The Scoggins Report: October 2013 Spec Market Scorecard

The Scoggins Report
by Jason Scoggins & Landon Rohwedder
October 21, 2013

October 2013

Spec Market Scorecard

The word of the day is: Shocking. And not because our favorite holiday is next week.

The big news out of the spec market so far this month has been two seven figure script sales (Section 6, to Universal, and Reminiscence, to Legendary). The shocking part is not so much the price tags (although Reminiscence’s $1.75m raised our eyebrows) as the fact they’re the first seven figure sales for unpackaged scripts in 2013.

The second shocking item this month is the total number of spec scripts to hit the market this year. As in, “s.-ly low” (if you’ll excuse the Wodehousianism) - we’re on track to end up in the range of 250 new screenplays on the market through the end of the year. That sounds like quite a few until you consider that 437 went out in 2009. The last three years were in the middle of the range (360, 370 and 338 in ’10, ’11 and ’12, respectively). Last year, more than 30 scripts came out in 5 different months, including 56 in October alone. You can see this year’s raw numbers for yourself below.

And because we just can’t resist the Rule of 3’s, a final shocker: Reigning spec sales champ WME hasn’t sold a spec since July, the first three-month drought since July-September 2010. Barring a late-inning surge, UTA will claim this year’s pennant.

2013 Overall Numbers

Of 2013‘s 92 spec sales, 12 (13%) have been of scripts that originally went out prior to 2012. Here are the overall spec market numbers through October 18...

* For 2010 and 2011, sales of scripts that originally went to market in years prior are not distributed monthly in the above table but have been added to the year-end totals.
...and here are combined total spec and pitch sales numbers through October 18, with year over year monthly comparisons.

Spec Sales By Genre

Spec Sales By Month - Studios

* 2011 and 2012 numbers for Lionsgate and Summit are combined.

Spec Purchases by Genre - Studios

* 2011 and 2012 numbers for Lionsgate and Summit are combined.

The following are the combined pitch and spec purchase numbers for Studio Buyers that have bought at least one of each so far in 2013 (plus Columbia Pictures):

* 2011 and 2012 numbers for Lionsgate and Summit are combined.

Spec Sales By Month - Other Buyers

Spec Purchases by Genre - Other Buyers

Here are the combined pitch and spec purchase numbers for Non-Studio Buyers that have bought at least one of each so far in 2013.

Each of the following production companies has been attached to at least one spec sale so far this year. Names in bold are new or have set up an additional spec since the last Scorecard.

1492 Pictures

21 Laps (2)

Allison Shearmur Productions

Anonymous Content

Apatow Productions

Apocalyptic Entertainment

Atlas Entertainment

Benderspink (2)

Bluegrass Films

Broken Road (2)

Circle of Confusion

ContentFilm

Crave Films

De Line Pictures

di Bonaventura Films

Disruption Entertainment (2)

Double Nickel

DYD 26 Entertainment

Electric Entertainment

Energy Entertainment (4)

Friendly Films

Grey Matter Productions

Gunn Films

Hutch Parker Entertainment

ImageMovers

Industry Entertainment

Intrigue Entertainment (2)

Invention Films

Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Jon Shestack Productions

Kerner Entertainment

Laurence Mark Productions

Le Grisbi Productions

Mad Chance Productions

Madhouse Entertainment (3)

Mandeville Films (2)

Marc Platt Productions

Michael De Luca Productions

Midnight Kitchen

Olive Bridge

One Race Films

Pacific Standard

Platinum Dunes

Process Media

QED International

Riche Productions

Rosa Entertainment

Scott Free

Sean Daniel Company

Silver Pictures/Zinc Entertainment

Sourian Productions

Sunny Field Entertainment

Vendetta Entertainment

Spec Sales by Seller - Agencies

Here are the combined pitch and spec sales numbers for the agencies that have sold at least one of each in 2013:

The following 74 agents have been involved with at least one spec sale so far this year. Names in bold are new or sold an additional spec since the last Scorecard.

