Interview with Christopher Wehner
Interview by Jenna Glatzer

Chris is the founder and webmaster of www.ScreenwritersUtopia.com, one of the biggest and oldest websites for screenwriter.  (In fact, Absolute Write began as a single page on ScreenwritersUtopia!)  He is also the author of Screenwriting on the Internet and the web editor for Creative Screenwriting magazine.

Why did you start ScreenwritersUtopia.com?

Well, I was an aspiring/struggling screenwriter in Colorado with virtually no contacts in the industry, and very little hope of actually finding an audience for my work. I had to try something. Now at the time, 1993, it [the Internet] was still an unexplored environment, really. As I became familiar with it, I discovered that it could be a useful tool in marketing my writing. I started a personal home page as a means to reach out to other writers. Soon I was posting information on it about my experiences and other writers were contacting me and sharing their stories. That's how it started. The impetus was to be a screenwriter and make contacts, and it helped me with both.

Is screenwriting still a goal for you, or do you now prefer your role as a guide for other writers? 

It's funny you asked. Up until recently, I hadn't finished a screenplay for years. My Web site is a full time editorial job now. I pay writers for content, and I edit, and I handle all of the business aspects... like having the site make money so I can keep doing this and feed my family. You know, the little things. I had an agent early on and had option offers for a couple of screenplays (very small options). But as the site grew and started to make money from advertising, I just ran with it. Then the book came and I had to find time for it, and that helped me to get back into writing again. I just finished my first script in, gosh, three years I guess now. I have a good friend who works at ICM and it's getting read there, so I guess deep down I'm still a languishing screenwriter. But I relish being the editor of my site, writing for publications, and writing the book. I have two more books I'm working on. So all is good.

How did you sell your book, Screenwriting on the Internet? 

Michael Wiese (Michael Wiese Productions) approached me two years ago. I have, in the past, helped them promote their books. In an e-mail I sent him one time, he noticed a reference I made about a book I had started to develop. He asked about it, and requested that I submit a proposal. I did and he bought the book. It was very cool, and so out of the blue. I'm a firm believer that good things almost always happen when you least expect it. I got cash up front and a nice percentage, so I'm pleased.

What struck me first were the success stories-- which I love to hear! What are some of the ways in which screenwriters have scored online? 

Persistence and a "never say die" attitude. Like I said, you'll succeed when you least expect it. I had dozens of more success stories that I had to leave out. Internet writers, and not just screenwriters, are becoming a pretty savvy group and are learning how to market their material (and themselves) online. As your site also promotes, there are markets online. But what holds back a lot of writers is fear or a lack of understanding. Writers fear their material will be stolen. And I understand that fear, but don't let it overwhelm you as a writer. If you copyright your script and keep copies of all correspondences you're protected. Remember, every e-mail has what is called a "header" that is attached to it and it is an electronic signature that can trace where the e-mail came from and where it went. (You can see this in your e-mail program. Go to file>properties>details and you'll see the header for the specific e-mail you are reading.)

The other thing that holds back writers is money. For some reason online users, a large percentage of them, feel everything should be free. (Don't get me wrong, I know money can be tight.) But there are legit script brokerage services that cost some money, and are having success. Some of these service have a backend fee, a percentage, they take if you sell your script via the service. These can run from 7% to 10%, which is what an agent would do. You pay to submit your script and it is circulated in a database where independent producers can find it. Or, you pay for script coverage, and if your script is given a "consider" or "recommend," it is passed onto producers and agents. This is exactly how an agency or company does it when you submit your script to them. They have it covered. Only, with these online services, instead of a begging or pleading query letter, you pay $150 and your script is covered automatically. (You also get to see your coverage report, which would never happen when you submit your script to an agent or producer via regular channels.)

I'm writing a series of articles for Creative Screenwriting magazine on the Internet for screenwriters and I cover a lot of this. The Nov/Dec issue will be my 3rd installment.

There are several legit "players" who are active online (for example, Zide/Perry, Bender/Spink, Steve Tisch, etc.). Are these companies typical, or are most major film companies still reluctant to use the Internet to find talent? 

Well, they are major companies and that's what makes them, as you say, "legit" right off the bat. But they are not the only ones. They subsidize web sites and use the Internet as a means of discovering new talent. The Internet is essentially an untapped and incredibly large resource of talent. A lot of it is bad talent, but there are enough good writers out there living in Iowa or Wyoming and they need the Internet to gain exposure for their material. So that's the target of these companies.

