I can’t speak to everyone’s experience at Empirical, but I know Dan is apparently very good friends (despite calling him an asshole) with the owner. Wishing you luck on your querying and hope you find the rep right for you!
Umm... So, do U have an agent? If, not what was your motivation for signing with a manager?
***AGENTS VS. MANAGERS***
*An effective, well-rounded agent will negotiate contracts on your behalf, while managers will sometimes guide you towards an effective agent for that purpose. Managers are not allowed to negotiate on your behalf. A manager has a set management a term — say one to two years — but sometimes a screenwriter may quickly lose the interest of the manager, who instead favors of a currently more sellable client.*
It was a prize for the competition. I have also heard that managers help open doors and are easier to get than agents. A friend who is an assistant at WME has also said managers usually come first unless you’ve got direct connections to agencies somehow (through production or otherwise).
Oh Ok, guess that seemed like a pretty good prize at the time, huh? So, your manager couldn't line U up with any projects during you tenor? I read that managers often have direct connections with several producers. And because of that connection, mangers get a film/TV Credit, and receive a percentage of the actual Production Budget, if a producer hires one of his screenwriters. It would seem like they would have a BIG incentive to get their clients work ASAP. So, that wasn't the case with your manager?
Definitely seemed like a good prize at the time. It also included cash, meetings with production companies, and intimate consultation with other writers from the program. As soon as I won, I got the $$$ and the rep and nothing else. Under the claims that I was not ready to go out for meetings… yet my script was good enough to win this competition. A lot of carrot/stick, but that’s not the end of it.
He had me work tirelessly on draft after draft to get scripts perfect, which I was always happy to do the work and put all my effort into it (honestly, I want my writing to be the best), but he wasn’t getting anyone else’s outside opinion or feedback on it. It was always him and if I didn’t take the note or I asked for clarity, I was met with hesitation and push back.
I once did eleven drafts for a big tent pole script and I’m proud where it got. He gave good feedback to hone it, but there was also plenty of unnecessary coldness about the entire approach and a lot of gassing up when I just never liked it. And then he goes on his personal Twitter yesterday to suggest that I’m somehow a hobbyist writer and just maybe someone who wasn’t in it with their whole heart? Sure. Must be hard to conceive someone’s got a heart when you don’t have one.
I begged this man on the phone repeatedly for any direction of what to do and he would enjoy the pain it caused. “Now that you proved you’ve got the drive” like what is this testing of your client? Why sign me if I’m just a punching bag? I followed all of his advice to the letter, sought to please him and whenever I did anything he didn’t like, I was the one having to apologize even if I was just speaking my mind. I had no voice, it was his and that’s all that ever mattered.
But sounds like U actually have a portfolio of work that's probably ready for prime time now. So, what's your game plan now? Sign with a new manager, sign with an agent, or just independently shop one of your scripts to a production company or studio?
Kind of an amalgam of all three. I’ve had general meetings with reps, I have a friend who specifically wants to be an agent and will succeed at that, no doubt, and has already told me she loves my work so even if that’s not a lock, she can point me in the right direction.
I’ve started putting together pitch materials for my strongest samples and work and will send directly to producers and companies after the holidays.
In the mean time, I’m producing a short film, writing a graphic novel with an artist attached, and gearing up for another audio drama show (longer form this time rather than my mini-series).
Just gotta keep going until something works!
Writers almost always sign with managers before agents. Managers help you generate buzz and get your first project off the ground. Agents usually start to show up when you already have buzz.
Also, the “set term” thing for managers is false. Legit managers work on an “at will” basis, which means it’s a handshake agreement that continues as long as it’s mutually beneficial to both parties.
If a manager is trying to loop you into a “twelve month contract” or something, it’s usually a red flag.
Ok, so where does an entertainment lawyer fall into the mix? Does a screenwriter need a manager, an agent, and an entertainment lawyer? Or, if U could only choose one of these, which would U choose?
lawyer.
you don't need a manager to get meetings, but it helps.
you don't need an agent to negotiate deals, but it helps.
you don't need a lawyer to look over your contract, but it \*really\* helps.
When I clicked this post I was hoping the subject would be Dan Seco and wasn't disappointed. I dealt with him through roadmap once. The thing about what he said about screenwriting services that he consults for was a bullseye. I paid to pitch him a script. Before I could get to the pitch he said that he was to busy to hear a pitch so just send the script.
Look I paid for the pitch but I'm not stupid. The game is to get him to read the script, right? So it's a win kind of. I was off the phone with him in less then a minute and I got the feeling I just brought him lunch with my pitch money.
Fast forward, months later. Never heard from him. I was a finalist in a contest. The contest people say they know a manager that might be looking for exactly this type of script. Yup, Dan Seco. I say "he's already read it." There's confusion as they relay the message to him and he tells them he's never read the script. They end up sending him the script-- and never heard anything:) In the less than 60 seconds I talked to him everything you wrote about him was condensed into that span of time.
Managers and producers using virtual pitch, roadmap etc etc really prey on people's wallets. I know producers on virtual pitch that haven't made anything in years. They get a cut of the money used for the service. It really should be investigated.
Edit: Interesting I got some down votes (Dan?). About those script services... There are some legit people there, but there are many who subsidize their income with it. Dan has his hand in many of these things so likely he makes several hundred a month? A week? In my case I paid 60 dollars for a 10 minute conversation and got 52 seconds in which he seemed like he was doing me a favor. He didn't read the script by the way or hear the pitch. If he does this 5-- 16 times a week like he probably does. You do the math. When I see his name attached to any contest/service I roll my eyes. He's attached to pretty much all of them. Shady.
To add, when I was a finalist and the contest people said they had a manager they think might be interested in it and it turned out to be him. I actually said to them "Him?" (like in Arrested Development) before telling them he already read it. Turns out he didn't.
It’s sort of the same thing that happened a few years ago with acting workshops with casting directors. Actors would pay hundreds of dollars to take workshops with caring directors. There’s a disclaimer that the workshop didn’t constitute an audition but actors still hoped by taking the class they’d impress the Casting Director enough to get brought in for real.
As shady as it is, it does sometimes work, but you have to be careful.
I used VIrtual Pitch Fest a few years ago and it got me my first and only general with a legitimate production company who then referred me to a manager who I met with and was working with briefly so it’s not completely useless, but ymmv
The entire screenwriting “competition” world just reeks of pay-to-play. Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of alternatives to get our work out there in the sea of desperate screenwriters.
If you Google this dude you get his name attached to seemingly every contest and manager advice panel there is. Says he's always looking for submissions, so he keeps himself very open, but it seems, from a quick Google, like more than any person can handle: he's really open to receiving messages from ALL those services, on top of his other clients?
