Being Travis Cody
@beingTravisCody
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7-Figure screenwriter & 18x author. Sharing how you can apply Hollywood insights to grow your business w/ writing and publishing. ↓
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The leadership at Lucasfilm will go down in history as the most clueless, ignorant, shortsighted and narcissistic business leaders of all time.
Here's why... (a 🧵) 👇
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Forrest Gump had a budget of $55M and grossed $678M at the box office. On paper… it LOST money.
How is that even possible?
Because “Hollywood Accounting” is the greatest form of legal money laundering ever invented.
And it’s why a “net profit deal” (especially for authors)
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Hollywood Money 101: A look at how a $65M movie can earn $655M at the box office and still LOSE tens-of-millions of dollars on paper.
How is that even possible?
Because “Hollywood Accounting” is the greatest form of legal money laundering ever invented.
And it’s why a “net
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@Culture_Crit
Great thread. Socrates was a smart guy. ;-)
When it comes to America, most people mistakenly believe that it is a Republic. It is not.
It is a Republic OF Republics.
This is why each state has its own constitution, its own Governor, its own Congress and Senate, and its own
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So there you go ==> Hollywood Money 101: A look at how a $65M movie can earn $655M at the box office and still LOSE tens-of-millions of dollars on paper.
If you liked this thread, please let me know thoughts below.
And be a Power Player by bookmarking and sharing this.
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The first well known one was Forrest Gump.
Budget: $55M
Box Office Total: $678M
The author, who had a net profit deal, assumed he was set for life.
Yet, a year later when he asked where his royalty check was, the studio told him the movie hadn’t made any money.
When he sued,
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Here’s where the "legal money laundering" aspect comes into play.
As soon as the Production side announces a new movie, the Distribution side goes on the clock… as they will be the ones marketing it.
Since the movie hasn’t started yet, the Distribution company covers all of
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Do you understand how remarkable this is?
The movie made 12X more than it cost... and with Hollywood Accounting... it still lost more than the entire budget.
That seems impossible until you understand how the studio uses interest to create the loss on purpose.
This is why I
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To truly grasp how remarkable Hollywood Accounting actually is, there are a few things you need to understand:
-- First, there are TWO sides to every major studio:
1) Production (makes the movies)
2) Distribution (markets and releases the movies)
These are two completely
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1. Demand a bigger up front payment.
2. In addition to the money for the rights, Ask for an Executive Producer credit and Executive Producer Fee.
(Bonus: the Producers Guild has guaranteed residual rates...
so you'll actually get paid on the back end even if the movie loses
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Knowing this, you can see why studios have become obsessed with “Billion Dollar” movies this past decade.
Because the movie theaters get 50% of the box office, that means our $200M movie w/ $200M ad spend has to make $800M… JUST TO BREAK EVEN.
If that movie “only” does $500M
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What's interesting is you rarely hear about adjusted gross deals.
Most of the public talk about a Hollywood "backend deal" is usually referring to net profit deals.
This is why Hollywood will sweet talk authors with huge numbers… “Our last movie made $500M!!!”
Then they get
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Finally… just for kicks: Good Will Hunting
Budget: $10M
Box Office Total: $225M
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon… who both had NET profit deals… have yet to be paid. (Ben discussed this publicly not to long ago, actually.
Never take a net profit deal if you sell to Hollywood.
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Dune 2 proves that Timothee Chalamet is set to become THE biggest movie star of this century.
Why? Because he knows the secret behind the biggest movie stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
And it’s all thanks to a chance encounter he had with Tom Cruise.
Let’s dive in…
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When you factor in that an “average” big budget movie takes 18 months from when it’s announced to when it comes out...
and has 3-4 months for a theatrical run…
This means that Production owes nearly two years of advance + interest.
In some cases, with a huge ad spend you'd
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Alright… so who makes all the money?
And more importantly… how do you position yourself to be in the middle so you can stuff your pockets?
