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News: Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest

Interview with Dana Hahn:
An Inside Look at The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest

By Barri Evins

Dana Hahn has been helping writers find their voice for over ten years, first as a Literary Agent Associate, and most recently as the Contest Coordinator for the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest. In addition to the contest, Dana is the Sales & Marketing Coordinator for the Writers Store, and manages the Development Notes & Story Specialist programs.

A graduate of Emerson College in Boston, Dana moved to Los Angeles with a degree in Media Arts and an undying love for the Red Sox. When she's not busy co-producing her popular Fantasy Football web series, she spends way too much time doing crossword puzzles and playing Words with Friends.

Barri Evins: I have to admit, Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest is utterly unique! Who came up with the idea of the First Fifteen? What was the inspiration?

Dana Hahn: For the 30 years The Writers Store has been in business, we've had our ear to the ground for what our clients need, and try to fill any void that we discover. In this case, our customers had expressed frustration with working extremely hard on a passion project before submitting it to a contest, only to find that it had been rejected.

We felt that by providing writers a logline and asking for only 15 pages of the script, they are able to flex their creative muscles and put in far less time in advance. If they are selected as a Finalist, they then have the benefit a mentor to help them complete their screenplay to be judged in the final round of the contest, rather than going it alone.

BE: Industry Insider, just about to celebrate its 1st anniversary, is starting to take off. How many submissions do you anticipate in this, your third round?

DH: We've received almost a thousand entries in each round of the contest, and we're seeing it steadily grow as more people learn more about it. We have some people who have submitted in every round since the first (Simon Kinberg logline), and others who connect with one genre more than another. The great thing about offering it three times a year is that there is always a running of the contest to participate in, with only a few weeks break for judging in between A-List loglines.

BE: How do you find your first-round readers? What are their backgrounds?

DH: Our first-round readers are select readers who provide our acclaimed Development Notes, and all hold positions within the Industry. Due to these positions, they must remain anonymous, but every reader goes through a rigorous audition process to be a part of the program.

BE: If writers have more than one idea for the logline, how many times can they enter?

DH: A writer can enter as many times as they like! One benefit of only having to write the first 15 pages is that if you have more than one idea for where to take the story, it's not labor-intensive to write more than one entry.

BE: What are the judges looking for in these pages? What's the judging process?

DH: The judges are looking for strong writing skills, and originality. In the first two rounds, the final scripts have ended up being vastly different from each other, and the logline originally provided. The logline serves as a point of inspiration, and is not concrete. For example, if a logline provides a gender specification, go ahead and reverse the roles! If it provides a set location, why not futz with the time period? The key is to be creative.

BE: What kind of mentoring do the Final Ten receive?

DH: The 10 Finalists immediately embark on a 12-week mentorship program with one of our Story Specialists. The program consists of a weekly 45-minute meeting, either in-person at the Writers Store, or via phone or Skype. The Finalists are encouraged to submit 10 pages a week in advance of their session, and the Specialist confers with them on the pages as well as any areas of the script that the Finalist is either finding issues with, or feels is in need of improvement. After 10 weeks, the Finalist submits a rough draft of the completed screenplay, and our readers provide 8-10 pages of Development Notes on the project a week later. After they receive the notes, they have two weeks, and two more meetings with their Specialist before they have to turn in the final draft of the script for final judging.

BE: What happens when the scripts are completed? Are there any ownership or credit issues?

DH: The writer owns all of the rights to their material, so they are free to market the script, submit it to other contests, or produce it on their own. It's entirely up to them, and we also provide a logline with the set of Development Notes because the completed scripts end up being uniquely different than the one provided for the contest.

BE: Who weighs in on choosing the winning screenplay?

DH: The A-List writer who provided the logline, Benderspink, and newly added Energy Entertainment weigh in on the winner.

BE: What happens to the other nine scripts?

DH: At this point, we've only had one round of the contest completed to the point of having chosen a winner, but we've already seen lots of success from the other nine participants. Many of them have landed meetings as a result, and the scripts are placing well in other contests. One of the final scripts from the Simon Kinberg round of the contest is currently a Nicholl Quarterfinalist.

BE: Meeting with Benderspink and lunch with the A-list writer who created the logline are exciting prizes. How should the winner prepare? What might they walk away with from these experiences?

DH: The day of the meetings, the winner's Specialist meets with them beforehand to provide coaching, and they act as their personal escort to the meetings and lunch. We help prepare them in every way possible to have a successful and entertaining experience.

BE: What's your favorite winner's success story so far?

DH: We've only had one winner at this point, Mary Krell-Oishi, but it's been great hearing about all of her successes! Her winning script is currently a Semi-Finalist in the NexTV competition, and she's had meetings with several companies in addition to the ones provided in the Winner's Package based on her affiliation with the contest. It seems like almost every day she's letting us know about more good news.

BE: What's next at the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest?

DH: We're in the process of lining up the talent for the next few rounds of the contest, and are considering having an A-List producer provide the logline rather than a writer to change things up a bit in the next round.

BE: What's the single question about the Industry Insider you're asked most often?

DH: Question: "Are you going to publish the Finalists' submissions so we can see how it's done?" Answer: We did!

We were asked this question so many times after the first round of the contest that we sought permission from the finalists to publish the First 15 Pages from their completed scripts so that anyone can see why their entries were chosen. I highly recommend taking a look to see what the judges are looking for, by downloading here: http://www.writersstore.com/industry-insider-screenwriting-contest-first-15-pages-simon-kinberg-finalists

To enter the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest, visit http://www.writersstore.com/industry-insider-screenwriting-contest

The Final Deadline is August 31st.

The Extended Deadline Submission Fee is $50.

The Finalists will be announced in mid-September.

The next round of the contest will commence at the beginning of October.

REVOLUTIONIZE THE WAY YOU CREATE!

A working film producer who's sold pitches and specs to all the majors, Barri Evins created BIG IDEAS to give aspiring screenwriters what it takes to achieve their dreams by sharing the techniques she uses with highly paid pros on big league projects. The Big Ideas Screenwriting Seminar revolutionizes the way you write. Create ideas that ignite industry interest. Master tools to craft a successful script faster than you dreamed possible. The seminar includes Barri's mentorship for a year. Follow Big Ideas on Facebook.

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Updated: 08/18/2011

Interviews: Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest

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