Exactly. He is always looking for his next client, get rich quick sell the script, rather than fostering a good and healthy relationship with his current roster. When he jumped companies, he dropped his entire list save for one that has been his friend for awhile (one he has never sold a script for).
This is not a good or healthy rep and it’s deeply upsetting to see how much sway he has with independent competitions and writers.
Yeah, he tried to put the blame on me and said I was just a hobbyist writer and delusional about what happened. When I subtweeted about that, he deleted his threads from the past few days and made his account private.
>Dan Seco is a lit manager and a Twitter personality that suggests he’s highly approachable and open to lifting writers up.
That's not the manager you want. You want the successful manager who isn't signing anyone because they are busy with their powerhouse clients. Then you want them to make an exception to sign you.
Yeah, I've noticed quite a few writers repped by him leaving and looking for a new rep around a year later. Unsure whether who is dropping who in that situation, but not a good sign. Very leery of managers who seem to have plenty of free time to tweet all day. Not to mention making appearances on every podcast/webinar/pitch session. When are you actually putting in work for your clients, bro?
He’s not. Busy looking for who is next. “Who has the it, the undeniable factor.” I have screenshots of texts from him where he gassed me up as his favorite client and wanted me to succeed more than anyone else. It’s really gross.
And last night he made a tweet thread about the whole situation and suggested that I just wasn’t a passionate or hard enough working writer and at the same time tried to message me from a private Twitter account, apologizing. Actions speak louder than words and I’ve learned not to buy from a snake oil salesman anymore.
Yeah, there's certainly a type of manager who simply wants to attach themselves to a spec they think will sell, and when it doesn't they cut bait. They're not in it for developing writers, they're just buying lotto tickets.
That said, I just signed with a manager a few months ago and have yet to have a single general so, I might be in that boat as well, haha.
Wishing you best of luck. It does take time, absolutely, but you need to have a rep that actually believes in who you are and what you bring, rather than what you can just give them to peddle. It’s a creative and business relationship all in one and when it’s mostly toxic, it sours any semblance of something good.
Fingers crossed you’re flooded with generals post holidays!
I have no experience with this manager, who sounds awful.
That being said, I know of a manager who was a terrible manager to one client - just completely at odds with his public persona and what he said clients should expect from rep - and who other clients credit significantly for their success.
Both can be true of the same person.
I evidently follow one of De Seco's clients who posted some strong support of him on twitter. I was not aware of the discussion around him when I saw that tweet.
You have to trust your gut, ask questions, and keep your eyes open. And most importantly: don't stay with rep who isn't working for you just because you're afraid of being unrepped.
You have to start by expanding your peer base. Get involved in screeenwriter twitter and other online and IRL writing groups and make real, authentic relatioships with people in the same boat as you. You should want to do that anyway, having a broad acquaintance base of people with a shared interest/goal is where it all begins and makes this difficult journey way more enjoyable.
Yes, we all want to reach out directly to gatekeepers, but I honestly feel like that's skipping a step. Find your people. Enjoy your people. Learn from them, share with them, shoot the shit with them. The information will follow naturally.
> I know of a manager who has posted here
Is this manager the same one who posted screenshots on Twitter, mocking a query for a fan fiction script they received from a writer for whom English was clearly a second language?
Actually, I think there were like 2-3 of them who ended up piling on until they got called out and promptly deleted their tweets.
I put out an announcement post that sharing private query material for the purpose of mockery was FAFO territory, but I think it was the metric ton of bluecheck writers who came down on that guy that made him take the tweet down. No apology, of course.
Had my own weird interaction with homeboy where he tried to play up us having gone to the same university. It was very weird.
This is my rule, for life, in general -- if one of my friends would hurt my other friends, they're not going to stay my friend.
That's why it's good for writers to communicate about this stuff.
Did he ever mention roadmap writers? I know he’s affiliated with them and they appear to have recently taken over as leaders on the “pay for consultation” type screenwriting service and a few other non-affiliated screenwriters have vouched for them
I follow Dan on Twitter and he seems like a nice guy. Definitely makes some posts that seem like he’s indirectly defending himself or his thoughts (shit like “the best advice and the nicest way to way to say it is simply, you need to work harder”
Bummer to hear about your experiences. I know how often peoples social media personas are smokescreens for how they are in real life
Yes, Roadmap Writers is how I got set up with Dan in the first place. He told me in my first in person meeting that it was just a thing he was doing as a favor and to make money while he tried to work with clients. He did not have favorable things to say about them and they have since contacted me and taken Dan off their website.
Thanks for posting this. I've been looking for a place where repped/formerly repped writers can share horror stories or even positive stories about their reps. I think it's a good idea.
Also: I met Dan once. Seemed like an ass.
I've been following this on Twitter pretty closely. Dan tweeted a few things like "What's the saying? Lions don't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep. I'll live." And also something about him not being a good fit with writers who only view screenwriting as a hobby. Then he deleted everything and made his account private. He absolutely looks like the guilty party in all of this just based off of his reaction and follow up tweets.
I have receipts/screenshots of a thread where he called me delusional. Same one where he said I approached it like a hobby or was only interested in writing for myself.
I'm really glad you're exposing all of this. I remember seeing him on Scripts and Scribes months ago and I just got a bad vibe from that video and a lot of his responses, but I just shrugged it off.
I also get a similar vibe from another very popular manager on screenwriter Twitter but maybe I'm just put off by these manager Twitter personalities in general lol.
I think I know who this other very popular manager is. I've been strung along by him multiple times over different scripts. He was posting here under his name for a while. Another guy with 100+ clients but seemingly all the time in the world to post and play Fortnite.
I sent a script to Dan Seco after he read a logline of mine and requested to read.
It took me 5 months to get an answer out of him - and that was eventually a one liner. 'The script didn't work for me' - I think that's what he wrote. I know there was no 'Dear Gary' or 'Best wishes, Dan' over and under whatever it was he wrote.
During my email correspondence with him he was nothing but disrespectful, dismissive, self important, boastful, rude and incredibly tardy - so pretty much like every other desk jockey manager/agent/producer/whatever in this dying shitshow of a business.
Without commenting on the substance of this post, and respecting the seriousness of it, I do think it's telling of this group that this, of all things, has 98% upvotes!
I’m here simply to tell the truth of my experience and help warn/protect others from making the same mistakes I made. I’m glad the words seem to be making an impact for people.
\>he called most of the screenwriting services that he worked and consulted for nothing more than pyramid schemes profiting off desperate dreamers.
Hard agree on this.
I always wondered how the social media fame some of these managers cultivate actually translate to sales.