Here's how: Many top producers, directors and a small handful of actors get “back end points” using what’s called a “Adjusted Gross”
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Sticking with our example of a movie that only makes $500M:
After the movie theaters get their take, there’s $250M left…
and now Tom Cruise gets 20%…
and Steven Spielberg gets his 10%…
(a nice $50M to Tom and $25M to Steven)
plus a little "something something" to the
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Now… you may be asking… “How do you know all this Travis?”
1. I spent 15 years working with one of the most financially successful film producers of all time.
(At one point in the late 90's SEVEN of the Top 25 highest grossing movies of all time were his.)
And 2. A few big
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The tax advantages to this system are impressive.
Even if the movie performs well, Production will never be able to pay the Distribution company back due to all the interest owed. So Production takes that as a loss.
And since "interest owed" is a line item on the budget for
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@CultureExploreX
@Culture_Crit
You're equating Democracy and Republic with the same thing and they are absolutely and completely different.
The genius of how the United States was set up was that incorporated the best parts from each:
The president is the figurehead and fulfills people's inherent need for a
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Hollywood writers used to churn out memorable, era-defining TV shows. Because they had a proven system.
A system that culminated in the “Golden Age” of TV between 1999 - 2015. (During which some of the best series off all time were made).
This is a 🧵 on how & why it worked.👇
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Another example is the movie Sahara.
Budget: $160M
Box Office Total: $202M.
The author also had a net profit deal. And again, sued when he didn’t get paid.
In that case, the Studio was able to prove they lost nearly $90M...
and the author stated publicly afterwards that he
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Here are the 3 most shocking discoveries I made when I turned EVERYTHING OFF for 30 Days.
No Cell Phone.
No Internet.
No Computer/Laptop/Tablet.
No TV.
Yes… for 30 full days.
Discovery
#1
: 85% of your “stress”… is 100% SELF induced.
It’s a hard pill to swallow…
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One of my clients was a millionaire at 21. Multi-millionaire by 24. And had made $150M by 35.
When I asked his secret, he said it came down to his four "Principles of Guaranteed Success."
Here there are:
Principle
#1
: Specialize
People today, for some ungodly reason, STILL
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For the past 20 years there seems to be an increasing focus on "toxic masculinity".
Why don't we focus on "conscious masculinity" instead?
Men who are confident being men, respect their wives and lead their children in love, congruence and authenticity.
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Daniel Craig's Bond series is the most depressing of them all.
But it had the chance to be the best.
This is a 🧵 on how I would have fixed No Time to Die…
while inspiring millions and setting up a completely new franchise in the Bond Universe at the same time. 👇
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George Lucas Predicted the Future.
And he tried to warn us in 1977 about the dangers of putting technology ahead of belief in a higher power.
At its heart, the main theme of Star Wars: A New Hope is “Faith vs. Technology.”
Obi-wan represents Faith.
Han Solo represents
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You can give two people the exact same "here's exactly what to do" blueprint.
One will make millions. One will only get deeper in debt.
Here are the 3 Core Reasons why:
#1
. Winners Focus on the INNER Game. Losers Focus on the OUTER Game.
The person who makes millions knows
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Travis Cody, [Apr 8, 2024 at 7:52:20 AM]:
Sylvester Stallone is Hollywood’s most under appreciated writer.
He has more PRODUCED screenplays than any other writer in the modern era.
Yet, most people are unaware of that fact.
When his name comes up, the first word association
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Dropping a "Hollywood Secret" Today.
Apologies in advance, because once I reveal this, you'll never be able to UN-see it ever again. 😂
Roads and sidewalks are always watered down before filming.
Go through your 25 favorite studio movies or TV shows and you will notice that
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Who's your favorite Movie Star of the 90's?
Mine is Jim Carey.
Genius comedian... shattered the Hollywood ceiling... and became the first star to get $20M as an upfront fee.
