Screenwriting Product Review: ‘How to Manage Your Agent’ by Chad Gervich
How To Manage Your Agent – A Writers Guide To Hollywood Representation, written by Chad Gervich, is loaded with the information you need to get an agent or manager whether for TV or for film.
Thousands of people flock to Hollywood with huge aspirations every year. When most people think of someone moving to L.A., they mostly think of actors, but writers are also flocking to the Hollywood Hills to try their hand at TV and movies, with dreams of hitting it big and getting rich. Sadly, most will return home because, although their dreams were abundant, their knowledge of the business was small. They want to be successful but don't know how.
Getting an agent is one of the first steps, but how is that done?
How To Manage Your Agent – A Writers Guide To Hollywood Representation, written by Chad Gervich, is a book that will push you in the right direction. It's loaded with the information you need to get an agent or manager whether for TV or for film. In it, you'll learn how the Hollywood system works and even how to move on when your relationship with an existing agent is over.
Networking is huge and there is quite a bit of discussion about the importance of it and lots of helpful tips to help you talk with people in the business.
At the end of the book is a great glossary of terms you would encounter in a conversation with an agent that can pretty much stand on it's own as a small pamphlet. I would love to see this glossary printed up into a great little pocket cheat sheet for newbies (such as myself) to carry into meetings for reference. It is great information to have on hand and even just to study while waiting for a meeting. The terminology alone can be overwhelming, so if you brush up on the lingo, you're already armed with knowledge to be more successful.
Also at the end, Gervich includes a list of agencies with addresses and phone numbers, websites, podcasts, books and script websites to learn even more. If you are a real go-getter, there is no excuse for not making any headway in your writing career. I use the word “career” because that is what this large book is designed to do; to help you get an agent so that you can create a writing career. He is quite clear in the fact that if you truly want to be a successful Hollywood writer you must be willing to move to Hollywood. There are meetings to attend and people to meet that just can't be done from afar, so keep that in mind if you are planning on writing for TV and Film.
Overall, How to Manage Your Agent is an intense read and a great book filled with so much information your head will spin. Sprinkled throughout the nearly 400-page book are little tidbits of information that are nuggets of gold -- fun stuff to read if you only have a small amounts of time to flip through it's pages. The book also provides writing exercises to do to get your mind moving so you can become a flourishing writer in Hollywood.
Gervich has clearly researched the topic of getting an agent and has shared the valuable lessons he's learned in How To Manage Your Agent – A Writers Guide To Hollywood Representation. If you want to write movies and TV shows, pick up a copy and add it to your collection. It's information you just can't get anywhere else.
- Learn more on Chad Gervich's website and in TV Writer Podcast with Chad as the guest.
- Chad's Primetime column on Script Magazine was voted one of Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for writers.
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