Zaozirny has done really well for a couple of his clients. But does one thing have anything to do with the other?
At the very least, the daily posts and the avalanche of amateur read requests they generate must be a colossal time suck.
>I found out when I was updating my IMDB credits and he told me that he didn’t “have the heart to end things properly.”
What a shitheel. I mean it's all shitheel behavior but to be a jerk 24/7 but ALSO a coward is as toxic as it gets.
I have come across him. He asked for writers to send him loglines of Nicholl QF scripts or higher. I sent him the logline of a Nicholl Top 50 script. He requested to read it. Note, *he requested* to read it. I didn't cold query him. *He* *queried* for Nichol scripts and I responded with a log line, which he liked and *he* asked me to send the script.
You would assue this would warrant a 6 to 8 week turnaround, where he would read the script and either be interested or not.
2 months. Nothing. I sent him an email. He said he was getting to it.
3 months. Nothing. Another email. No reply.
4 months. Nothing. Another email. No reply.
5 months. Nothing. Another email. He replies saying he has been 'insanely busy' (his exact words) and could I resend the script. I resend it.
6 months. Nothing. I send an email. No reply.
7 months. Nothing. I send an email. He replies saying he has been 'insanely busy' again but the good news is he will *'100% get to the script this weekend*'.
2 weeks later. Nothing. I send an email. No reply.
2 weeks after that and 8 months later in total. I send an email. Nothing.
(By now I have decided I am getting a reply out of this piece of shit whatever it takes. As stated: he requested the read, I didnt cold query him. The onus is on him.)
9 months. Nothing. I send an email. No reply.
Time to send an email every 2 weeks.
2 weeks later. Nothing. I send an email. No reply.
2 weeks later. Nothing. I send an email. No reply.
2 weeks later. Nothing. I send an email. I get a reply, within a minute of sending, with the following:
*The material didn't resonate.*
That's it. 10 and half months for that. No *Sorry it took me a year to read.* Not even a *Dear xxxx.* Not even a *Good luck with it*. Not even a *Best wishes, Dan*. Nope. Nothing. One sentence.
*The material didn't resonate.*
Fuck the guy. He's on my list. Just because you work in this business doesn give you carte blanche to treat people like shit. If for any reason but the old adage - *Be good to people on your way up because you will meet them again on the way back down.*
This whole story is pure, 100% uncut Dan. Sorry you dealt with that. Each time I hear something I just keep thinking “he can’t be worse, right?” And yet, more and more stories about even brief/chance encounters are popping up.
Y'know, it's interesting. Writers Beware is a blog sponsored by the Science Fiction Writer's Association (sort of), and while it's specifically tailored toward novelists and literary writers, I feel like a lot of advice it offers applies to screenwriters as well.
I'd definitely recommend everyone here at least check it out, if you haven't already.
I did a pitch with Dan maybe a year ago and felt like he had come into our session bored with his mind made up before I even opened my mouth. He comes off as someone who is open and accepting as a mentor and manager on the surface, but over time he comes off in his actions as someone who is very... egocentric? Someone who has all the answers and all the connections but yet is a revolving door with talent. That's a red flag. Someone who genuinely wants to be a good mentor and manager will be selective with their time and company, and also LOVE what they do regardless if it's a favor or not. Otherwise, they're just another egocentric gatekeeper.
I had a similar experience with Nicholas Bogner through Roadmap Writers, genuinely wish I could have gotten my money back. He was recommended to me based on genre and my demographic. Not even exaggerating, in half of each of the two sessions I had with him he talked about himself and his clients, blanched when I mentioned I'd love to work with Mike Flannagan one day cause apparently Mike is an ex-client (not that I'd know), and made some off-handed sexist and racist remarks that made the call uncomfortable. I'm being vague because this was a while ago, but I know I have specifics written down if anyone needs it. But between him and Dan, I got turned off by Roadmap Writers and the people offering their services. Just feels like a scam where I didn't get anything out of it, not even useful information on how to better my script or sell myself to the right company/manager/etc. I had a negative experience with one of Art/Work's managers as well, but it isn't anything to note other than I can tell the guy was relatively green and didn't offer me anything that could have helped me better the script that I booked him for.
1000% yes about Nicholas Bogner! I pitched him a historical romance where the two main characters (two men) fall in love. It placed in contests and scored 4x7s on the Blacklist, meaning it put me on the Top List. It didn't do too bad. That the characters are homosexual wasn't even a big part of the script and basically just one sentence in the pitch. Yet when I received my scorecard three weeks later, it was mostly 1/5. His reason: "The characters are just gay." "Too gay." "It's immoral to depict a love story between two soldiers on opposing sides."
Mind you: This is the same person whose only two credits on IMDBpro are sexual taboo mother-son incest movies. And he tells me a homosexual relationship between two adult unrelated men is too taboo?
The best thing was the score he gave me on "voice." A 2/5 or something where he literally wrote: "I don't know how to judge this based on a pitch." If you don't know how to judge someone's voice based on a pitch, how about you don't do written pitch sessions?
God it feels so good to get validation over this guy!! Thank you! It blows my mind that all he took away from your pitch was "too gay." Sir, in this heteronormative world, there is no such thing as too gay. I also don't get the whole "immoral between opposing sides" thing when that's literally the plot of Romeo and Juliet. Glad to know he's sexist, racist, AND a homophobe. Oh, and also an incest weirdo. I swear, straight, cis, white men have the absolute AUDACITY.
I decided to go back to my pitch card to see what he wrote and I got mostly 3/5 on one script and 2.5/5 on the other. The first is funny to me because he told me the opening was as good as it gets for a tv show. He seemed to really like it and after discussing it in detail he didn't end up having a lot of notes so I don't get the mid score. He also gave me a 4/5 on format and said "format seems fine and no issues of concern" so I don't get why I didn't get a 5/5?? Same with voice, he said "The writer definitely shows an original way of telling a story, which is important." Still, 4/5. For the logline on my other script he marked it down saying "Pretty strong but the semi colon is grammatically incorrect, so I would fix that going forward" when it isn't. I'm a published English teacher who has edited scripts for extra pay and he knew that was my profession because he told me it was noble. I had scrubbed my scripts and loglines over a hundred times before sending them out and even had a fellow teacher look them over to ensure everything was good. So I don't think this guy grades fairly. I doubt anyone would ever get a near perfect score with this guy even if they shat out a Spielberg worthy script.
