Hey all, if you haven’t already checked out our newsletter, our twitter page, or our FB page, please note that we’re putting on a cool competition! Here’s what we sent to our users yesterday:
Scripped will award the winning writer $500 for his or her short script.
Please sign up for the contest email list for instructions on how to enter on this page, and here are the highlights:
Write a 5-10 page script relevant to the current financial crisis
Entry fee is $10, and your script is due by August 1st (we encourage you to submit earlier)
We will buy the winning script for $500 and publicize it heavily to our user-base. We will also send your script to the entire Harvard Kennedy School current student and alumni list-serv. There is a chance your script will be produced, though financial constraints do apply
Good luck in the competition, and please contact us with any questions. Let us know what you think about the changes we’ve made to the dashboard section of our site….
All - we at Scripped have a special offer for you: Aaron Lubin, producer of Purple Violets and four other feature length films , has offered to read a limited number of Scripped users’ scripts! Aaron will provide notes/coverage service for a fee for between 1-3 people during the month of April. Aaron is Ed Burn’s production partner, and was the first producer to release a feature length film straight to iTunes. Aaron has a terrific reputation in the industry, and is an all-in-all nice guy. Since demand for this service will be high, we will provide this service on a first-come, first-served basis. Aaron will interview you individually, and determine whether it makes sense to move forward in the process. We hope you take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!
Email us at contact@scripped.com with subject - “Aaron Lubin Coverage” to participate in this offer.
On another note, we’ve posted more vids from the Jason Calacanis event we held at Anderson last Wednesday. Please check out http://www.scripped.com/jcal for more information. Happy Weekend!
Tina Fey, during her acceptance speech, made a few hilarious comments about the Internet. In any event, she was just joking around, but stated that “Cougarletter” and “Dianefan” were harassing her. I couldn’t help myself - bought the URLs tonight. Look for content on both sites soon…. Don’t worry Tina, I’ll be nice….. if you help promote Scripped!
Today is the one year anniversary of my iPhone. I have been on the phone for 34 days and 9 hours in that time. I am both shocked, and mildly depressed at that fact. What could I have done during those 34 days instead of being on the phone? I suppose Scripped wouldn’t be where it is today without all that phone time!
To our loyal readers/users - I hope you are having a good week. I just ate a fantastic meal at Sunnin, which is easily one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles. Of course I happen to be in Long Beach now, but the LA location is just as good. I’ve been eating a lot of good food lately, come to think of it….
Irrelevant intro aside, I wanted to address a couple of emails we’ve received from our users and non-users alike regarding our long term plans. A user recently emailed us expressing gratitude and satisfaction for providing such a “robust, free service.” The second part of the email expressed concern over whether a free screenwriting software company can exist for longer than a few months in this dicey economy.
To that user and to all Scripped users, I want to assure you that we are not going anywhere. We will be around for a very, very long time. We are not building a company with the 1 in a trillion hope that it will be acquired by Google (those who build a company for that purpose generally fail, FYI). We are not doing this because we are the only philanthropists in Hollywood. We actually do have a plan, and if that plan doesn’t work, there is a plan B. If that plan doesn’t work, there are also plan C’s, and then plan D’s, or whatever else you want to call them.
In the meantime, relax! The software will always be free and we want you to enjoy Scripped for one year, ten years, or however long it takes to write your screenplay. We are here to guide you throughout the creative process. We are also dreamers, and thinkers, and our 500 grand worth of education bought us more than a few beers at a frat party (incidentally, none of us were frat boys). We think that screenwriting software is great, but we believe the possibilities are much greater for us, and for you.
Enjoy the rest of your week, and finish that screenplay already!
Here’s an interview I had with the Marlene Neubauer, co-founder of the Creative World Writing Competition. I wanted to post it so you all get a better sense of why their banner is up on every page of Scripped.com this month!
Creative World Awards (CWA), co-Founder Marlene Neubauer
An interview with Marlene Neubauer regarding the Creative World Writing Competition.
Ryan: Who sponsors CWA, and what is their background in the industry?
Marlene: In addition to the growing list of prominent companies and executives that have committed to reading our finalists, Heather Waters and I are the key sponsors for the 1st Annual Creative World Awards. Before segueing into producing and writing, I worked for over 15 years in film distribution with such companies as Capella Films (AUSTIN POWERS, MY LIFE, CARLITOS WAY); Pathe Distribution (IN THE CUT, THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING); Mobius Pictures (THE WENDELL BAKER STORY starring the Luke and Owen Wilson, BORDERTOWN starring Jennifer Lopez); and GreeneStreet Films (UPTOWN GIRLS, SWIMFAN and WEDDING DAZE starring Jason Biggs). Heather Water’s background ranges from the performance side of film to writing and producing for television. If you wish, you can view the CWA website to get a more extensive list of our sponsors’ credits.
