Sandra & Miranda, That is, Screenwriting Consulting by Some Very Cool People
Once in while, our Executive Producer gives such good editorial direction that all we need to do is sit back and read along. This is the case with the writing Aces from Script Chix. We first heard about them through an insider publication called Studio System News. And then we got lucky enough to have them write this for us, actually for you, fellow Screenmancers... Sandra and Miranda rock sonically as well as professionally. We can stress enough how cool it is that they put this together, and with that... enjoy! -- Screenmancer Staff
Who They Are
Script Chix is a company dedicated to helping guide up-and-coming and established entertainment professionals in the world of Hollywood. Script Chix is especially - though not exclusively - targeted at writers, providing screenplay notes, consulting, proofreading, scheduling, budgeting. and Los Angeles-area events to entertainment creatives of all levels. Regular Script Chix clients have seen success with series pick-ups at ABC, staff writing on shows ranging from Gotham to Jimmy Kimmel Live, and writing features for Amazon Studios. The company is comprised of two chix and a dude...
Sandra Leviton: Sandra is a Los Angeles based producer. Her company Under The Stairs Entertainment, is currently producing their first feature film and has many other projects in development. Prior to starting Under The Stairs Ent., Sandra spent five years working in the Current Programming Department at FX, helping to oversee over 20 original series including Sons of Anarchy, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Wilfred, and Justified. Prior to that, she worked in TV Lit at the Paradigm Talent and Literary Agency. Her personal taste is a yin and yang of light and dark, from disturbing horrors to delightful Disney.
Miranda Sajdak: Miranda is a producer currently living in Los Angeles. She has worked as a professional AD for a number of years, creating schedules and script breakdowns for numerous productions ranging from student films to music videos and features. As a script reader, she has done coverage for producers of films ranging from indie hits like Drive to studio features including Final Destination, American Pie, and the recent Seth Green vehicle Sexy Evil Genius, as well as television shows Huge and My So-Called Life. She enjoys hard-hitting dramas, dry comedies, and 90's legal thrillers.
Hosam Solaiman: Hosam was born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, DC, where he began earning an undergraduate degree in Marketing. In 2004, Hosam moved to LA to study Producing and Writing at the LA Film School. Since graduation, he has produced several short films and an independent feature film. He has furthered his experience by working as a Coordinator on a number of shows including It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX), Bent (NBC), and No Ordinary Family (ABC), as well as a number of pilots. When he's not coordinating a show, Hosam can often be found exercising his other passion, auto racing.
How Script Chix Got Started
Script Chix was founded at a serendipitous time for its principal members. Sandra and Miranda had both recently left jobs at other companies, and were planning to start producing. Script Chix evolved naturally out of their shared experience providing coverage and notes to writer friends, as well as their combined twenty years experience doing coverage for agents, managers, development executives, and producers at all levels. The two were both engaged in separate work as screenplay consultants, and decided to join forces... and the company was born!
What You Need to Know About Spec Scripts
While the Script Chix are engaged in screenplay consulting and networking events, they also provide advice and lifestyle blogging for entertainment professionals via their website, ScriptChix.com. Topics range from the best screenwriting software to what's the best time of year to contact a manager and/or agent to their favorite writing soundtracks.
Recently, Script Chix tackled the issue of Spec Scripts. Spec scripts are a necessity for every young writer to have in their arsenal. Every agent and manager will ask to see one. Before taking on a new TV writing client, agents and managers want make sure their prospective clients understand how to write for television. Television in particular is a very structured and collaborative medium. Spec scripts demonstrate that writers are able to adapt their personal style to the formatting, characters, setting, tone, and plot lines for any given show.
In the not-so-distant past, spec scripts were the means by which writers were hired on shows. Showrunners, studios, and networks didn't care about original voices - just that the writer could imitate the show's signature voice. Some shows do still practice this. However, in the competitive market of today, showrunners now want to see how writers stand out from the crowd. While showrunners prefer to read original pilots for original voices, they still like to check out the specs to be sure that the writer knows how to write for an already pre-existing show with its own voice.
Choosing which show to spec is a very personal process that requires knowledge of the current television landscape. Once a show is cancelled, a character killed off, or a plotline used, a spec can become irrelevant. Spec scripts also need to stand out from the pack. Representatives, Producers, and Executives read a countless number of scripts every day. By the time they get to their fifth Modern Family script of the day, their brains are fried. In a pile of Modern Family scripts, a Mindy Project would be refreshing. Pick a show that is known enough that the reader won't have to research what it is, but not so popular that everyone is writing it. It’s best to also choose one that speaks to your personal strengths as a writer. If dark dramas are a better fit for a writer's style, a comedy spec would not be the best choice.
When looking for representation and subsequently going out for staffing on shows, writers should have a minimum of two to three pieces of material, and one of those should be a spec.
Ways to Reach Script Chix
For more advice or information on Script Chix, our events, or for help with your own work, you can reach us at info@scriptchix.com, or via our website at ScriptChix.com. Happy writing!