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The most powerful success principle I’ve learned this past year is the “Belief Gap.”
Your own belief gap is what keeps you stuck.
Imagine you’re standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon…
That’s your Current Perceived Reality (CPR).
And then way over there is the other side…
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I've made over $1.5M writing online...
here are 𝟱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 to do differently...
(as they would have easily 10X'd that amount)...
👇
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Sleeping in this car made me ONE MILLION dollars.
This car is also a constant reminder of the power of listening to your heart…
and doing whatever it takes.
I was a dead broke copywriter who had yet to land my first client.
I had met Davide Garfinkel (
@GarfinkelCoach
)
-
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I made over $1M from a book that only sold 250-ish copies on Amazon.
That’s because book sales are just the first step toward making money with a book.
Here are 12 Proven Ways to Make Money With a Book
1. Book Advance
(Rare + You Need a Huge Following)
2. Royalties from
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I'm Travis Cody.
I’m one of the only writers in the world to have sold my work in FOUR entirely different industries:
- Journalism
- Screenwriting
- Publishing (16 books)
- Direct Response Sales Copy.
I’ve personally made $2M+… all through the art of writing.
I’ve also
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99.9% of writers are completely broke.
It's a trope, a stereotype… and also completely true.
But writing paid for me to take my mom on her dream vacation to Egypt.
What's the difference between me and the average random struggling writer?
Read this:
1. Working on an hourly
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As a Writer, I make more money than many Surgeons.
(Bonus: I work WAY less and also don't have a lot of stress. Plus, my office is pictured below.)
Here are 3 Things I Did to Make That Happen
1. Stopped Working on a "Per Project" Basis.
I moved to a retainer model as soon as
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Attendance for Hollywood movies is in free fall.
And the problem is their business model.
Yet, rather than evolve or, god forbid, change... they continue to make excuses.
This weekend is not a result of post-2020.
It's a result of uninspiring projects. 👇
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Learning Sales Copy Will Make YOU a Better Screenwriter and Fiction Writer.
Here’s 5 Reasons Why:
1. In sales copy, SIMPLICITY is the key to great conversions.
One way to make complicated ideas simple is by using short sentences of 10 words or less.
In fiction, simplicity
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One of my books rescued a little girl's dream.
This is my Niece Aurien.
Aurien is 15 years old and she has been in love with Gymnastics since she was three.
And she's good at it. REALLY good.
She has her eyes set on the Olympics and I can tell you she's going make it.
But
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Many Famous People are lonely... especially if they're single... (even more so if they're female.)
This is a true story shared with me personally by Paula Abdul… and I'll share much of it in her own words.
In the mid-2000's Paula was a client of mine.... when American Idol was
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When you see this face, "sexual assault victim" is not the first thing that comes to mind.
Kudos to Alan Ritchson for publicly calling people out in his latest interview. (Link in first comment).
With Brendan Fraser's comments about his previous experience with this as well...
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AI won't replace writers.
But writers who know how to use AI will make the majority of money in any given space.
1. Hone your writing skills
2. Embrace AI Tools NOW to be ahead of the curve.
If you wait 12 months to start, you'll be too far behind to ever catch up.
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Writing got me an all expenses paid trip to Dominican Republic.
I was flown there to speak about how to write and publish business books.
Here are three things I shared while I was there:
1. Writing a book is not as hard as you think.
The first book is the most challenging.
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My greatest strength in Hollywood became my greatest weakness as a business owner.
In Hollywood, I was an “ideas man.” I was paid… and paid well… to generate and develop those ideas.
It’s what got me into Jonathan D. Krane's Writers Room as a Staff Writer...
to eventually
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My client, the CEO of a $100M/year company, rearranged his entire schedule to fly to Las Vegas for a 2-day intensive where we'll work on his book... starting today.
It's not your typical business book. It's a manifesto designed to change an entire industry.
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That's why I've been working on an "Evolved" Writers Room concept.
