This Script Reader's Guide to Building a Hollywood Career

Andrew Zinnes is a screenwriter, author, and consultant with experience in film and TV, including roles as a development executive for Norman Lear (the one and only).

Zinnes has been involved in script reading and development for companies such as Paramount Pictures, Artisan, and USA Network. He is also known for co-authoring industry textbooks like The Documentary Film Makers Handbook, The Guerilla Film Makers Pocketbook, and Screenwriters Advice. He teaches documentary filmmaking in the U.S. and London.

Film Courage chatted with Zinnes about his experience and learned what writers should focus on to make it in this industry. Let's dive in.

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Be a Persistent Networker

Zinnes' path from unpaid intern to working with Lear is one many of us take, starting from the bottom and building relationships. He spent years as a temp worker, bouncing between desks at Sony, Disney, Warner Bros., and other major studios.

"Get yourself out there, mix, mingle, and in any way that you can, because you never know when that next opportunity or that next person that you might meet might open a door for you,” he said.

While being a temp or a floater has its drawbacks, you can still learn from everyone around you. Working as a temp gave him access to studios while maintaining the flexibility to be a script reader at the same time. He learned about communication in these positions and also learned who was who in the industry.

"I knew that if I was going to be working for producers, above-the-line producers, not a line producer or something like that, I knew that there was going to be an etiquette that I'd have to learn about answering phones properly," he said by way of example.

He also started to see when and where those opportunities might be ready for the taking.

"Anyone who works in this business, especially at the producer level—they're all salespeople—and at a certain level, they will admire someone who has the chutzpah to reach out in such a way,” he said. “If someone did that to me, I would think, ‘Well, they at least want it, they're at least eager.’"

Be tactful about when and whom you ask for these favors. If someone tells you no (which will happen), be gracious, because you don’t want to burn that connection.

One big thing: do not under any circumstances send your unsolicited script to a production company or producer, especially if you don’t have that connection already. You can send the inquiry, but if you don’t hear back or get a no, please move on. The person on the other end is probably worried about the legalities of the situation.

Demonstrate Industry Knowledge

Zinnes invested time in understanding how Hollywood actually operates. He studied resources to map relationships between producers, actors, and executives.

Back in the day, he used the Hollywood Creative Directory (now defunct). Today, you could use something like Studio System or IMDb Pro. Learn people’s names. Learn who works where and what deals are being made.

The usefulness of industry knowledge also just means you're someone who knows what's going on and could be useful on a desk.

"Having that general knowledge is very useful if you ever get into an interview situation or a conversation with someone who you don't know could potentially help you, but if you seem knowledgeable, and you have a general sense of what's going on and how people are related, they're going to [think], ‘If I wanted to hire someone, that person looks like they know what's going on in the industry at any given time.'"

Be Flexible as You Build Your Career

Zinnes created multiple pathways into the industry, and no one's journey is going to look the same.

"That first thing that cracked me into the system, I was reading [scripts] for free. I was an intern in my mid-20s. But it was a foot in the door, right? Then I got the job with Norman Leer, and that's when I was being paid to read scripts."

He later used this experience when transitioning to writing.

"Many years down the road, after working for several production companies and networks and things like that, I switched over to the dark side and became a writer myself. As a way to pay the bills, I offered my vast knowledge of story theory to be a script reader."

His temp work provided education across different industry departments.

"I would go everywhere. I would go to sit on desks in Disney and Sony and at Paramount and at MGM, all over the place... Sometimes I was working in a creative area, sometimes I was working in home video, sometimes I was working in the legal department, sometimes I was working in the marketing department. Didn't matter."

If an opportunity comes up, even if it’s not exactly what you’re looking for, it might be a great chance for you to learn something new.