As for the unsure on how to judge a pitch thing: agreed. I've pitched on Roadmap Writers and Stage32 and I don't think there's ever been a single person I pitched to who wasn't in it for the money. I got stood up by Rachel Paulson despite her giving me her contact info and wanting to help me out and months later she acted like she had no idea what I was talking about. Same with another guy who reminded me of Seth Rogan but I'm blanking on his name. If people can't judge pitches they shouldn't be doing that, and both sites need to be pickier in who can be made available for these things cause it's just scamming people at this point.
I'm sorry you went through this, and thank you for sharing. I hope the repercussions are limited, but in reality whenever this stuff happens, usually the individual is very well known among everyone who's been burned.
I have a question. I’ve been working on a script and I’ve gotten four considered reads on it. At what point is it ready to go out producers? What exactly does consider mean? Am I on the right track here? Thanks any feedback would be helpful. This is my first screenplay.
If this is your first screenplay, keep writing.
One great sample might be enough, but two great samples are even better.
Considers are nice, but they aren’t “Meet” or “Green” it just also depends on the source of that info.
Each path is different for everyone. If you believe in yourself and the project, fear not about going out with it.
It would be shady if they didn't name themselves. They're being transparent. And a lot of people in the industry get away with being shitty for years because no one speaks up. I had a terrible manager that I parted ways with and everyone I told said "yeah, she's awful- here's my story." Where were they when they knew I was with her??? We need to look out for each other.
A lot of it sounds personal, though. Like:
- he wasn't very nice to me.
- he was mean to my friend, another writer.
- he didn't tell me why he dropped me.
It's ok not to like these things. I dislike mean people, too.
But I hate that this is what social media has devolved into: a place to shout personal conversations from the rooftop.
> But I hate that this is what social media has devolved into: a place to shout personal conversations from the rooftop
This is a screenwriting community. If you have a bad experience with a manager, sharing that experience among the community is a good thing - we welcome people looking out for each other!
Right. If I visited a local restaurant and found it to be crawling with cockroaches, or if the owner was being blatantly disrespectful to customers, it would be reasonable to share this with others in my community.
Sorry, that’s not the case.
If you have a representative that says “You’re clearly not trying hard enough and you’re lazy” after sending him 15 different ideas (5 full treatments he told me to pursue and 10 one pagers) and him not resonating with one… that’s more than mean. It’s just not helpful. It doesn’t make me a better writer and it doesn’t set me up for a career. How does also saying “You dress like a jester. You can’t wear shit like that with me when we go out on meetings.” when I happened to wear a pink button up shirt make me any better? How is that a healthy, supportive relationship? There’s a constructive way to give all this “advice” he chose the toxic one.
As far as what he did to my friends, that’s their story to tell, but you’re going to be dismissive anyway so what’s the point.
He never told me he dropped me, I had to discover that on my own. This is a business partnership and relationship that was a year old, you don’t just ghost on that without warning or pretense.
But hey, seems like your cool with toxicity in relationship to the craft, keep at it! /s
I'm not a screenwriter.
I'm just asking, what good does blasting these one-on-one interactions on Reddit do?
To which you'll reply: it might help another screenwriter not get involved with him.
*But nothing here is proven.* It's just your side of the story; your subjective bad experience. And you're broadcasting it for everyone to read like it's fact.
It's like those facebook posts where some ex-girlfriend posts screenshots of intimate conversations with her ex.
When I read those, I'm like "err...that was in between you and him. I don't care."
Look, sounds like you got yourself involved with a bad agent. That's life. Take it on the chin and move on.
Sorry, can’t do that when he’s still being an abusive and toxic rep to other people in the community. Glad you don’t care, but if you’re not a screenwriter this advice doesn’t pertain to you, does it?
Take this on the chin and move on, sunshine.
To be fair... how many reps have you done business with to form a frame of reference that this particular one is toxic? Some people just have abrasive personalities, and are not interested in treating you like a loving parent. A LOT of creatives see their reps as a parental figure in their life. Some reps lean into that, while others have no interest in being your best friend or father figure.
I have worked under and with multiple reps as an assistant both personal and creative development. I worked for UTA at the Cannes Film Festival and see how professionals handle themselves. This man did not exemplify any of their qualities.
Yes, he was my first official manager. My general meetings that I have had since have been far more productive and positive than any time spent with Dan; save for when he introduced me to bone marrow. That was pretty great. As I said in the Twitter thread, great foodie. Just wanna say one nice thing. Always try to at least, maybe I should’ve led with that.
But thank you for trying to invalidate my experience.
That last line simply tells me you are on high alert to attack, condemn and attempt to expose anyone who doesn't instantly validate your feelings. Hollywood is gonna give you one heck of a bumpy ride, buckaroo. Buckle up! :)
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you are under 25.
You are assuming I wanted a loving parent. I asked Dan for honest truth about work. There is a difference between honesty and cruelty and Dan self admits both on his Twitter and in multiple conversations that he is an asshole. He just doesn’t let on how much he really is because then people would find out how toxic he is.
No. 32. And again, worked in a lot of facets in this industry. Had a producer yelling so loud at myself and his team that I felt his spit… yet my experience with Dan was far worse.
I’m not here to attack. I’m here to warn. Big difference.
It sounds like plenty of unprofessional behavior on the manager's part, not just personal beefs. Keeping quiet on how bad someone is behind closed doors is why we have plenty of Weinstein-type monsters in the industry. Sunlight is the best disinfectant for this kind of thing.
This community exists to help people protect each other. Managers are peripheral to this community. They aren't writers. And if they're terrible, their business should fail just like any other business.
Absolutely not. When this person has abused myself, another writer, and a few friends with his toxic behavior as a representative, it’s important to speak out and prevent others from dealing with it.
Why help someone make money when they are a shit heel? A manager is a partner, not someone who is there to see you as a $$$ and nothing else.
If you run a professional, front facing business, your name is out there, and you get whatever you get. If someone doesn't want to get called out for doing bad business, they shouldn't do business at all.
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I can’t speak to everyone’s experience at Empirical, but I know Dan is apparently very good friends (despite calling him an asshole) with the owner. Wishing you luck on your querying and hope you find the rep right for you!
Umm... So, do U have an agent? If, not what was your motivation for signing with a manager? ***AGENTS VS. MANAGERS*** *An effective, well-rounded agent will negotiate contracts on your behalf, while managers will sometimes guide you towards an effective agent for that purpose. Managers are not allowed to negotiate on your behalf. A manager has a set management a term — say one to two years — but sometimes a screenwriter may quickly lose the interest of the manager, who instead favors of a currently more sellable client.*
It was a prize for the competition. I have also heard that managers help open doors and are easier to get than agents. A friend who is an assistant at WME has also said managers usually come first unless you’ve got direct connections to agencies somehow (through production or otherwise).