Six:

Mike Esola (WME)

Four:

Charlie Ferraro (UTA)

Emerson Davis (UTA)

Three:

Aaron Hart (Verve)

David Boxerbaum (Paradigm)

Jon Huddle (UTA)

Two:

Chris Sablan (Original)

Daniel Cohan (WME)

David Park (UTA)

David Saunders (APA)

Debbie Deuble-Hill (APA)

Devra Lieb (Gersh)

Geoff Morley (UTA)

Ida Ziniti (Paradigm)

Jason Burns (UTA)

Jordan Bayer (Original)

JP Evans (CAA)

Julien Thuan (UTA)

Larry Salz (UTA)

Lee Keele (Gersh)

Marissa Devins (UTA)

Matt Leipzig (Original)

Matthew Rosen (CAA)

Philip Raskind (WME)

Rob Herting (Verve)

Shan Ray (KSA)

Simon Faber (WME)

One:

Abram Nalibotsky (Resolution)

Adam Kanter (Resolution)

Adam Levine (Verve)

Adam Perry (APA)

Adriana Alberghetti (WME)

Andrew Miller (CAA)

Bayard Maybank (Gersh)

Bill Weinstein (Verve)

Billy Hawkins (CAA)

Bob Hohman (Gersh)

Brian Kend (CAA)

Carolyn Sivitz (UTA)

Chris Licata (Paradigm)

Chris Ridenhour (APA)

Cliff Roberts (WME)

Dan Erlij (UTA)

David Kopple (CAA)

David Kramer (UTA)

Debbee Klein (Paradigm)

Dennis Kim (Resolution)

Doug MacLaren (ICM)

Erik Horine (ICM)

Frank Jung (CAA)

Greg McKnight (CAA)

Harley Copen (ICM)

Holly Jeter (WME)

James Kearney (UTA)

Jacqueline Sacerio (CAA)

Jenny Maryasis (UTA)

John Garvey (CAA)

Josh Hornstock (UTA)

Josh Katz (UTA)

Keya Khayatian (UTA)

Matt Martin (CAA)

Max Michael (UTA)

Mickey Berman (UTA)

Rich Green (Resolution)

Roger Green (WME)

Ryan Saul (APA)

Sandra Lucchesi (Gersh)

Sheryl Petersen (APA)

Solco Schuit (WME)

Spencer Baumgarten (CAA)

Tim Phillips (UTA)

Todd Feldman (CAA)

Valarie Phillips (Paradigm)

Will Lowery (APA)

Spec Sales by Seller - Management Companies

Here are the combined pitch and spec sales for management companies that have sold at least one of each in 2013.

The following 56 managers have been involved with at least one spec sale so far in 2013.

Thirteen:

Brooklyn Weaver (Energy)

Seven:

Jake Wagner (Benderspink)

Three:

Adam Kolbrenner (Madhouse)

Josh Adler (New Wave)

Mike Goldberg (New Wave)

Two:

Ben Rowe (Oasis)

David Alpert (Circle)

George Heller (Apostle)

Jeff Belkin (Zero Gravity)

Jeff Ross (Jeff Ross)

Jeff Silver (Fourth Floor)

Marc Manus (Manus Ent.)

Russell Hollander (Hollander)

Tom Drumm (Think Tank)

Will Rowbotham (Prolific)

One:

Aaron Kaplan (Kapital)

Adam Goldworm (Aperture)

Adam S.-Marshall (Caliber)

Ashley Berns (Circle)

Alex Cole (Elevate)

Alex Lerner (K/P)

Andrew Kersey

Ava Jamshidi (Industry)

Bryan Brucks (Luber-Roklin)

Cindy Adams (Art/Work)

C. Campos-Greenberg (Anthem)

Chris Huvane (Mgmt 360)

Dallas Sonnier (Caliber)

Dan Vang (Benderspink)

Dan Vantresca (Haven)

Darin Friedman (Mgmt 360)

David Lonner (Oasis)

DJ Talbot

Eryn Brown (Mgmt 360)

Evan Cavic (PYE)

Greg Shephard (Circle)

Guymon Cassidy (Mgmt 360)

JC Spink (Benderspink)

Jeff Okin (Anonymous)

Jennie Frankel Frisbie (Magnet)

Jenny Wood (Elevate)

Jesse Hara (Haven)

Jessica Jordan (Wirehouse)

Jimmy Miller (Mosaic)

Jonathan Hung (Hung)

Ken Freimann (Circle)

Langley Perer (Mosaic)

Linda Seifert

Mike De Trana (Anvil)

Michael Botti (Industry)

Rachel Miller (Haven)

Rhonda Bloom (Plumeria)

Ryan Cunningham (Madhouse)

Sidney Sherman (Rosa Ent.)

Stephanie Davis (Wet Dog)

Zach Tann (Magnet)

About The Scoggins Report:

The Scoggins Report is a terribly unscientific analysis of the feature film development business based on information assembled from a variety of public and non-public sources. The numbers in the reports are by no means official statistics. Caveat emptor.

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