How Screenwriters Can Make Valuable Industry Contacts Instantly Online

When I first came to Los Angeles, I knew I had to meet people, I needed to make friends. This was crucial. There are no friends or relatives in show business, so I had to make them.

I made it my mission to attend as many functions/events as possible. I remember times when there were three to five performances in one night, and other nights when the invitations got “lost in the mail.”

Some events were fee based, some were not. I had to find creative ways to be invited and pay the fees. He’d show up, shake a few hands and kiss a few babies (wink) and then move on to the next evening. I put a lot of interesting people each with their own dream. Some have become dear friends and others business partners.

Fifteen years later, I now have a great list of established professionals that I can turn to.

I had some basic principles when I went into each function/event. Are here:

1. Stand out. Be commented on. Have an identity. I have been called many things in my life, believe me. Boring is not one of them.

2. Have fun! This is not a war, it is a party. I don’t have a mission to do business, I have a mission to meet people and make friends.

3. Be witty and helpful to others. Connect people. Recently, I was at a cocktail party and met a pharmaceutical representative looking for a new job. I happen to know a key executive at a major pharmaceutical company and offered to submit his resume.

4. Don’t sell. This is not the place to sell any of your products. It is simply an opportunity to make friends. Ideally, great friends. As these new friends get to know you, they may not need or want what you have, but they may know someone who does. Your friends can become your business contacts. Some of my best business relationships are the result of an introduction and recommendation. I sold a show to FOX many moons ago because a friend I knew (an accountant) introduced me to his cousin, a great producer.

However, here’s what’s really amazing. 15 years later, I can achieve the same goals of making new friends using social media. I have put some of my dearest friends online. Three years ago I met a friend who inspired me to run a marathon. He lives in Seattle. Last year, although my schedule prevented me from attending, I saved two tickets for him to attend the screening of my film at the Seattle Film Festival.

The point is, you don’t need to live in Los Angeles as a screenwriter to attend parties and make friends who are in the entertainment business. You can do it through Social Networks. Keep in mind that when you meet someone at a party, you may have more than 50 contacts that you can contact. On social media, there are some people who have millions and thousands of contacts that they can connect you with. Some of those contacts may very well be the trendsetters you are looking for.

Social networks have simply created virtual networks. But, the same principles apply. The beauty of the Internet is that you can be remarkable, resourceful, and fun using the power of the Internet. There is a lot of material out there. You can be the one to capture it and present it to the community. You can be daring, you can be your alter ego. You can be comfortable because you are at home, in a coffee shop, at work, wherever.

So I make all these friends online Marvin, now what? How do I get my scripts into the hands of tastemakers? Drum roll please…

Blog!

Think of your blog as your home. This should represent you. This is your voice. Here you tell the world all about yourself and how fabulous you really are! Here you can post your goals, action plans, passions, etc.

Invite people you know on social networking sites to enjoy virtual-style hors d’oeuvres and cocktails in your home. Offer content to people, not just your scripts, content. There are so many great and interesting things online that you can provide to people for free. Or maybe you have a set of skills that you have mastered. Make a video and show people how to do it and post it or maybe write an ebook on how to do it.

Maybe, just maybe you’ll make a video presenting your script and post it. Maybe it’s a video journal of your script’s journey from the road that leads to the big screen. Maybe you’ll post clips from a table read. Maybe… it’s infinite what you can do.

The point is that here you can host your private party.

As people begin to visit your private home more frequently, friendships develop. Friends help other friends. They support each other. They encourage each other. They introduce themselves to the people they know, and they introduce you to the people they know, and they… you get it.

It’s a small, small world. Social networks make it even smaller.

In conclusion, let me remind you that this is simply an additional tool, not the only tool, but a tool.

Here are some examples of sites you can join (many offer scriptwriting groups): Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Myspace.com, Linkedin.com, etc.

Finally, to set up a simple and easy to use blog, try WordPress.com