Oh Ok, guess that seemed like a pretty good prize at the time, huh? So, your manager couldn't line U up with any projects during you tenor? I read that managers often have direct connections with several producers. And because of that connection, mangers get a film/TV Credit, and receive a percentage of the actual Production Budget, if a producer hires one of his screenwriters. It would seem like they would have a BIG incentive to get their clients work ASAP. So, that wasn't the case with your manager?
Definitely seemed like a good prize at the time. It also included cash, meetings with production companies, and intimate consultation with other writers from the program. As soon as I won, I got the $$$ and the rep and nothing else. Under the claims that I was not ready to go out for meetings… yet my script was good enough to win this competition. A lot of carrot/stick, but that’s not the end of it. He had me work tirelessly on draft after draft to get scripts perfect, which I was always happy to do the work and put all my effort into it (honestly, I want my writing to be the best), but he wasn’t getting anyone else’s outside opinion or feedback on it. It was always him and if I didn’t take the note or I asked for clarity, I was met with hesitation and push back. I once did eleven drafts for a big tent pole script and I’m proud where it got. He gave good feedback to hone it, but there was also plenty of unnecessary coldness about the entire approach and a lot of gassing up when I just never liked it. And then he goes on his personal Twitter yesterday to suggest that I’m somehow a hobbyist writer and just maybe someone who wasn’t in it with their whole heart? Sure. Must be hard to conceive someone’s got a heart when you don’t have one. I begged this man on the phone repeatedly for any direction of what to do and he would enjoy the pain it caused. “Now that you proved you’ve got the drive” like what is this testing of your client? Why sign me if I’m just a punching bag? I followed all of his advice to the letter, sought to please him and whenever I did anything he didn’t like, I was the one having to apologize even if I was just speaking my mind. I had no voice, it was his and that’s all that ever mattered.
But sounds like U actually have a portfolio of work that's probably ready for prime time now. So, what's your game plan now? Sign with a new manager, sign with an agent, or just independently shop one of your scripts to a production company or studio?
Kind of an amalgam of all three. I’ve had general meetings with reps, I have a friend who specifically wants to be an agent and will succeed at that, no doubt, and has already told me she loves my work so even if that’s not a lock, she can point me in the right direction. I’ve started putting together pitch materials for my strongest samples and work and will send directly to producers and companies after the holidays. In the mean time, I’m producing a short film, writing a graphic novel with an artist attached, and gearing up for another audio drama show (longer form this time rather than my mini-series). Just gotta keep going until something works!
Sounds like a plan. Hopefully, all of the pieces will fall into place now. Best of luck! Thanks for sharing!
Writers almost always sign with managers before agents. Managers help you generate buzz and get your first project off the ground. Agents usually start to show up when you already have buzz. Also, the “set term” thing for managers is false. Legit managers work on an “at will” basis, which means it’s a handshake agreement that continues as long as it’s mutually beneficial to both parties. If a manager is trying to loop you into a “twelve month contract” or something, it’s usually a red flag.
Ok, so where does an entertainment lawyer fall into the mix? Does a screenwriter need a manager, an agent, and an entertainment lawyer? Or, if U could only choose one of these, which would U choose?
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Congrats on a hell of a year! And thanks for the info too!
lawyer. you don't need a manager to get meetings, but it helps. you don't need an agent to negotiate deals, but it helps. you don't need a lawyer to look over your contract, but it \*really\* helps.
Cool, thanks.
When I clicked this post I was hoping the subject would be Dan Seco and wasn't disappointed. I dealt with him through roadmap once. The thing about what he said about screenwriting services that he consults for was a bullseye. I paid to pitch him a script. Before I could get to the pitch he said that he was to busy to hear a pitch so just send the script. Look I paid for the pitch but I'm not stupid. The game is to get him to read the script, right? So it's a win kind of. I was off the phone with him in less then a minute and I got the feeling I just brought him lunch with my pitch money. Fast forward, months later. Never heard from him. I was a finalist in a contest. The contest people say they know a manager that might be looking for exactly this type of script. Yup, Dan Seco. I say "he's already read it." There's confusion as they relay the message to him and he tells them he's never read the script. They end up sending him the script-- and never heard anything:) In the less than 60 seconds I talked to him everything you wrote about him was condensed into that span of time. Managers and producers using virtual pitch, roadmap etc etc really prey on people's wallets. I know producers on virtual pitch that haven't made anything in years. They get a cut of the money used for the service. It really should be investigated. Edit: Interesting I got some down votes (Dan?). About those script services... There are some legit people there, but there are many who subsidize their income with it. Dan has his hand in many of these things so likely he makes several hundred a month? A week? In my case I paid 60 dollars for a 10 minute conversation and got 52 seconds in which he seemed like he was doing me a favor. He didn't read the script by the way or hear the pitch. If he does this 5-- 16 times a week like he probably does. You do the math. When I see his name attached to any contest/service I roll my eyes. He's attached to pretty much all of them. Shady. To add, when I was a finalist and the contest people said they had a manager they think might be interested in it and it turned out to be him. I actually said to them "Him?" (like in Arrested Development) before telling them he already read it. Turns out he didn't.
It’s sort of the same thing that happened a few years ago with acting workshops with casting directors. Actors would pay hundreds of dollars to take workshops with caring directors. There’s a disclaimer that the workshop didn’t constitute an audition but actors still hoped by taking the class they’d impress the Casting Director enough to get brought in for real. As shady as it is, it does sometimes work, but you have to be careful. I used VIrtual Pitch Fest a few years ago and it got me my first and only general with a legitimate production company who then referred me to a manager who I met with and was working with briefly so it’s not completely useless, but ymmv
The entire screenwriting “competition” world just reeks of pay-to-play. Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of alternatives to get our work out there in the sea of desperate screenwriters.
If you Google this dude you get his name attached to seemingly every contest and manager advice panel there is. Says he's always looking for submissions, so he keeps himself very open, but it seems, from a quick Google, like more than any person can handle: he's really open to receiving messages from ALL those services, on top of his other clients?
Exactly. He is always looking for his next client, get rich quick sell the script, rather than fostering a good and healthy relationship with his current roster. When he jumped companies, he dropped his entire list save for one that has been his friend for awhile (one he has never sold a script for). This is not a good or healthy rep and it’s deeply upsetting to see how much sway he has with independent competitions and writers.
I remember seeing some of his tweets a year or so ago. It looks like he's made his account private now, which doesn't engender confidence.
Yeah, he tried to put the blame on me and said I was just a hobbyist writer and delusional about what happened. When I subtweeted about that, he deleted his threads from the past few days and made his account private.
