The Scoggins Report: August 2013 Spec Market Scorecard

The Scoggins Report
by Jason Scoggins & Landon Rohwedder
August 19, 2013

August 2013
Spec Market Scorecard

As much as we love Summer, about this time every year we start to get antsy for Labor Day and the start of the Fall Selling Season. Usually, we take a shot at reading the tea leaves and predicting how strong the September through December numbers are going to be. We’re taking a pass this year, though, because the spec market has been so unpredictable so far.

Consider this stat, for example: By the end of August last year, the five major studio buyers had each bought at least 4 spec scripts (all but Disney, which has only bought 2 a year since 2009); Paramount led the pack, with 8. This year, only Universal has bought 4; the rest have bought between 0 and 2. You can see the impact of the above in the agency grid on page 8, too. At this point, only APA and UTA are on pace to match their 2012 numbers.

Last year, those same five majors each bought 2 or 3 specs between Labor Day and Christmas, and none ended up with fewer than 6 for the year. This year, though, with such tepid buying from Columbia, Paramount and Warner Bros. in particular, it’s anyone’s guess what’ll happen as we cruise toward the holidays.

Enjoy the grids, and the last few days of Summer.

2013 Overall Numbers

Of 2013‘s 75 spec sales, 12 (16%) have been of scripts that originally went out prior to 2012. Here are the overall spec market numbers through August 17.

* 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.

The following are combined total spec and pitch sales numbers through August 17, 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

Allison Shearmur Productions

Anonymous Content

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

Electric Entertainment

Energy Entertainment (4)

Friendly Films

Gunn Films

Hutch Parker Entertainment

ImageMovers

Industry Entertainment

Intrigue Entertainment

Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Jon Shestack Productions

Laurence Mark Productions

Le Grisbi Productions

Mad Chance Productions

Madhouse Entertainment (3)

Mandeville Films (2)

Michael De Luca Productions

Midnight Kitchen

Olive Bridge

One Race Films

Pacific Standard

Platinum Dunes

Process Media

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 62 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)

Three:

Emerson Davis (UTA)

Two:

Daniel Cohan (WME)

David Boxerbaum (Paradigm)

David Park (UTA)

Debbie Deuble-Hill (APA)

Geoff Morley (UTA)

Ida Ziniti (Paradigm)

Jason Burns (UTA)

Jon Huddle (UTA)

JP Evans (CAA)

Julien Thuan (UTA)

Marissa Devins (UTA)

Matt Leipzig (Original)

Matthew Rosen (CAA)

Philip Raskind (WME)

Rob Herting (Verve)

Shan Ray (KSA)

Simon Faber (WME)

One:

Aaron Hart (Verve)

Abram Nalibotsky (Resolution)

Adam Kanter (Resolution)

Adam Levine (Verve)

Adam Perry (APA)

Adriana Alberghetti (WME)

Andrew Miller (CAA

Billy Hawkins (CAA)

Carolyn Sivitz (UTA)

Chris Licata (Paradigm)

Chris Ridenhour (APA)

Chris Sablan (Original)

Cliff Roberts (WME)

Dan Erlij (UTA)

David Kramer (UTA)

David Saunders (APA)

Debbee Klein (Paradigm)

Erik Horine (ICM)

Greg McKnight (CAA)

Harley Copen (ICM)

Holly Jeter (WME)

James Kearney (UTA)

Jacqueline Sacerio (CAA)

Jenny Maryasis (UTA)

John Garvey (CAA)

Jordan Bayer (Original)

Josh Hornstock (UTA)

Keya Khayatian (UTA)

Larry Salz (UTA)

Lee Keele (Gersh)

Max Michael (UTA)

Mickey Berman (UTA)

Rich Green (Resolution)

Roger Green (WME)

Ryan Saul (APA)

Sandra Lucchesi (Gersh)

Sheryl Peterson (APA)

Solco Schuit (WME)

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 42 managers have been involved with at least one spec sale so far in 2013.

Eleven:

Brooklyn Weaver (Energy)

Six:

Jake Wagner (Benderspink)

Three:

Adam Kolbrenner (Madhouse)

Josh Adler (New Wave)

Mike Goldberg (New Wave)

Two:

Ben Rowe (Oasis)

George Heller (Apostle)

Jeff Belkin (Zero Gravity)

Jeff Ross (Jeff Ross)

Jeff Silver (Fourth Floor)

Marc Manus (Manus Ent.)

Tom Drumm (Think Tank)

Will Rowbotham (Prolific)

One:

Aaron Kaplan �� (Kapital)

Ava Jamshidi (Industry)

Bryan Brucks (Luber-Roklin)

Cindy Adams (Art/Work)

C. Campos-Greenberg (Anthem)

Dallas Sonnier (Caliber)

Dan Vang (Benderspink)

David Alpert (Circle)

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)

Jessica Jordan (Wirehouse)

Jonathan Hung (Hung)

Ken Freimann (Circle)

Langley Perer (Mosaic)

Linda Seifert

Michael Botti (Industry)

Rhonda Bloom (Plumeria

Russell Hollander (Hollander)

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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