The Black List Partners with Warner Bros. to Offer New Writers Two-Step WGA Deals

Here at NFS, we've written extensively about The Black List and its paid service for screenwriters to have their screenplays evaluated and hosted for industry executives to download and read. The Black List honestly seems to be trying to break down barriers between aspiring screenwriters and production executives, albeit for a fee. Writers will have to be judges of the value of the service for themselves, but The Black List has just announced another deal that might boost its value proposition. The Black List has partnered with Warner Bros. to give new, diverse screenwriters the chance to get two-step WGA minimum blind deals from the major studio on an ongoing basis. For more details about this announcement, hit the jump.

Here is the announcement from The Black List regarding its new partnership with Warner Bros.:

We are pleased to partner with Warner Bros. to further diversity within their screenwriting ranks by identifying up to four diverse screenwriters who have not yet earned $25K in aggregate for their screenwriting work to receive a two-step WGA-minimum blind deal (over $90,000).

Every six months beginning today, the Black List, using its script evaluation service, will select a short list of five writers from amongst those who have opted into consideration via the site. Those writers will be invited to submit a one-page personal statement, which will be reviewed along with their selected screenplay by the Warner Bros. development & production executive team.

One of those writers may be selected to receive a two-step blind screenwriting deal worth over $90K.

The first short list will be announced on November 3, 2013.

Certainly, The Black List and Warner Bros. are making no guarantees that one writer will get a two-step blind deal every six months (N.B. "One of those writers may be selected,") but Warner Bros. has already shown its faith in The Black List when it signed Richard Cordiner to a two-film blind deal to write the screenplay for Spacesuit.

According to The Black List, "diverse" is a broad term for this partnership:

Screenwriters who submit to The Black List can simply opt in during the script upload process to be considered for the Warner Bros. program. Writers with screenplays already on The Black List can opt in on their My Scripts page.

To read the fine print for this new partnership, check out the following:

• The Black List - Warner Bros. additional submission requirements
• Warner Bros. submission agreement
• Warner Bros. Blind Commitment Agreement

The Warner Bros. Blind Commitment Agreement link above provides the nitty-gritty legal details on what this deal really entails for the select writers that Warner Bros. chooses. Basically, it gives Warner Bros. first crack at a screenwriter's ideas for a three-month period, but also allows Warner Bros. to pitch ideas to the select screenwriter during the same period to find a mutually agreed upon screenplay for the writer to write for the studio. Be sure to read the agreement in full to understand all of the details.

What do you think about this new partnership between The Black List and Warner Bros.? Does this raise The Black List's value proposition for aspiring screenwriters in your mind? Share your thoughts with us in the Comments.

Link: The Black List