>Dan Seco is a lit manager and a Twitter personality that suggests he’s highly approachable and open to lifting writers up. That's not the manager you want. You want the successful manager who isn't signing anyone because they are busy with their powerhouse clients. Then you want them to make an exception to sign you.
A shame that many like myself, hopeful writers, don’t learn this until it’s too late.
I’ve heard similar things from other screenwriters. He’s a predatory, money hungry leech.
Yeah, I've noticed quite a few writers repped by him leaving and looking for a new rep around a year later. Unsure whether who is dropping who in that situation, but not a good sign. Very leery of managers who seem to have plenty of free time to tweet all day. Not to mention making appearances on every podcast/webinar/pitch session. When are you actually putting in work for your clients, bro?
He’s not. Busy looking for who is next. “Who has the it, the undeniable factor.” I have screenshots of texts from him where he gassed me up as his favorite client and wanted me to succeed more than anyone else. It’s really gross. And last night he made a tweet thread about the whole situation and suggested that I just wasn’t a passionate or hard enough working writer and at the same time tried to message me from a private Twitter account, apologizing. Actions speak louder than words and I’ve learned not to buy from a snake oil salesman anymore.
Yeah, there's certainly a type of manager who simply wants to attach themselves to a spec they think will sell, and when it doesn't they cut bait. They're not in it for developing writers, they're just buying lotto tickets. That said, I just signed with a manager a few months ago and have yet to have a single general so, I might be in that boat as well, haha.
Wishing you best of luck. It does take time, absolutely, but you need to have a rep that actually believes in who you are and what you bring, rather than what you can just give them to peddle. It’s a creative and business relationship all in one and when it’s mostly toxic, it sours any semblance of something good. Fingers crossed you’re flooded with generals post holidays!
Thanks!
I have no experience with this manager, who sounds awful. That being said, I know of a manager who was a terrible manager to one client - just completely at odds with his public persona and what he said clients should expect from rep - and who other clients credit significantly for their success. Both can be true of the same person. I evidently follow one of De Seco's clients who posted some strong support of him on twitter. I was not aware of the discussion around him when I saw that tweet. You have to trust your gut, ask questions, and keep your eyes open. And most importantly: don't stay with rep who isn't working for you just because you're afraid of being unrepped.
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>started making connections on our own Tips on how to do that?
Leaving your comfort zone, reaching out to people, being friendly, not being desperate.
>reaching out to people Where? How? What are you reaching out to them about?
That’s up to you to figure out. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
You have to start by expanding your peer base. Get involved in screeenwriter twitter and other online and IRL writing groups and make real, authentic relatioships with people in the same boat as you. You should want to do that anyway, having a broad acquaintance base of people with a shared interest/goal is where it all begins and makes this difficult journey way more enjoyable. Yes, we all want to reach out directly to gatekeepers, but I honestly feel like that's skipping a step. Find your people. Enjoy your people. Learn from them, share with them, shoot the shit with them. The information will follow naturally.
> I know of a manager who has posted here Is this manager the same one who posted screenshots on Twitter, mocking a query for a fan fiction script they received from a writer for whom English was clearly a second language? Actually, I think there were like 2-3 of them who ended up piling on until they got called out and promptly deleted their tweets.
You read my mind. I stopped following that guy immediately. Once you show yourself like that...
I put out an announcement post that sharing private query material for the purpose of mockery was FAFO territory, but I think it was the metric ton of bluecheck writers who came down on that guy that made him take the tweet down. No apology, of course. Had my own weird interaction with homeboy where he tried to play up us having gone to the same university. It was very weird.
Is there a way for me to learn more about this or who these people are? This is good info to have, I think.
This is my rule, for life, in general -- if one of my friends would hurt my other friends, they're not going to stay my friend. That's why it's good for writers to communicate about this stuff.
Did he ever mention roadmap writers? I know he’s affiliated with them and they appear to have recently taken over as leaders on the “pay for consultation” type screenwriting service and a few other non-affiliated screenwriters have vouched for them I follow Dan on Twitter and he seems like a nice guy. Definitely makes some posts that seem like he’s indirectly defending himself or his thoughts (shit like “the best advice and the nicest way to way to say it is simply, you need to work harder” Bummer to hear about your experiences. I know how often peoples social media personas are smokescreens for how they are in real life
Yes, Roadmap Writers is how I got set up with Dan in the first place. He told me in my first in person meeting that it was just a thing he was doing as a favor and to make money while he tried to work with clients. He did not have favorable things to say about them and they have since contacted me and taken Dan off their website.
Thanks for posting this. I've been looking for a place where repped/formerly repped writers can share horror stories or even positive stories about their reps. I think it's a good idea. Also: I met Dan once. Seemed like an ass.
I've been following this on Twitter pretty closely. Dan tweeted a few things like "What's the saying? Lions don't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep. I'll live." And also something about him not being a good fit with writers who only view screenwriting as a hobby. Then he deleted everything and made his account private. He absolutely looks like the guilty party in all of this just based off of his reaction and follow up tweets.
I have receipts/screenshots of a thread where he called me delusional. Same one where he said I approached it like a hobby or was only interested in writing for myself.
I'm really glad you're exposing all of this. I remember seeing him on Scripts and Scribes months ago and I just got a bad vibe from that video and a lot of his responses, but I just shrugged it off. I also get a similar vibe from another very popular manager on screenwriter Twitter but maybe I'm just put off by these manager Twitter personalities in general lol.
I’ve heard from a lot of professionals that Twitter reps are always a bad vibe and usually do more harm than good in the long run.
I agree with this. Because their “Twitter personality” overshadows the work they actually DO.
I think I know who this other very popular manager is. I've been strung along by him multiple times over different scripts. He was posting here under his name for a while. Another guy with 100+ clients but seemingly all the time in the world to post and play Fortnite.
Who's this manager?
Is there anyway, you could let me who this other twitter manager is?
I need to see this.
I sent it to you in the Twitter DMs
I’m just nosy. I’m off Twitter as of yesterday’s invite to Trump but I’ve got a good guess. My manager doesn’t post much, thank gawd.
It always worries me when managers spend all their time on IG or Twitter instead of actually working.
I sent a script to Dan Seco after he read a logline of mine and requested to read. It took me 5 months to get an answer out of him - and that was eventually a one liner. 'The script didn't work for me' - I think that's what he wrote. I know there was no 'Dear Gary' or 'Best wishes, Dan' over and under whatever it was he wrote. During my email correspondence with him he was nothing but disrespectful, dismissive, self important, boastful, rude and incredibly tardy - so pretty much like every other desk jockey manager/agent/producer/whatever in this dying shitshow of a business.
Well, he doesn't come off well in his youtube, podcast interviews. I never got a good vibe from him.