If you'd like to see what that concept looks like... stay tuned. ;-)
If you liked this thread, please bookmark, like and share.
If you're an A-Lister… then you'll subscribe to the newsletter as well.
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Hollywood is failing because they've forgotten the
#1
reason why people watch movies or TV: To ESCAPE.
When things are dark, bleak, or difficult... humanity needs to be given hope.
They need to be inspired.
They need to laugh.
They need relevant examples of people overcoming
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Timothee now has weekly training as part of his “new normal.”
And that is why he is set to become this Centuries Biggest Movie Star.
@TomCruise
has passed the torch.
And
@RealChalamet
has taken it.
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Most people mistakenly think money = freedom.
I’ve written sales copy for “Gurus” doing $5-7M... and even as high as $30M... per year.
They were all miserable... working 15+ hours per day…
hadn’t been on a real vacation in years (meaning they could turn off the cell phone
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The system worked splendidly.
Until Disney+ came online.
At which point, in an effort to save millions of dollars, Disney killed the concept of the writers room.
Instead, they just went straight to small writer teams.
Many of which had zero experience.
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I was recently asked my thoughts on the success of the WGA & SAG strikes last year.
Utter disaster and complete failure.
Here's why: 👇
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The end result:
– Abysmal shows with zero relatable characters
– Dialogue so atrocious 8 year olds could do better
– Meandering plots that have zero point to them
– Generic, uninspired worlds that you've forgotten 30 seconds after you've changed the channel
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About a month ago, I was diagnosed with cancer.
Here's the story… and how running my business actually saved my life:
It was the type of call that no one ever wants to here:
"We got the results back and it's cancer. Here's what you need to do next…"
Having watched friends
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"Imposter Syndrome" is only experienced by people who are being completely inauthentic.
Prove me wrong.
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The concept of "affirmations" needs to DIE.
It's an outdated philosophy that people continue to cling on to... and it doesn't work for the vast majority of people.
Here's why affirmations don't work... (and what you can do instead to see near immediate results):
1.
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And it shows.
Disney+ "Original Series" have some of the lowest audience scores ever recorded.
Not just one or two… but literally dozens of shows.
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Just saw the remake of Roadhouse.
It's a Masterclass in "White Savior" complex.
(Despite Hollywood's very public comments about their disdain for such tropes... they sure keep cranking them out!)
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The entire process to go from “Room Assistant” to Showrunner takes about 10 years.
Most people don’t have the patience or fortitude to survive the first 6 months.
And it’s why 80% of ALL Network Television series are created and produced by just a small handful of people.
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If you have an idea for a TV show & don’t have a Showrunner attached, your show will never get made.
This is also why when a writer has ONE hit show… they end up having half a dozen shows within a few years.
Think Shaunda Rhimes, Ryan Murphy and Taylor Sheridan.
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First, there are 3 things you need to understand about TV:
1. Zero Network TV series can get made without an experienced Showrunner. ZERO.
2. There is a proven path to become a Showrunner as a writer.
3. The Showrunner is the single most powerful person in Hollywood.
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A lot of people, when they find out I make a full time living as a writer… usually respond with “I’d love to do that…. But I’m not a writer.”
Which I find humorous as YOU are writing every single day.
You respond to emails.
You post to social.
You reply to texts and DM’s.
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You become the Head Writer and Executive Producer for Season 1.
In Season 2, you become the Showrunner who’s fully in charge of that show.
At this point, your career as a writer goes into overdrive and “God Money” begins to rain from the sky.
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Will Hollywood be able to pivot in time to save itself?
Who knows.
If any other industry had multiple projects in a row that lost hundreds of billions of dollars each...
the leadership teams would be fired.
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Hollywood is an “accidental industry”. There's no reason behind how movies and shows are made.
And even though they call it "Show Business"... they do business completely backwards.
Here's how…
1. In "real business", you use data to understand what customers… the people who
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The Writers Room is a group of Writers who all work together with a singular focus, on a singular show.