I've often wondered what benefit those kinds of companies get from being so accessible and writer-friendly. Do you think they're doing it for any reason other than to find writers (especially considering they're probably swamped with submissions as it is)? 

Well, the ones you listed, last I checked, are not charging for writers to submit queries. They have a web site (inzide.com for example) and sure they could be doing it to generate traffic and then sell merchandise or advertising. But I know for a fact that all of the companies you listed have optioned and/or are currently developing material from writers whom they discovered online.

So many script brokerage sites have cropped up online. All of them claim to have "connections," and most allude to several success stories. How can a writer know which ones are legit? 

Well, that's why I wrote my book. Okay, why would any legit company in their right mind use an online script service? That's the real question. Because as you said, they are already inundated with submissions. What the legit script brokerage sites do is provide a filtering device to a new and relatively untapped source of new material. When a writer pays $150 to get his/her script covered by, say, scriptshark.com, they are not paying that fee to get the coverage (I hope not, at least). They are paying it for the opportunity to connect with Hollywood/independent companies. The script service weeds out all of the bad submissions and finds those needles in the haystack, then they place the coverage report with the writers permission on what they call a "spec market" for executives and other industry professional to view. 

When they [the industry pro] see something they like, they contact the writer or representative. It's a much more efficient way to find material than endless meetings and phone calls. The industry professionals at scriptshark pay to be members and they have hundreds-- Bender/Spink is one of them, and they helped Mark L. Smith sell his script to Mel Gibson's Icon productions earlier this year. And they have other success stories. Legit ones. There's also the WritersScriptNetwork.com, who I just wrote about in the last issue of Creative Screenwriting. They have helped over fourteen writers in the last 12 months option/sell, and another 50 or 60 sign with reputable agents and some of those ended up optioning and selling material. You've got reputable non-Internet agencies who can't do that! So, if that's not proof enough that some of these brokerage sites are legit, I don't know what else they can do.

You advise that writers shouldn't post entire screenplays online. Do you think it's "safe" to post loglines or synopses on publicly-accessible sites? 

Well, here's the thing, I said writers shouldn't post their screenplay online for ANYONE AND EVERYONE to read. The WritersScriptNetwork.com allows writers to upload screenplays for their producer/agent members to view if desired. Now I'm sure someone reading this is going, "whoa, wait a minute!" But here's the thing. The WSN screens all companies before giving them access and the sophisticated database they run tracks where all of the professional members go including what scripts/log lines/synopses they view. You, the writer, get to see who has viewed your material. You print that and keep it. The WSN also keeps that info. It's a safe and efficient way for independent producers and small agencies who need to use this kind of a service to find material. Remember, we're talking about starting a career here. You need to make that first sale, get that first small screen credit, or find that small, hungry agency. Then you can move up.

I think you and I both learned the same lesson about "zero-options" (though it took me longer to learn my lesson). Why do you suggest that writers don't take free options? 

Well, you know I wrote that probably a year ago. Then I attended several conferences across the country (I was giving presentations on the Internet for screenwriters) and I talked to a few working professional writers who got their first start with a zero option via a legit producer. But as I said in the book, a producer without any money really isn't a producer at all. So it's a tough call. If you think this producer can get the script into some major companies, it MIGHT be worth it for a very short period of time. Just make sure you have an entertainment attorney review anything you sign.

Unfortunately, on the Internet, anyone can pose as an industry player. Where can a writer go to check up on a person or company's film credentials? 

This can be the hard part sometimes. First, if you copyrighted your material, that's all you can really do to protect yourself no matter who you send it to. Second, the companies and agents using the Internet in the first place are independents, some are brand new, and are in need of good material. They're not getting scripts for ICM or any other major company. You can ask them questions, and if they have credits as most do, they are small independent films of $1-$5 million. But there are ways to check: www.4filmmakers.com is a great resource and is free, but you do have to register. www.Hollywoodlitsales.com and www.netscreenwriter.com are also good places to find out credits and who has bought or sold what.

If you could give new screenwriters one piece of advice, what would it be? 

Stay positive, be smart, and work hard. There are no excuses. With the Internet you really do have a resource that can help you find a market for your writing. No longer can we sit back and say, "if only I had connections, I could a been a contender..." We're all contenders now!

Anything else you'd like to add? 

My favorite line from my favorite movie: "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies..." The Shawshank Redemption by Frank Darabont.

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