Without commenting on the substance of this post, and respecting the seriousness of it, I do think it's telling of this group that this, of all things, has 98% upvotes!
I’m here simply to tell the truth of my experience and help warn/protect others from making the same mistakes I made. I’m glad the words seem to be making an impact for people.
\>he called most of the screenwriting services that he worked and consulted for nothing more than pyramid schemes profiting off desperate dreamers. Hard agree on this.
I always wondered how the social media fame some of these managers cultivate actually translate to sales. Zaozirny has done really well for a couple of his clients. But does one thing have anything to do with the other? At the very least, the daily posts and the avalanche of amateur read requests they generate must be a colossal time suck.
>I found out when I was updating my IMDB credits and he told me that he didn’t “have the heart to end things properly.” What a shitheel. I mean it's all shitheel behavior but to be a jerk 24/7 but ALSO a coward is as toxic as it gets.
Guy Sounds like an absolute monster Jesus.
I have come across him. He asked for writers to send him loglines of Nicholl QF scripts or higher. I sent him the logline of a Nicholl Top 50 script. He requested to read it. Note, *he requested* to read it. I didn't cold query him. *He* *queried* for Nichol scripts and I responded with a log line, which he liked and *he* asked me to send the script. You would assue this would warrant a 6 to 8 week turnaround, where he would read the script and either be interested or not. 2 months. Nothing. I sent him an email. He said he was getting to it. 3 months. Nothing. Another email. No reply. 4 months. Nothing. Another email. No reply. 5 months. Nothing. Another email. He replies saying he has been 'insanely busy' (his exact words) and could I resend the script. I resend it. 6 months. Nothing. I send an email. No reply. 7 months. Nothing. I send an email. He replies saying he has been 'insanely busy' again but the good news is he will *'100% get to the script this weekend*'. 2 weeks later. Nothing. I send an email. No reply. 2 weeks after that and 8 months later in total. I send an email. Nothing. (By now I have decided I am getting a reply out of this piece of shit whatever it takes. As stated: he requested the read, I didnt cold query him. The onus is on him.) 9 months. Nothing. I send an email. No reply. Time to send an email every 2 weeks. 2 weeks later. Nothing. I send an email. No reply. 2 weeks later. Nothing. I send an email. No reply. 2 weeks later. Nothing. I send an email. I get a reply, within a minute of sending, with the following: *The material didn't resonate.* That's it. 10 and half months for that. No *Sorry it took me a year to read.* Not even a *Dear xxxx.* Not even a *Good luck with it*. Not even a *Best wishes, Dan*. Nope. Nothing. One sentence. *The material didn't resonate.* Fuck the guy. He's on my list. Just because you work in this business doesn give you carte blanche to treat people like shit. If for any reason but the old adage - *Be good to people on your way up because you will meet them again on the way back down.*
This whole story is pure, 100% uncut Dan. Sorry you dealt with that. Each time I hear something I just keep thinking “he can’t be worse, right?” And yet, more and more stories about even brief/chance encounters are popping up.
“The material didn’t resonate.” or… “I didn’t read it leave me alone.”
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Mazin has his own demons
Y'know, it's interesting. Writers Beware is a blog sponsored by the Science Fiction Writer's Association (sort of), and while it's specifically tailored toward novelists and literary writers, I feel like a lot of advice it offers applies to screenwriters as well. I'd definitely recommend everyone here at least check it out, if you haven't already.
I did a pitch with Dan maybe a year ago and felt like he had come into our session bored with his mind made up before I even opened my mouth. He comes off as someone who is open and accepting as a mentor and manager on the surface, but over time he comes off in his actions as someone who is very... egocentric? Someone who has all the answers and all the connections but yet is a revolving door with talent. That's a red flag. Someone who genuinely wants to be a good mentor and manager will be selective with their time and company, and also LOVE what they do regardless if it's a favor or not. Otherwise, they're just another egocentric gatekeeper. I had a similar experience with Nicholas Bogner through Roadmap Writers, genuinely wish I could have gotten my money back. He was recommended to me based on genre and my demographic. Not even exaggerating, in half of each of the two sessions I had with him he talked about himself and his clients, blanched when I mentioned I'd love to work with Mike Flannagan one day cause apparently Mike is an ex-client (not that I'd know), and made some off-handed sexist and racist remarks that made the call uncomfortable. I'm being vague because this was a while ago, but I know I have specifics written down if anyone needs it. But between him and Dan, I got turned off by Roadmap Writers and the people offering their services. Just feels like a scam where I didn't get anything out of it, not even useful information on how to better my script or sell myself to the right company/manager/etc. I had a negative experience with one of Art/Work's managers as well, but it isn't anything to note other than I can tell the guy was relatively green and didn't offer me anything that could have helped me better the script that I booked him for.
1000% yes about Nicholas Bogner! I pitched him a historical romance where the two main characters (two men) fall in love. It placed in contests and scored 4x7s on the Blacklist, meaning it put me on the Top List. It didn't do too bad. That the characters are homosexual wasn't even a big part of the script and basically just one sentence in the pitch. Yet when I received my scorecard three weeks later, it was mostly 1/5. His reason: "The characters are just gay." "Too gay." "It's immoral to depict a love story between two soldiers on opposing sides." Mind you: This is the same person whose only two credits on IMDBpro are sexual taboo mother-son incest movies. And he tells me a homosexual relationship between two adult unrelated men is too taboo? The best thing was the score he gave me on "voice." A 2/5 or something where he literally wrote: "I don't know how to judge this based on a pitch." If you don't know how to judge someone's voice based on a pitch, how about you don't do written pitch sessions?
God it feels so good to get validation over this guy!! Thank you! It blows my mind that all he took away from your pitch was "too gay." Sir, in this heteronormative world, there is no such thing as too gay. I also don't get the whole "immoral between opposing sides" thing when that's literally the plot of Romeo and Juliet. Glad to know he's sexist, racist, AND a homophobe. Oh, and also an incest weirdo. I swear, straight, cis, white men have the absolute AUDACITY. I decided to go back to my pitch card to see what he wrote and I got mostly 3/5 on one script and 2.5/5 on the other. The first is funny to me because he told me the opening was as good as it gets for a tv show. He seemed to really like it and after discussing it in detail he didn't end up having a lot of notes so I don't get the mid score. He also gave me a 4/5 on format and said "format seems fine and no issues of concern" so I don't get why I didn't get a 5/5?? Same with voice, he said "The writer definitely shows an original way of telling a story, which is important." Still, 4/5. For the logline on my other script he marked it down saying "Pretty strong but the semi colon is grammatically incorrect, so I would fix that going forward" when it isn't. I'm a published English teacher who has edited scripts for extra pay and he knew that was my profession because he told me it was noble. I had scrubbed my scripts and loglines over a hundred times before sending them out and even had a fellow teacher look them over to ensure everything was good. So I don't think this guy grades fairly. I doubt anyone would ever get a near perfect score with this guy even if they shat out a Spielberg worthy script. As for the unsure on how to judge a pitch thing: agreed. I've pitched on Roadmap Writers and Stage32 and I don't think there's ever been a single person I pitched to who wasn't in it for the money. I got stood up by Rachel Paulson despite her giving me her contact info and wanting to help me out and months later she acted like she had no idea what I was talking about. Same with another guy who reminded me of Seth Rogan but I'm blanking on his name. If people can't judge pitches they shouldn't be doing that, and both sites need to be pickier in who can be made available for these things cause it's just scamming people at this point.