How many writers? It depends.
A typical weekly drama might have 10.
The Tonight Show has over 40.
(Side note: Writer Room size was one of the biggest sticking points
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Being famous USED to be fun. Today, it’s a nightmare.
This video is tough to watch.
One of the most beautiful women in the world who’s terrified because she’s being followed everywhere by a strange man…
who wants to take a picture of her without permission…
so that he
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Simply put: The Writers Room will make or break your career as a Writer.
If you can get in. And if you can survive.
As a new writer, if you could just get in the room…
and you had tenacity and perseverance…
and obviously skill…
you would have a career.
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As a Staff Writer, you work with the Head Writer to write the episodes for whatever show you happen to be on.
You start getting “written by” credit on episodes.
You also have Junior Writers and Room Assistants at your beck and call.
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And you can see the difference in his recent films.
He made Dune 1 BEFORE this conversation with Tom.
He made Willy Wonka and Dune 2 AFTER.
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Disney's decision to eliminate the Writers Room had a domino effect.
Because now other studios could say "Well if DISNEY is doing it…"
And the concept of the Writers Room began to fall out of favor.
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Movies should leave the audience feeling BETTER than when they came in.
If not, that movie is a failure.
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In fact, even all of his costars and the director said he was a completely different person shooting Part 2.
And his performance bears this out.
It’s magnitudes better than Dune 1.
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Then he had a chance conversation with Tom Cruise.
And Tom shared with him the secret.
“Kid, if you want to be like the stars of OLD… it’s up to YOU to do the training. No one will force you to do it.”
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The system ensured that every writer got both a deep-dive education in…
as well as real world work experience…
in storytelling, character and plot development.
Which is why 1999 - 2015 saw some of the greatest television stories, series and characters ever created.
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If they weren’t working, the studios had them taking:
-- Dance lessons
-- Fight Training
-- Stunt Work
-- Sword play
-- Vocal Exercises and accents
In other words… it was a JOB in addition to art.
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The successful writers become even more successful and everyone else…
well, they continue to fight for survival.
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In Hollywood… leadership teams that lose billions of dollars with failed projects...
are rewarded with massive multi-million dollar bonuses at the end of the year.
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Since the inception of Hollywood, there has been a very strong foundational approach to Apprenticeship for writers.
Unlike films, TV had a clear, proven path and system to go from "newbie" to Showrunner.
That system was the Writers Room.
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But the education… my god… you can not get this type of "in the trenches" education anywhere.
If you survive 2-3 years as a Junior Writer… you get promoted to Staff Writer.
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The 70’s marked the end of the Golden Age Contract arrangement.
It wasn’t too long before the idea of “mastering your craft” through weekly workouts and lessons was mostly forgotten by Hollywood Actors.
Except by ONE person:
TOM CRUISE
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If you’ve got talent… eventually you’ll get promoted to Head Writer.
As a Head Writer, you’ll report directly to the Executive Producer/Showrunner…
You’ll now be in charge of other Staff/Junior writers to get things done.
This is when you can start to pitch YOUR own show
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The trajectory worked like this:
You would be hired as a room assistant.
You were paid to stay silent, fetch coffee (a LOT of coffee!), make copies, bind pages and every other menial task the writers felt to assign you.
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"The first draft of anything is s**t." Ernest Hemingway
The only way to improve your writing is through editing.
And there are only two types of editing you should focus on...
1. Editing to IMPROVE
99.9% of people do this because it’s how you were trained. (It’s exhausting,
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As a Junior Writer, your job was to shut up, listen and write.
Other writers would give you assignments.
Many times they would take the credit for what you had written.
(Because usually they had to edit what you created.)
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It was long, crushing hours, very little pay and stress levels through the roof.
This would last 12-18 months.
If you survived, you were rewarded:
You would get a seat at the table as a Junior Writer.
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