R: Why enter a screenwriting competition?
M: There are several important reasons for entering. A top one is exposure. Most emerging writers don’t have access to agents, producers or production companies and screenwriting awards and festivals provide an important venue to bridge this gap. I would recommend entering several contests as an important way of increasing your exposure. Getting your script in the hands of the decision makers is what it’s all about. Also, mentioning any placement in a prominent competition increases your chances of getting seriously read at production companies. Inline with that, these competitions also provide an important catalyst for meeting writing deadlines, providing valuable feedback and simply, getting your script read.
R: What do you offer your winning writers?
M: In addition to a prize award, we, at CWA, have made it our goal to find emerging talent and give them access and exposure to key industry people. Through the judging review process and post award circulation, our winning screenplays will be sent to top agencies, major studios, managers, producers, and international financers. In addition, several companies have committed to reading our top finalists. These include: Mel Gibson’s Icon Films & Entertainment (APOCOLYPTO, PASSION OF CHRIST); Crystal Sky (BRATZ, GHOST RIDER); GreeneStreet Films (UPTOWN GIRLS, SWIMFAN, TENDERNESS starring Russell Crowe); Voltage Pictures (FLYBOYS, PERSONAL EFFECTS starring Ashton Kutcher). Be sure and check out our website for the rest of this list. In addition, we also have a myriad of companies that are not listed but have also agreed to participate.
R: Who judges each phase of the competition?
M: The first round of judging is done by qualified, hand selected readers and professionals. If your script advances to the quarterfinalist round, it will then be read by multiple industry professionals who will help determine which scripts advance to the semifinalist and finalist rounds. The top three winners of the 2008 Creative World Awards will be determined with the help of leading industry executives.
R: What advice can you offer to Scripped writers?
M: Write from your heart, set your intention and get your work out there. Any way you can! Along with entering contests, take a trip to LA, surround yourself with like-minded individuals. Deals are made everyday in coffee shops, restaurants – you can meet a contact just walking in the street. Remember the industry is screaming for good scripts. So if you feel your script is ready to go out then you’re half way there. Be sure to check out our video showcase on our website. Each week a key industry individual offers invaluable tips on the whole filmmaking process.
R: Why is CWA excited about Scripped.com?
M: Heather and I are very excited to be teaming up with Scripped.com and its writers. What Scripped offers writers is invaluable and unprecedented to date in the industry. It’s this kind of creativity and support that writers need and we applaud the Scripped guys’ efforts for thinking and creating outside the box. The most important thing for a writer is to get your thoughts and ideas on paper and now with Scripped.com there is no excuse.
Don’t forget to give this competition a shot! Prices go up on July 1, so submit now!
Creative World Awards ongoing video showcase THE BUSINESS OF STORYTELLING is up and rolling. This week features Tomas Jegeus, Co-President of 20th Century Fox International. He jointly handles and overseas the international releases of all Fox’s titles. Following him in the upcoming weeks: Anthony Mandler, one of the industry’s hottest up-coming feature directors. His background includes being one of the top music and commercial directors as well as a world renowned photographer. Mark Gooder, CEO of Mel Gibson’s Icon Entertainment Group. He overseas the production, acquisitions and distribution of all of Icon’s films.
Don’t miss out on these valuable insights. A slue of prominent names will unveil through out the summer.
Well, the past few weeks have been pretty insanely busy for me. Last Friday, I graduated from UCLA’s MBA program and my whole family was in town. It was great to have my sister here from Barcelona, and a few other friends from college. I was also happy that my girlfriend took a short video of me receiving my diploma (just in case I need to use it to verify that I actually graduated - just kidding of course).
The weekend before, I was in Las Vegas with my classmates celebrating our last weekend as students. We stayed at The Palms, and the entire time I was looking for the Carl’s Junior, but I couldn’t find it (there’s an advertisement with the Maloof Brothers about a “6,000 dollar burger.”). Not that I would have spent the $$$, but I had to check out the Carl’s just to see what it looked like. I guess the simple pleasures in life keep me happy.
I was in Maryland the weekend before for a wedding of a good buddy of mine from college. Chelsea Clinton was there (see picture above), and I had the chance to run Scripped by her , which was pretty cool. The wedding itself was in St. Charles (which is where The Wedding Crashers was filmed), and it was an extremely beautiful location…. I’ve just been all over the place lately.
