Demons to Brick & Martyr (and rack up more summer credit card debt, which I try desperately to avoid).
But after that any further VIP submissions I might buy will have to wait until the school year is in full swing and I'm getting normal paychecks again.
Which is terrible.
Summer is the time for me to submit to agents & producers then, if they show interest, I can respond and travel to meet them (when I actually have the time and freedom to do so) then (if all goes well) I can write full-time and quit all my regular jobs.
Submitting isn't something I should be doing while working my regular jobs.
Besides, the day-to-day ratrace that so many of us participate in liposuction our souls out so quickly, we barely have any energy or time to anything when we get home at night save for eat, binge watch some mindless T.V., prepare for tomorrow, brush our teeth, then fall into a mini-coma.
Maddening.
Also bleak.
But I digress.
I guess the rest of my summer will be sent sending out cold call query letters for Personal Demons (with my newly revamped query letter) and writing Personal Demons 2.
Then my recreational income will be spent submitting Personal Demons to the screenplay competitions in film festivals and buying VIP submissions on GMM.
Buckle up for a long and expensive ride.
Such is show business.
Greenlightmymovie is the real scam!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very fake website, they lure people to submit their work and charge $29.99/ submission and promises to send it to the VIPs, but in fact, they are giving response failure to the applicant and asks them to try to submit many times to get the contract of the Hollywood company. They don't show off their business tax ID and physical contacts, only contact form with a woman name Martty. Don't let them cheat you by their professional websites. Here to read more:
"Your website sounds really like a scam, I got the response within a few hours and I read on the google and search you out, it is not legit at all. Please refund or I should make another video how I got scam from you. Thank you"
Hi, I'm sorry you are assuming our site is a scam. That's insulting to all of the professional buyers and reps who utilize Greenlightmymovie. We've been in business for 22 years, since 1993. The site has been a platform for Hollywood buyers and reps since 2012. The executive at Madison Wells is a Senior VP of Production who just happened to be going through her playlist when you submitted.
It is unfortunate that aspirants who did not receive a positive response are so easy to call something a scam instead of taking a look at why they may have received a pass on their project. Madison Wells responded it was nothing personal, just not the type of story they are looking for. Not sure why you took such great offense to this response.
Hollywood is a lot like dating. You must go on a lot of dates to find the one who thinks like you do and likes the same things as you do. You cannot expect that the first company you submit to is going to take on your project. That is unrealistic.
In looking at your pitch, it would help you immensely to add irony to your logline and state upfront in your synopsis if this is a true story. It is unclear but you switch back and forth to first person. It is also unclear if you are also pitching a period piece, which is a very hard sell in the current marketplace.
Thank you.
Marty
Can you provide me your business ID and business Tax number as well as your company telephone number & physical address?
I made a phone call to Madison Wells and they said they have no idea about you and also about the woman who made the response, the phone call was recorded. There is no name on the email as well as contacts, plus your email signature replied to me only "Marty at Greenlightmymovie" no full name and no contacts, this should not happen if you are that professional.
I checked ICANN there are no results for you. Your Youtube channel only a few videos and made many years ago, the recent was 2 years ago and have only 139 views until today. I check your company and it said the owner is Perfect Privacy LLC and that is a registered domain, not a legit company. All of this info was screenshotted as pieces of evidence.
While we can appreciate you trying to prove your case and join the trolls online, as you can see below, Madison Wells is indeed a company that participates on our site.
Madison Wells merged with Odd Lot Entertainment a few months ago. The Vice President below, who has had an account on Greenlightmymovie for years while at Odd Lot, reviewed and passed on your pitch. The receptionist who you illegally recorded would not necessarily know whether one of their execs were on our platform or not.
Unfortunately, your Greenlightmymovie account has been de-activated for violation of Greenlightmymovie's Terms of Use (you agreed not to call companies directly regarding your submission).
Marty
You afraid of providing me your business ID and phone number as well as physical address?! This is a real red flag.
I am happy my account is deactivated and I will publish our conversation on the internet. I am real person and only you are fake!