MovieBytes Interview: Chadwick Clough

An interview with Chadwick Clough regarding the Script Pipeline Writing Competition.

A: I founded the contest in 2003 in an effort to find the best screenwriters worldwide. The TV Writing Competition followed in 2008 with the same goal—to help foster and launch the careers of budding, talented writers.

Beyond my duties as CEO of Script Pipeline and Contest Director, I’ve produced two films: The Living Wake with Academy Award-Nominee Jesse Eisenberg, and Operation: Endgame with Zach Galifianakis, Ellen Barkin, Adam Scott, Maggie Q, Emilie de Ravin, Ving Rhames, and Rob Corrdry. Both were scripts that received “Recommends” from our Writers Workshop.

A: Primarily, my role consists of narrowing down the field of close to 4,000 scripts and determining a top 20 for screenwriting and top 10 for TV writing. That process begins early on and lasts for several months, plus another four weeks of re-reading the finalist scripts to figure out who deserves a Grand Prize nod.

Once the contest ends, I work to connect the finalists with high-level producers and managers.

A: It was announced recently that our 2008 winning script Shrapnel (renamed Killing Season) is headed into production January 2012 with Robert De Niro and John Travolta to star. In our first year, the winning script Slammin' sold to Warner Bros. for six-figures.

But it’s always been more about the successes of our writers’ careers in the industry. Evan Daugherty, who we linked with manager Jake Wagner, went on to sell Snow White and the Huntsman to Universal for $3 million. In October 2011, he teamed up with the writer of Twilight to sell a one-hour drama pitch to NBC. He’s currently considered one of the most in-demand young screenwriters in Hollywood.

And in just the last two years, we’ve had finalists sign with major agencies and management companies, including 2010 winner Tripper Clancy with FilmEngine and 2011 winner Tyler Smith with WME.

A: All of our judges are development executives, active managers or agents, producers, or professional readers (with a minimum of 5 years industry experience) who have been pre-screened by us. They judge everything from the early rounds to the latter rounds when we select the finalists.

A: We review all entries in full, and depending on which round the script reaches, multiple judges will end up reading one script. We're extremely careful every year with judging to make sure we don’t miss anything worthy of a finalist slot.

A: Just great writing, innovative stories. The competition is open to all genres, and our judging is based primarily on the quality of the writing. In the past, we’ve had everything from experimental dramas to big-budget sci-fi scripts place in the top 20.

A: We have an industry reach of about 200 production companies, agencies, managers, independent producers, and development directors. Factoring in their own network, we can get a script to almost anyone through the proper channels.

The contests aren't merely about prize money, they’re about exposure. All finalists receive mentorship meetings and consults to help polish their scripts before circulation. We send their material to very specific outlets, in many cases giving them personal introductions to higher-level production companies and reps. Our success stories have outnumbered that of any other competition in recent years, and we credit that in part to our industry connections and the emphasis our dedicated team places on getting the finalists ready for a competitive marketplace.

A: Think big. Originality, although not a deal-breaker, can only help. Most of all, enjoy the process of writing. You can always tell when a script was written by someone who is not only committed to the art of screenwriting, but really took the time to think out their story, got feedback on their work, made revisions, and so forth. When you invest all your creativity into a script, it shows.

Posted Thursday, January 19, 2012