The big news is that Zak, Ryan and I are all grinding away at Scripped and we’re going to be making more exciting announcements over the next month or so. We really want to help every single member of the site have a shot at making their Hollywood dreams come true! If you’ve written your screenplay, the hard part is already over…. In any event, free screenwriting software is cool, but we want to give you guys more than that!
Email us and tell us how your screenplay is going.
I just watched Purple Violets on iTunes. I needed something to occupy the 4-hour bus ride between Boston and New York this weekend, and I figured I should catch up on some movies.
I also learned that Purple Violets was the first major motion picture to be released on iTunes. I figured I owed it to Edward Burns to have a look.
It’s a movie about the complex romance between two authors and their friends. I always find it a bit odd when writers write about writing. Being at MIT and enjoying math theory a bit too much, I think of it as a fractal. You know, one of those things like a letter A which, when you zoom in, you see is composed of other little A’s. And when you zoom in on them, even more tiny A’s.
But that’s not really what I was thinking about as I watched Eddie’s movie. I was actually thinking how lucky we are to have him involved with Scripped.
In the coming months you’ll hear more from Eddie and Aaron Lubin, his partner in production. With their input and guidance we will build Scripped into the superb online screenwriting community we know it can be. It is our summer goal to make this the most happenin’ place to write, protect, and even distribute your scripted content. You can also expect to hear from Eddie and Aaron directly through a few new features we’re building right now.
If you have any ideas, please don’t be shy. Tell us by commenting here or writing to us at contact@scripped.com. We love to hear from you. Even Sunil and Zak will spend their weekends checking the Scripped email inbox.
I know because I check it too.
Below is a copy of the press release that we issued today!
Los Angeles, CA – On Monday, May 19th, Producers Edward Burns and Aaron Lubin reached an agreement to join Scripped Inc.’s Board of Advisors. Scripped Inc. is a digital media startup that launched “Scripped Writer,” a web-based screenwriting software platform.
Burns and Lubin will help the web-based startup’s short and long term business strategy. Scripped launched the beta version of its web-based screenwriting software in January of 2008 and has since built a user-base of over 5,500 writers from all 50 states, as well as from 50 different countries. Scripped is currently being used by students from UCLA, USC, Santa Clara University and Grand Rapids Michigan Middle School amongst a host of other educational institutions.
“We are thrilled to add Ed and Aaron to the advisory board,” said Sunil Rajaraman, president and CEO of Scripped, Inc. “Their industry knowledge will help us guide our short and long-term thinking. We want to provide the best possible services to our user-base and Ed and Aaron are the right guys to help us reach that goal.”
“Ed and I are excited to be joining Scripped’s Board of Advisors,” said Aaron Lubin. “We think the site will provide cost-effective access to screenwriting software and resources for aspiring young writers to succeed. We are looking forward to collaborating with Sunil, Ryan and Zak to help make this site a success.”
About Scripped, Inc.
Scripped Inc. developed Scripped Writer, the first completely free web-based screenwriting software for writers. Scripped Writer is an innovative software that functions like a standard word processor but automatically formats and catalogs each screenplay element according to industry standards. Scripped was co-founded by Sunil Rajaraman, Zak Freer and Ryan Buckley; Rajaraman is a former senior strategy consultant, and UCLA Anderson MBA student, Freer is a producer/director and graduate of the Peter Stark Producer’s Program at USC and Buckley is a dual degree student Harvard and MIT. To learn more, visit http://www.scripped.com.
About the Producers
Edward Burns has written, directed, starred in and produced eight feature films, including the award winning Brothers McMullen, She’s the One, Sidewalks of New York, The Groomsmen, and most recently Purple Violets. Burns’ gained worldwide critical acclaim for his performance as Private Richard Reiben in Saving Private Ryan. In addition, Burns has starred in several feature films, including James Foley’s Confidence opposite Dustin Hoffman and Rachel Weisz, 15 Minutes opposite Robert De Niro, and most recently the 20th Century Fox hit romantic comedy 27 Dresses opposite Katherine Heigl. To learn more, visit http://www.edwardburns.net.
Aaron Lubin has produced several feature length films including Looking for Kitty, The Groomsmen, Ash Wednesday and Sidewalks of New York. Lubin produced Purple Violets with Burns, which was the first feature length film to debut on iTunes. The move to release Purple Violets on iTunes was considered a pioneering move in the film industry, and the movie has since received positive critical acclaim. Purple Violets won “best feature film” at the Savannah Film Festival. Additionally, Lubin worked on the NBC television show The Fighting Fitzgeralds starring Brian Dennehy, as well as several Saturn commercials, in producing capacities.
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