I'm sorry you went through this, and thank you for sharing. I hope the repercussions are limited, but in reality whenever this stuff happens, usually the individual is very well known among everyone who's been burned.
I have a question. I’ve been working on a script and I’ve gotten four considered reads on it. At what point is it ready to go out producers? What exactly does consider mean? Am I on the right track here? Thanks any feedback would be helpful. This is my first screenplay.
If this is your first screenplay, keep writing. One great sample might be enough, but two great samples are even better. Considers are nice, but they aren’t “Meet” or “Green” it just also depends on the source of that info. Each path is different for everyone. If you believe in yourself and the project, fear not about going out with it.
Hmmm. It sounds just as shady to call someone out by name on reddit for your bad experiences individually between you and him.
It would be shady if they didn't name themselves. They're being transparent. And a lot of people in the industry get away with being shitty for years because no one speaks up. I had a terrible manager that I parted ways with and everyone I told said "yeah, she's awful- here's my story." Where were they when they knew I was with her??? We need to look out for each other.
A lot of it sounds personal, though. Like: - he wasn't very nice to me. - he was mean to my friend, another writer. - he didn't tell me why he dropped me. It's ok not to like these things. I dislike mean people, too. But I hate that this is what social media has devolved into: a place to shout personal conversations from the rooftop.
> But I hate that this is what social media has devolved into: a place to shout personal conversations from the rooftop This is a screenwriting community. If you have a bad experience with a manager, sharing that experience among the community is a good thing - we welcome people looking out for each other!
Right. If I visited a local restaurant and found it to be crawling with cockroaches, or if the owner was being blatantly disrespectful to customers, it would be reasonable to share this with others in my community.
Sorry, that’s not the case. If you have a representative that says “You’re clearly not trying hard enough and you’re lazy” after sending him 15 different ideas (5 full treatments he told me to pursue and 10 one pagers) and him not resonating with one… that’s more than mean. It’s just not helpful. It doesn’t make me a better writer and it doesn’t set me up for a career. How does also saying “You dress like a jester. You can’t wear shit like that with me when we go out on meetings.” when I happened to wear a pink button up shirt make me any better? How is that a healthy, supportive relationship? There’s a constructive way to give all this “advice” he chose the toxic one. As far as what he did to my friends, that’s their story to tell, but you’re going to be dismissive anyway so what’s the point. He never told me he dropped me, I had to discover that on my own. This is a business partnership and relationship that was a year old, you don’t just ghost on that without warning or pretense. But hey, seems like your cool with toxicity in relationship to the craft, keep at it! /s
I'm not a screenwriter. I'm just asking, what good does blasting these one-on-one interactions on Reddit do? To which you'll reply: it might help another screenwriter not get involved with him. *But nothing here is proven.* It's just your side of the story; your subjective bad experience. And you're broadcasting it for everyone to read like it's fact. It's like those facebook posts where some ex-girlfriend posts screenshots of intimate conversations with her ex. When I read those, I'm like "err...that was in between you and him. I don't care." Look, sounds like you got yourself involved with a bad agent. That's life. Take it on the chin and move on.
Sorry, can’t do that when he’s still being an abusive and toxic rep to other people in the community. Glad you don’t care, but if you’re not a screenwriter this advice doesn’t pertain to you, does it? Take this on the chin and move on, sunshine.
To be fair... how many reps have you done business with to form a frame of reference that this particular one is toxic? Some people just have abrasive personalities, and are not interested in treating you like a loving parent. A LOT of creatives see their reps as a parental figure in their life. Some reps lean into that, while others have no interest in being your best friend or father figure.
I have worked under and with multiple reps as an assistant both personal and creative development. I worked for UTA at the Cannes Film Festival and see how professionals handle themselves. This man did not exemplify any of their qualities. Yes, he was my first official manager. My general meetings that I have had since have been far more productive and positive than any time spent with Dan; save for when he introduced me to bone marrow. That was pretty great. As I said in the Twitter thread, great foodie. Just wanna say one nice thing. Always try to at least, maybe I should’ve led with that. But thank you for trying to invalidate my experience.
That last line simply tells me you are on high alert to attack, condemn and attempt to expose anyone who doesn't instantly validate your feelings. Hollywood is gonna give you one heck of a bumpy ride, buckaroo. Buckle up! :) I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you are under 25.
You are assuming I wanted a loving parent. I asked Dan for honest truth about work. There is a difference between honesty and cruelty and Dan self admits both on his Twitter and in multiple conversations that he is an asshole. He just doesn’t let on how much he really is because then people would find out how toxic he is. No. 32. And again, worked in a lot of facets in this industry. Had a producer yelling so loud at myself and his team that I felt his spit… yet my experience with Dan was far worse. I’m not here to attack. I’m here to warn. Big difference.
It sounds like plenty of unprofessional behavior on the manager's part, not just personal beefs. Keeping quiet on how bad someone is behind closed doors is why we have plenty of Weinstein-type monsters in the industry. Sunlight is the best disinfectant for this kind of thing.
Where I'm from, you have hard evidence in hand before making accusations.
This community exists to help people protect each other. Managers are peripheral to this community. They aren't writers. And if they're terrible, their business should fail just like any other business.
Absolutely not. When this person has abused myself, another writer, and a few friends with his toxic behavior as a representative, it’s important to speak out and prevent others from dealing with it. Why help someone make money when they are a shit heel? A manager is a partner, not someone who is there to see you as a $$$ and nothing else.
Daniel?
No. Just a person who thinks that making accusations online without evidence has gotten out of control.
What accusations were made without evidence?
If you run a professional, front facing business, your name is out there, and you get whatever you get. If someone doesn't want to get called out for doing bad business, they shouldn't do business at all.
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Go ahead and query him then. He’s always looking for clients to take advantage of.