Congratulations Corner
At long last I can finally spill the beans.
I would like to officially congratulate screenwriter Ben Frahm who sold his first script, a great high concept comedy called Dr. Sensitive, to Universal a few weeks ago for what I am allowed to say is “a very high undisclosed sum.” Ben brought his script into one of our very first Cat! workshops. He has also been one of our script readers. But while we may have lost a script analyst, we have gained a screenwriting star! And I am so proud of this young man!
Ben accomplished his goal the old-fashioned way: He earned it!
I have been living this experience for over a year now with Ben and when I heard the news, I may have actually been more excited than he was. Ben called me up a few weeks ago while I was driving back from PitchFest and told me what happened. Producer Tom Shadyac took the script into Universal — and the script has Jim Carrey’s attention, too. Why did it sell? Because it’s a great concept, well executed, and has been handled brilliantly by Ben and his managers.
How did Ben, a newcomer to LA a year ago, get these representatives you ask?
First off, Ben is a great guy with a great optimistic attitude. That’s #1. And any screenwriter who does not match this outlook — patience, optimism, and willingness to do hard work — should reassess his approach. After vetting his story in our class, and finishing his script, Ben did what I always recommend, got out his handy Hollywood Creative Directory and started writing email queries and query letters. His concept got the attention of several people and Ben began having meetings with these folks, finding a team he liked and who liked him.
But it wasn’t over yet!
Ben worked his butt off writing draft after draft of that script, learning the ins and outs of getting notes and working them into his screenplay.
The result is Ben is a winner! But in fact he always was. With or without this sale, Ben’s attitude is what makes him a success. And we all wish him luck on the start of a great career.
I would also like to congratulate my buddy Howard Burkons. Howard was my very first writing partner, and someone I mention fondly in Cat!, who is now a writer/producer for TV. Howard’s film starring Matthew Perry, The Ron Clark Story, has been nominated for an Emmy! Howard called me up and told me this news and I have to say,I got a little teary! Here’s another guy who deserves all the success he’s now reaping! Go, Howard, go!! We are all rooting for you! And I am particularly proud of you, dude!
And if that weren’t enough, let me also wish good luck to another Cat! grad, screenwriter Robert Henny, whose movie Who’s Your Caddy? comes out this weekend! Robert is a great writer, who really has a knack for concept, and has a new spec coming out soon!
What do all three of these success stories have in common? All have that “never say die” attitude that I really admire. All are optimistic, positive, and “givers” who have that ability for staying in the game, smiling, and being generous to those around them.
You have these qualities, too!
And your success is just around the corner… Congratulations Corner that is!
Keep the faith!
on July 23rd, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Blake you are so right: attitude is everything. You’ve shown me that having a positive determined attitude is probably THE major factor for success in achieving and maintaining a screenwriting career.
Kudos to Ben! Congratulations on Dr. Sensitive.
As always Blake, you are an inspiration!
Best,
Nick
on July 23rd, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Congratulations indeed! To Ben, to Blake, to all the STC’s–to love, to hope, for all eternity on the quest for the un-holy (no holes :0)) script! I’m inspired to get the latest Hollywood Creative Directory since mine has dust mites! I’m gonna write letters, send emails, make phone calls, and generally become your friendly neighborhood spider spec script pest! :))) I’m inspired, I’m inspired and I love happy endings!!!
on July 24th, 2007 at 8:54 am
Congrats to all!
I’m printing this out and posting it on my cork board for inspiration.
So much great info on this site.
Thank you Blake for STC!
on July 24th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Big sale to Uni… nice way to launch a career.
And I ran across the title, WHO’S YOUR CADDY, elsewhere and think it’s just brilliant.
And THE RON CLARK STORY was excellent — well-deserving of that Emmy.
Awesome news — congrats, guys!
on July 25th, 2007 at 8:15 am
Blake:
I’m not surprised at the success of your students, not at all.
I’ve spent the last few months working on a couple of scripts and reading various books on screenwriting.
Know what? SAVE THE CAT! lives up to its billing again and again.
That is the book that tells a writer HOW TO do it, while all the other books I’ve grabbed on screenwriting just say YOU MUST DO THIS, with no hint about how, mechanically, to achieve that goal.
That’s why your students are successful.
On the co-blog I do with 6 really famous novel writers, I have recommended STC! several times as a novel problem-solver, and also for beginning writers who are too wrapped up in their “ball of twine plots” to create something saleable.
At the recent Romance Writers Association convention, one of my co-bloggers who has a book under contract but is having trouble with the plot bought STC! in the dealer’s room.
What a place to find it!
She read it on the way home and got very excited and blogged about it.
Anyway, I expect this new, stubborn, novel will be a career high-water point for her.
My point to these novelists is that if you want your novel to be adapted for screen without destroying it — better to structure it so it can be adapted easily - scene by scene.
Besides, people are more familiar with video-drama today than novels, so they like such books better.
Oh, and the 2 reviews of STC! I did in my review column for The Monthly Aspectarian, especially the April 2007 review, got me an expense paid invitation to speak at a convention in Maryland next spring.
That book has coat tails!
So - anyway - I hope I don’t miss your next class in Phoenix. Just don’t make it over a weekend!
Live Long and Prosper,
Jacqueline Lichtenberg
on July 25th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Blake, in the darkness of the endless quest for craft, you are a light and positive guide!
Thank you!
Congrats! bIG CONGRATS! WOO HOO!!!!!
on July 26th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Congrats to Ben!
on July 26th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
congrats to all!
blake snyder rules!!!
on July 28th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Excuse the late post, just wanted to say thank you for bringing your excitement and enthusiasm for your craft to Chicago to share.
As a true beginner I’ve come away with a renewed sense of excitement and belief in my little project whose future quality will be directly linked to your book, your attention, and your level of enthusiasm in what I’m building.
I continue to have those rare “Save The Cat” moments - marked by doing something that is right and fits, along with the dreaded “SHAVE The Cat” moments, where I am forced to back up and rework something that is not quite right.
I do realize that you need to do a lot of shaving in order to get to the saving - back to my BS2 now, thanks again.
G
on July 30th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
I just submitted a 90min. screenplay to a producer/director- THREE WIDOWS AND A LAWN JOCKEY. He liked it and it’s going into production in a few weeks. I used Blake’s sage advice and directions in SAVE THE CAT and as a consequence will only have about three rewrites instead of the usual twenty - fifty. I’m an old retired teacher and I don’t have lots of time to rewrite. Thank you Blake!
The producer used to work out of L.A. but is now in Stanstead Quebec, Canada. Bashar Shbib is his name.
Regards,
Bob Murrray
on July 31st, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Speaking of congratulations, New Line greenlighted Four Christmases. As soon as I read that in Variety today, I knew you’d be excited.
on August 5th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Congratulations, gentlemen, on your “done deals!”